New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-04-09
THE DRAMA.
AN IRON CREED!s

a hve-aot play called AN Iron Creeds was mr.
sented last ght the Fourteenth Street Theatre I
author MI Charles Stow has hired the house Tor two
weeks for the purpose of producing this piece and hs
states that hs object Is TO do justice TO The character
OF the Hebew-which, apparently, be considers 10
have been misrepresented and to require vindieaHou
This admirable though supesfuous design tpr the Re-
brew, at the present time, possesses an equal chance
and equal consideration with all other pcrsons Mr..
Stow has sought TO accomplish BY depicting the be
nevolent conduct Of father in Israel whose undut-
full daughter mads o clandestine marriage with Cen
tile scamp, and who thereHpon discarded her and
presently expired. This Hebrew sire appears but sell
dom in the piece, and when he does appear be only
improves tho occasion to pour forth copious stream
Of precept and platitude. All that Is declared, &c.
cordngly, BY Mr. Slows piece, with reference to He
brew character Is that Jewish gentleman may Be
quite as conventional in his commonplace conduct
and quito as dull in bis prosy discourse, as the most
stupid of exemplary Christians. For the rest the play
IS a weak undramatic inartistie compound Of color.
less character. cheap sentiment, insipfd dialogue,
paltry incident and yaph chatter. Its Language,
furthermore, Is painfully tainted with slang. Thts
slang TO be sure, is Is put into the mouths Of vulgar
persons. who would be likely enough to use It; but
why nfict such PERSONS or their talk, upon the pub
uc7 No good comes Of such visitation, nor possibly
can come OF It. AS a didactic lesson concerning the
Hebrew the piece is worthless from its inanity, while
as a play It is llmade, nl-written, cumbersome,
tedious and Ineffective The author calls II An Iron
Creed" but there Is nothing In Its composition 10 ex-
plain the title, and It might Just as well have been
called An Prodpbut that there Is no good pdint
to It.
In act one Mr. belmont, benevolent Hebrew, dis
penscs charity and ofends Mr. Eighthavk In act
two Mr.. Nighthawk incites Mr. Fairlook TO WOO hr.
Delmonts daughter Ruth. In act three MI Far
look accepted by Ruth but denied and repulsed By
her father, who states that he has missed NIFTY Genus
and cannot account for such mysterious disappear
ance In act four Mr.. Falrlook and Ruth get mar
red Mr. Fairook comes drunk to her fathers house;
and Mr.. belmont turns them both out OF doors and
inquiries why the God Of hts fathers has deserted him.
In act five Mr.. belmont delivers his closing plattnds
and dies In his chair, Just Mr. Nghthawk and MI
fairlook enter his home to rob him, and they ma
him dead. Ruth likewise appears. FariooK Is
stabbed by Nighthawk The wife discovers her nus
band to be biackguard-whch she would easily haVs
known in the first place-and she slabs herself BY way
Of atonement and ends the play. There
chambermaid in this connection who successfully
brings on a feather-d ustcrs rolling pin, tin ladle,
q broom, a dust-pan and q basket, and whose ex-
qulsite humor Is shown by her bringing visnors
card TO her mistress upon q hreshoveL There Is an
excrucating effort incidentally made to saorhe tns
English nobility by presenting thai vacuous guy
with muttonchop whiskcrs who has bored the the
atrica public for forty years and who never hsd any
existence except in the fancy of tho sucking American
dramatist. II would be special blessing IL tna'
vorn-out. moss grown cancature could De put 70
bed along with the striped trousers OF Yankee Doode
ana the man with the hayseed In his hair VINO says
q tn hum and takes o his boots in the drawinsroom
as representative American. These things arc get
ting well into the grasshopper stsge-afer thar III
sect became burden. The only salutary moral TO
La drawn from An Iron Creed" IS the lesson that
in work pretending to be work of art one OF the
worst offences against virtue Is the offence OF repro
sentng IL as mawkish and ridiculous 4,
The play was ac<ed In a manner enurely worthy OF
ITS amazing Stiffness. Most of the performers arc
Unknown here and happily are destined 70 remain So
The heroine of the piece-who depicted as lazy
M venerable aspect and infrm movement, addicted,
however TO occasional displays OF galvanic
-ecIted applause and numerous bouquets oy staunB
that she was a yewess and was proud OF IL M.
Atkins Lawrence, who seems to have parted VIII
what little talent he ever possessed, presented gross
type OF tho trans parent scoundrel OF melodrama IN
he most coarse and clumsy fashion The attendance
was small