The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-03-02
FREE LANCE.

FREE LANCE.
"One Hundred Years Old," "AIixe,''
"David Garrick'' and .sTicket-of.Leave
Man."
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD
II 1t takes two men to write drama like lie
Centenaire, )" how many men win it take to write
something better This is conundrum. Who
ever answers II will be entitled to the usual re-
ward. Messieurs D'Ennery ct Plouvier may have
manufactured an admirable play, but IL it be ad-
mirable the stage has indeed sunk low. The plot
is puerile the incidents are forced the dialogue is
stupid. That dramatic interest should revOlve
around centenarian Is well enough, provided the
story is well conceived, but when 1t is thrown TO-
gether, with little regard for probability and less
for decency, there seems to be no excuse for
its existence. However, the drama is worth
contemplating, II only to show the won
dr0us workings of the human intellect. First
among the drdmdtis persona comes jacques
Fauvel, 100 years old, man OF vigorous mind and
body, who appears to have oil the brains Of the
family for certainly the younger Fauvels bcreft
of common sense, and either do or don't do what
ever the rest Of creation wouldn't or would.
Whether Jacques Fauvel ever had q son remains q
profound secret Nobody mentions him. nor are
his relics or remains apparent. This is strange.
SO vigorous an old man ought to have long-lived
children, but as his immediate offspring would
compiicate the drama, sons, daughters, their
wives, husbands, &C., &C., are polished or the face
or the earth, anu we are introduced to George
Fauvel, q grandson Of fifty, who is noble charac-
ter with wonderful acumcn, just the person to
carry on the extensive business he is supposed to
manage. He takes villain into his confidence IN
spite OF jacques Fauvel's opposition, and Is the first
to den0unce q suspected daughter whose entire
life has been one OF devotion and selfsacrifce.
Speak then," thunders the father, in the presence
of five other persons. "Where have you been and
what have you dOnepn TO which Camille replies =
"Did you ask me, my father whether returned to
your roof without fear and without rem0rse-
whether I appeared before you with conscience
calm and pure, should answer 'yes.' But do not
ask me to disclose what has happened during my
absence, for that shall never tel.n Whereupon
the model father (what an incorporating jury
man he would make on o murder trialD spurns
his kneellng daughter, and bids her leave the
house, thus advertising the family dishOnor about
which the charitable gentleman seems to be most
deeply concerned. Candles lover conveniently
comes to the rescue, but what natural father he
Is, and what natural situation it is to be sure
There is genteel villain, one Max de Managers
who, after seducing George Fauvels married
daughter. becomes desperately enamored Of her
sister Camille, precisely the style of woman such
man would ignore. De Mangars is too great o
rasca! for the part he plays, and not enough OF O
rascal to be the rascal his creators would have us
There is lie COMMANDMENT Duprat, a naval gentle.
man and husband OF the married daughter, who
arrives home just in time to be told, in the
presence OF q multitude, that his vile is the
mother OF an iegitmatc child. OF course he i'm
medately seizes pistol to shoot his Wife, a MUIR
der in which her father would greatly rejoice, but
the curtain falls blessed state of uncertainty.
Nevertheless we know that Messeurs D'Ennery ct
PlOuvier do not sympathize with the advanced
matrimonial theories OF their brother dramatist,
NJ. Alexandra Dumas, ills. Martineau is an eccen-
the humor OF the play and to dclineate an impossi-
bic virtue. Richard Bernard in Engsh), a most
excellent young physician, vows he ia lrretriev-
Martneau to be very rich. and being too nigh
minded to marry money when he can offer nothing
avoids the girl he adores without giving ner the
faintest reason for conduct over which she sheds
%nending tears. TINS Is truly @aprss natu s,
guardian angel to her married sister. This sister
(Juliette) is as impossiply selfish as Camille Is
all in ali there never was a more irritating
assembage or ttlsuS nattvG. The centenarian
m % is ne
ton Is an Improvement upon the original but GER
tainly Mr.. N. Hart Jackson deserves public thanks
for rendering "One Hundred Years Old" less OBJ
noxious than lie CenteDaire." He abolishes
the injured husband, whose presence ON
the American stage would send chills down the
AnglO-SaXon back. lie introduces convenient
aunt, VINO nils up the vacuum; he kills the child
that in the original causes the coup de theatre and,
by imprOvising q duel gets everybody eXOnerated
from every thing without duplicating Juliette. SO
we 90 home satisfied that no more blood will be
shed but we also 20 home wishing that Mr.. Jack
sons original had been worthier OF his steel-pen.
This, however, is merely the opinion OF few,
whose Judgment ayails naupht. Concerning the
acting at the Union Square Theatre there
are two theories-one, that 1t is very GOOD; the
other, that 1t might be great deal better. Mr..
Mark Smith is an excellent actor, but IN the "Cen-
tenarlan" he fails reach his highestlevel. AS he
understands his profession the critic Is amazed at
his inconsistencies glarngly apparent in his delln;
to begin with, is imperfect. There is hardly line
in his lace. 1t is the physognomy of man Of forty
in wig OF 100. Neither is there semblance
of age in Mr.. Smiths walk, voice or manner. 'He
is too young" Is the verdict OF the most unthink-
ing In one act Jacques complains Of his eyes, say.
ing that even with double speCtacles he cannot
read letters distinctly; In another act, contrary to
the business Of the French drama, Mr.. Smiths
Jacques seizes promissory note written in pen
reads it without glasses. This oversight
&c scaSe with N an smtn and
the peculiarities of old age forces the critic
to the conclusion that Mr.. Smith has bestowed less
by which he is best known. In the villain, De Man.
gars, Mr. George Parkes out-Herods Herod. At
least De Mangars should possess the exterior Of a
world. Mr.. Parkes introduces US to bully whose
manners would do credit to the BOwery, and vino
thoroughly wears his character upon his sleeve
as to cause w0nderment that he Is not kicked out
out Of the Fauvel mansion the moment OF his en-
trance. For the rest, the drama requires little
comment saving that Miss Grisw0ld, as Juiette is
to be commiserated. The way In which this char
acter goes about, being miserable and never being
suspected, aintng and never exciting either SYM
patty or attention, must drive an actress to the
verge Of distraction: Why do Miss Girls
void and Miss Fowler appear In the gar
den in ball c0stume2 French women are not
in the habit OF thus arraying themselves, particu
larry in the month of September. Mrs. Jennings
sets good example In dressing, which might be
followed advantageously But why does Mrs. Jen-