The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1888-04-05
THE GREED OF DESPAIR.
"A Play Showing the Great Growth OF
AnarChism.

THE GREED OF DESPAIR
"A Play Showing the Grea. Growth oi
| Anarchism.
(From tho Pittsburg Dispatch)
Nina Van Handt is going on tho stage,
and is to devote her life to telling the
story of her lovers fate. -Four persons
beside Miss Nina know of this plan.
One Of them is an Anarchist leader and
! another newspaper man. Tho news,
paper man is writing her play. He is a
German, imaginative, enthusiastic and
red-headed. For two months the pro-
Ject has boon working, and the play is
nearly finished, only lacking the polish
which the friction wheel of intelligent
work alone can give. Miss Van Iandt
is an enthusiast in tho project. There
Is 40 question that the young woman
possesses considerable talent. She is
stately, cultivated, polished, self-pos-
sessed. More than this, she is beautiful
Not pretty, not piquantlY winning, she
is statuesquoly beautiful. Her features
are finely moulded. Their cast is noble.
Her beauty is chaste and pure. Her
neck is queenly; she wears hes beauty
haughtlly. Her form is worthy OF her
face. Not tall, her fine proportions and
perfect symmetry, combined with IL cer~
tain freedom and majesty of movement,
make her presence striking, noble and
always full of grace.
But this is n ot all, or rather this is
nothing, when compared with the power
she possesses. Whatever may have been
the ridiculous positions in which she has
placed herself by her relations with
August Spies, ridicule has never cracked
his whip of wit at her noe laughed at her
his covert sneer. She has ennobled the
situations in which she has been placed,
and her tragic strength Of mind has
given dignity to what in another would
have been Stiffness. She has in addition
to all this low, sweet GGd strong voice.
Miss Van Iandt can be an actress, prob
ably great, surely a drawing enc.
But after all ''tho plays the Thing"
Even poor actor can do somethiGe'
with good play, and without it the
best can do but poorly. Miss Van
Iandt's play III a. good ono or bad one,
as different people may view it, but it is
at least strong one. Briefly, the pot
OF the play is this:
young, intelligent workman, at
peace with all the world, loved by his
beautiful wife, happy in his home,
though interested iii the welfare of his
class, takes little note of the supposed
,opp@os sion of money, nor Of the grow
ing sPl+It Of communism that pours it's
wi id argGn2e 2ents in his ears. One day,
however, he Hlcars several capitalists, Que
of whom is his employer, discussing &
plan to Increase their profits and feed
their greed by forming combination
with the deliberate purpose of forcing
their employees out, reducing their
wages to the lowest poi9y, G,I by t.4o
aid OF hunger compelling their BGbmis-
sion. The man comes home burning
with indignation. His wife soothes him
with love and words of hope and faith.
Ill times come. Events crowd each
other. Wages arc reduced. Most Of
the men strike. The rest are locked out
The mans thoughts turn to those doc
trincs he formerly Gespised, but still his
wife keeps him true. Evictions follow.
The young workman and his beautiful
young wife are turned into tho street and
their furniture seized. They arc not
able to pay the rent. Enraged by the
suiIerings Of his wife, the yonng man
adopts Anarchism-tho creed of despair
He joins his fellQH- gorkmon. He be-
comes their leader lie says: "NVo will
go to our masters ald ask them to treat
with us as men. If they refuse, we will
try something olSe." Their employers
refuse to arbitrate with chem. Their
cold answer was: "RetErp TO your tasks.
/ We will pay you what We CHOOSE" Then
the young leader says; "ILoy have de-
strOyed our means Of ex istcnce- our
labor. Lot us destroy tAeirs-thci1
property"
A raid is made on factory. 1t is met
by the police. They fire into the crowd.
The leader falls. Then O. fearful cry is
heard, the beautiful young wife rusha&
to the spot and throws herself on her
husbands corpse. She is rudely dis
turbed by the police. She rises, and
with her hands appraised to heaven pays
for vengeance. She applies to tho au-
thoritics to have the police who did the
shooting punished. 1t is in vain; the
police arc the authorities. Then for re
venge she is driven into Anarchism
She organizes an incondiary band. They
apply the torch. Fearful destruction
ensues. The police are on their track
A traitor reveals their plans and the
leaders. Tho cOnspirators are arrested
| WHO plannlnB llrGnef rum.
The woman is arraigned. Calmly she
admits her guilt; bitterly sho accuse
the moneyed conspirators who callset
the wrong, triumpha99ttly she asserts he
victory in revenge. With terrible scOrI
she donounces their bravery in huntinf
down woman. She defes them
Swiftly snatching vial of poison con
cealed in her hair, she drains it, anC
falls corpse ut the affrighted feet o
Justice. This woman is Nina Van Handt
} The character is well suited to her. She
can we'll portray the calm strength o
wifely love and the fierce torrent of pas
sion reused to revenge.
| There is place for several fine china xes
The eviction scene, the killing of tn
} husband, the weird meeting of the con
= spirators, the awful death in tho court
all furnish grand and striking tableaux