ACTORS AND THE UNIVERSITIES

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 407, 16 January 1909, Page 14

ACTORS AND THE UNIVERSITIES

The remark of Mr. Justice Bargrave-Deano upon the morality of the,stage, actors and actresses, and which he has subsequently explained and : qualified, sprang (says "M.A.P.") from one of the many crudities of thought which people in the outside world entertain concerning the members of the "Sock and Buskin." Among the most erroneous ideas is the one that, as a rule, . actors and theatrical - people generally havo received very little education exccpt of a sort of haphazard, happy-go-lucky characterAs a matter of fact, many of the actors in London theatres: to-day are not only public schoolboys, but graduates tof Oxford or Cambridge, or some other university or college of standing. Arthur Bourchier was educated,at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford: Frederick Kerr wals at Charterhouso and Caius College, Cambridge. Forbes-Robert-son and Cyril Maude .are also both Carthusians. H. B. Irving was at Marlborough and New College, Oxford, of which he is an M.A. F. R.. Benson, the Shakespearean tragedian who was the late'"Master" of the. Winchester pageant, was a boy' at Winchester • College, and took his degree at New College, Oxford. Other public school, hoys include Charles'Hawtrey, who was at Rugby, Herbort Waring, at Dulwich and Merchant Tayand George Alexander at Clifton whi'lo Lewis Waller was educated at King's* College. Then there are Sir Charles Wyndham, who was educated for the medical profession, and Martin Harvey, who went through all the preliminary "exams." for the Royal Navyj up to'passing into the old Britannia. Beerbohm Tree got his education at Schncpfenthal College ? Germany, while Seymour, Hicks, claims Victoria College, Jersey, as his alma mater.. Arthur ,Playfair was educated at Oxford Military College, and Hayden Coffin was at London University and entered f6r the College of Surgeons, passing all the preliminary examinations, before,he adopted the theatrical profession. ■'