Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-24
SEEN AT GREEK FETE
Daphnephoria Given Yester-
day at The Oaks.
SMART COMPANY PRESENT
Ancient Classic Dances Revived by
Maids and Matrons.
ARRANGED BY MRS. BARNEY
Charming Effects Gained With
Great Applause at
The Oaks.
ARRANGED BY MRS. BARNEY

| With the festival Of "Daphnephora"
in our Theban groves of the Temple OF
Apollo yesterday the return of the sun
| in the spring from its winter pilgrima ge
into Africa was celebrated again after
nine years.
| The olive tree decorated with laurel,
purple wells and brazen globes. typifying
| the sun and planets, was carried to the
altar of our god of song at the head of
| the procession of incense bearers. priests
of Apollo. youths, maidens and the citi-
zens of our Thebes, chanting to the ac-
compartment of Tyres
After the rite of placing the laurel upon
the altar to our patron deity our Thebans
gave the day over to usual festivities.
especially to those representative OF leg
ends of Apollo new ode to Apollo
was heard. There were dances of del
ties, q satyrs and dryads. fauns and
nymphs, maidens and youths. There
were festal songs.
son of distinguished family of Thebes,
was named Thucicl-
Only Like Unto Other Festival.
All, no. Yesterday was May 23. 1910.
and not the of classic Greece.
This is Washington, d. c., not Thebes OF
Attca. Yet Arcadia boosted no more
beautiful bucolic setting for the ''Daph-
| nephoria' than were the vine-grown and
green-carpeted groves of The Oaks. Col.
BlountS Georgetown estate, for the tWen-
| tieth century representation of that fes-
tival produced by Mrs. Albert Clifford
| Barney, assisted by Mrs. Lucia Gale
| Barber.
| 1t might have been Greece. save for
the spoken language. the printed pro-
grams and the elaborate. body-cOnfinlns
| raiment of the men and women looking
on. Greece could have boosted no fairer
| day. no more beautiful maidens, no bet
| ter set-up youth. The performers and
| their raiment were within the picture.
| The son of a distinguished family of far
| Boston was the priest of Apollo, Daph-
| nephOrus. named Walter Norris Stiles.
| His tall slenderness was as graceful as
any classic prototype and he wore his
| scant Garb as if 1t pertained to his every
| day life
| The Daphne. seemingly a very wood
| spirit of Attic pantheism, was Miss
| Noyes, under the pseudonym Of Galatea,
posturing in the dance can be likened to
nothing but the agility of the shy ga
zelle. its payfulness changed by the
hunters horn to wild alarm.
Mrs. Barney Dances.
Mrs Barney, who is responsible for
the entertainment, danced with the grace
| that is always hers. Mrs. Barber, who
assisted her in the enterprise, also
danced Others who distinguished them
selves as pupils of Terpschore were Miss
Kathleen Dunkorst and Miss Roberta
Amies.
There were chants of odes and hymns
in chorus by maidens and youths,
hymn TO Apollo was sung by Mrs. Roma
| Devonne Hampstead. The song. 'NymphS
and Fauns." was sung by Miss McFall.
Tie nine muses. were essayed by Mrs.
Clifford. Mrs. Ward Brown. Mrs. L. A.
Coolidge. Miss Perly Edison Miss Lee
Patterson, Miss Dunkorst Miss Amies
Miss Elsie Hill and Mrs. Charles Connor.
Miss Adams Diana.
The accompaniment to the dances and
| the choruses and solos were played by
the Marine Band. Ben Greet, clad in
Grecian costume. acclaimed the prologue
in clear voice.
| In a perfect natural amphtheater the
sta ge" was as level as any made by
man. 1t was on this carpet of green
velvet that the dances were performed.
1t was an ideal spot and an ideal en-
tertainment.
An altar to the gods had been erected
and statues of Apollo peeped here and
there among the foliage. Musicians con-
| cealed from view furnished the strains
VI n anu lHe eNOlutlOils
of the actors in their flowing robes. bear
ing their branches of green on high and
their offerings to Apollo We're charming
The actors evolved the intricate move
ments of scenes depicting the chase. the
wooing of goddesses. the coming of the
harvest. the passing of time and many
other events which the Greeks typified in
their pantheistic faith and in their adora-
ton of beauty in every form.
The program was one of many delights
and each of the soloist dancers was re-
ceived with hearty applause. while the
choral numbers were received with al
most equal favor.