Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-16
PHI BETA KAPPA
GIVES PAGEANT
Celebrates at College of Will
liam and Mary Birth
of Virgil.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
WILLIAMSBURG, Va, October 49,
Before a background of green campus
and huge oaks 200 students of the Col
lege of William and Mary in a pageant
last night depicted the visit of AeneaS
to HaGes as told in the sixth book of the
great Latin poet Virgil's "Aeneid."
1t was the contribution of America s
Oldest collegiate fraternity, Alpha Chap
ter of Phi Beta Kappa to the world
wide bimtllennium observance of Vir-
gil's birth and anniversary. The pageant
was written by DR.. A. P. Wagner of the
faculty, based on John Drydens English
translation
At times the college campus glowed
with the red OF the roaring inferno as
Aeneas descended into HadeS, and at in
tervals became dark in the quiet of the
dead as the pageant took an audience,
including many distinguished linguists,
through the scenes of the epic poem.
Outstanding in the cast were Miss Jean
Upsall of Watseka, ILL., as Sibyl; Maui
rice Berkwitz of Brookline, Mass, as
Aeneas, and Patruchia Clarke of New
Rochelle, N. Y, as Queen Dido.
Pageant Climax of Day.
Ths pageant last night came as a
climax to a program that began early
yesterday with an address. THE Aeneid
as a National POEM" by DR.. Charles
Knapp of the ancient languages de-
partment of Columbia University.
More than a thousand students and
visitors heard DR.. Knapp explain the
spiritual as well as intellectual fitness
OF Virgil for the work of writing the
'Aeneid"
Living in the age of Augustus. the
most glorifled period of imperial Rome.
and choosing as his hero Aeneas, the
mythical ancestor of the Roman people,
Virgil was adapted as the national poet
OF Rome" DR.. Knapp said He was a
man born of his own day and genera
ton. but in spirit Virgil lived some
thousand years later"
The celebration at the College of
William and Mary, the second oldest
college in the United States, followed
several held at other schools in Vir-
ginia. Oscar M. Voorhees,, general Sec
rotary of the United Chapters of Phi
Beta Kappa, wrote officers of Alpha
Chapter that the William and Mary
plans for the observance were the most
elaborate coming to his attention.
Chapter Founded in 1875.
Alpha Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa
Mrs. Mary Sinton Leitch of Norfolk,
Va, wrote the poetic prologue and cpl
logue for the pageant delivered by
Roma, a symbolic personification, acted
by Miss Page johnson of Danville, Va
An unusual feature of the presentation
was the singing of two odes by the
spirits in Elysium; the first ode, in
English, was written by DR.. E. NJ.
Gwathmey of the college English fac
ulty; the second, the German Saecu-
lare" of Horace, YVES sung in the original
Latin.
Theme music, especially composed by
George NJ. Small, professor of music at
William and Mary, was Played through
out the presentation by the college or
chestra and band.
Miss Althea Hunt, director of dra-
mates, directed the pageant. Assisting
her, Mrs. Mary T. Pyle of Richmond
directed scene one; Miss Mildred Matter
Of Norfolk, scene two; Miss Marguerite
Wynne- Roberts, scene four, and George
e. Gregory, scene five.
Westinghouse in Cast.
Besides Miss Upsall and Maurice
BerkwitZ in the leading roles, Sibyl and
Aeneas, other characters included An
chisew, father OF Aeneas, played by
Edgar Weigand of ElmhurSt, N. Y,
Wayne Shoemaker of Muncy, Pa,
playing Palinurus: Martin Jurow Of
Brooklyn, N. Y, Charon, and Marshall
Baggett of Alexandria, Va. Museaus. |
Charles M. Snow of Motorun, Va,
played SalmoneuS; David H. WarSoWe |
of Roxbury, Mass, Tityos; William B. |
kaufman of Brookline, Mass, Ixion, |
and Charles McCurdiey washington, |
d. c., Phlegias Evelyn Kohlmorgan OF |
Pa. played Eriphyle; Vir- !
ginia Jones, Williamsburg. Evadne: !
Catherine Hasseltyne of Washington, |
d. c., Antiope: Rhoda Pratt. Dedham, |
Mass, Ariadne; Elizabeth Hugo, VIII |
kinsburg, Pa, L2odamia; Estelle Fore |
man, Brookline, Mass, Iphigenia, and |
Patruchia Clarke of New Rochelle, N. |
Y, Dido, respectively.
In addition to the cast of speaking |
characters. there were more than 125 |
other students participating in the roles |
Of Certeurus, the Gorgons, the Furies, |
the judges of the dead and the other !
spirits and NEUROLOGICAL inhabitants of !
Hades.
The story opened as Aeneas finally /
brought his band of followers to Italy, |
after eight years Of wandering after