New-York tribune., 1908-01-13
THEATRES In SCHOOLS.
Not Immoral, but Uplifting, Says
WIIidm Mc4ndre7c.

If the Washington Irving High School for girls
does not have a theatre, with complete stage
eouiprnent included. in the building promised
II the omission will not be the fault of William
McAndrev. the principal. Mr. McAndrew is d firm
believer Ii amateur drama educational force,
and he is spending his OF hours trying 10 convince
CITY officials and members Of the Board OF Educa-
ton that the drama is not necessarily wicked and
that the girls his school turns out will be just as
good women. and much cIeverer and more charm
inr women. if they are allowed a real stage on
which 10 present scme of the plays they study IN
their classes The Washington Irving girls nave 4
nourishins dramatic society, which not long ago
gave The School for Scandal but they have TO
get along with a tucked-up platform for a stage
fittings inprovised out Of school furniture, ana
scenery they paint themselves Mr. McAnore"
says that doing ali this wastes their time and
that up-to-date public schools ought 10 nave 'helF
little theatres, most colleges have
But don't know what there is about the ~oEo
theatre" he said TO q Tribune reporter, "Inat
makes some good people shy at the mere menuon
Of theatre in a school II is unfortunate that the
devil uses SO many agreeable things-oanclnS' the
Drama GOOD compilations, and so on-for MS pur-
poses It binds people 10 the fact that these
things have their good uses a few years aso
was called down for introducing dancing IN the
phvsicsI culture work here One angry parent
came and shook his fingers IN my face-said was
an instrument OF evil and vessel of wrath Now
they have dancing in most Of the schoois ana
folk dancing the primary classes.
Andrew continued Girls leave high school at
the end Of the first year or so IN oroVes. ana We
think IFS because they go out TOO uluch hlshts- W.
think their parents aren't Interested IN IheH &c
ting an education and so o. We ooh PeIcetse
,bs- +be reason is that load them down Win
q, studies which will be of little use 10 them M
after years. Could you solve an obstruse eeo1ne'il
cal p-oblem now? Gould II The people VINO argue
for 50 much geometry and biology say thaI sucn
s,u5tes develop a girls concentration. make her
exact and But can't those qualities pe oe-
1-eIone5 lust as well in that cooking class across
The hau as in observing the circulation IN frog
body? And cooking is something most women heeo
70 know something about
However since there is 50 much that is dry IN
-be curriculum, Mr.. McAndrew wants IL bright
eued with pIeasanter things and he wants acting
because Il gives q woman charm
Charm is q great help in this world Of woe, he
sad Moreover, acting is educational Sturrl,
the great educator. believed IN it strongly II 3
interesting 70 note that cf the earliest English
comedies Ralph Roister Doister.' vas written ny
{ sChoouaster for presentation by his pupils
Mos- colleges nowadays have their theatres There
The Sanders Theatre at Harvard. the BrlnkerhoH
- Columbia The German schools make good
deal Of dramatics. A St Louis public school has
. theatre Of its ovn. I want the Washington
Irving School 10 have one in its new building
are YOU really going 10 have a new building?
I knock on wood when speak Of IT,, said MI.
NcAn6raw Its promised, and the plans are
drawn. but this financial stringency is knocking
everything awry- When first talked TO the arcfl-
-.c- about theatre in the building he said II was
impossible He finally consented though, 10 make
the auditorium stage good and large. 10 leave out
me organ pipes with which they like 10 I'LL UP
school stages and 10 put in back and side en-
frances I was assured that scenery was out or
the Question. If We had il too much like theatre
we'd have 70 conform 10 the laws governing the
erection OF theatres.
Then I had q talk with some of the aldermen
Al first they were shocked at the notion of the
z-re in z school but 1 argued that training in
dramatics gives girl grace and self-possesslon
srd -learness Of speech cultivates the memory and
fosters the desire entertain others They finally
agreed that 2 little theatre wouldn't he such bad
thing fC-
Then through the Mayor got an interview with
.He Commissioner OF Buildings. He told that
~ had more Or less power TO pass building plans
- MS ozn discretion. SO the theatre laws needn't
trouble much
1t has heen suggested that might have
hat are called fat scenes-f7ve six scenes, one
of : street one a forest. of parlor,
medieval scene etc, rollers al the back Of the
stage Well there the matter rests There are
some members Of the Board Of Education yet TO be
convinced that little theatre III school wouldn't
really the moral destruction Of the pupils.
I wish could get different word for it The
sr-e Is the old Greek name. but Il seems dis
sgree with some peoples ears II we could find
name that sounded real virtuous now believe the
opposition would be downed."