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SUNDAY MAGAZINE
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, SUNDAY, MARCH 26, 1922
The Poets Who Are Coming Here
I. Padraic Colum
ly Lois Elisabeth Whitcomb) ish Poetry." "The New Era in Amer- The first mentioned of the five poets, Fleece," (Macmillan), appeard the
e American Association of Uni- ican Poetry" is a volume of criticism, Padraic Colum, is an Irish poet and same month.
ty Women has arranged for a one of the most authoritative volumes dramatist. Although he is a true Another phase of the versatile-Irish-
5 of talks by noted American of its kind that has appeared. Irishman, born in Longford, Ireland, man's work is his legendary tales for
to be A r AmyIowell is also both a poet and in 1881, he has apparently adopted children. Although these are swift,
given in Ann Arbor this A Hel ao bta ot a this country as a second homeland. lucid and vivid enough to attract the
a, critic. Mer two critical works aref
g. Su rg s sn " French Poets" and "Tendencies He first came to the United States on. younger audience for which they are
g. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Fec Sucoaprora"i anisint""ixenytehenposess
ation. It has already caught the in Modern American Poetry," the first a visit in 1914, but his cordial recep- primarily designed, yet they possess a
est of the students, faculty, and book to attempt a scientific study of tion by literary folk here and his rec- fundaifnental poetic beauty and a sub-
who are at all concerned the new movement in American poe- ognition by the magazines caused tle imaginative magic that captivates
speopletry.Heare at allecsncrrnedipar him to prolong-his visit indefinitely, maturcareaders as -well.
things literary, and promises to try. Her boo of verse are familiaruntil now Americans claim him as one
ach the success which such a to all readers of modern poetry, belonging to their owi group of art- For his subject matter he has drawn
reSword Blades and Poppy Seed,Aists. upon the great fund of Irish lore, and
 s . Dome of Many-Coloured Glass," "Pic-f' with his pen for a wand he has played
ose in charge have been particu. tures of the Floating World," and In Dublin he was active in found- the magician, transforming the strange
fortunate in their' choice of "Can Grande's Castle." ing the Irish National Theater, and ancient tales into clear and fascinating
ers. A more representative and Miss Lowell's work has exerted a his interest in dramatic work has stories completely his own. Even the
sting group could hardly have great influence on that of young poets never flagged. Like Dunsany and titles have a fresh gay touch that at-
se'lected. Padraic Colum, Carl in America. The high standard which Synge, Colum is a "find" of Yeats, tracts. Among these are "The Boy
burg, Louis Untermeyer, Amy she sets for her own work, the intel- whose ardor has so vigorously ad- Who Knew What the Birds Said," "The
11, and Vachel Lindsay are oets ligent criticism which she has made vanced the Irish drama and Irish Boy Apprenticed to an Enchanter,"
e work has little in common save of the work of other poets, and her poetry. "The Girl Who Sat by the, Ashes," and
eral excellence, sturdy defense of the principles upon Padraic Molufn was among the first "The Children of Odin."
l Sandburg has found the ma- which vers libre is founded have given contributors to the famous Abbey An imaginative child would without
for his poetry in the corn fields the movement a strength and impetus, Theater at Dublin. Part of his talk doubt be raptly interested in anyone's
he factory life of the middle west. without which it might have been Wednesday afternoon will be concern- reading of such stories, but the full
three volumes, "Cornhuskers," eclipsed by conservative academic ing the work of the Irish Players, who measure of fascination comes only
ago Poems," and "Smoke and criticism. recently charmed an Ann Arbor audi- when Padraic Colum himself tells
" have won him national fame. It has been quoted as the opinion ence with their delightful presentation them. With his gentle, sure umanner
e is probably no poet living who of English literary men that Robert of Lennox Robinson's play, "The and his golden brogue, he can hold
sses him in the strength and Frost and Vachel Lindsay are the two White-Headed Boy." Those who en- that most difficult of all audiences, an
of his poetry. Sandburg's is a most representative American poets, joyed listening to the rich musical audience of children, as if he too had
of tremendous energy, of defi- Frost typifying the basic New Eng- speech sf the Irish Players will be been a "boy apprenticed to an en-
and revolt. land element of our civilization and equally pleased by Mr. Colum's, for chaiter," and had learned all his mas-
lis Untermeyer, the New Yorker, Lindsay the essentially twentieth in spite of his long residence in this ter's secrets.
duces himself as "Jeweler, De- century note of modern jazz. Although country he still retains the "singing
r, Husband, Factory Superinten- this is a judgment with which many brogue" of his native land. Although the name of Padraic Colum
Reviewer-sometimes a poet." American critics do not agree, it is Several volumes of his plays have is familiar to every one interested in
noted for the variety of his liter- true that Lindsay is usually thought been published in this country. In- modern drama, and especially to those
rork. "Firsts Love," "Challenge," of as a poet of syncopated verse. His cluded among these are "The Fiddler's who are interested in Irish drama, yet
e Times," were the earlier ex- poetical works include "Congo," "Gen- House," "The.,Land," "Thomas Mus- he is even better known in this coun-
ions of the poetic gift that was erel William Booth Enters Into kerry," and "The Desert." try as a poet. His volume "Wild
me to full flower in his recent Heaven," "The Chinese Nightingale," In addition to his dramatic and Earth," published in 1907, is the only
ie "The New Adam." His extra- "The Golden Book of Springfield," and poetic work he was editor of the Irish collection of his poems which has ap-
ary ability to wield parody as "The Golden Whales of California." Review i Dublin, and at present be peared as yet, but his verses are seen
urest and most subtle of all criti- Although he is.a writer of verse, he is doing much of the literary criticism inany of the magazines, "The Book-
eapons is shown in "-And Other has also written three volumes of which appears in The New Republic. man," "The Dial," "The Nation," and
He has also published a prose, "Adventures While Preaching Also he is the editor of "An Antho- thbnew southern magazie, The
lation of "Heinrich Heine-325 the Gospel of Beauty," "The Art of logy of Irish Poetry," (Boni & Live- Double Dealer," being among those
s," and has edited "Modern the. Moving Picture," and "A Handy right), which was published in Janu- which have published his work.%
ican Poetry" and "Modern Brit- Guide for Beggars." ary of this year. "The Golden (Continued on Page 4)
The Little Theatre at Ypsilanti

