Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-01-22
A RAMBLE In ARDEN.
THE PLACE WHERE A MIDSUMMER
NIGHTS DREAM WAS WRITTEN.
MISS BROOKS TALKS INTERESTINGLY.
The True Spirit of the Play-Ihe
Dread Of Amateurs il Entirety Ih-
re,sonnbIe - RehearsaIs for the
Revival Begin This Week.

Tho rehearsals for "a Midsummer
Nights Dream" TO be produced at The
Academy Of Music under the auspices OF
the Association for the Preservation or
virginia antiquities, will be begun IN
earnest next Wednesday evening at
o'clock at the Virginia Historical Socie-
tvs rooms.
Miss Brooks. who will direct the play
ha. recovered from her recent attack OF
typhoid-rever, and the work Will 50 lor-
ward under her direction with every
prospect Of success.
In speaking Of the play 10 Dispalch
reporter recently Miss Brooks gave the
following interesting description or the
Spirit and locale Of the play
THE mere mention Of acting play Oh
shakespeare's strikes terror 10 the STOUT
est heart and that without waiting %
Look for the story which is there Tor
Won 10 laugh at, 10 cry over or TO give
Won tho delicious feeling OF fear whlch
NAV bs compared to cold water running
down your back.
Have you not amongst your acqualht-
anoes n friend with unlimited AMBITION
who gets her own way in everything
Peopls say: I like TO be on a committee
with Mrs. So and So; she carries every
thing before her. That lady is nearly
cer,ain to have a poor weak husband.
Two strong-minded people could not i've
in the same house together. In eariler'
rougher times this woman would stop ar
nothing. and Lady Macbeth stands Tor
her tyne
whatever may be said to the con-
tr,rv. I believe love at first sight will al
ways mar excellence, be the model court
ship. To each heart Cupid says: came
saw. I conquered and for these ths
types are Romeo and Juliet.
"Rosalind prehgures the modern attn
letic young woman. She is more than
common tall and gracefully wears mel
doublet and hose
"And so on. Look through Snakes
peare's plays, and Of each character you
shall ind q counterpart lo-uay' toi ~
urofe for all time But look not to NM
ration ounce. Snug, snout. etc, Twin.
under the protection OF the Stars ah'
Stripes. Come with me 10 'Merne Eng
land. there Hodge stin thrives in al
most all his pristine simplicity.
ayes. come with me to England, u
Stratford. Go through the quaint httl
town. and 50 past my own dear Oh
home said by an antiquary TO be owe
five hundred years old.
VISIT TO TITANIAS BOWER.
"How often young Shakespeare mus
havs looked up at the gables, unless III
deed. the road winds by other ways nov
than it did then.
imagine how, on some sweet night
July. passing this way, through III
churohvard. down the lane, over III
Avon. and through meadows until d
g came 10 the Weir Brake. Here, radiuo
( has IT. he wrote the play, "A Mldsulhn'
NIGHTS Dream" l don't think ne "ro'
il there. No, l follow nm down u
lovers walk" running along the his
. sIoning hank. covered thickly with tree
ana az the bottom, with murmurlI
sound the river, looking black III II
shadows. or silver with moonlight. ITO
delicious are the scents OF the dog ros
I and feathery meadow sweet The ar
fresh and cool after the heat OF the ia
: the leaves overhead rustic softly IN u
light breeze, and in the distance Whi
owl is heard with his mourntul note
Half way through the Brake the po
Is stous. here is a fallen tree-a good sc
y for contemplation.
IN ayes. here it was that Oberon, Titan
le and mischievous Puck came ana play
s. their PARTS before him, together with I
D. Amazon Hippolyte. and her Duke I
re olorlous six acted their "lamentat
re comedy" and Hernia and Helena toug
Of FOR their lovers-the latter, by the WI
IN was what my old manager called a m
ly sew" and / privately think Demetr
X, got very tired Of her when they had %
IN united a short time.
he "Weu. these are the people who ca
st IN visit viii Shakespeare on that bal
ye nioht i'm July-it was rare, good compa
IN but towards morning he must have fal
at asleep. Anyway he was awakened
nd The twittering of the birds and Old
e. shing In face
We he rubbed his eyes IN astonlshme
SIS "Ivhat a night / have had; what nigh
re And then he got up ana stfetc
MS himself. for, after all a tree-trunK i
he convenient. but not SOFT resting pa
sst And ~ home TO breaNast-that &c
ny, old English breakfast or beer ana no.
an breved ale. You want 20 know what
ns father said as he walked In ana siiei
GU took his seat? All Here, you get
is vond me: but for the rest l can Vol
it'll and II YOU doubt II, when | next go
ter England | will show you the very !
sci where this all happened.
are THE KEY TO THE PLAY.
OF. And the key to the play, 10 my m
wv Is contained in Theseus's first speech