Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-04-09

States s.314. Germany contributed 35l
and France 11S. The smallest number
of visitors came from the Cape Verde
Islands. which registered two. Even the
Sandwich Islands beat that with seven
representatives. while the Philippines
sent five and the Fijis one less. The
number of American visitors in one year
has been as high as 1920 Chat was in
1911, the year of the last Passion Play
at OberammergaW. while in 1894 the
total was 9.099. This year the total of
your countrymen will not aggregate even
1000"
Meanwhile everybody in Stratford is
intensely proud of the towns part in the
war; proud that the cradle of Shake
speare has done better. in relation to It's
size, in sending men to the colors than
any other place in all Britain from all
conditions of the town folk came over
1900 recruits out of a population of
5000, and this even before Lord Derby s
scheme came into effect. Most of the
men, it seems. have thrown in their lot.
as is natural. with the local warwick
shire regiment and WarWickshfre yeo-
many, but the town is also represented
in many other famous regiments. as we'll
as in the units of the fighting fleet.
THE town has done exceptionally
we'll in the matter of contributing to
the various national funds, and in all
mayor. I'VE sent quite a healthy con-
tribution to the Prince of Wales fund.
we raised $500 on Russian Flag day.
and we are also maintaining between
sixty and seventy Belgians. You may
say that everybody is helping. One of
the most notable acts has been that of
the Rev. and the Hon. Mrs. Frank
Hodgson-the latter is sister of Lord
Walsingham. They have turned their
beautiful home at Clopton. few miles
away, into a war hospital with 100
beds. and we also have V. A. D. hos
pital with thirty beds. and twenty
now and then they send special Red
Cross train down here. and it usually
brings close on $50 cases. So 1 do feel
that in the main we have proved
worthy of our great heritage, and that
there is evidence on every side in this
wartime that the spirit of Shakespeare
still inspires his native place"
In StEatford the world conflict is
omnipresent. as it is. increasingly, ev-
erywhere else in these islands. The
writer Travelled down to Shakespeare S
town with a group of young officers
who. when they got off at bennington,
proved to belong to the East Surrey
Regiment, along line that appeared
to be run by businesslike girls in
neat blue uniforms and men wearing
Derby armlets. On every dead wall In
Stratford is the red arrow that indi
Gates the way ITO the Recruiting Of
church is a notice to aliens of German
nationality to register themselves at
the police station, and in the shop
windows are warnings to the public
in connection with possible air raids.
Thus far the "Zepps" have not visited
Stratford. The nearest they have come
is somewhere not a hundred miles
away. The Germans. you may remem-
Der, have Indignantly denied any in
tention of bombing the birthplace OF
the great poet. whom they now claim
as Teutonic possession. But in
Stratford another explanation for the
towns immunity is jokingly given. The
citizens affirm that they have thus far
been let alone, not through German
reverence for Shakespeare, but be-
cause the kaiser would be angry if. by
any chance, a bomb should happen to
fall on the residence of the gifted
authoress who wrote of 1.-The Sorrows
of Satan"
For the national celebration of the
tercentenary the plans are practically
complete. They have been mapped out
by committee of which Lord Plymouth
is chairman. Sir Charles Wakefield, the
lord mayor of London, treasurer, and
T. Gollancz. the Shakespearean scholar,
secretary. On Shakespeare Sunday
April 80 the dean and chapter of West
minister Abbey have arranged for a spe-
ciaI commemoration of the bard in the
abbey and special sermons will be
preached in the afternoon and evening