Visual Education (Jan-Nov 1920)

Miscellaneous Notes THE Shakespeare Festival of Teachers College, New York City, held at the College, Feb. 18th and 19th, was one of the most elaborate productions of the kind ever presented. The scene of the Festival was the countryside about Stratford, and the time, the year of Shakespeare's withdrawal from the stage of London. The Festival itself consisted of eight episodes beginning with a Fairy Prolog and ending with the midnight drinking scene from Twelfth Night. The work of staging, designing of the costumes, and decorating, was accomplished by students in various departments in the College at an unbelievably low cost. Each episode was given into the charge of a teacher or student who organized and rehearsed the group, in some cases writing the scene. The March number of Teachers College Record devotes a large amount of space to a detailed account of the methods used in producing the Festival, together with a reprint of the entire libretto. • • • AN interesting pamphlet has recently been published by the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Education, Washington, D. C, It is called "Extension Leaflet No. 1," is dated December, 1919, and bears the title "Educational Institutions Equipped with Moving Picture Projection Machines." This pamphlet tabulates the replies received to over 38,000 questionnaires sent out by the visual instruction section of the division of educational extension to locate the moving picture projection machines in use for purely educational purposes in the U. S. Out of 16,351 educational institutions which reported, 1,129 were equipped with projectors at the time; a complete list of these institutions along with the address, make of machine, and capacity of auditorium, is given in the pamphlet mentioned. A goodly number of the other institutions were planning immediate installations and doubtless many more schools and colleges have joined the ranks of the pro 39 gressives since January 1, 1920. An explanatory note states that this summary is "presumably incomplete only, and not inaccurate. It should, and doubtless will, be followed by later lists, supplying the deficiencies of this list and keeping the information up to date." • • • Old English May Fete, Washington University, St. Louis, Mo. THE Women's Athletic Association of Washington University, St. Louis, announced their celebration of May Day ceremonies on May 5th, as follows: "We are planning an old English May Fete, calling it The Bonnybrook Fair. It will take place in the 'Quad' with the buildings forming the background and with festive booths on the side, Including a thatched Ann Hathaway cottage, the Tavern, and an outdoor stage in the center; the whole arrangement duplicates as nearly as possible the old English settings for May Fetes. We have been following John Bennetts' 'Master Skylark' and will run the story, dramatized, through the whole performance." • • • THE National Geographic Society has made arrangements to issue its splendid collection of pictures on separate sheets, in a size suitable for school-room use, and in series edited to fit various courses of study. Many school boards have ordered these sets extensively for every building, feeling that they are a valuable aid to visual education. The newest sets just off the press include a series on Eskimo and Sahara Life, the United States, and Land, Water and Air. Requests for information should be addressed to J. C. Burrall, Chief of School Service, National Geographic Society, Washington, D. C. • * • ON May 3rd, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, was held a magnificent historical pageant, commemorating the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the Hudson's Bay Company, the company which once controlled three-fourths of the North American continent and made the history of western Canada.