SCHOOL SPEECH DAYS .sx FELSTED'S NEW HALL .sx REQUESTS FROM OLD BOYS .sx Speech Day at Felsted began with the opening of the new Grignon Hall by Mr. S. A. Courtauld , the chairman of the Governors .sx The new hall , he said , had been built to replace the one that was destroyed by the disastrous fire in March of last year .sx It had been designed by two old boys , Mr. H. J. Chetwood and T. W. F. Grant , and erected by Messrs .sx Walter and Sons of Henley , at a cost of 15,000 .sx The Governors were proud to see such a memorial to W. S. Grignon , whose headmastership from 1856 to 1871 re-established the fortunes of the school .sx His portrait was being painted by Mr. Douglas Gray , and would hang in the hall as a gift from the Old Felstedian Society .sx The headmaster , having congratulated Mr. Courtauld on the return of his son from the Greenland icecap , said that he attributed the wonderful discipline of the boys on the night of the fire to the work of the O.T.C. Two valuable legacies , he said , had come from old boys to the school .sx Colonel D.C. Philpott had bequeathed to the Governors the house and gardens adjoining the school grounds , and the Rev. E. Jepp most of his estate for the benefit of sons of Old Felstedians and of Essex clergy .sx The honours list for the two years since the last Speech Day was very gratifying , he added , and included seven first classes at the Universities .sx The Bishop of Chelmsford presented the prizes .sx PANGBOURNE NAUTICAL COLLEGE .sx TRAINING WITHOUT A CODE OF RULES .sx Sir Philip Devitt presided at founder's day at the Nautical College , Pangbourne , Berks , yesterday .sx In an address to the cadets he said that the College endeavoured to foster those qualities emphasised by Lord Jellicoe as essential to our Empire , namely , public spirit , discipline , and a sense of duty .sx The result was that cadets left the College , whether to go to sea or to other employment , full equipped with those qualities so urgently needed in this country at the moment .sx The Captain-Superintendent of the College , Commander A. Tracy , R.N. , said that at Pangbourne they relied manly upon the common sense of the community , and only to a limited extent upon a positive code of laws or rules .sx Thus , no small part of their effort towards the formation of sound character was devoted to the inculcation of the special attribute of obedience to the unenforceable .sx Prizes were distributed by Lady Lewis .sx Sir Frederick Lewis , who is chairman of the shipping firm of Furness , Withy and Co. , said that the cadets would see many beautiful scenes as they went about the world , but nowhere would they find a more beautiful countryside or people with a higher moral standard than in this country .sx Dramatis Personae .sx The little experimental theatre is becoming as important in this country as it is in America , and it is rapidly taking the place of the Sunday producing societies .sx As mentioned in this column several weeks ago , two more small playhouses - The Westminster and The Windmill - will be opened within the next few months , and the Grafton in Tottenham Court-road , where a revival of " The Lilies of the Field " is now being played , is planning to produce a number of new plays .sx Mr. J. Hastings Turner has written a piece called " K.O. " for the young actress-managers and " Coincidence " by Mr. Basil Mason ; " April , " by Miss Olive Lethbridge ; " The Golden Bowl , " by Miss Mabel Ellams Hope , and " I " , by Miss Constance Holme will also be presented in due course .sx The Sunday Club formed in connection with the Grafton has already about 750 members and the theatre is sold out for tonight's bill of four one-act plays .sx Meanwhile , the Embassy venture continues to prosper .sx " Black Coffee , " which was originally done at Swiss Cottage , is now at the Little Theatre , and on Thursday next Mr. Mordaunt Shairp's play , " Crime at Blossoms " is to be transferred to the Playhouse , which has been left vacant owing to the transfer of " The Church Mouse " to the Apollo .sx The Arts Theatre