The San Francisco call., 1908-08-02
The Bohemian links"

By Porter Garnett. Published by the Bohe-
misn elub. San Francisco Price $50
The Bohemian Grub OF San Francisco
needs little explanation TO San Fran
cisco audiences or, for that matter. TO
the world at large. for it's fame is now
International The club has sanctioned
the publishing Of a volume entitled
Porter Garnett, q member OF the club
and connected with many Of its en-
tertainments IN the forest.
This book he calls q treatise. but
rather IL is q series OF essays. explain
ing 20 an interested public lust exactly
what the Bohemian 3inks are. Mr.. Garnett
saws IN his preface: The midsummer
high links, as they are called, OF the
Bohemian club have carried the name
OF the organization over seas until.
among a certain class OF persons iE
every part Of the world, II is as IA
miliar as that OF the city IN which II
has Its home. Unfortunately the an
nual encampment OF the Bohemians
are associated in some persons minds
with the license of a Dionysiac revel,
and the woodland performances with
which they end have been given a
Fictitious celebrity which initiates
against their serious consideration as
works OF art"
This last statement is only too true
and for that reason this little book is
written as much as any other. In it
viii be found & complete history Of the
midsummer 3inks from the first one in
be produced next month It is inter
esting to read what. the author has to
say OF ne Tnks OK 1879:
1t was on Saturday, June 30. 1878.
that something less than q hundred
members OF the Bohemian club. which
had been in existence for six years.
conducted in the woods near Taylor
Vile, Sonoma county. California. the
first midsummer high links"
The author goes on TO say that II
was little more than a nocturnal pic
ME and such entertainment as was
given was impromptu and so successful
was II that they planned TO repeat it
the following summer. The second
links took place in the Tedwoods. The
extreme simplicity Of this AFFAIR is in
teresting in view of the elaborate and
complex productions OF which X was
the genesis. II consisted OF an address
OF welcome by the sire. some casual
singing. and two speeches"
The book is divided into FIVE parts
ana an appendix. The first IS devoted
TO The Setting" in which is a faith
ful picture of the grove Of redwoods
now used by the club for the grove
they have owned for nearly ten years.
The next chapter IS devoted to the
History and Development" OF the mid
summer outings and the third TO the
Origin and Anelogies'' of the plays as
they are now given From the simplest
possible beginnings they have devel-
oped Into the most remarkable pToduo-
ttann Of TIA A9A
The fourth part OF the book gives
synopsis OF the last seven years grove
plays and after reading that one does
not wonder at the rage which fills a
true Bohemian when he finds the ignor-
ant public under the impression that
the outing is a bacchanalian orgy.
Much space is devoted to these
synopses and q very clear idea Of the
story OF each one OF the plays is given.
The Conclusion" gives bits OF In
formation about the acting, scenic ef-
fects, music, stage effects, etc, and In a
section devoted TO Tendencies" the
author notes some OF the near" mis-
takes and warns the club not TO give
way 70 them.
For example he says. '.repetitions
OF the plays both in the grove and in
the city have been urged; the admis-
sion Of women TO the club festivals has
been discussed as has their participa-
tion in the performances The
greatest danger as before suggested,
is that they VIII degenerate into more
or less commonplace drama or opera
The appendix is valuable as a book
Of reference, giving list of the house
jinks and midsummer jinks from 1879
10 date. together with the sire's name.
musical sire and subject Of the even
ing's entertainment.
The book IS gracefully written and
contains some excellent Illustrations
reproduced from photographs taken in
the grove at GuerneviIle. There Is
also a partial map of the grove in
serted at the back Of the book which
shows the shape and size of this enor-
nous grove. While the title page
bears the name OF the Bohemian club
as publisher. it ia e be distributed by
A II Robertson.