The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1910-04-19
SUCCESS
In Every Detail Was The
Junior Play
"The Merchant OF Venice Up
To Date"
Given At High School Auditor
ium Friday Night
All The Characters We're
Very Ably Sustained
And A Large Audience Wit
messed The Performance

The Junior play, "The Merchant of
Venice Up-to-date"at the high school
auditorium Friday evening was huge
success In every way. A mammoth
audience greeted the players upon
their entrance after the overture had
been played by the high school or
chestra under the leadership of Miss
Clark. The play itself was a take-off
on the immortal drama Of Shakespeare
by that name. The action of the play
is centered around football game in
which the local high school eleven
meets the team from Belmont. Bes-
sanio, portrayed by Ralph Jenkins, is
down In his studies and must take an
examination in Latin in order to par
ticipate in the big Thanksgiving day
game. Antonio (Dean Mckee,, cap
tain of the local team, makes a bar
gain with Shylock, which role was as
sumed by Leon Zeisloft, for the use of
pony" he agreeing that II the
pony" is not returned within a
month, Shylock will be privileged to
take pound of hair which lies near
est his brain. Bassanio now repairs
to the home of the preceptress, Miss
Verna Salisbury and meets there his
Tight O. love" Portia (Mae Bartlett)
who is with her friend Nerissa (Olive
Clark) Gratino, which part is admir-
ably taken by George Hookaway, fol-
lows his friend Bassanio to Portals
house and engages in earnest con-
versation with Nerissa. Bassanio
must take an examination in either
Cicero, Caesar or Virgil and, since he
has pony" in only Caesar, is consid-
erably worried. Three caskets are
laid before him and he is given his
one that proclaims the examination to
be in Caesar. He then declares his
love and everlasting fidelity to Portia
and the same feeling is voiced by Gra-
tiano to Nerissa who announce that
they have become engaged. Bassanio
takes the examination and is success
full. Menwhile, Shylock, who is deep
ly in love with his ward, Jessica (Bes-
sic VanVoorhis), who in turn is in
love with Antonio, returns home, pro-
poses to Jessica, is spurned and then
declares that Jessica shall not marry
Antonio. He locks her up in the
house and departs. Shylock's SER
want, Gobbe George Culbertson) en-
ters and Jessica prevails upon him to
deliver a note to Antonio. He accom-
plishes his trust and returns with An
tonic. Antonio breaks the door down
and he and Jessica elope. Shylock
and Tubal (Walter Englehardt, who
is captain of the Belmont foot ball
team, enter and Shylock declares his
purpose of obtaining the pound of An
tonlo's hair on the day of the big foot
ball game. Tubal, of course, falls in
with him and plot is Immediately
formed. Gobbo hears of this plot from
the upstairs window and, since he was
about to desert the service of Shy
lock and apply for position with An
tonic, Immediately reports what he
has heard and seen to Portia and Ner-
issa. These two set about to hatch up
a scheme to defeat the plot Of Shy
lock-.
10 dicnlnond a foot hall
field with two teams lined up. Play
starts and some lively scrimmages
take place. Just at the point when ex'
citement is at the highest pitch, Shy
lock enters with a policeman and has
Antonio arrested. Antonio is brought
to court, admits his guilt, but pleads
with Shylock to be lenient. Portia
disguises herself as lawyer and com
es to court to plead for Antonio. She
reads the contract which was entered
into by Shylock and Antonio and not
ices that 1t stipulates "a pound of hair
nearest the brain" She calls in an
x-ray photographer (Raymond Speck)
and commands him to determine the
exact location of Antonio's brain. A
photograph is taken which results in
the startling discovery that Antonio
is absolutely devoid of the gray mat
ter" Portia claims that because Of
this, Shylock's case is lost and her ar
guments are sustained by the Duke Of
Venice (virgil Black.) At the In