DECEMBER. Nay, no closed doors for me, But open doors and open hearts and glee Dimmest and brightest month am I; My short days end, my lengthening days begin; [He begins making a wreath as he sings. Ivy and privet dark as night, I weave with hips and haws a cheerful show, While high above them all I set Yew twigs and Christmas roses pure and pale; May keep each merry singing bird, [While December concludes his song all the other Months troop in from the garden, or advance out of the background. The Twelve join hands in a circle, and begin dancing round to a stately measure as the Curtain falls. ABOUT THE FOREST RING There is nothing more enchanting than a Forest Ring. In its magic circle Æsop, LaFontaine, Joel Chandler Harris and Rudyard Kipling have been face to face with the sage wisdom of animals. And it is only in such a place we can ever find out the laws that govern supposedly dumb creatures. Mowgli realized this the night of the famous elephant meet. "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is a play of wonderful circles, of fairy spells. It is this element that appeals to young folks. And so I have selected "The Forest Ring" because it makes legitimate use of this great attraction - the moment of transformation, when life passes from a reality into a dream that is true. Does not Tennyson say "Dreams are true while they last, and do we not live in dreams?" And did not Peter Pan believe in fairies and remain the Eternal Boy? -- Mr. DeMille and Mr. Barnard have both written plays for the larger theater of grown-ups, and Mr. DeMille has had a strong hand in the development of the moving-picture. Whether or not he revives his interest in the establishment of a Children's Theater, I do not know; but "The Forest Ring" was definitely written for such a place, and was among the first plays given by Mrs. Minnie Herts Heniger, at the Children's Educational Theater. "The Little Princess" was another. Mr. DeMille's play is here selected as an American contrast to its English cousin, "Pinkie and the Fairies." |