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THE PIPER

It was formerly thought that dramatists, lilie poets were “boru and not madę. I.'owcver, this theory has recently been disproved by Prot', (leorge Pierce Baker of llai*vard. Professor Baker was among the first to recognize the growing need for good diamatists, and founded a elass of llarvard and Radclifte students who wrote original plays instead of regular theses.

Josephine Preston Peabody, now Mrs. Lionel Marks, autlior of “The Pi per,^M was ;; ihember of tliis elass. Shortly after ller graduation the Stratford on Avon Society, of Kngland, oftered a prize of $1,000 for the best original play submitted to them. Mrs. Marl.s, at the instigation of her friends, sent “The Piper," which was awarded the prize over a bont 800 other plays.

“The Piper,“ written in poetry, which brings out morę cdearly the natura! romantic beauty, is based upon a story ages old—that of the Pied Piper of IJamelin. After charm-ing away the rats and ridding the people of tliis pest, the Piper leads away the children beeause of the villagers' refusal to pay him the promised reward. Mrs. Marks, however„ has given her Piper a different motive. In her story, he leads the children away not through reeenge, but beeause he does not want the happy boys and girls to grow up into the sordid, matter-of-faet men and women their parents are, bound by foolish eustoms and the fear of “What the neighbors say th » neighhors say.'

The play opens with the hurghers of Ilamelin on the green eelebrating beeause the rats have been exterminated. The man who had befriended them so has disappeared, hut finally diseloses himself as one of a group of strolling players who are giring a miracle play in the village. Ile asks for the money promised him, but it is refused. While the people are in church he orders Miehael, who has become infatuated with Barbara, to leave town with the other players. Then, putting his pipę to his lips he plays a wierd strain of musie which brings the children Hocking at his heels. Little Jan, who is lamę, cannot follow, but the Piper. who is espeeially attraeted to the pathetic little figurę, earries him on his shoulder; and so they depart. In the IIollow Tlili he keeps the children happy for a time, but is forced to leave them when Miehael reports Barbara is to be taken to a convent beeause of the demands of the villagers. The Piper and Miehael meet the procession on the way. Ilere the Piper charms the people into giving up Barbara, who at first thinks, in her hypnotic State, that he loves her. Ilowever, she is finally given to Miehael and they go to be married by the hermit. One day while walking, the Piper meets Weronika, niother of Jan, who has been searehing the hills for her clii ld. She is deeply hurt when the Piper tells her that her chi Id ean be happy with-out her and resolves to bring him baek to the foree of her longing mother-love. The Piper struggles with himself for soine time after she departs, but at length before the shrine of Christ promises to take the children baek. When he arrives iń Ilamelin he goes at once to Wronika, but is met at the door by the prieśt, who tells the people Weronika is dying. The Piper ealls to her that her chi ld is eoming and reaches for his pipę to sound the cali. But the pipę is not there. Suddenly a sound is heard. The people shudder for they think the pipę is surely eoming to him through the air. Then little Jan enters with the pipę, upon which he has learneri to play, and after him eonie all the other children. The Piper lifts Jan to his mother’s window and holds him there. In a moment Weronika *s face appears at the window, radiant. and her hands are stretched forth to receive her chi ld.

When the Piper was first produced in Kngland, the leading role was taken by a man. When it was brought to America, however, the part was given to a young woman, due, perhaps, to Maude Adam s recent success in maseuline roles. After considering many plays, both ancient and modern, the Senior (lass finally deeided to produce “The Piper *. They went baek to the Knglish idea in that Frederic McCleery starred in the role of the Piper. Ile put much of his own originality into his interpretation of the part, which eontrihuted greatly toward the success of the play.

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