The History Teacher's Magazine, Vol. I, No. 2, October, 1909Various
History
The History Teacher's Magazine, Vol. I, No. 2, October, 1909
Various
History -- Study and teaching -- Periodicals; Social sciences -- Study and teaching -- Periodicals
Another part of the platform had been arranged for the exhibition
of statuary and was fronted by a large picture-frame illuminated by
electricity. When the curtain was first drawn there stood in the frame
the famous “Mourning Athena,” recently found in the ruins of the
Parthenon. The Gracchi next appeared and were followed by a vestal
virgin, who gave place to two lictors. The last statue was Minerva
Giustiniani, perhaps the most successful of all. It had taken the
combined efforts of many pupils to produce helmet, serpent and spear,
so that all were vitally interested in this statue. Her pose and
expression were perfect, and the silence which greeted her was intense
until broken by deafening applause.
The early numbers on the program were most interesting, but did not
compare with the character social itself. Each person on arriving had
been tagged with a number and had communicated to a trusty official
the name of the character that he had chosen. These characters could
be taken from the Oriental monarchies as well as from Greece and Rome.
They must, however, have been mentioned in the text-books (Myers and
Morey). Each player was provided with a pencil and printed program
containing a list of numbers corresponding to those of the characters
present. At a given signal the game began, and each assumed his
character. No one told his name, but each talked or acted as if he
were Cæsar, or Alexander, or Rameses. As soon as a boy discovered that
he was talking to Cæsar, he would scribble down “Cæsar” opposite the
proper number and rush off to talk to same one else. One boy wore a
double-faced mask and carried little gates; another had a tiny pair
of boots pinned to his coat and carried in his hand a beautiful toy
horse. A girl carried a lantern and anxiously searched the faces of all
her comrades; her quest seemed fruitless, and she would sadly shake
her head and move on. Every mind was hard at work, and at the end of
the hour it was with difficulty that the room was brought to order to
compare characters with the original list.
The correct list of characters was read, and all who had guessed
over seventy were invited to the platform. No one responded to the
descending numbers called until sixty was reached, when one girl came
up. Then others followed in increasing numbers until the faculty began
to respond in the thirties. The quiet and suspense during this calling
off of numbers was most intense. Of course, no one had conversed with
each character present, but many players guessed correctly all the
characters they had met.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account