Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-05-02
DRAMA CENTURIES OLD
SHOWSEWLS Of WAR
Will Be Presented Here Under Aus
pioes Of Woman's Peace
Party.
seThe Trojan Women Of Euripides'
to Be Given Friday Afternoon
at the Columbia.

In pursuance of the nation wide propa-
ganda for peace, organized by the Wom-
ans Peace Party, the Washington branch
has arranged for the presentation here
at the Columbia Theater Friday after
noon Of the peace play. The Trojan
Women of Euripides" This has been
translated by Gilbert Murray. and is to
be staged by the Little Theater Company
Of Chicago.
Among the prominent Washington
people who have Endorsed the perform
ance are Mrs. Christian Hemmick. Miss
Janet Richards. Mrs John Jay White.
Mrs. T. De Witt Talmage, Mrs. Ellis
Logan, Miss Julia Latlrop. Mrs. A. s.
Burleson, Mrs. A NJ. Blair, Miss Edith
Wescott. Miss Elizabeth Brown, Rev. L.
G. B. Pierce. DR. p P Claxton, James
Brown Scott, DR.. George F. Bowerman.
Mitchell Carroll, Arthur Ramsey. George
Odell. Glen Brown, Arthur D. Call and
w. w. Bishop.
Written Centuries Ago.
This classic drama was written
three centuries before the Christian
era 1t is based on the old legend of the
taking Of Troy by the armies of Aga
memnon, after a siege lasting ten
years. AT first eyes are dazzled by the
splendor and glory of a great con-
quest. Then gradually comes change
until is depicted shame. blindness. a
world wrecked by hate and hypocrisy.
Pa1las Athena, the tutelary goddess
of the Greeks, hated Troy and accom-
plished her ruin. With the death of
Of
tor. Athenas vengeance is slaked
Her Grecians have gone too far. They
have committed 'HubriS. 1nsulted the
affairs of the gods and detled virgins
in holy places. Athena turns against
her people. Poseidon. god of the sea
and it's commerce. has risen from his
ocean home to look upon beautiful
Troy, now but a smoking ruin. At the
moment of Poseidon's rising, the en-
ragged Athena appears before him.
praying the great Zeus. the god OF
gods. to give into her hands vengeance
against her once loved Grecians
Poseidon approaches her and they
make alliance. and after noble. SPLEEN
did words. addressed to the hosts OF
Asamemnon. who hear them not, the
Women Are Revealed.
The first scene Of the tragedy reveals
Paris, who Is the cause, with Helen
the beautiful. of the long war. Hecuba
is an old. grief-worn woman: a brave
appealing character. In this scene she
rises slowly from the ground, weary
and full of pain. Around her are many
hutS filled with woman captives-"high
women chosen from the waste of war
to be slaves to the Greek captains. The
dawn breaks as Hecuba moves about
She calls the women and tells them
that this Is the day when they are to
be allotted to their captors.
Central Part of Play.
The central portion of the play deals
with the decision of the Greeks to de-
stroy Hectors little son, Astyanax
This the herald, Talthybius. is sent to
do. He comes when Andromache. the
child's mother. and Hecuba. his grand
mother. are talking together. the boy
playing nearby unconscious of his
DOOM Andromache has been allotted to
Pyrrhus. Achilles son, as slave and is
horror stricken. The herald advances
and gives his message. This scene, with
the parting between Andromache and
the child which follows, is most heart
rending.
In the last scene the child's body is
brought back on stretcher to his
grandmother. The solitary old woman
with the dead child in her arms is all
that remains to women of mems
deeds of glory. death and desolation.
Through the darkness, in the finale.
the Greek trumpet sounds. 1t is the
sign for the women to start to their
ships. and forth they go, cheated even
of death, to new life of slavery This
is a picture of conquest shorn of its
glory.