The evening world., 1894-01-23
POOR GIRLS

In this age of d~rawing-room frlppery,
when few managers would condescend
to look at a play hat did not supply the
feminine members Of their company
with opportunities for the display of
evening gowns-the makers names ad-
vertised on the programme-it is refresh
ing to come across al interesting and
human drama like Poor Girls" which
had its first performance In English at
the American Theatre last night. he pro-
gramme gives the name Of Guy de Maui
PEASANT as the author-a proceeding that
has been vigorously denounced. Il Is not
necessary to get angry about 1t. 1t is,
OF course, highly improbable that the
late Guy de Naupassant wrote Poor
Girls" or wrote, In fact, anything that
could be presented on the American
stage. For De Maupassant had an un-
happy knack Of saying what he thought.
New Workers. dislike that, for thought Is
sometimes SO uncomfortable, and 1t leads
you up to such dreadful subjects, don't
you know! The tone of New York COM
ment has been much kinder to De Maui
PEASANT since he has been dead. Ergo:
II you want to make a hit In this city,
die. "
Poor Girls 1 heard 1t limited, was
put together by Herr Philip, Of the
Germania Theatre. who adapted 1t from
| various sources. 1t is a moving drama,
occasionally married by bnthos. while
| the episodes connected with the strike
suggest somewhat glaringly THE Lost
Paradise" and are at times somewhat
cruelty flippant. The matter of the
poor girls-two ~sisters-absorbs one in
itself. Deborah. the elder sister. has
gone wrong (and doesn't wear a black
dress); Ada. the younger. works at
home, unselhshiy helping to support her
good-for-nothing uncle. who Is in a con-
dition of chronic holiday prescribed by
the labor union. Herbert Blair, son Of
the millionaire manufacturer, falls In
love with Ada, but Deborah. who ar
rives opportune,y, discovers In Blair
"the man who made me what I am"
In the third act Tom Osborne, who loves
Ada, attempts to shoot Blair, but De-
borah receives the shot. In the last act
these complications are Strengthened out.
This play may not be a model Of novel
construction from which the young dra-
matte Idea can be advised to copy. 1t.
however, goes to the heart convincingly.
for, strange to say, the heart Is not in
variably reached by "a Guide to the
Drama" Poor Girls Is a good play
for men and women to see. 1t tells a
good deal that Is true; It's vice Is proper
ly punished, and 1t isn't there Just to
parade itself, as In the case of Mr..
Grundy's Sowing the Wind" The
author of Poor Girls has made the
%betrayer suffer even more severely than
the betrayed. and that is what all play
wrights should do, Eve II by 80 doing
they nave to sacrifice a conventionally
happy ending. The character of the su-
perb, money-grabbing old father Is an
exceedingly clever, thoughtful piece OF
work-considered from beginning to end,
The comedy supplied by the walking
delegates Is, perhaps, n trife exaggerat'
ed. They suggest comic opera, n re.
mind one of "Erminie."
Joseph Holland as Tom was scarcely a
home. He Is better in farce. with which
he has been associated for so long. J
w. Shannon was capital as the ole
father. and Miss Tyler as the errlng sis
: ter was most effective. Miss Kilt,
Cheatham gave a satisfactory interpre
tation of the part of Ada. and Mrs
'berle was her W. admirable self. Franz
Mills was somewhat STACEY as Herber
Blair. and Miss Edna Wallace was ap
E propriately as common as a role a
Betsy. the factory girl.
r The theatre In the first act was file,
|: with the odor OF frying mama most un
necessary bit OF realism, and one tend
Ing towards nausea Permit us, o man
agement! to imagine the frying of tn
ham. or let It be served already fried
with a line on the programme to tn
effect hat this ham was posltiye,-
o fried by Miss Chatham" We will be
iieve this unquestioringly.