The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-12-22
News Of The Green
Room and Foyer
Some Of the More Important DOings
of These, Our Actors.
EARNEST APPEAL FOR BRAINS
A New Play by Adrian Barbusse-Samples
of the Latest Brand Of Up.to.Date
Synicism, Wit and Epigram
of Henry Arthur Jones.

One Of the seasons new plays which
opened with brilliant promise but Is
not altogether sustaining Its reputa-
tion Is Adrian Barbusse's "The Inter-
loper." We speak Of this as a new play
because the translation is new. The
original is French. 1t Is clever, of
course, abominably, inebriatingly
clever, but too vapid. Stuart Robson
was driven to "The Interloper" by ne
cessity, not choice. He prefers Ameri-
can plays. So do his audlences-not.
Hence the French. That reminds me.
Even A. NJ. Palmer, veteran loser that
he Is, has despaired Of doing American
plays by and for Americans. He has
discovered, after some decades of costly
trial, that Americans are Americans
only in theory. Hence he will practice
"foreignism"-if l may be allowed the
term-and give them second dose Of
"Esmeralda." or a verify, we are a
queer people!
Here are some samples of the latest
brand, most up-to-date cynicism. wit
and epigram of Henry Arthur Jones.
These are lines spoken in his play 1.-THE
Masqueraders' now running in New
| York:
Marriage is the last insult one offers 10
| woman one respects"
Democracy means that there Is no
line to be drawn, either socially, morally,
pecuniarily, politically. religiously, or
anywhere"
'Impressionist artist, novelist. and gen.
| eral dirty modern dabbler-is consum-
mately clever-a consistent scoundrel In
every relation of llfe-especially to wo-
men-a liar, q cheat. a drunkard-and a
great personal friend Of my own"
| II have never known any friendship be-
| tween u man and married woman that
was not innocent. How can 1t be guilty
unless the woman Is ugly?"
| What does II matter what lies we tell
| about each other when none Of our friends
think any the worse Of us II they are
| true?"
| II find this world remarkably comfort.
able and well-arranged place. l always
do exactly as like. II want anything
l buy 1t, whether pay for 1t or no. II
see woman / admire make love to her
| whether she belongs to another man OF
no. II lie will answer my purpose
tell It, / can't remember / ever deIieC
myself one single pleasure In life; mol
have ever put myself out to oblige 0
fellow creature. ain consistently selfish
and find 1t pays; credit everybody else
with the same consistent selishness. aat
am never deceived In my estimate Of
character. These a:e my principles, ant
always act up to them. And / assur,
you find this world the pleasantest pos
sible place."
Apropos Of all this 1t may not be ou
of the way to recall Oscar Wildes fam
Gus epigram: "a cynic is a man who
knows the price of everything and tn,
value Of nothing"
There Is good deal Of sound sensI
In this complaint Of a writer In tn,
Dramatic Mirror who thinks BRAIN
ought yet to have place In the thea
trioal business:
I'VE have had too much crowdlng o
gorgeous founce and fabric during th'
past twenty years, and this has worke'
sorely against the dignity Of our art. l
has for ono thing. opened the rank an'
file Of the sage to a countless number &
fiippant incoinpeients fit only to serv
as n,odlste's lay figures. And II has no
proved an .ntt llectual force TO improv
the taste Of the public. The averae