The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-04-20
M E IN, w o M FEN
 AND THIN c s

There may be some good reason for the Blackfriar players of the University of Alabama to adopt such a name, but fall to see any significance between it and acting.
 It may be just to connect the actors with black-gowned students. I am not calling in question the name in a spirit of criticism, but simply as Is my habit when do not know thing have no hesitancy in admitting it. and this just happens to be one of the times when am at sea.
 am aware that friar comes from the Latin. frater, meaning brother, and is a corruption of the French frere; also that Black friars, according to some authorities should be written as two words. though my ticket has it Black friars.' am, however, not worrying about it, as I am sure I will be admit ted on 1t without any purist shutting the door in my face on account of a 1 technicality
 I am not taking the above seriously, but just giving it space to show that in this world of ours it never pays for any one to be too cocksure unless he is willing to have himself overwhelmed by sticklers who demand that every "i' be dotted and each "t" crossed. and all the mixed rules of punctuation be lived up to. and all the rest of the little nice ties which make life so worth living to the "high-brows,"
 The name friar is common to the male members of any religious order, and that is another reason why I am puzzled over the Blackfriar Players title, as am told that it numbers some very lovely females. The first friars and Dominican or Black Friars. To these were added the Carmelites or White Friars, by Innocent " Q25D and the, Augustinian hermits or Austin Friars by Alexander W Q256). It is also well knwon that in the fifteenth century there arose another set, but the big four are named above.
 l Now, hope no one at the university will take with any degree of serious ness what I have written here, as I do not care at all whether the name is ap- propriate, whether it is properly one word or two, or should be hyphenated. I just have to grind out each day col umn. and being asked to bring the per formance at the Jefferson theatre to- night to the readers, of it, am trying to make good, but finding it hard job, as Dolly Dalrymple" in her ap- preciation of Dr. Hudson Strode in Tuesdays paper, never left anything for me to add either about him or the cast
 But as former student of the uni versity I can express my pleasure in the fact that such a dramatic club is in existence and is doing such good work. and I tender my personal thanks to the entertainment unit" of the Church of the Advent for bringing the Blackfriar Players to Birmingham to appear in such varied bill at the Jefferson to- night. as I am expecting to witness most creditable production.
 It's interesting enough to know that Alabama boys and girls make up tEe cast, but it adds much to the local in terest to know that some of our own Birmingham talent will have leading parts in the offerings. We will have a chance to see Inez Thames, who made palpable hit in the Central High school play of last year. Then there will be young Alan Drennen and Arm strong Cory. I am sure this talented trio will get many curtain calls.
 From time >immemorial there has been tendency either to frown down upon or speak in patronizing tones of anna teur theatricals, and think the, hour has come when we ought to face the question of amusements fairly and squarely. There is always talk about the low level of the theatre, the evil tendency of the movies, the downright vulgarity of vaudeville, etc. Now none
 of these things could live if the public
 did not support them.
 : I haven't the space or the disposition at present to go into the vexed prob lem which for centuries has ragged : around the morals and manners of the 3 professional stage. Ill stop long
 enough. however, to state that the stage
 and kindred attractions will never be
 elevated until the public itself has been
 better prepared to appreciate a higher
 class of pictures and plays than it Is setting at the hands of managers and producers.
 l think that the university is doing
 a worth while work in encouraging the i, bright and ambitious young men and 5 women to study the dramatic art in it's , various forms and to take part in giv- ing plays written by students as well as n those which have already been present ! ed by professionals. I am convinced
 after giving the matter much thought
 that amateur acting makes for a highfer standard rather than a lower 5 ing of the moral tone as some reform
 CTS seem to think
 Having said this much on the side of the conventional proprieties without desiring to start anything with those of my ministerial friends who may diff f fer with me. hasten to add that from an educational standpoint I think that such dramatic club as the Blackfriar Players Is distinct asset to the stu
 dent body of the University of Ala bama and ought to receive the hearty
 support not only of the faculty, but oi the patrons as an aesthetic aid to cul-
 ture.
 e I count it great good fortune that ir
 Eufaula where I was reared I early got
 love for acting, as it stimulated mt
 to read the greatest dramatic plays d It may have been amusing to our elders s but q few boys in my neighborhoot
 used to study Shakespeare and try tt il act some of the scenes. It was th'