SHAKESPEARE CLUB.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 October 1922, Page 6

SHAKESPEARE CLUB.

RECEPTION TO MR AND MRS ALLAN WILKIE. SHAKESPEARE IN THE SCHOOLS, A reception to Mr and Mrs Allan Wilkie was tendered by the New Plymouth Shakespeare Reading Club at the Victoria League rooms yesterday morning. The guests were received by the Rev. O. Blundell (president of the Club), Mr L. Etherington, and Mrs Hughes, who presented a number oi the leading members to the guests. In extending a cordial welcome to Mr and Mrs. Wilkie, the Rev. Blundell first read a number of apologies for unavoidable absence, and then stated that the occasion was a very auspicious one for the Club. Tn having with them that day two noted Shakespeareans it was something of which they had dreamed. They had hardly imagined that, before the 61ub was two ’years old, they would have with them two such noted people, and on behalf of the club, he extended to their guests a very cordial welcome. He was among those who had been privileged to hear Mr and Mrs Wilkie the previous evening, and to come into touch with people of their kind was a very great thing. Mr Wilkie was doing a splendid work, and his address at the Chamber of Commerce luncheon the previous day had confirmed his opinion of the influence of Shakespeare on the world, and the British language in particular. Mr Wilkie was doing a truly noble work—work of great usefulness to the British Empire. Mr Wilkie was enthusiastically received on rising to reply. He assured the club that both his wife and he himself deeply appreciated their kindness in inviting them there that day. It was a great pleasure to meet the members of the chib, because both the club and his company were really working towards the same goal, the popularisation of Shakespeare and the stimulation ot interest in his works. They were working on somewhat different lines, but their work was complementary to each other. There was little doubt that the work of the club did much to pave the way for his visit to the town. His company’s performances of Shakespeare during the next few nights would help and stimulate the work of the club in the near future. (Applause). What they had to contend against with regard to Shakespeare was a certain apathy on the part of the public, amounting almost to a prejudice against his works. This arose out of ignorance of the poet, and he thought it was due to the way in which Shakespeare was taught, or mistaught, in the schools. The children were made to parse and paraphrase the works, and to study one particular work the whole year through for examination purposes until they became heartily slck of it. If the teachers confined themselves to pointing out the beauties of the language and went through more of the poet’s works, it would do more good end make known the beauty of them all. lie did think there was great scope for revision in that direction. The Hub and kindred societies throughout the Dominion were doing much to combat the feeling of apathy towards Shakespeare, I but. without in any wav apnearing impertinent. he would advise them not to attempt too much. There were some | societies which attempted to give public (performances of Shakespeare on the staerp He thought public readings were | very good, and they could be made very nrpentablc to the public. Air Wilkin then expressed the thanks of Mrs AVilkie and himself for the welcome they had received, and hoped that he would be able to come back to New Plymouth again, “but under much better professional circumstances, he laughingly added. Mr List (chairman of directors of the Taranaki Amusements, Ltd.) had told them the previous day that there was a probability of the theatre being built and readv by Christmas twelve months, and if’ tha+ was the case Mr AVilkie said he had ’milated, that he should have it for the first week for a season of Shakespeare. (Applause). Over cups of morning tea a pleasant half hour was then spent in social intercourse.