Club , a little theatre run on a membership basis , has some interesting fixtures , the most notable being the production of " The Trial of Jeanne d'Arc , " Mr. Edward Garnett's play in twelve scenes which was first staged by Mr. William Poel some twenty years ago .sx Miss Jean Forbes-Robertson will appear as the Maid , and other members of the cast are Mr. Ben Webster , Mr. Fewlass Llewellyn , Mr. Douglas Burbidge , Mr. John Garside , and Mr. A. Scott Gatty .sx The first performance takes place on Friday , May 29 .sx A fortnight later the Arts Theatre will be visited by La Compagnie des Quinze of the Theatre du Vieux Columbier in six performances of " Noe , " and six performances of " La Viol de Lucrce , " and on July 1 " Demos - King and Slave , " an adaptation from the French by Sir Barry Jackson , will be produced .sx The recently-formed Sunday Theatre Club which started with Wedekind's " Spring's Awakening " is to give its second performance on the 31st of this month at the Everyman Theatre when " Episode , " a play in three acts by Miss Rosalind Wade , will be produced by Mr. Ralph Neale .sx It was staged by the Swanage Repertory Theatre some time ago .sx The London Playgoers' League , Mr. Macdona's Guild Scheme at the Kingway , is growing in favour .sx To-morrow " Man and Superman " is to be revived with Mr. Esme Percy as John Tanner , and a twenty-year old actress , Miss Alice Darch , as Ann Whitefield .sx Prince Bibesco's play , " The Heir , " seen a week or two ago at The Gate , will follow on June 1 , and a new play by Mr. H. F. Maltby and a revival of " The Great Adventure " are promised .sx An unusual experiment will take place at the Embassy on Sunday , May 31 , for Miss Sybil Thorndike will appear on that evening and the three following Sundays in " Marriage by Purchase , " an English adaptation of M. Steve Passeur's play , " l'Acheteuse .sx " Only members of the Embassy Theatre Club , now numbering ten thousand , can attend the performances , but no doubt there will be an opportunity for the general public later on .sx Mr. Casson is the producer and he will take a part , and other members of the cast are Miss May Agate , Miss Miriam Andrews , Mr. A. A. Harris , and Mr. Hubert Carter .sx For the last year or two Mr. Seymour Hicks has been acting in talking films and his return to the stage is an event for which we must thank Mr. B. A. Meyter and Mr. Archie de Bear , who have secured this fine actor for their new entertainment at the Cambridge Theatre , " At the Sign of the Seven Dials , " which is due to open on June 1 .sx Mr. Hicks will appear in three sketches of a widely different nature .sx One is a revival of " The Hampton Club , " based on the story by Robert Louis Stevenson , in which he played many years ago , and another is a Sasha Guitry playlet in a very free adaptation by Mr. Reginald Arkell .sx The third has not yet been definitely fixed .sx The " Seven Dials " Company includes Miss Betty Stockfield , Miss Renee Gadd , Miss Joan Clarkson , Mr. Ronald Frankau , and Mr. Billy Leonard , and some attractive settings are being designed by Mr. Clifford Pember .sx The Chauve Souris finish at the Cambridge on Saturday , and M. Balioff is taking his company on a five weeks' tour to Edinburgh , Glasgow , Liverpool , and Manchester .sx They then go to Paris and afterwards to New York .sx Miss Marie Tempest is to return to the Haymarket on June 4 , when she will appear in a new light comedy by Mr. Frank Vosper , the author of " Murder on the Second Floor " and " People Like Us .sx " The title is " Marry at Leisure , " and the scenes are laid in a riverside house and a country inn .sx The cast includes Mr. Graham Browne , who is producing the piece with Mr. Vosper ; Mr. Alan Napier , Mr. Charles Hickman , Mr. Lewis Shaw , Miss Mignon O'Doherty , Miss Clare Greet , Mr. Marcus Barron , and Miss Isobel Ohmead .sx " Saint Joan " was withdrawn from the Haymarket last night .sx Mr. Aldous Huxley's play , " The World of Light , " comes off about the end of this month , and it will be succeeded at the Royalty by