The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, June 14, 1917, Page 12

i | 4 ; fcl The Birth of a Notion Something About Arvold and the Little Country Theater Idea - That Has Become Famous Scene- from pageant, “Sitting Bull and Custer”, produced on grounds of North- Dakota Agricultural college by students. 2%, o ot by Aaron McGaffey Beede of Hekton, N. D., and was produced under the joint direction of faculty and students. NE day three years ago, § at the North Dakota Ag- ricultural college, a history- r_'-e“" making event took place. Up — on the third floor of the old administration building the room that had been used as chapel during the days when it would seat the entire student body, but now outgrown, was thrown open to the public, remodeled and renovated, with the sign over the door, “The Little Country Theater.” Dean Sumner, formerly of the Chi- cago board of education, now Ipis- copal bishop of Oregon, President John H. Worst and other dignitaries, were on hand to take part in the dedi- cation exercises. There was a bhand concert and an orchestra concert by college talent and two short plays were presented—acted, staged and di- rected by students of the college, sons and daughters of farmers and some of them farmers themselves, by vir- tue of long days of labor spent in the wheat fields. This was the real beginning of the Little Country Theater- movement. Since that day, Fedruary 10, 1914, not only has the movement spread throughout North Dakota, resulting in dozens of communities operating little country theaters of their own. It has also resulted in attracting atten- tion in virtually every -civilized coun- try on the globe, and in some not gen- erally rated as particularly civilized. It has disproved the old adage that there is nothing new under the sun. ONE MAN DID IT— ALFRED G. ARVOLD It is all the result of the birth of a notion that proved to be a real idea. The idea was developed into a fact at - the North Dakota Agricultural college. For both the notion and the establish- ed fact one man, Alfred G. Arvold, is primarily responsible. Ten years ago Arvold came to Far- go to head the department of public discussion at the A. C. He might have chosen to have gone on indefinitely merely teaching students to recite, “Friends, Romans, countrymen; lend me your ears,” or “Bingen on the Rhine,” and coaching them for de- bates. It would have been following the line of least resistance. He wouldn't have been called “radical” or have been charged with “stirring things up.” But Arvold isn't the kind of a man for a job like this. He is young and energetic; he is a good talker and has a pleasing presence. Above all, he has ideas. He is the sort of man who would make a good promoter or a crackerjack salesman. He doesn't look like a “professor”, he doesn't act like one and he doesn’'t even like to be called by that term. He prefers to be known as a social service worker. _Arvold is a graduate of the Univer- sity of Wisconsin, a so-called “radi- cal” institution. Not long after his conngction with the North Dakota in- stitution, Arvold met ‘Frank Avery Hutchins of the Wisconsin faculty. Hutchins was telling about starting a package library system on economic subjects for the benefit of the resi- dents of the country districts of Wis- consin. The idea appealed to Arvold, Scene from “The Rajndrops,” produced at The Little Country Theater. This play was written and acted by students. The authors of the play also painted their own scenery. Self-expression is the big need of the farmer, Arvold sa farmers divided, half in the Republican party, each other, they will have no chance for expression. that chance. TWELVE says. As long as Big Business can keep the half in the Dgamocratic party, working against Organization of the farmers gives them The bock of the pageant was written who already had been called upon te look up considerable reference ma- terial for teachers in country schools and others. PACKAGE LIBRARY IDEA TAKEN UP “Why not have a package library system for North Dakota?” Arvold asked himself. “Why not make it in- clude every subject in*which anybody might be interested, instead of confin- ing it to economics?” That was the beginning of the Package Library, so far as North Dakota was concerned. Arvold and his assistants at once set about collecting their material. They used bulletins of every college they could lay their hands upon, magazine articles, news- paper editorials, pamphlets. Everye- thing was grist to their mill. The dif- ferent articles were all classified un- der special headings, and wrapped up together, generally with a dozen or more pieces of printed matter to each package. Then the packages were ar- ranged alphabetically and cross-clase sified under such general headings as “Agriculture,” “Engineering,” “Gen- eral Science” and “Miscellaneous.”’ Today the package library system has been brought down to a point where Arvold can lay his hand on ma- terial that will supply almost any ore dinary want, and fill nearly every re= quest by return mail. In the library under the “A’s”, for instance, will be" found packages dealing with such sube jects as these: > Agriculture, Addresses, After Din= ner Speeches' and Stories, Alfalfa, Apples, Alkali Soils, Aviation, Ac- counting, Asparagus Culture, Jane ‘Addams, Louis Agassiz, Athletics. HE GOT A REQUEST FOR A HOME PLAY And getting down toward the end of the alphabetical list packages can be ‘found on Ventilation and Sanitation of Schools, Volcanoes, Wool and Wool« en Duties, Woodrow Wilson and Wo- man Suffrage. Arvold also collected, as part of hig extension service, subjects for debate, with material for both sides, declama- tions and.dialogues. These proved pop=~ ular and many requests came in for them. Most of the package libraries went to schools or clubs in the coun- try. About 800 packages are sent out in the course of a year. The most popular subjects, Arvold says, are “Consolidated Schools,” “So-