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

| IN llhy showing the Great GROWTH
Anarchsm.
(From tho Pittsburg Dispatch)
Nina Van Zandt is going on the 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. lie is a
German, imaginative, enthusiastic and
rcd-headed. For two months the pro-
ject has boon working. and the play is
nearly finished, only lacking tho polish
which the friction wheel of intelligent
4 work alone can give. Miss Van Handt
is an enthusiast in tho project. There
IS 10 question that the young woman
] POSSESSES considerable talent. She is
stately, cultivated, polished, self-pos-
sessed. aQre than this, she is beautiful.
Not pretty, not piquantly winning, she
is statuesquely beautiful. Her features
are finely moulded. Their cast is noble.
Her beauty is chaste and Pure. Her
neck is queenly: she wears des beauty
haughtily. HoJ form is worthy of her
face. Not tall, her fine proportions and
perfect symmetry, combined with a Ger
tain freedom and majesty of movement,
make her presence striking, noble and
always full of grace.
But this is 1T 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 not laughed at her
his covert SINGER. 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 n drawing one.
But after all "tho plays. the Ching"
Even n poor actor can do something
with good play, and without it the
best can do but poorly. Miss Van
handt's play lG L. good, one or a bad one.
as different people may view it, but it is
at least Il strong one. Briefly, the plot
Of the play is this;
A young, intelligent workman, at
peace with all the world, loved by his
beautiful wife, happy in his home,
though interested in the welfare Of his
class, takes little note of the supposed
.opp%os sion of money, nor Of the grow
ing spi%it Of communism that pours its
wi i'd arglr2 ents in his ears. One day,
however, he 9lcars several capitalists, Que
of whom is his employer, discussing q
plan 20 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 poi3t, G,lI by t4o
aid Of hunger compelling their sUbmis-
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 are reduced. Most Of
the men strike. The rest are locked out.
The mans thoughts turn to those doc
&rincs he formerly Gespised, but still his
, wife keeps him true. Evictions follow.
The young workman and bis beautiful
young wife are turned into tho street and
tiaeir Iurnlturo seized They arc not
ablo to pay the rent Enraged by tho
suflerings of his wife, the yonng man
adopts Anarchism-the creed Of despair.
He joins his felIQT-workmen. He be-
comes their leader, He says: "No will
go to our masters AID ask them to treat
with us as men. If they refuse, we will
try something elac." Their employers
, refuse to arbitrate with chem. Their
cold answer was "ReturD TO your tasks
! We will pay you what wo CHOOSE" Then
the young leader says; "ILoy have de.
, strOyed our means of existence Oul
, labor. Let us destroy theirs-thcil
property"
a A raid is made on factory. 1t is met
( by the police. They fire into the crowd
T.. The leader falls. Then fearful cry il
D heard, the beautiful young wife rush?l
q to the spot and throws herself on hcl
9 husbands corpse. She is rudely dis
f turbcd by the police. Sho rises, ant
4 with hor hands upraised to heaven pnys
T., for vengeance. She applies to tho an
: thorities to have the police who did tho
= shooting punished. 1t is in vain; tn,
q police arc the authorities. Then for &c
q venge she is driven into Anarchism
d She organizes an incendiary band The,
"a apply the torch. Fearful destruction
q ensues. The police are on their track
d A traitor reveals their plans and tn
r. leaders. Tho conspirators ore arrestc,
70 while planning further ruin.
,r The woman is arraigned. Calmly sh
,e admits her guilt; bitterly she accuse
the mOneyed conspirators who oalIse
the wrong, triumphantly she asserts he
victory in revenge. With terrible scor
ID she donounces their bravery in huntin
TX down q woman. She defies them
10 Swiftly snatching vial of poison con
cealed in her hair, she drains it, an
ID falls corpse Mt the affrighted feet c
to Justice. This woman is Nina Van Zandt
Ve The character is we'll suited to her. Sh
ii can we'll portray the calm strength {
~ wifely love and tho fierce torrent of pas
IL sion reused to revenge.
in There is place for several fine clmax xe'
Of The eviction scene, the killing Of th
is husband, the weird meeting of the cor
vi spirators, the awful death in the cour
NJ. ] oil fnrninh nrrnnd nnd nirikinn. hnlnlnnan,