Evening star., 1898-11-05
MIR. HALL GAINES LECTURE.
The Story OF Larry and Lucy Told at
the National Theater.

1
| There is a homely Indiana maxim which
| says: Get plenty while you're a-gettln.
| Possibly Mr.. Hall Cane has found a Celtic
equivalent among the natives of the Isle
of Man. for the type metal which told
| of his plays splendid triumph in this city
| is scarcely cold before the distinguishes ed
author is back again with an Oliver Twist
appeal quite Irresistible in its naivete.
Naivete is Mr.. Gaines salvation. His lee
| tUre is entitled Home, Sweet Home for
| the reason, no doubt. that the immortal
| melCdy is filtered into it here and there
! from a parlor organ behind the scenes.
| The selection of SO mild and harmless a
the me was another evidence of Mr.. Game
| eminence as a man of surprises. He comes
| from the midst of seething onslaught of
| criticism and abuse and from vortex
| Of metropolitan iniquity. which he has been
persuaded to Systematically inspect ana
| comment upon, and he lectures on Home.
| Sweet Home" 1t is like shaking eau de
| cologne out of tobasco bottle. But the
lecturer or his manager realizes that it
/ is the man rather than the matter which
| he may discourse that will attract the pub
| lie. As a picturesquely commanding per-
sonality. Mr.. Caine stands uneclipsed. His
position in the world of letters is unassail-
ably high, for he has forced unfriendly
commentators on his play beyond the con-
sid grafton of it's merits a mere enter
tainment into a hot discussion of its ethi-
cal influence. The entertainment has feat
ures which invite cynical raillery. But it
is difficult to see how anybody could be
cross with MIR. Caine. Gentle and child
like. he seems placid amid all the tur-
MOL as a sylvan pool in thunder shower.
Possibly the sylvan pool realizes that these
passing storms mean a liberal downpOur
of what it most needs, and that the men
acing rattle and roar have no lasting sig
nificance
After the lights had baen turned I'D on
an interior setting at the National Thcater
and the organ had played Home, Sweet
Home" through, Mr. Caine advanced to the
lecturers desk. He was received with a
friendly volley of applause and was SINH
iarly saluted frequently during the reading
of his novelette,. The literary habit of
blending seemingly incongruous material
into harmonious entities has crept into Mr..
Gaines wardrobe. He defies the conven-
tionalities with d bland assurance which
none but man of genius would dare as
sumo. The most original features of the
reading We're the gestures. The authors
favorite attitude is statuesque pose with
the right arm resting on the desk in front
of him. the left hand in his trousers pocket
and his legs crossed at the ankles His
gestures begin with a semi-circular mo-
ton of the head and gradually work down
through the arms, until finally the feet are
shifted to make an entire change of posi-
ton
The story was about a bad, Rip-Van-
Ninkle sort of lad named Larry, who had
married a girl named Lucy, and who ran
away to Greenland to escape the penalty
of killing the man who was trying to com
piefe the wreck Of home which Larry had
so substantially set under way. Mr. Gaines
appr aciation of dramatic requirements was
shown as soon as he got into the dialogue
and repeated the line: You promised to be
back by 12.' This was said by Lucy. and
to indicate this the more vvidly Mr. Caine
sank his voice to gentle parissmo, which
could not leave even the most obtuse listen
er in doubt as to the authors intention
And when Larry replied, "Ha-ha, So
did,! it was spoken with equally lucid loud
pedal accessories. Then, when the wander
er far away on frozen saas was reading d
letter in his daughters handwriting Mr
Caine picked up page of his manuscript
and then and there improvised a letter
When Larry returns to his native home
ms daughter shows him a loCket and in
Illustration Mr.. Cainc gives his necktfe a
lew b!ythesome fillips. 1t is treat to see
MI. came give a correct imitation of a gold
locket with n starched four-in- hand neck
tie with short ends. The story is not strlk-
ing IN its quality; it was probably not in
tended to be There was nothing to lar
the symmetry of d very non -committai yet
wholly unique occasion The main attrac-
tlon is the authors own personality. which
lmpresses itself as extraordinary, no mat
Ter in what aspect ne may exhibit It. Mr.
came III propria persona cannot he over
shadoW1d even by Larry and Lucy. The
lecture VIII be repeated tomorrow night