Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-03-20
PLAY TO OBSERVE
BARD'S BIRTHDAY
Rock Island Students Planning O
Week of Exercises to Honor Mem.
CRY of Shakespeare.
TO GIVE MERCHANT OF VENICE
Night School, Most Successful Ever
Held in the City, Is to Close To-
morrow Evening.

morrow Evening.
Following the suggestion of the
American Drama league, a cast of
Rock Island high school students will
participate in the national movement
for some fitting celebration of the
S0Oth anniversary of the death of Will
liam Shakespeare. April %, 1916, by
presenting on the Thursday three days
before this date his greatest comedy,
THE Merchant of Venice" The play
will be the central feature of a week
of Shakespearean celebration at the
local school, from April II to April
q. Among the other features will be
an Elizabethan exhibit. depicting old
English customs and including exhi-
billions of the dancing and music of
three hundred years ago.
The tryouts for places on the cast
occurred last Thursday and Friday
after school and the results we're an
nounced today by Director Carlow, the
Chicagoan who is taking charge of the
play. and by Miss Jennie B. Sturgeon,
the English instructor who has gen.
eral charge CT the play between the
drills before the director. The cast is
composed of the following characters:
Duke of Eenice-Carl Sodergren.
Prince OF MorOcco-Roy Johnson.
Antonio-Harry Lyford.
Bassanio-Arthur Dodson.
Salanio-Phil:p Wagner
Salarino-John Gustafson.
Gratiano-Fivian Thomas.
Lorenzo-Harold Wilson.
Shylock-Dwight La Grange.
Tubal-Leland Dempsey.
LaunceIot-Richard Dopp.
Old Gobbo-FraZier Vance.
Portia-Dulce Seeley.
Jessica-Sarah Levenstein.
Nerissa-Elizabeth Olmsted.
The messengers, servants and at
tendants will be chosen later.
The celebration of this anniversary
will be national in its scope and has
been inaugurated by the American
Drama league Moline will hold a sim
liar celebration, known as a Shake
speare festival, on April %. The Mo-
line students will present portions OF
"A Midsummer Nights Dream"
Night School Term to End.
The most successful night school
term ever held in the Rock Island
high school will close tomorrow even
ing, according to an announcement
made by Principal A. G. Hill. The Ii
brary will be open tomorrow evening
and it is requested that all students
return their textbooks at that time.
Night school began this year on Oct
10 with the record enrolment of 191
students. Among these there were
found a large number of foreigner:
who had read the advertisements II
one of the other two languages besides
English and it was discovered there
were nearly Twenty-Five nationalitie!
represented. However, by far thu
greater majority of the students hav'
been men and women who had no
had the chance to complete their edu
cations and were taking thi- opportun
ity of doing so.
The wide advertising of the nigh
school also showed its effects at tn
next few sessions of the school ant
the number constantly increased unit
there are at the present time 500 il
regular attendance at the school. Thi
number, nearly three times as many
the greatest number in previous years
has so filled the classes Throughout
the term that many of the classes haV
had to be divided again and again, am
it was found necessary to keep nearl
the full force of day school teacher
busy in the evenings also.
Principal Hill also announced tina
all those who had received grade O
Is per cent and over would recelv
certificates and would have their EN-
ployers notified. The number of thes
students this year is EXCEPTIONAL
large and the instructors IN the schoo
have been very much pie, sed with tn
excellent showing.