The San Francisco call., 1897-02-28

James a. Herne has worked one mira
Gle In Shore Acres" He has made us
willing 10 pay good round sum a head
Tor seats, put on our newest gloves and
use them, too, so that If we do-not sDIit
them, at least We loosen some of the but
tons IN applauding details of domestic life
that we would look on with cold indiffer-
ence IN the bosom of our own families. At
home we gaze on plump, well-brovned
turkey and never feel any consuming de-
sire to clap our hands, but at ''Shore
Acres" thrill of delight pervades the
whole audience when the turkey is brought
forth from the oven, people gurgle with
Joy when they see how crisp and brown
he is and they applaud him as if he were
the bird of freedom and the emblem of
American liberty. As the odor of baked
meats is waited, like incense, all over
the theater, there may be q few dis
gruntled people who experience the
disappointed sensations of hungry
little boy, aattening his nose vainly out
side the pastry cooks window, bat these
disgruDtled ones are so few and far be-
tween that they 10 not count. The eudi-
ence almost to a unit welcomes the turkey
with the Joy of band of hungry six-year-
olds clamoring for Christmas dinner.
Another detail of domestic life that
charms none of US at home, but delights
US at "Shore Acres, is washing the chill
dren's faces. Materfamilias, and even
paterfamilias, when he condescends to
spare time for the weakness, can gush and
gurgle and thrill with delight over the
beanteous picture of baby taking his
morning bath, but no one at home ever
gushes and gurgies and thrills over
washing the jam off Mary's little
mouth, and the mud stains off
Tommy's little nose Paterfamilias
says, Great Scott do those children
always have dirty faces?' and materfami-
lias looks sternly at Tommy and Mary, re-
marking: Those chiluren have been
washed three times already this afternoon,
and now l think Will spank them" and
Mary and Tommy howl in concert as they
are led captiyes 10 the nursery for
fourth ablution. No enthusiastic relation
follows 10 study the details and admire
the beautiful picture presented by Mary
and Tommy having their faces washed.
In "Skore Acres" Uncle Nat washes the
face OF one of the children, and people sit
up in their seats and crane their necks to
get better view OF how he does it. Will
he wash with the gentle rotary motion
that almost reconciIes children TO the
hated use of soap and water, or will he
grab the child by her pom padour and rub
straight up and down, regardless of nose
and lips, as unfeeling nursemaids are in
the habit of doing? For q moment the
excitement Is intense, and then comes a
sigh of relief as Uncle Nat holds the child
gently under its little chin and washes its
little face in a gentle. rotary way that
would do credit to a certIficated masseur.
When the little countenance has been
polished into the similitude of looking
glass, Uncle Nat makes the child blow its
little nose and The delight of the audience
redoubles. If Uncle Nat were a mission
ary applying a moral pocket
for the first time TO the visage of n little
heather, and every member of the audi
ence belonged 10 Mrs. Jellaby's society
for supplying the little heather with fan
mel vests and moral pocket-handkercbiefs,
the general satisfaction could not be
greater.
It would take the whole Sunday edition
to describe minutely how James A. Herne
has made his audiences think there is no
place like home, when home happens TO
be Shore Acres, and no detail OF home life
SO trivial as TO be despised. Shore Acres is
a delightfully."- well-kept farm-lust the sort
of rural retreat that the country boarder
is always seeking and never finds. It's
pies are as large as bicycle wheels, and the