The record-union., 1897-03-27
ADJUSTMENTS.

Mr.. Herne's "Shore Acres" drew
crowded house at the Metropolitan The
alter last night. A more thoroughly
satisfied audience has not gathered
there in many years. Mr.. Herne's work
is one of the very few wholly original
American plays. There is not a thought
in it that is not thoroughly American.
It has been compared to its disadvan-
tage with THE Old Homestead But it
is not properly susceptible of such
treatment, for the two dramas are alike
only in being representative of rural
New England life. After that they part
company almost ait right angles. With
all it's charm and human interest and
grotesque comedy, there is a good deal
about '"The Old Homestead that
reaches down into farce. In "Shore
Acres,' on the contrary, the movement
is at all times upon an upper key OF
homely sentiment, with not shading
of farce If there are low comedy pas
sages in it they are simply natural and
perfectly reasonable incidents of such
story in real life. The play with the
children, the humor of the old man, the
silver wedding dinner Che realism of
that dinner, by the way, is cruelty ap-
petizing) are all natural incl
dents in just such a phase
of life as is depicted. There is but
one thing in it that CRATES harshly
upon the nerves, and that is the quar-
rel at the wedding anniversary. Yet 1t
is true that such scenes have been, un-
happily, and in this play such an epi-
sode serves admirably as a strong back
ground upon which all the splendid
womaniness and courage, and all the
noble devotion and self-sacrifice of the
two chief characters are drawn. 1t is a
comedy drama without anything clown
ish in it, save in the case of a single
and unessential character. One can
not think of Nathaniel Berry, the
rough, warm hearted, loving, free
spoken old ruralist as ever being such
a boor as to take off his boots in the
parlor of his host, or of being such
prude as to be shocked into clownish
performance ON seeing for the first time
statue of the human figure. Yet in
The Old Homestead' the ruraliSt is
so green that he does Just that and is
so stupid that he does not know the use
of spittoon or a postal box. But Mr..
Hernes Nathaniel Berry is as rural
without being boorish or ignorant and
just as humorous without being clown
ish. This is not said in disparagement
of "The Old Homestead" for it pre-
sents one order of people wonderfully
we'll, while Mr. Herne's play introduces
us to rural New England types, pos
sessed of native gentility uncut dia-
monds no doubt but never ignorant of
the common proprieties of life. 1t is a
charming play, eXcellently played and
elaborately mounted. Mr. Hernes peo-
pie are natural and thoroughly effect
i've. No matter if their art does not
square with the rule and plummet of
the conventional on the stage; they ac-
complsh the end in view and the audit
ors do not care the flip of a finger
whether it is by this, that or the other
method. No one has ever seen a half
so completely at home and so absolute
ly free from apparent training as in
this play. The heroine Miss Morrow. is
a plain, not a preposSessing person, but
she wins all hearts: she kindles the ad-
miration of men for her spirit, and has
the favor of the women for her woman
illness, and that is art, art in a broad
sense, for it is all acting. The emotion
in her voice she made felt To the aud
itor it was not stimulation; 1t was real,
and that is high art. OF Mr.. Herne's
Nathaniel it is to be said that it is
consummate dramatic work. 1t is deli
cate throughout, with single excep-