The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-04-30
ENGLAND ID HONOR . THE BARD OF AVON
Shakespeare Tercentenary
 Widely Celebrated
CHURCH SERVIC ES
Special Ceremonies in Every Church in Islands-Gala Performance of Julius Caesar at Drury
 Lane Theatre

London, April S.-(Correspondence or the Associated Press.)-There will be widespread celebration of the Shakespeare tercentenary, notwithstanding that war has interfered with the more ambitious plans outlined by the committee two years ago.
 April 23 Equivalent to May 3 under the new style calendar) will be the central date in the celebration. On that day 300 years ago the great dramatist died at Stratford- -on-Avon. His exact birth date is more obscure, but there is some ground for believing that he was also born on April 23, although the date may have been anywhere between April 22 and May 4, of the year 1564.
 The National Tercententary commit- tee under the patronage of the King and Queen, has arranged for Shakespeare services in practically all the churches of the kingdom on April 90, with the prin- cipal service in Westminster abbey. On Monday, May 1, a meeting will be held in the Mansion house, with an address, it is hoped, by the prime minister, and other speeches by various notables cele- brating the national memory of the poet.
 TO GIVE GREAT PLAY
 On May there will be a gala per formance of Julius Caesar under royal patronage at the Drury Lane theatre, with all the great English Shakespearean stars as actors.
 May will be celebrated in the schools as Shakespeare day. On the same day Prof. John w. Mackail of Oxford will deliver the annual Shakespeare lecture at the British academy, and a national committee will meet to arrange for permanent memorial of the occasion in behalf of the school children of the na- tion. On Friday, the 5th, pilgrimmage takes place to Stratford-on-Avon, where the chief actors of the day will give performance of scenes from Shakespear- can dramas at the Memorial theatre.
 In London a series of memorial lec- lures will be given by Sidney Lee at London university, beginning March IA. while a similar course will be given at Gresham college by Prof. Foster Watson.
 The London Shakespeare league has arranged for the unveiling of a memorial in Curtain road to mark the site of SEakespeare's theatre in Shoreditch. Under the same auspices there will be lectures on Shakespeare and a reading of Hamlet" by Ben Greet MT. Greet is also to be in charge of the presenta- ton of 20 Shakespeare plays at popular prices in the old Victoria hail.
 The British Empire Shakespeare so- ciety will strike a commemorative me dallion likeness which will go to all parts of the world
 Several of the London boroughs will have celebrations of their own. Hamp- stead, for example, will have a series of lectures and readings, under the chairmanship of the mayor.
 BOOK OF HOMAGE
 The national committee is preparing "A Book of Homage" which will con tain tributes to the poet from various corners of the globe.
 At Stratford-on-Avon, there will be a fortnight of Shakespearean perform ances, and long series of special cele- brations, including procession to Shakespeare's church and a floral dec oration of the tomb in the chancel.
 Oxford is. to have a tercentenary eXhi- btion at Bodiey's library, opening on April 24. Manchester has a committee of it's own which has arranged an elab- crate series of lectures, recitals, per- formances of songs, prize competitions and exhibitions A permanent memorial will be provided at Manchester in the form of a Shakespeare garden, laid out on lines parallel to that at Stratford- on- Avon
 There will be less important tercenten- ary performances and observances in practically every city of importance in Great Britain and Ireland. The feature at Dublin will be a gala performance of Henry V.
 The little group of enthusiasts who maintain that Bacon really wrote most of the works attributed to Shakespeare are reported to be preparing a cere- mony of derision," of which, however, no details have been announced.