New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-05-19
DRAMAT|CS IN TEACHING.
High School Instructor Outlines
New Policy in Teaching
Literature.

dressed the meeting on the subject of THE
Place OF Dramatics in the Teaching of Lit
erature' In the course of her address Miss
Frank outlined the policy she has recently
and successfully adopted with her classes of
first year boys Of dramatizing the re
CURED" novels for classroom production.
Miss Franks novel method has the ad-
vantage of bringing her boys into personal
touch with the famous figures of literature.
In part she said:
When ] say that ! have found the dra
matte method capable Of being used 10 eX-
Cellent advantage in the teaching of first
year literature. ! speak with fear and trem-
bling. for the words dramatic and dra-
matization on a teachers lips too often
suggest. If not pretentousness of aim, at
any rate q lack Of sense of values. Ora
matte colors for use in the classroom need
10 be mixed with as much common sense as
the teacher is master of to be worth can
vas But in default OF q better word,
must perforce use the term dramatiZation.
trusting not to convey the impression that
the literature classroom should be used 10
furnish background for the exploration of
star reciters. or Of youngsters with lean
Ing toward theatricalism. Dramatics as
rart Of the literature period should result
IN making tho classroom a democracy
rather than an aristocracy or an oligarchy.
II should hardly be necessary TO say that
the method I wish TO discuss requires no
special temperamentsl qualification on the
part Of the teacher. such as that possessed
by the faculty dramatic coach. The com
mon or garden teacher who has for equip
nnent nothing more than the interest in the
drama which We none Of us lack. can after
very little practice play the producer
without difficulty.
In the f1rst tern, Ivanhoe' second The
Oryssey have been the chief victims OF
my recent experiments Two years ago l
founr tuo Ivanhoe' classes in my pro-
Rramme, after having been, through acci-
dent OF fate, minus Ivanhoe' work for
some time I have wise English friend,
once schoolmaster. who is a great travel
Ter. although his holidays are never longer
than a few weeks. He writes delightful
essays about his travels. and in one Of
them he says: J will never go the same
route three days running whether TO bust
ness or to Parliament, or back to the haven
of home neutrality-suspicious. is the Turk
ing demon to Outwit and avoid. Monotony
ages YOU: wandering keeps you young
Now. ] thoroughly believe in applying this
principle to teaching. ] try never TO take
precisely the same route through a book
two terms running, and this time, in search
of new road. strayed upon the path
OF informal dramatics arranged from
Ivanhoe That is to say. the first part
Of every lesson was devoted TO a rendering
of the dialogue of one Of the scenes by as
many pupils as the action called for. The
planning of this work was exceedingly sim
pie, thanks to Scott. There are innumer-
able scenes I'm Ivanhoe which the least
possible twist will convert into self-cOn-
tanned dramatic episodes The archery
contest. the escape of Cedric. Guerth at the
house Of Isaac. the friar and the Black
knight in the hermitage. Guerth among
the robbers-a score of others Will suggest
themselves to you. and the whole book can
bo gone through in this way down 10 the
final scene of the leave-taking between Re
becca and Rowens. When our allotted time
with the book was over, every member OF
both classes. bright or dull, weak voiced or
declamatory mad had a part TO perform,
only slightly removed from a thinking part
in some cases. but still a part. I don't
know which was the greater revelation TO
me in this experience, the perfect Golconda
OF dramatic material in Ivanhoe' or the
rough but, I'm many cases, very real power
displayed by the boys IN handling IL AS
for the boys point Of view, which, after
all is the one TO be considered, J don't
believe they formulated any criticism, but
am sure that they lived their Ivanhoe.
This type OF work calls for isolation of
the dialogue; memorizing the speeches
whenever they are not unduly long. in that
case cutting them judiciously. and think
ing out appropriate action. The memoriz-
%
really is. As a famous critic said of the
allegory in The Faerie Queene,' II won't
Lite any one The lines almost say them
selves AS for the action, all the class
rooms stage. and all its belongings
PROPERTIES Richard and Friar Tuck quar-
canary from inkwells. Guerth and the mill
lor have bout with pointers as quarter
slaves the seats on the middle aisle pro-
vide places for Prince Johns banqueters,
and a fearful jov is snatched from the in
vasion of the teachers platform which
serves now as the ruins Of Torquilstone,
now as the cave Of Poyphemus, according
10 the requirements OF the occasion. L
ought. perhaps. 10 add that thinking parts,
such as the swine Of Gree and the sultors
of Penelope NyhO are allowed modified
crovlsl, are very popular, and are felt TO
contribute greatly to the effectiveness or
tho performance. Occasionally, OF course
IL Is fclt that some slight accessory ought
10 be imported from the outer world inc
most approved instrument at present tor
boring out the eye Of POlyphemus Is an
ancient baseball bat, the property OF the
class team, and my first impersonator OF
Ciuerth profoundly impressed his audience
nv producing his fathers check book 10
record his monetary transactions with
Isaac And so. like the audience VINO Sd"
Agtncourt fought and Won OH the platform
90 the Globe Theatre, we sit and see
mending true things by what their mock
cries be
our iucursion into the dramatic field by
rav Of .Iyauhoe called for no composition
work but With The odyssey there are
more OPPORTUNITIES Of making oral compost
ton a part Of the exercises. Render1ngs OF
the odyssey dialogues as given IN the
text are practicable. but require considers-
bic effort in memorizing.
And when this type of work becomes
hurdonsome To the pupil 1t loses It's Value'
10 nv mind In this case 1t IL certainly as
Stevenson says. TO miss the joy'is TO mss
an The Homeric deites seldom express
themselves with the terseness which woulo
commend their speeches to the New YORK
how as suitable passages 10 be learned. 80
In my odyssey classes have tried 10 XIII
several birds with one stone by having the
bows manage their own dramauZatohs'
Making a bold attempt TO transplant the