(By Agnes Holmquist)
One of the most unique examples
of the "Little Theatre movement" Nb
the theatre at Ypsilanti, Michigan,
Seven years ago fifteen persons of
that place met to organize a dramatic
society in order to spend their even-
ings in reading plays and in serious
study of the drama. Now they have
what is claimed to be the smallest
theatre in the country and one of the
oldest of its kind to be found any-
where.
The club, which is divided into ac-
tive and subscribing membership, was
first started as a means for providing
entertainment for its members, and
has developed to such a degree that
it holds a place of national promi-
nence.

After the first year of or'ganization
the society purchased a small barn at
the rear of the Ladies' Library and re-
modeled it into a playhouse. The audi-
torium, which lias a seating capacity
'of sixty, is twelve by eighteen feet
with a small balcony constructed from
part of the haymow. A stage was built
which has a depth of twenty-five feet
and a prosenium arch nine by fifteen
feet. Then the interior was paint-
ed, and hung with old English lan-
' terns. While the exterior and inter-
ior are Elizabethan in appearance, the
stage, itself, is as modern as the most
advanced stage lighting devices can
make it. The electrical equipment,
which was installed at the expense of
$2,000, has been pronounced by ex-
perts as unsurpassed within its limits
by any stage in larger and more elab-
orate theatres.' There is 'a basement
under the entire building where there
1 are two dressing rooms, a green room,

and a furnace room. The green room the acting is done by the members.
is easily converted into a kitchen and Each play i§ studied in detail before
after every regular ^ performance a the presentation; posters, stage set-
lightlunch is served to both audience tings, costumes and scenery are de-
and actors while the stage is convert- signed, and if the necessary furniture
ed into a reception, room where the cannot be found in town it also is de-
plays just produced can be discussed. signed aifd made by the players. Only
one-act 'plays are given, two or .three
Although the playhouse, itself, is to a performance, the mechanics of
quite unique, the real significance of the theatre preventing the production
the Ypsilanti Players is the fact that of anything more protentious. The
they are self-supporting and working work of editing the mnuscripts and
toward the ideal of a municipal the- of directing the organization is han-
atre. Every member is subject to call dIed -by Daniel L. Quirk, '93, to whose
for every part of play production, from enthusiastic work is due the general
scene shifting to acting the star role success of the organization.
in some play. SThere is not only un-
usual ability among the members, but An interesting incident illustrating
scene painters and furniture manufac- a determined effort on the part of the
turers have also been discovered. If players to produce everything to the
the committee in charge of selecting best of their ability occurred this fall
the cast thinks that some one outside when the oganization was preparing
of the members will fill the part best, to stage "On Vengeance Height" by
the person is invited to act in the Allen .'avis and Cornelia Vencill. The
, production. But for the most part all (Continued on Page 4)