Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1884-04-18
ABOLISH THE WHINE.
Ono OF Human Natures Most Dis.
agreeable Features.
People Who Enjoy l'nhappincss and
Mt-ery-.An Actress as An
American WIFE,"
fJoo Howard In Philadelphia Press

tJoo Howard In Philadelphia Pressl
Thu worst feature in human experience is q
whine
Mr. Barrett, an unusually Intelligent JUS
uc" Il uur supreme court, has written play
callci An American Wife," which was pre-
prt~d nt Wal!ick's theatre Tuesday night
lnst. md r'rrlvcd with favor by "a critical,
thnu-h friendly. audience. Beyond chroni.
cling tA' sncc.~- NJ the play, / have nothing
tn -av of II NJ prcs.nt, with this exception:
Miss Ko-c C"ehan in the title role whines
through fur long acts She Is a we'll ll-born,
wrll-hrsd rIrh American woman married to
titled foreigner from whose Ill l-treatmeut she
/ ili"a an'l n Ii~overd by the audience In q
/ circle nf prct"ctin, and loving friends The
/ American " ife Is wilmer from Whineville.
/ Her vaults IL memory are filed with recol-
| lertinnS uf brutality. her soul Is made sad by
/ reflection. Prior Ia her husbands arrival
/ upon the scene for,. iodings dance before her
/ eyes n,iI she sots and signs in anticipation
Whom the brutal husband appears and In
sist- that his ifc and child shall accompany
him la Ia l-'lle France she b grieved at the
ihousht Of leaving her friends, and suffers as
she forecasts "a further Life Of misery in Paris
/ I'nd r the skillful guidance Of a legal friend
aud I~--iblo lover she concludes not to 90
hock with her husband, hut then, being con-
frontci with the loss of her son. the black
pail uf trouble cnveloIs her, and her stified
s,sh- and gr"an find suggestive way through
u Soinhrc folds.
She doesn't smile from the beginning to the
enJ; thore is no; gleam OF Joy, a suggestion
II relief, n hint OF possible happiness She
concs on like funeral she poses like q
/ al k., Ia "A nj,
phcre Of tho stage, SO far as the American
wifc is concerned, Is sepulchral and gloomy
How apt type that is Of many American
women. For heavens sake what are they
here fort They sish because their plane Of
life IL lower thnn that ON which they wish to
stand. If circumstances aid them, instead Of
being happy and hopeful for the future, they
look with disgust at their past and whine
about their present. riling in front of them
-ha,lowy ol~tructions to further progress in
the desired direction.
Of course you understand that Miss Cogh-
Ian. as an American wife. whined because
that was part of the play. Personally. this
attrnctiv" actress has none Of the whine or
snivcl about her. and thought, as l saw her
downcast countenance, and watched the
various shadings Of melancholy she displayed,
whether. after all. much Of TIE whine and
melancholy II private life is not the acting of
q part DO you know believe that people
relish unhappine>s and enjoy misery1 l have
In my mind q woman whom l have known
since wa, a little boy, about whom
circlo all the natural Joys Of earth,
whosc cup contains the rich juices Of the
choicest fruit, whose elevated plane affords q
wide horizon for usefulness, and whose
sturdy physique would warrant her under
taking anything In the way Of travel or ia
tiguc. and cannot recall solitary smile, q
single instance Of apparent glee in all this
lifetime. Hhe grows fat ON it. She is q
str1kingly handsome woman up to the point
where hcr head Joins her neck, and there in
rIitc of IA shapeiy profile and a handsomely
outlined head, gloom has set its seal The
brow frowns, the eyes flash, the corners of
the mouth are drawn down, and q general
atmosphere Of martyrdom exhales from her
person.
Well now, you know, get worry sick of
TINT sort Of thing. Like other people who
write for or read The Press, have troubles
and worries, and bothers and embarrass-
ments, many Of them serious, but none of
them 10 impcriously dominant rs to possess
my soul. aud drive the iron OF dismay into
my quivcrIng heart. My soul has cheerier
aspirations, my heart prefers more tender
puisations II cannot have cake am toler-
ably cersain Of bread and butter. and there is
M man 81 handsomo SO rich or giftei, 50
potential In any realm of life that /, inccn-
spicuous and limite1 as unquestionably am,
can afford to envy him. l occasionally visit
. cnst-iron merchant In New York, who,
at the head Of an enormous establishment,
manages property valued at 81, 900 900, the
income nd outgo OF which are many mill
hons Of dollars annually. Upon his middle
aged brow caro- rests at times very heavily,
and the last time I called upon him he said,
with sigh, II am always glad to have you
come, even when am busiest" for my bust.
nes has nothing whatever to do with his and
my rails are purely social II am always
giad," he said, "to have you come in, be-
cause you -ccm so happy; 1t cheers me up. "
Well, now there Il a volume in that. was
unconscious until then Of any special radia-
tiou In my appearance or conversation.
Among the visitors in my Office is one wo-
man who has trouble, and who does have
her full share Of shadowy existence; but in all
this years ] have known and helped her,
have never found her cheerful, l might al
mo~t any even PLEASANTLY grateful. daresa
she prays for me; In fact, know she does
|
her widowed chamber, she rests the bare
bonr~ Of petition ON the carpet Of unselfsh in
tcrest and SENDS as far as her power permits
her, is,itions for my good. Far be it from
ma n scofr at any serious ceremony, whether
IN NV Judgment It means aught or no, but
would inhnltely prefer that this good woman
would 20 from my Office with a smile upon
bcr lip aud the infant Of good cheer dancing
d~corously In the innermost recesses Of her
hart, leaving the fragrant aroma Of relief
h hind her, than to know that she wrestled
with tho angels for hours and made my
future veal her lifelong care. l am free to
say hnte a wilmer.
Ono rNson why Sarah Jcwett doesn't make
. success In tho "Glass Of Fashion" is that her
character Is all inccssant grumbler, COM
palmer and fault-nnder. This world Is dull
and sombre enough at best, and in these clos.
Ing hours 81 the year there may seem to be a
sort OF fitness IN gloom, but don't like it X
makes NJ one happier, no one botter. no one
| cNsicr.
Let us abolish tho whine
Why noti
Running om the Twenty Four O'clock
| idea
NJ