The San Francisco call., 1898-02-06

-.@ It's a dull week at the New York the aters these days that does not turn out something naughtily sensational. The latest is The Tree of Knowledge" a play of Tanquerayan plot, written by R. c. Carton, the once innocent author of Liberty Hall," and presented by Daniel Frohman's Lyceum Theater 2 Company. The Brothers Frohman, Charles and Daniel, are doing their mo- ble best for the venturesome social drama this season. Charles Empire Theater, as I wrote in another column of this page last Sunday, is given over to Paul Potter's "The Conquerors," saucy, sexey study in immorals, and Nr Cartons Tree of Knowledge" is being exploited for the entertainment of Brother Daniels good Lyceum folk. This play of the Biblical title has caused another riot among the critics, and will doubtless prosper. The Grand Old Man of criticism, William Winter, scorches it through one and one-half of the broad, solid columns of the Tri- bune. making once again his fight against the soiled subject of the degen- crate playwright. MT. Winter says that while doubtless there are rotten eggs in the world, it is not necessary to eat them to discover the fact, and fur ther, that no woman of decency should be subjected to the performance of such tainted trash. The other conserv- ative standby, MT. Dittmar of the Times, praises the piece with unusual enthusiasm, scorns a single prurient al- fusion and says it Is a play that will finger. The lighter men of the craft take it less seriously. No two of them seem agreed on any particular point except that they all comment on the brilliant cynicism of the lines, which, according to the critic of the Commer- cial Advertiser, have almost the pol ish of Oscar Wilde, or of a new tinpan." :"
 Here is a long distance digest of the story of 'The Tree of Knowledge"
 Nigil Stanyan, when a young stu dent of theology, has been the para mour of a wicked woman named Belle. Brian Holingshead, his friend, knowing nothing of her tarnished past, marries her, and Nigil, when he hears of this concludes that the policy of honor is silence. Subsequently Brian loses his fortune and Belle plans to run away with Roupell, the rich villain and the principal cynic of the play. Nigil over hears the plotting and, ever having the interests of Brian at heart (accord- ing to his way of seeing them), goes to the woman, reviews for her the bitter ness of his own broken life and pleads that she will not desert Brian. To this
 
 tinences and scornful laughter, until Nigil, in a passion, lays hands on her and throws her upon a couch. Here the husband enters and her quick wit turns the situation to diabolical ac- count. With hot indignation she tells Brian that Nigil has attempted an as- Irault on her. Then there is a furious Yeombat of words NigiI takes his de- parture in bitterness. Belle gives Brian some sort of sleeping potion and skips with Roupell.
 All this has occupied four acts. To make the happy ending" another is added in which Nigil is well in the way of marrying virtuous girl.
 Such is the fable of "The Tree of Knowledge" Now for the moral. the motive, the problem, the raison d'etre for this is no ordinary nastiness, like "'The Conquerors," but acknowledged by nearly all of London, and most of New York, to be the work of an ex- pert craftsman, whatever be it's sins of flippancy.
 In the dullness of my own town am borrowing the troubles of New York. During the past week I have read no less than a dozen notices of the play After it was first given in Lon don by George AleXander-some time in October-I read the accounts in the principal English papers. And still, after all this reading, I do not get the most clear idea of MT. Cartons pur- pose, unless it be the usual one of mo- toriety and immediate commercial suc- cess, which should hesitate to believe of the thoroughly uninspired but none the less legitimate workman who built Liberty Hall"
 It is probable that MT. Carton intends to present a new problem by inverting