The Worcester spy., 1898-11-10
ELKs AND THEIR BENEFIT.
Sol Smith Russell Draws Crowded House
and Brings Play With Moral.

The number seven again vindicatad
lts claim last night as fortunate sym
Dol. 1t was the seventh annual bene-
mt of the Worcester Elks, and the the
atre auditorium rarely was better filed
or presented more gala appearance.
The brilliant costumes of the ladies'
contrasted richly with the immaculate
blacks and whites of the masculine ha-
bilments. and to add to the general air
of distinction twenty-five of the hand
soonest Elks resplendent in evening
clothes stood around the lobby. greet
ing their friends and attending to ev-
erybody's comfort. The Elks' annual
oenent has become the chief event. So
clally, of the theatrical year. and in
that respect corresponds in a degree to
the music festival in Mechanics hall.
small wonder then that it is always
literally patronized.
The Elks, following their established
rule to get the best" last night pre-
sented the popular comedian Sol Smith
hussell, in an adaptation by Martha
Morton from q German source. and
called Uncle Dick" Mr.. Russell is
not versatile but he does not need to
be. His own personality forms an in
exhaustive mine of entertainment. and
MS legion Of admirers would no sooner
sacrifice single one OF his mannerisms
than one Of their poor relations. Last
night proved an exception to the rule
and the star scored the hugest kind of
personal success, being recalled after
every curtain, with an imperative call
at the end of act 3. that brought a
pleasant grist of Russellian remarks.
But 1t is evident that in selecting his
play Mr.. Russell has not followed out
| the Elks' example of getting the best
Uncle Dick" seems to be an expanded
version of one of George NJ Bakers
Handy Dramas for Amateurs. The
mathematical eXactitude with which
the characters file on the stage before
the deus ex machina to be introduced
and file off again, return in regular or
der to be taught a useful lesson by
judicieus whacl1s at their foibles, and
lastly, chastened and subdued, to be
| severally paired off, matrimonially be-
longs Enthusiastically to the Baker
school. The theatre, to fill its highest
purpose should inculcate a lesson to
be sure, but an audience dislikes to be
overwhelmed with-it.
| Miss MortonS workmanship is by no
means discreditable. She has evident
! ly overhauled her original thoroughly
| Amerieanized it fairly we'll and
| sprinkled in a few bright lines. at which
| the house laughed perhaps more heart
| lily than if they had occurred oftener.
! But there are two questions for an
i adapter to decide and what play to
adapt is rather more important prob
/ lem than how to adapt 1t. For long
! time Dumas "Demi Monde" was pub
| lie property in this country, used only
| for French reading exercises. At
length Boston woman made literal
! translation, induced a. prominent man
ager TO produce 1t, and the result was
The Crust OF Society" one of the big
| gest sensations of the decade. AS far
as the so-called revision went, any per-
son with a reading knowledge of
French and certain nicely of taste
| for English equivalent could do as well.
| The success lay in the fortunate selec-
! tion of an original There are doubt
| less other opportunities for treasure
trove lying uncultivated, but Miss Nor
ton has not unearthed one in Uncle
Dick"
The company is satisfactory. Alfred
| Hudson works hard as an old profes-
sor, Misses Rockwell and Converse are
two pretty ingenues, and Jacques Mar
| tin does well in a small character part.
| Lionel Barrymore, as the juvenile,
| lacks somewhat the ease and repose
one would expect from the son Of his
| father The four scenes We're thor
oughly excellent.
! The Elks business arrangements
We're in the hands of r. J. Mckay as
chairman, William Lancaster, secreta-
| ry w. w. Sargent, treasurer, and
John J. Quinn, John T.. Sullivan and
| Dr. d. B. Lowell. Although the ex-
penses were necessarily heavy, the
lodge will net between 5000 and $780, 1t
is hoped complete financial report