Bisbee daily review., 1907-06-23
ARIZONA GIRLS 1T
 SMITH COLLEGE
Tucson and Prescott Young Ladies Have a Brilliant
 Record in East.

at Northampton, Massachusetts, the largest of the women's colleges. has a greater proportion of western girls, than any of it's eastern sisters. The western girls are a large and very important element; eighty of the two hundred and sixty graduating seniors are westerners; six of the nine mem bers Of the senior basket bali team comes from the west, as do the cap tains of the other class teams. This year. however, it is in the dramatic that the western girl shows forth. Every college has it's dramatics, hut the Smith College senior dramatics Is the moat important event of the senior year. The importance is not only to the college but to the public at large. for the productions receive the attention of dramatic critics throughout the United States. This year the play to be given is Shakes peres sMuch Ado About Nothing, and the girl on whom the responsibih fly of the production rests is Miss Mabel Y. Norris of Prescott. For nearly fifteen years the senior class at Smith has given some play of Shakes pere's. the presentations growing in eiaborateness and importance, till the performance of Hamlet given last year. which received favorable notices from such magazines as .-The Oout- look" and 'sTAe Dramatic Mirror.P This years class is given the difficult task Of equalling the record of 1906. The play, ~Much Ado About Nothing was selected by a committee elected for that purpose, who read and studied plays all last summer. The head of this committee was Denver girl, Miss Aqua Reynolds. Early in the fall. the class unanimously accepted the committees selection of the play, and set about to choose the girl to manage this. the most important un- dertaking of senior year. The girl chosen by the class for ths most re- sponsible position, was Miss Mabel Norris, who as head of the dramatics committee, has managed the senior dramitics.
 Miss Norris was the first and enly girl from Arizona, when she came to Smith. She prepared for college at Los Angeles, California, and soon had made her mark as good scholar. Miss Norris has been much interested in the religious life of the college, and has been a faithful member of the Smith College association for Christ ian work and of the missionary so- ciety, and has taught in the Bible study classes. She was elected member of the Oriental society, which is devoted to the study of eastern life and literature It was not until junior year, however, that Miss Norris came before the class notice for her execu- tive ability. This was in connection with the Morris house play. Each campus house in the college, is per mitted to give a play in the college theatre at the Students buildi,y, once every three years There is great rivalry among the houses as to who gives the best play. In 1904. Morrls hDuse gave Little Lord Fauntieroy and it was called the best play of the year. For the next three years every play was compared with that as mot half as good as Morris house, or ssnearly as good as Morris house In 1906 Morris house again gave play .'The Little Princess and not only lived up to it's previous reputation, but surpassed it. The girl who man. aged this very successful performance was Miss Mabel Norris; ever since that night she was marked for future use in senior dramatics, having proved her ability to stage an elaborate pro duction. So the committee, with Miss Norris at it's head was elected last October. The trials for parts soon be- gan. When one says. everybody tries" that is scarcely an exaggera- ton. There were sixty prospective Benedicts and seventy would-be Beat rices this fali, some thirty Heros, Dagberrys and so on through the list of parts. Practically every senior tried for something. either for part in the play, or to carry spear or a lantern er a part in the music. The trials are conducted by the committee which sits by with pad and pencil and writes down it's comments on every trembling aspirant. By December the sixty Benedicts and seventy Beauices were cut down. four, and in Febru. ary the cast Is finally announced amid great rejoicing. Then the rehearsals begin. They come every Wednesday and Saturday, till commencement draws near, and then they come every day. The committee conducts the re- hearsals as well as the trials for parts Tn May the mob" and the music is added to the committees labor, and the poor committee grows pale and thin, but never stops work because 1t is for the honor of the class. Finally comes the Friday and Saturday before commencement when the play is final ly given to an audience of entbu- siastic parents and critical alumnae, ready to declare that they did it better in SC. But in the applause given to the actors. the committee has its re- ward. for the class knows that who ever gets the glory. 1t is owed to the committee which has labored with the play from the beginning.
 It would seem as If thiS were more than sufficient to fill the time of one girl. But besides the dramaties, Miss Norris has been prominent in the so- ciaI fife Of the college; she was an usher al the Junior Promenade; res ident at 20 Belmont" one of the senior invitation houses, and mem Der of the Alpha society, one of the two Greek letter societies in the col sege-
 Miss Norris has retained her inter est in phflanthropy, and expects to go into settlement work on leaving the college Altogether she Is one of the most aiI-cund able girls the college has had for several years.
 When Miss Norris came to smith. she was the first and only girl from Arizona. despite the large number oi western girls the college has and has had. This year, however. she vas --s-a 4ff~- fo-r,hol lrfrnlsv cf