THE plan of producing a Latin play next year will doubtless arouse wide spread interest, particularly after the marked success of the Greek play which was given in 1881. That was the first production of its kind in America and it attracted to Cambridge probably the most distinguished gathering of literary people ever assembled at one time. People flocked from all parts and paid fabulous prices for seats. The press of the country gave long accounts of it and London papers even went so far as to have the news cabled to them. The event marked an important period at Harvard.

The wonderful success which attended the efforts of the Greek department encouraged the projectors of the scheme to hope that something similar might be given at a later date. They conceived then the idea of producing a Latin play, but it seemed too much of an attempt after the experience they had just undergone and only recently has the plan matured. It is, in a way, a stupendous undertaking. The average person can little realize the difficulties which are ever presenting themselves. The point which has constantly to be kept in mind is to give as exact a reproduction of the play as possible, at the same time to make it accord with the culture of to-day. In the music, particularly, it is very hard to reconcile the many difficulties. A strict following of the old forms would hardly pass with a modern audience; it would sound ridiculous at the least, while it would be certainly pointless to introduce music as it is now. These obstacles, it is understood, have been overcome to a great extent and the music which has already been written is thought to be near enough to the ancient and yet not so unique as to sound strange to our ears.

The task of committing the lines is long and tedious. The six or eight months drilling is a hard test on ones patience. Yet since the cast is nearly completed and men have been found to undertake the work, the members of the University can well congratulate themselves that they have before them an experience with which few are favored. There is very little reason why the Latin play should not meet with the same enthusiastic reception that was accorded the Greek play. It ought certainly to have as great an educational influence. Not that it is likely to create an unnatural impetus to elective courses in Latin, but it will doubtless tend to increase the intelligent study of the language by those who are already interested in it. We appreciate Skakespeare better, perhaps, when we have seen his plays faithfully presented to us on the stage. For the same reason we are likely to catch a deeper appreciation of the old Classic authors, when we see with our eyes, and not in our imaginations alone, their plays in very much the same manner as the old Romans themselves.