The Savannah morning news., 1901-09-29


OF the Boston Symphony ochestra,
composed appropriate music which he
gave upon the harp during the per-
formanee, and Secretary John d. Long
read his translation of Virgil between
the acts. The play was decided sue
cess.
A short time after Miss Barrows
went to Greece with her father, who
is student of archaeology, and every
opportunity was given her to visit the
galleries and museums, where she
made sketches Of Greek figures, in
which every detail of costume, Golf
fure and pose was studied. She also
took a course in Creek art and arch
aeology at Leipzig University.
After returning to this country she
entered Radcliff College. and while
there prepared her first Greek play,
which she called Homeric Pictures
This was given in Cambridge
by the students of the college
under her supervision, and the grace
ful Greek figures, the effective tableaux
and the picturesque dances won in
slant recognition as a realistic inter-
probation of early Grecian life At the
presentation of the play Prof. George
Herbert Palmer read his translation OF
the Odyssey, and the music was COM
posed by William Lewis Glover.
So great an interest was taken by
the faculty that Brown University soon
asked for a presentation. Miss Bar
rows had allowed the students of an
other college to give the play, but 1t
was so badly managed that she de-
termined it should never be given
again except under her personal direc-
ton. When the call came from Brown
University she decided to make such
changes as should allow of its presen-
tation by both men and women, and
the play, as she rewrote 1t, was called
The Return of Odysseus." In this form
1t has been given at many colleges;
Miss Barrows in each case directing it
throughout and taking the part OF
Penelope. 1t was these frequent calls
which finally determined her present
unique occupation, which is natural
outgrowth of her genius, rather than
any deliberately planned vocation.
Miss Barrows is woman of many
talents, but all seem to converge into
her present profession, and all are
needed, for she is coach, organizer,
stage manager, teacher of singing,
dancing, athletics and costumer, all in
one. The costumes for her Greek play
she fashions from the drawings which
she made while abroad. Whenever she
coloring of which especially appeals to
her for the purpose, she purchases 1t
and makes it up at once into a tunic
or a robe.
For the past five years she has been
kept busy from one end to the other Of
the college year. AS she spends six
weeks in drilling for each presentation,
she can seldom give more than four
plays during a season. Her plan upon
going to a college is to spend the first
two or three days watching the stu
dents upon the campus, in the class
rooms, and especially at their athletic
exercises, for physique and grace are
important factors in the presentation
of Greek plays.
81 find, as a rule" says Miss Bar
rows, that men take all the parts bet
ter than women. This is for various
reasons; they are taller; they walk with
greater ease, and, strange as it may
seem, they manage a Greek costume
better" In colleges where there is CO.
however, both young men
and young women are chosen for the
cast Miss Barrows has much hard
work to perform, but her interest and
enthusiasm never fail. Besides teach
ing correct delivery of the lines, she
nstructs in boxing and fencing.
Although the lines of the Grecian
play, which is the most popular of any
which she has yet put upon the stage,
are all in the original tongue, there is
no trouble in following the story, for
it is practically told in the dramatic
and artistic scenes A marvellous in
sight into the life and customs of the
ancient Greeks is given, and the author
has won the highest praise from col
lege professors and men of letters
throughout the country.
Besides Miss Burrows plays In
Latin and German arranged from vir-
gil and the Nibelungen Lied, she has
recently completed an Indian play
which bids fair to attain as marked
a success as any of her others. In this
she has used the same painstaking
care which has made her other plays
of so great an educational and arch
geological value. The play will be CIV
en- in the Indian language and by In
dians. In order to satisfy herself that
they would throw themselves into the
spirit of a drama, Miss Barrows at
tended the presentation of Hiawatha
by the Garden River Indians at Des-
barats, Ont She became fully con-
WINGED of their ability to do this and
arrangements for the play are now be-
ing made. Julia D. Cowles.