The San Francisco call., 1905-05-28
HISTORIC TOWN
TO CELEBRATE
Founding of SherbOrne Will
Be Commemorated by Pic
turesque Folk Lore Play
STIRRING SCENES SHOWN.
Ruined Castle That Figured
Prominently Centuries Ago
Will Serve for the Stage
STIRRING SCENES SHOWN
Special Dispatch to The Call.

/ m6mOrdllOn Dy OIcipOli one Oh the
quaintest and most picturesque of West
Country towns, of its twelve hundredth
birthday. Few towns. even In old Eng
land, can boast such venerable antiquity
as that. And during It's long Efe Sher-
borne has witnessed many stirring scenes
intimately associated with epoch-mak
ing periods of English history. Instead
of an exhibition, roasting. oratory and
fireworks, OF any of the other varieties
of civic celebrations which mushroom
cities have made so wearisonely familiar,
Sherborne is to have show worthy of
its great age and glorious memories. 1t
will take the form OF a spectacular folk
play or pageant in which the most note
worthy of the events that have taken
place in the old gray town will be re-en-
acted.
Sherborne has been taking life easy
in the last few hundred years of it's ex-
istence, and not much of Importance TO
the outside world has happened there in
that time. But 1t had the good fortune
to provide home for nineteen years to
Louis N. Parker, the dramatist, author
of 1.-The Cardinal and co-author of
Rosemary" Incidentally also Sherborne
provided Parker with wife. To show
his appreciation of all that Sherborne has
done for him Parker has written the folk
play and arranged it's scenes. That guar
antees a performance worth seeing.
REHEARSING THE FOLK PLAY.
1t is to be given in the open air amid
the ruins of old Sherborne Castle, around
which cluster so many memories of the
DAYS when Sherborne lived the strenuous
life. No modern stage could provide
setting so we'll adapted to the perform
ance. Through the main entrance to the
modern castle, the home of the Digby
family, winding road leads across the
moat into the interior of the old castle.
The ruins of the keep and turret, evil
dences of Cromwells wrath, form
rough quadrangle overgrown with ivy
which will serve as background for the
various tableaux. On the left towers the
remnants of the ancient gatehouse. on
the right is another fragment of masonry,
called the chapel exit. Fronting the
quadrangle a large, covered auditorium
will be erected providing seatss for 1000
spectators In the folk play 700 of the
townsfolk will take part They began
drilling and rehearsng for the event
months ago. The historical accuracy OF
the costumes provided for them is
vouched for by the best authorities.
Sherborne's chief claim to historic re-
nown lies In the fact that 1t was for
time the capital OF the newer WesseS
and the center of the one district which
successfully withstood the Dane while
Alfred gathered his forlorn hope IN
the marshes of Athelney for the fight.
which made England and all that has
since come out of 1t possible. Three
of the eleven episodes" into which the
play is divided are devoted to this Pc
riod of its history.
The first of these depicts the found
ing of the town by St Ealdhelm in 705.
when the inhabitants OF the west had,
most of them, relapsed into heathen-
dom. In the midst of hunting scene
the saint makes his entrance. accom-
panied by some of his disciples. Dip
ping his hand In the small stream
which flows by, he asks its name, and
on being told tnat in the ancient tongue
| 1t is called Scir-burn-the clear stream
and is holy place, he raises the
standard of Christ there. Upon this
| holy place, by this clear stream and on
| this pleasant hill" he says. Il Will
build a city and church. From this
| holy place the knowledge OF the true
| God shall spread throughout the west
| ern lands. And it shall be known
! throughout all ages as the place of the
clear stream, and unto the end Of time
| It's children shall call it Sherborne.'
INTRODUCES FIGHTING BISHOP.
The next episode introduces the most
| famous of Sherborne's Bishops. lIalh-
| stan, known as the lighting Bishop. and
King Ethelwulfs best general. He it was
the Danes at the mouth of the Parret
in S4s. He is shown in the full armor
of the period, leading a charge against
the invading Danes to the cry of For
God and Home" After terrific hand
to-hand encounter they are driven back
through the chapel exit, leaving their
dead and wounded on the ground
Falhstan was not the only fighting
Dishop of Sherborne. Between y7l and
- fall in ha n xv,i CT
the piratical northern hordes. But the
folk play would have to be stretched to
too great a length to make room for
them and their valorous deeds.
The third scene presents the most
famous figure associated with Sher-
bornes history-Aifred the Great. A
procession enters bearing the dying
King Erhe1bald to his last resting place
at Sherborne. He is met by his brother.
Ethelbert, and their mother. Queen
Osburga With them Is Alfred. at this
time but a lad Ethelbald embraces
Ethelbert, with whom he had long been
at enmity, and expires after bestowing
a blessing on Alfred Queen Osburgl
leaves Alfred with Bishop Ealhstan to
be educated.
TT is great glory for the house of
Sherborne and for Sherborne School to
have him among u.s." says the warrior
prelate. ''for his presence lifts Sher-
borne on high rs the chief city Of wes-
sex"
History does not record just where AL
fred got his schooling. But as Sherborne
was the capital of Wessex from $50 to
S7s. it is likely that he did receive his
early training In letters there At all
events no other West Country town can
advance a better claim to that distinc-
ton. As Sherborne was the center of
the resistance that checked the encroach-
ments of the Danes, 1t is certain that Al
there Brasses in the Abbey Church mark
the graves of two of his brothers who
preceded him on the throne-Ethelbald
and Ethelbert.
DEPICTS MONASTERY LIFE.
Brief comment from the chorus fills up
a gap Of considerably over a century and
introduces the fourth episode, the date
of which is 99S. 1t graphically depicts
the laxity OF life into which the monas-
terry at Sherborne. in common with other
monasteries. had fallen at that time