Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-09-27
special Correspondents OF Gazette and journal

Special Correspondence OF Gazette and journal
NEW YORK, Sept. 21.-In one of the
delightful books written by that equally
delightful gentleman whose name can be
pronounced from the front or the
back and is just the same, which it
Ia Mr.. Jerome, the question is brought
up as to what shall be the vocation Of
the hero Of novel. 1t is agreed that
three different types of women shall de-
eide this. One is a married woman with
several children, supposed to repre-
sent domesticity. The other brilliant
girl of to-day, graduate of Girton sup.
posed 10 represent intellect and the idea
of the young woman. The third is
religious old maid, supposed to repre-
sent the church, the home and the
opinion of age.
Each decided that the hero should be
a soldier.
The married woman said that it was
because their clothes were so pretty,
they walked so we'll, and somehow you
always seemed to hear the sound OF
martial music in the air when one APP
peared.
The Girton girl said that there was
something magnetic about a soldier;
something so attractive that no science
could fathom it, and you liked HIM
whether you wanted to or not.
The old man said that the soldier was
manly, and that before everything else
a man should suggest man.
soLDIERLY BEARING.
Now, when Mr.. Sothern appeared on
the stage last night, it almost broke my
heart because he was dressed as d
curate; but mis- walk was martial, his
talk had the flavor of the barracks, and,
thank goodness, in few minutes, we
were told that he was padre simply to
ohlige his brother, aud that he had been
a soldier before, and good soldier, too.
While we can talk about our American
army, it must be confessed that many
pensions are given that are not deserved,
but in the land of good roast beef,
nobody gets the Victorian Cross who
has not fairly won it.
To-day it is the fashion to know about
India. From its princes down to its beg
gars, from its religion to its diet, from
its jewels to its flowers, everything per-
tanning to this wonderful land has sud
denly become of ten-fold interest to the
people who have never been there. So
it is easy to understand that play with
the scene laid in this mysterious country
has special attraction of its own. The
scene of Sothern's new play is the
pretty bungalow of an English general
in an Indian town, who is the father of a
dainty daughter and cowardly son. The
son, to whom the young curate has come
10 teach Greek, has had time to fall in
love with an undesirable obiect-that
lesson which most boys take to as ducks
take to water.
TYPES IN INDIA.
OF course, as the story goes along,
there is the wicked native, the scheming
widow, the pretty girls engaged to be
married in due time to the various
officers, to make the picture more pic
turesque, the motherly mother, delighted
TO have sors-in-law right at her hand
and, most important OF all, the slave
who does the comedy work, and fans
flies off everybody. There is not very
much to the story. 1t is Just one Of
those pretty, dainty love episodes that
would be nothing in the hands of a pool
7 actor. But given to Mr.. Sothern, over.
whelmed by his magnetism, the little
episode gains greatness, and we STAY
through the play only to wonder at the
end OF it how it is that one man can 81
easily control house full of people
For that is just what Sothern does. liz
makes you absolutely conscious OF ever,
feeling that he portrays, and yet he neve
acts as if he thought the audience be
lieved him to be a person Of the creates
Importance.
THE ENDING OF A PLAY.
In the play everybody suffers from tn
bungalow being torn to pieces, and iron
their being on the verge Of starvation
and then the English troops appear jus
In time to save them, the house Is mende
s., in much shorter time than it would tax
StewYork house md The vhoia ,h ~ 10 ~,
up with ball, where everybody dance
and has good time, where the schemin
me widow is found out, where the tru
Anlovers fall into each others arms, an
Ii everybody in front and behind the cul
'oD tain is glad when the mass Uf draper
w drops. That is the way play ought
leave you-feeling happy. There
such lot in the word nowadays
make you feel miserable, that, whe
there is something joyous to sec, &c
tainly it ought to be sought out, aud i,
that reason MIR. Sothern's "Victor
Gross" deserves special commendatic
of its own, for it makes you, wheth
good or not, feel comfortable.
vILLAINY BLoNDINED.
There is fancy lately for making Il
adventures in every play a blOn,
widow. Just why this is do not exact
understand, for villainy and black la
have usually been supposed to 20 t
gether. Of course, it is rough on Il
widows, equally Objectionable to tho
who are born blondes, and those wi
IL are blonde by right Of peroxide
hydrogen. VINO started this scheme
And why is there always All idea
IA books and in plays that, from the tin
woman becomes widow, she spen
her days in scheming to get anoth
II man, and i'll determination to be
yillainous as she possibly can? My G
"a perience with women and widows b
been that II woman wants To mar
she can do il; that she may not be all
TO get the man She wants, but that S.
can certainly get some man, and that
woman is unmarried it is her uv
4 fault.
The scheming widow, in addition
her blondeness, is invariably plum
which, as | understand II, is against ;
law; OF villainy, for that tends to ina
people thin. But perhaps i. is that /
fashion in villains has changed, and iii
the plump, fair-haired one is to take I
place OF the dark, gaunt tienIcss,
N groaned as II the sound came from /
heels OF her shoes, and walked round
rustling silks as ii no one could he
her, when the sound was perfect
audible to house full Of people. v
t.l,