The Country School: An Entertainment in Two Scenes

THE COUNTRY SCHOOL An Entertainment in Two Scenes. BY M. R. ORNE. COPYRIGHT, 1890, BY WALTER H. BAKER & CO. BOSTON
SUGGESTIONS. _______________
characters in this little sketch should be played by prominent citizens of your town, if such can be prevailed upon to appear—the more elderly, staid, and incongruous in years and bearing, the better. Dignified professors, judges, doctors, lawyers, teachers, etc., should be prevailed upon to forget their present greatness, don the costumes and revive the scenes of their youth.
The dress may be left largely to individual taste. Short pantaloons, jumpers, long-sleeved tires, caps, broad-brimmed straw hats, heavy cowhide boots, are suggested for the gentlemen; while short dresses, the historic pantalette, sun-bonnets, tires, aprons, etc., are proposed for the ladies. The latter should have their hair braided or hanging in long curls. All should be neatly dressed in “ye olden time” costumes, except one or two, who may represent the tatterdemalion fraternity. One of these may be the bright boy of the class, the other the dullard, who stumbles through his lessons, loses his place, has a passion for catching flies, throwing spit-balls, etc. One boy may have a penchant for drawing pictures on his slate or the blackboard, in which his teacher and mates play a prominent part as models. One girl a proneness for chewing gum, another for large pickles; another thinks herself smart, but generally manages to give wrong answers. A few names have been suggested in the dialogue, but they may be easily varied. Where a name is not necessary, the author has used the word “Pupil,” so that the parts may be distributed according to the number of performers.
The by-play that goes on among the scholars who are not reciting must be of such a nature that it will not attract the attention of the teacher unless it is a part of the programme.
The motion song can be introduced elsewhere in the dialogue if advisable.
As a rule, pupils should raise hands (at the same time saying “Huh! huh!” or snapping thumb and finger), and obtain permission before speaking; but where the dialogue becomes spirited, this rule may be broken.