Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1922-01-18
NEW CENTURY CLUB
! HOLDS CELEBRATION
Observes lts Own Anniversary
and Honors the Memory
OF Dante.

Today the Wilmington New Century
Club celebrates Its thirty-third ami
versary. At l o'clock. after grace.
composed by Miss ella Pyle. was sung.
Mrs j. Merrick Horn and her COM
mittee served n delicious luncheon.
Mrs. Frederick BrinEhurst. presi-
dent OF the club. greeted the guests.
Mrs. William G. Coke acted as toast
and Introduced Mrs. Henry
ID. Boyer. president OF the Delaware
State Federation OF Women's Clubs,
Mrs. Rudolph Blankenburg. who rep
resented the Philadelphia New Cen
fury Club. and Mrs. S. Blair Luckie OF
Chester, who spoke on ideals"
At o'clock Dante pageant to
commemorate the sexcentenary OF the
death OF Dante Alighieri, will be
given, and viii be repeated this even
Ing for the benefit of the emergency
relief fund. Mrs. William G. Blatz
managed the play, and was assisted
In arranging for costumes and scenery
by Mise Blanken and Miss Satterth-
wait. Tho beauty OF the pageant is
heightened by the Gregorian chants
by a choir OF monks, with an organ
accompaniment by Miss Pyle and vio-
lin accompaniment by G. b. Fletcher.
As the first scene opens. a hidden
choir chants Ave Maria" The aged
Dante. who is portrayed by Mrs. Floy
r. Booth. enters with his daughter,
Beatrice. Miss Juliet Mace, and the
servants OF his host, Guido da Polenta
Mrs. J. X. Stack and Miss Dorothy
Simmons take the part OF the SER
wants. The old poet, worn with fever
and with longing for his native
Florence, dreams OF his youth, and az
he dreams, the scenes from his life
are shown.
In the first vision, Beatrice. the be-
loved, Miss Esther Wilson. strolling
with her attendants, Miss Barbara
Bach and Mrs. George Mason, meets
the youthful Dante. who Ereets her
In loves name. Miss Mary Dorsey
takes the part OF the youthful Dante
throughout the pageant.
In the second vision Dante hears
solemn music for the dead and mourn
fully watches the funeral procession
pass bearing the body OF Beatrice to
her grave. The monks who chant the
requiem, are Mrs. Julian Adair, Mrs
]. Montgomery, Mrs. Robert w. Nc
Clellan, Mrs. John W. Brady. Miss
Dorothy simmons, Miss Mildred Belts
Miss "A. Young, Miss Madeleine Reed
and Miss Kathryne Ross. Tho mourn
ers are Mrs. George Mason. Mrs ID
Muhlhausen, Miss Miriam Webb. Miss
Dorothy Walker, Miss Pauline Vroo-
man. Beatrice's coffin is borne by
Mrs. l.. p. Mahoney, Miss d. Simmons
Miss Anna Negendank, and Miss f
Snow The citizens who follow are
Mrs. A. Patterson, Mrs. j. Montgom-
cry and Mrs. ]. X. Stack.
In the second scene the aged Dante
sees vision of the court that sen
fenced him to eternal exile. The gor
Egeous costumes of the magistrate an'
court officials make this scene vivit
and spectacular. Mrs. w. II. Beacon
takes the part OF Cante de Gabriel
of Cubic. Podesta of Florence. Co.'s
Donati, Dante's enemy. is Miss Jessi
Seaman. Miss Helen Casey takes tn
part OF prisoner OF the party OF tn
Whites. Mis- Catherine Markley ie
hearld. and Miss T.. Snow and Mis-
Anna Young are trumpeters.
In the third scene the youthful
Dante enters the Inferno. where h
meets Virgil, Mrs. Edgar b. Fell. VIII
guides him through its horrors. TIL
dreary souls who lived without prais
and without blame are driven AVA
wailing by Charon, Mrs. Charlie
Warner. The souls are played by Mr..
C. p. NJ. Rumford. Miss Mace, Mis-
Roop, Miss Wilson. Miss Fletcher
Mrs. Mason, Another host OF con
demned spirits are portrayed by Mrs.
Mcclellan, Mrs. Brady, Miss Bett.
Miss Walker. OF the spirits who die
without baptism. four are shown
Homer. Miss Negendank; Horac,
Mrs. Adair; Ovid, Miss Seaman
; Lucan, Miss Snow. Miss Markley, a
Minos, mocks the travellers. Then tn
carnal sinners appear. Mrs. +.
/, Hughes appears as Semiramis; Mr..
Donald Van Trump as Dido, Queen c
Carthage; Miss Kathryne Ross, a
Cleopatra; Miss Negendank, as Paolo
| AIs. OludIl y. I1OiH, DIS IdICSSSd.
In the fourth scene Virgil an
Dante are stopped at the gate {
Purgatory, by an angel with a fiamin
sword. Mrs. c. p. NJ Rumford play
the guardian angel They are a.
lowed to enter and hear voices sing
ing "Cor Jesu Adoremus." The prou
in heart file past, bowed down wit
their heavy burdens. A second ange
Mrs. Arthur Patterson. appears an
tells Dante that he may hope 10 ente
Paradise. The voices sing Ora Pr
Nobis," and the envious appear Mr.
Warner is Orestes; Miss Devine is
youth. Miss Fletcher appears as Leal
Miss Walker as Rachel, and Mr.
Muhlhausen as Mathilda
AS the monks sing a joyful 81
Deum" the terrestrial Paradise ar
pears, with Beatrice surrounded b
angels and the souls of the blesse
bearing garlands in their hands TIL
youthful Dante sinks 10 the groun
overwhelmed with Joy and the visio
passes.
Guido da Polenta, Miss Grace Bair
approaches the aged Dante on h
couch and then announces to I'll
grief stricken daughter that Dam
Alighieri has gone to his eternal rest
The pageant is very effective in Il
simplicity Of stage setting which SUI
gests the back ground Of the mirac
| plays Of the middle ages. The med
aevai setting is enhanced by the bri
. liant colors and rich fabrics OF II
q costumes of the principal characte