Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-05-03
ROBIN HOOD AND BAND
IN MAY DAY FESTIVAL
Pupils at Friends School Reproduce
Scenes Of the Twelfth
Century.

That gentleman highwayman. Robir
! Hood, accompanied by his merry band, al
clad in Lincoln green, came out of Sher
wood forest yesterday for May day
frolic. and were transported to a Sc
| cluded spot near the Country Club o.
Friends School. where a festival wa.
held in accordance with ancient. annua
custom of old England, in welcome t.
spring. The sward they played upor
was bit of natures stage, carpeted with
verdure and fitting setting for the gayeties
Of the occasion, with a background OF
green trees and rolling hills.
Maid Marion and Friar Tuck and the
fool were i'm the party. with the rest OF
Robin Hoods men. Then there were
fairies and nymphs and sprites and peas
ants and their children to participate in
the joys of the day. There was folk dane
ing and singing of folk songs.
The news Of these doings reached to the
bnodern-day city of Washington, and
brought to the festival great crowd of
onlookers. These watched the performers
from their automobiles, from chairs and
from seats on the ground.
Setting Represents Sherwood Forest.
The setting represented the edge of
Sherwood forest in the early morning of
century. Little children first appeared and
gathered flowers for the May baskets,
while the ancient music of ''The May Bell
and the Flowers was played. The flower
children were led by William Lemly and
Ruth Harding, and on other days than
May day were children of the primary
grade in Friends School. The spirit of
spring, which has the modern name of
Sybil Davis when transformed into a
school MpndQlCS0hn' r
Spring Song
This was all preliminary. Then the
merrymakers began to arrive on the green
for the May day dances. The Happy
they gathered.
Then the May queen was crowned. Maid
Marion, otherwise Ruth Roberts, was the
queen. Her attendants were Anne Black
wood. Louise Pugh, Lena Ramsey, Kath-
arine Ladd, Candace Howard, Frances
Sidwell, Mildred Miller. Genevieve Clark
and Marie Sims, and S. Carter, NJ. Alpin
and H. Janson.
The fairies. Crocus, Elizabeth Higgins
and Daffodil. Jack Lemly. were pages
to the queen. Virginia Brown was the
crown bearer.
Those who represented the other prin-
cipal characters of the festival were K.
Hawkhurst. as Robin Hood; j. Curtis.
as Friar Tuck: S. A. Wilson, as the Fool,
and Nelson Reeve, as Jack Frost
Give Peasants Garland Dance.
Girls of the intermediate department,
led by Marguerite Murphy and Zelma
Tyree, danced the peasants garland
dance. Flax spinning and weaving were
introduced in the figures Of the dance
as an aid to the prosperity Of crops. A
dance around the spring and the scat
tering of water over the ground to pro-
pitiate rain for the coming season was
the dance ceremony of the Water nymphs.
Constance Weaver. Jean Roberts, Janet
Brown and Frances Putnam.
Then there came the wreath drill of
peasant children. pupils of the third and
fourth primary grades. with Janet Davis
and Louise Taylor as leaders. The Old
English Morris dance was given by the
girls of the intermediate department.
OF course there was a contest in arch
cry by Robin Hoods men. The dance. Of
the fire sprites followed. The fire sprites
were Mildred O'Neill. Margaret Dodge.
Elsie Brown. Estelle Reeve and Wilhel-
nina Spanhoofd.
The festival closed with the Maypole
dance by the queen and her attendants.