a revival of Mme .sx Karen Bramson's " Tiger Cats , " which was first seen in Michael Orme's adaptation at the Savoy Theatre seven years ago .sx Miss Edith Evans and Mr. Robert Loraine will appear in their original parts .sx Afterwards Mr. Lion proposes to give us another Galsworthy season , reviving " Escape , " " Justice , " " Loyalties , " and possibly " The Family Man .sx " There is a lot of real English atmosphere in the new Gaiety musical comedy , " The Millionaire Kid , " which opens on Wednesday after a short tour .sx The scene is in Devonshire , and the polka and the Lancers take a prominent part in the dance arrangements .sx The majority of the company have been familiar figures in most of Mr. Laddie Cliff's shows , but there is an important newcomer in Mr. Barry Lupino , who combines comedy and acrobatics as remarkably as the other members of that clever family .sx Mr. Richard Tauber , the German tenor , returns to the cast of " The Land of Smiles " at Drury Lane to-morrow night .sx Miss Ruth Draper starts a month's season at the Vaudeville Theatre on Monday , June 1 .sx A new play by Jan Fabricius , the Dutch dramatist , will shortly be seen in London , with Miss Peggy Ashcroft in the leading part .sx From to-morrow there will be two performances a night - at 6.30 and 9 - at the Alhambra , and the daily matinee has been abolished for the time being .sx G. W. B. .sx CAMBRIDGE .sx NOTABLE FEATURES OF A GREAT DAY .sx ( By Our Own Correspondent .sx ) June 5 .sx The great day on Friday went off very well .sx The weather was good ( until the evening ) and Cambridge was looking her best .sx In the Senate House the Chancellor and the Vice-Chancellor were stately and urbane , the Orator was eloquent , and at times even intelligible , the guests of honour were distinguished and obviously pleased at the warmth of their reception .sx The prize exercises were recited with becoming modesty , and the medals were duly presented by the Chancellor , who also made an extremely felicitous speech about the Courtauld Galleries .sx The other functions of the day were no less agreeable and successful .sx The Fitzwilliam Museum .sx The Courtauld extension , which has been designed by Mr. Dunbar Smith , is in itself a remarkably fine piece of architecture and harmonises well both with the original building and with the Marlay Gallery .sx In its internal arrangements it is the very model of what a modern museum ought to be , with good lighting , ample space , and " reserve-alleys , " which will make for the advantage both of students and of ordinary visitors .sx The staircase at the end is noble , and the " gaboon " mahogany is a novel , and , on the whole , effective form of wall-covering .sx Certainly the pictures show up as they have never shown before , and we are all deeply grateful to Mr. Dunbar Smith , to Mr. Singall ( the builder ) , and the Courtauld family to whose munificence the whole is due .sx As for Dr. Cockerell himself , our debtr to him , as the Chancellor reminded us , is one we can never hope to repay .sx The Birthday Honours .sx Various Cambridge men figure in the Honoures list .sx Sir William Bragg receives the O.M. , while knighthoods go to Dr. Dampier Whetham and Dr. Horace Lamb , the one a Fellow , the other an Honorary Fellow of Trinity College .sx One of our Honorary Doctors , Mr. Albert Mansbridge , becomes a Companion of Honour , and we recognise also the appropriateness of the honours conferred on Mr. Montague Burton , the founder of our most recent Professorship , and Dr. P. C. Varrier-Jones , who has made " Papworth , Cambs .sx " a household name throughout the world .sx Forthcoming Events .sx The Archbishoip of York preaches the University sermon this afternoon .sx On Tuesday evening the Madrigal Society will sing on the river under King's Bridge ( in the Hall , if wet ) , and on Wednesday there will be an informal Music Club concert in the Guildhall , with Myra Hess and Isolde Menges Quartet .sx There are various College concerts in the second half of the week , with the C. U. M. S. on Friday evening .sx