Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1920-04-15
PLAN TO OBSERVE
SHAKESPEARE DAY
Schools Throughout The United
States Will Celebrate Event
On April 2S
MUST BE PLEASURABLB

Schools throughout the uaited
States are again planning 70 observe
April % as Shakespeare Day. accord
ing to reports received by the Bureau
of Education. Department OF The M
terror. which has just issued Al Official
publication containing suggestions Tor
appropriate school celebrations.
Acting OF Shakespeare plays by the
children themselves is advocated by
the Bureaus publication as one Of the
best ways to celebrate the day. My
ideal OF a Shakespeare Day says n
G. Wells. the novelist. who is quoted
in the Bureau bulletin, SIS day on
which, in every school, Shalsespear' 4
plays are acted by the children theic-
,elves. The one person, the only per
son. WHO ought 10 speak for Shakes
peare on Shakespeare Day is shakes
pesre himself So let Shakespeare be
read and played for our Shakespeare
co,o5ra.ioa in the schools, and let me
rest Of US keep silence while he
speaks"
Day Mas. Be PieaSurabic
Whatever plans are made Coz
Shakespeare celebrations n sehoc'
they should be pleasagahle. asserts
Professor Caroline +. f. SpargeoH. of
Bedford College, London, now on
lecture tour in the United States.
Let the day be one OF enjoyment
she says. "Thc reason why chillrol
10 have. an unpleasant association
with Shakespeare is that tho study OF
him is made lae,ess and dali lie is
not totthem the most laugato--lsying
the most sympathetic of human be-
ings, but he is some one who wrote q
large number OF intolerahle notes in
order to explain the obscuse words
and strange phrases ana faults Of
grammar and spelling in which he
seems to have delighted l believe
that the institution of 2 day like ;his
might sweep away some OF these mis-
conceptions il it were arranged 50 as
10 be a living taing in which there
would be acting and singing the chill
drea themselves taking part7
Many school Subjects Enyo!. ei
Celebration OF the Shakespeare an
aiversar offers q particularly g51d
opportunity. Percival CAubb points
out. for co7ogGinating work done in, a
group OF iaierrslated subjects. Liter
ature, music art, the, handieralss
such as shopwork and sawlng) and
OILS sical education, lie says, are all In
golYel in an adequate Shakespeare
celehralf5n. a
x new cmrhasis i. needed in liter
ar work upon the fac, that literature
s primarily something o ! e heard,
says Professor Chubb; something
detained or sung o. dramatically
Interpreted, AID not merely matter
Of print. School music shoald Become
more deliberately the handmade Of
literature, and should include Tory
mCch more of the singahle lyrics me-
mcr,aed ana studied in the English
classes than is commonly the case.
Physical education, which everywhere
Includes the dance Goth folk-dances
md interpretive dances. or dance
lrana). should have relation, through
he words OF an old singing games
lni the delightful CID tunes With
iscraturc and music: It shoGld lie
Utilized both for schu2l celebrations
NJ for social groups outside the
;choal-in the horne. the club, ana the
sunday school The art and the
landicrafts CT the manual training
departments may well profit ly tue
impetus which is gained ly dressing
hem toward Immediately PRACTICAL
.nl enjoyable rises"
ghe Bureau bullstip gives Lss Of
cohs where teachers may find help
.ul suggestions Tor presenting plays
:nd pagcants suitable to Shakespeare
Day. The further suggestion is maze
hat "one way for schools TO remem-
or Shakespeare is 10 have school
yaTien plots. indoor ioxes Or home
sarien eds in which the flowers
ia N ed ~ Shakespeare can be
,rown" y
Raee CfapL PIE