IN ANTARCTICA

Hokitika Guardian, 10 May 1929, Page 5

IN ANTARCTICA

(By Russell Owen-—Copyrighted 1929 by the New York Times Company, and St. Louis Dost Dispatch. All rights for publication reserved throughout the world. Wire'ess to New York times.) THEATRE FROLICS. PASSING .THE TIME AWAY. United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright). ;Received this day at 10 a.m.) BAY OF WHALES, May 8. Our own little theatre opened last night. No cramping conditions limit us. We have originated what might bo called a Polar school of art in which we cast off stifling conventions and go back to the primitive. What could be more gaily realistic than dropping a handful of snow down ones back. There is about it a sort of rollicking simplicity and having a rather select audience, we arc able to train it, which is a great advantage. They’re probably the most intelligent'group of tilings in this whole continent, now that’ tho penguins are gone. Let someone forget to close a door, there being a slight difference of one hundred degrees temperature, between inside and out, and there comes a yell “close that door,’’ followed by words chosen carefully for emphasis. The meticulous care with which choice language is used, is something upon winch we insist. A school scene was selected for the first performance because of its suggestion of refreshing innocence in this decadent civilisation of seals and penguins. Little tots were dressed daintily in canvas, which covered most of their figures although an arm which liju.l escaped washing, as children’s arms sometimes do, here and there -seamnl concealment. They arc well fed children and quite muswilar and their precocious development was indicated bv a beard or two or pcrlnr/s a sneeies of horse hair, which adorned their pink cheeks. The little things danced in so prettily in their five pound ski boots,-which when e\cv so gently put down, shook the house, and sang a touching song as they presented a golden apple to the teacher, a good matured and obese soul named Alexander, though how a Dutchman o-ot that name is hard to understand.