Elizabeth Miller Lobingier

“ Haman: Thou Jew! Dost thou think that thou art mightier than I, whom the King hath set above all the princes of the land? Thou shalt suffer for this. [Turns to servant.] Send letters unto all the King's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day—even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, and to take the spoil of them for prey.
[Servant bows and goes away. Haman passes on, leaving Mordecai with two servants. Mordecai, in deep thought, walks anxiously up and down.]
Mordecai: I must see Queen Esther. ”

“ They will realize that the little people actually formulated the scenes and the lines of the dramas even if it required many weeks in some cases to do so; that it is better for the actors to make their own costumes and stage properties, however simple they may be; that it is more educative for each child to be familiar with all of the parts, and thus with the drama as a whole, than to be coached ever so cleverly to impersonate a single character; and that facility and power in dramatization are thus attained which are permanent sources of pleasure and understanding. ”

“ King: Thy God is truly the living God! Bring forth the men that have done Daniel this wrong. Cast them into the lions' den.
[The conspirators are standing in the room, looking at Daniel in astonishment. The soldiers seize them and push them down into the den. As they go they cry to the King.]
Conspirators: O King, spare us!
King: I will now sign a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men shall bow before the God of Daniel, for he is the only true God. He delivereth and rescueth and worketh great wonders; he hath saved Daniel from the power of the lions. ”

“ How horrible is this life; I am dying of hunger. No man will give me anything—all I get to eat is the food that I give the pigs. Oh, I wish that I had never left home! How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son; make me as one of thy hired servants." ”

“ Throughout its history the chief purpose of the club has been to promote the growth of children through the free, spontaneous dramatization of Bible stories. In order to accomplish this aim, an informal method of working out dramatizations has been used. The public presentation of a play is only incidental to the children; there is no need for them to act out a story that has been dramatized by someone else. Their aim is realized in the joy of actually living the story over each time they play it, though this may result in the highest form of entertainment. ”

“ Pharaoh: Send for this young Hebrew; bring him into my presence. [Servant goes out for Joseph.] Butler, who is this boy that interpreted thy dream?
Butler: His name is Joseph, O King. He was brought down from Canaan by a caravan and was sold to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's guard. But he displeased Potiphar, so he was thrown into prison at the time thy servants were there.
[Enter Joseph. He falls on his face before Pharaoh.]
Pharaoh: I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it, and I have heard say of thee that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it. ”

“ A great deal of what is in the Bible should not be used, but there is much that is highly dramatic and becomes valuable for dramatization.
It is possible to adapt an incident by simplifying, and in a measure reorganizing, the parts, and yet to keep the dignity and integrity of the story as it is given in the Bible. The attitude of the children, created by contact with this type of story, should be one of reverence and dignity, coupled with a consciousness of the high ideals of the people they are impersonating. ”

“ Joseph [to the servants] : Cause every man to go out from me! [All begin to leave the room, brothers included.] [To the brothers. He walks quickly after them and holds his arms out toward them.] Stay! I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? Come near to me, I pray you. [They come somewhat nearer and fall to the ground.] I am Joseph, your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now, therefore, be not grieved nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me thither, for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land ”

“ The question of costuming may be dealt with in much the same manner as that of stage setting and properties. Costumes are unnecessary in many of the simpler plays, and even where they are used they should be so treated that they are of minor importance in the minds of the children. It is nearly always the case that the very smallest suggestion of a costume—a sash or a cloth around the head—is satisfying and sufficient to produce the proper atmosphere of the play. ”

“ Saul: Hear the words of this Philistine. I know not what we can do. Have we no man among us with the strength or boldness to fight this giant? I will enrich him with great riches.
Second Brother: In truth, he is a mighty giant, O King. Our soldiers are greatly dismayed; no one will accept this challenge.
[The king and two soldiers go out. Enter David. He runs up to his brothers and salutes them.]
First Brother: This is David, our younger brother! How cometh it that thou art here?
Second Brother: I thought we left thee tending the sheep.
Third Brother: What news dost thou bring of our father? ”

“ SYNOPSIS OF SCENES
The following is the play as it was given:
THE CHILDHOOD OF MOSES Act I
Characters: King, Wise Man, Chief Adviser, Queen, Maids, and Soldiers.
King: Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we. Come, let us do wisely with them lest they rise up and make war against us.
Chief Adviser: What more can we do than we have already done? We have made their lives bitter with hard service, and we have made them carry our brick and mortar and work in our fields.
Wise Man: O King Pharaoh, I beg thee to let me speak. ”

“ Very often, when the play develops to this stage, some one child, or several, will suddenly become aware of repetitions in the scenes and will suggest that some scenes are unnecessary. It is then the time to refer to the number of scenes in a good drama, and to lead the children to realize that in any good play much is left to the imagination of the audience, and that only the essential scenes need be shown. ”

“ The heralds come through the streets crying aloud that King Nebuchadnezzar commands all people to bow down when they shall hear the musical instruments and worship the image of gold which he has set up. Those who do not obey will be put into a burning fiery furnace. The instruments of music sound and all the people fall to the ground to worship except the three Israelites, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Some of the men notice that the Jews do not obey, and go off immediately to tell the King.
SCENE II
The men come before the King and begin their story by saying, "O King, live forever!" ”

“ It follows, therefore, that dramatization and other forms of self-expression are as valuable in attaining the aims of the Sunday school as they are in teaching the curriculum of the day school. Through dramatizing a Bible story children come into a comprehension of the life-experiences of a highly religious people; they are forming their own standards and ideals through meeting and solving the simple life-problems of the Hebrews. Each child has as great an opportunity for self-expression through dramatizing a Bible story as that afforded through dramatizing any other story. ”

“ There are so many simple episodes in the Bible that can easily be readjusted into well-constructed stories, about which there can be no question of the moral value, that no time need be wasted in considering any story about which there is the least suggestion of an unethical quality when judged by our present-day standards. ”

“ Judgments are formed and conclusions are reached when children enter actively into a situation which presents a problem; ideas become their own through experience. Through dramatization children give expression to these ideas in the light of their own interpretation. ”

“ All begged that thou excuse them.
Master [shows great anger] : What! They that are bidden refuse to come to my feast! Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the maimed, and the halt, and the blind! ”

“ Before a story is dramatized it is very necessary that it be told so clearly that the children are conscious of these parts; otherwise the resulting drama will lack in organization. No matter how elaborate or simple the story, the children should have a feeling for the [Pg 111] basic structure, which should guide the form of the dramatization.
The leader in charge of a dramatic club in which Bible stories are used must take the responsibility of changing the Bible version so as to make an organic unit of the story and yet keep the spirit and big meaning. ”

“ What thinkest thou, Haman, my chief counselor?
Haman: If it please the King, let there go forth a royal commandment and let it be written among the laws of the Medes and Persians that Vashti come no more before Ahasuerus, and let the King give her royal estate to another [Pg 72] that is better than she. Then when this decree shall become known all wives shall give honor unto their husbands.
King: This saying pleaseth me greatly. I shall do accordingly. [To servants] : Send letters unto every province to every people, which shall state this decree, so that every man shall know it. ”