The guardian., 1951-05-05
THE JABBERWOCK


packed John Hancock Hall, Iota
and Alpha Omicron Sigma Chap
ters of Delta Sigma Theta Sor-
ority presented their 21st an
nual edition of the JABBER-
WOCK. For those of us who
would like sideline glances of
the affair, which of course we
cannot report until next weeks
issue of the GUARDIAN, we are
always amazed at the abundant
energies of petite Mrs. Harriet
Mclean who, between her voca-
tional duties as Assistant Direc-
tor of the Boston Center for
Adult Education, manages to
bring into being with her eff
ficient committee, one of BoS-
tons biggest and most out
standing events. Her managerial
hnesse in handling this public
event places her in the category
with another highly successful
woman promoter, Mrs. Margaret
Youngblood.
Delta Sigmam Theta Sorority,
as we'll as Alpha Kappa Alpha,
Zeta Phi Beta and the business
girls sorority are women's groups
deserving high praise for their
annual efforts to improve the
scholastic opportunities of wor-
thy students by sponsoring
scholarship fund raising events.
! College clubs such as Howard U.
and Fisk, The Aristos, The Sam
nel Coleridge-T Taylor Musical AS
Sociation and the fraternities,
ETC., all come in for their share
of glory in this regard, but sor-
ority women deserve special
credit for being among the very
first to shoulder duties and re-
SponSibilitieS that were once the
, prime province of their fraters.
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority is
unique in it's Jabberwock in that
it not only gives the advantage
of continued or continuous edu-
cation to the winning student
but is also the springboard for
the cultural activities of the col
ored community-at-lar and
this year, please note, the inter
cultural and interracial relations
of the group when it accepted
/ the entrance into competition
of the Lantern Players.
An interesting Sidelight on the
Lanter nPlayers is its co-director
SYLVIA Stone. During World War
II. Sylvia Stone staged and di-
rected a musical comedy For
Whom The Bellies Toll" a stage
hit played by the United Office
Workers of Boston. Miss Stone
insisted that the cast be inter
racial and among the various
other nationalitieS and races was
Mrs. Katherine Coleman, Secre-
tary of the Robert Gould Shaw
House, as a member of the en-
semble. Sylvia Stone would not
play at any of the Naval bases
or army camps land the group
appeared before thousands of
mem unless the entire cast was
welcomed. If ever there was any
question. the engagement was
cancelled by Sylvia. 1t was al
ways heart-breaking to Miss
stone to see the universal seat
ing pattern Of the servicemen
in the auditoriums - white in
the front - colored in the rear
Nor would she permit the at
tendance of the cast at any af-
ter-party at the bases reserved
entirely for the white personnel,
il her group in its entirety could
not be present. That of course
meant Verdel Lewis, one-time
member of the group who left
after a few performances, the
Hawaiian Chinese girl, Chi-Chi,
and Mrs. Coleman who was then
Kappy Watson. SO 1t was that
sylvia Stone was doubly de-
Iighted that the Jabberwock in
cIuded the Lantern Players CO.
directed by Sally jenkins, giving
dramatic opportunity In the
same democratic way that Sylvia
did and that Delta seeks for all
its participants.
But back to the Sioe giances
Have you ever seen a Jab-