The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-11-05

OAAt OL bAic WOluoH WOTk people will love an actor because he lays before them clearly the strug- gles, the failures and the successes of their own lives, shot through with the every shade of their hopes. their gladness or fears. Frederick Warde did this, has always done it.
 Yesterday he showed the league members even half sigh. Their attention was profound. and some of them leaned their heads on their arms, which they brought to rest on the seats in front of them, with their eyes fixed on his face.
 Said one woman:
 ''If only for week, if no more, MT. Warde could be with us to give us everything that he can, while still we have him, strong and forceful and in the perfection of his art which Is deepened because of his own years. I actually feel that he has lived every emotion, passed through every bitter and sweet experience of life, so that 1t Is not acting with him any more. He lives-his soul operates-before you"
 The lack of proper setting seemed also to fret the great dramatic inter- preter. But he was too much the actor to reveal 1t except uncon- seiously by the bit of handicap 1t was to him. and which he tried to make up for by quick thrusting of it out of his mind. He recalled to his audience old days and actors gone ahead of him into somewhere. And the thought rushed upon me, seeing his beautiful white hair, t- thousands of speaking gestures but 1t must mean to him sometimes to deny himself the wonder life of that "40 years of make believe" he has lived.
 It would not seem right, however, for life as full as his not to give it's all of service in every way it might be asked. And so Birmingham and the Drama league were fortunate in having Frederick Warde step "out of character" a little space to tell them how they might do their bit toward better plays, toward finer actors, toward drama that will satisfy the hearts of the worlds greatest minded. When MT. Warde had finished, though he had said so much. the au- dience fingered, wishing for more.
 He is the second great man that the Drama league has brought to Bir- mingham this season, its first artist having been Donald Robertson. who staged the city's semi-centennial pa- geant.
 So worth while are these Drama league events that anyone buying a ticket need have no fear of not en- toying the programme or getting full moneys worth.
 Frederick Warde has visited Bir- mingham many times before and knew the city back in the days of the old O'Brien opera house. He passed through in 1876. supporting Edwin Booth. when Birmingham had no adequate auditorium, and went on to Montgomery and Mobile.
 Let no one be afraid of Shake speare." said he in his lecture. If you will take his simple meaning and in- terpret it just as the author writes. you will find deepest reward. Also, every time you go back to read his plays again, you will find new beau ties.
 "The way to teach children to love Shakespeare Is not to try to explain to them such motives as why King Lear did not treat his younger daughter as well as he did his older one, or to explain motives and scenes beyond their understanding.
 "The proper way to teach them Shakespeare Is to take them into the forest of As You Like It and paint for them the beauties of the story. Lead them Into the prettiness of "A Midsummer Nights Dream and intro duce them to that merry wanderer of the night, Puck Tell them about the fairies and their sporting. You will thus make children of them and create desire to delve deeper into the greater plays as they grow older"
 Mr. warde said America has every quality and kind of humanity to make the best writers, the best artists, the best composers if the public will only give them encouragement When a man or a woman tries to do a big thlng-an artistic thing give your support" he urged. Do not praise where praise is not due. but do give that encouragement wherever you can. You have all the material without having to import anything. as l was imported into this country.
 "There was understanding laugh ter when Mir. Warde gave an illustra- tion of the wrong way to teach chill dren Shakespeare. when he said that he had been asked to parse, diagram and tell what was grammatically true concerning the "soliloquy of Hamlet" Such school work could only make children unsympathetic to a great master. At least, 1t gave them too natter of-fact an attitude. he averred.
 Frederick Warde paid tribute to Birminghan's Drama league, declar- ing that he has spoken of it's good work in other cities.
 | He quoted an author who directed that Shakespeare he read first for the stories of the plays: secoudly, for