The times., 1898-09-26
HALL GAME ON THE War
The Novelist Discusses Our
Military ProWess.
EFFECT OF HIS 'sCHRISTIAN'
The Religious Agitation 1t Aroused
in EngIand-R easons for the Plays
Premier Production In This COun-
try-POssibility That the Writer
Mny Lecture Here.


man. 1.-THE Deemster.'' 1.-THE Bond
man" and 1.-The Christian arrived in
this city yesterday afternoon and was
straightway driven to- his rooms at the
Shoreham. There he indulged in an
hours rest, which was finally interrupted
by the coming of number of local
newspaper men anxious to speak with
him concerning his work and other mat
ters in which he might be interested. Mr..
Caine good-naturedly consented to see the
visitors. and was soon conversing with
them In his apartments.
Than the writer himself there has prob
ably never come to Washington a more
interesting type of manhood. Byron once
remarked that gentlemen were alike the
world over. and Mr.. Caine disproves this
theory with wonderful promptitude. In
appearance he bears a striking resem-
bIance to some of the more contemporary
pictures of the Saviour. His beard Is as
tonishingly thick and of a reddish hue
that might easily diminish the luster of
that described as belonging to Hopes
..Prisoner of Zenda." Mr.. Gaines hair,
however. is several shades lighter and
considerably longer than his whiskers,
both being slightly inclined TO curling.
Dame Nature in her endeayors to make
the novelist baldheaded. has begun al
his brow and worked backward III a
wedge-shape that looks to prove intel
lectuality and thought more than years
or worries He was dressed yesterday IN
informal shoes a rather loose-fitting suit
of dark blue a shirt OF the same color
and a broadcloth sash that formed the
intermediary between coat and trousers.
a silk necktie which encircled his throat
was so carelessly arranged that taken
with the remainder of his makeup, IL
would have given the casual observer an
immediate impression that the wearer
was a painter.
Mr.. Caine speaks in a manner that
shows at once familiarity with large au-
dIences and the habitual quiet TO which
a literary man becomes accustomed
Though delivered in very low tone MS
words are articulated with striking dis
tinctness and his sentences do not lose
any of their weil-rounded charm by the
peculiar intonatiou with which ne ends
each of them. Though evidently rather
nervous. Mr.. Caine is not given TO ges-
ticulation and contented himself during
Yesterdays interview with nursing first
one knee and then another in the manner
familiar TO all who have read personal
"reminiscences of Dickens. Mr.. Caine Is
distinct pesonality and an interesting one
This is, as you know. not my first
visit 10 America" ne said in a PREDATORY
way. though ! have never before been
in Washington. The errand that last
brought me to this country related parti-
cularly to Canada and thus a great part
of my time was spent I'm the law-making
center of that province. The present trip
will be a more extended one and certainly
more interesting, IL only because of the
pleasure am sure TO take in observing
tho effect the war has had upon your
people and your, Industries. 1F
After three or four days given largely
to that pursuit | must acknowledge 10
having discovered the results of the strug-
gle to be far less important than | had
anticipated. After so extraordinary a
wave of patriotic feeling as that which
swept over the nation only few months
ago IL is surprising TO note that men seem
now intensely Indifferent to what goes on
about them. Perhaps this state of affairs
has been induced largely by the fact that
no doubt could ever have existed regard
ing the final outcome of the late combat.
We in England were as positive about the
matter as you could have been and yet
it was universally expected that the first
they might not turn out precisely as both
of us would have had them. Much was
said of the unprepared condition of the
United States and 1t was anticipated that
victory for them would come more
through resource and endurance than pri-
NAL power and the ability TO strike in
quick and decisive blows. / believe that
comparatively few Englishmen dreamed
that your country was so nearly ready as
1t proved to be.
Personally have always contended
that even we, your cousins, greatly under
estimated your fighting strength and L
never hesitated to state that opinion.
When the war excitement that followed
the Venezuelan trouble had so died out in
London that arbitration began to be men
toned and when great meeting was held
for that purpose in Queens Hall there l
drew some criticism upon myself by re-
marking that America was by far better
equipped for a brief struggle than the
maternal government Not only had
free military system of cadet schools and
volunteer militia given a great deal of
necessary training but the democratic
principles of the land had more than dou-
bled the individual value of army and
navy. While l have noted in Russia and
elsewhere that men who have absolutely
no reason for loving their fatherland are
still imbued strongly with that mysterious
emotion known as patriotism, no doubt
can exist that the soldier who Is risking
his life for things that he understands
and that appeal to him directly-the SOL
dier who may become as high in position
as the highest of his commanders-will
fight as no other recruit can. And the re-
suits of the late war have proved the
foundation of my belief. This has been
a contest in which personal bravery and
individual heroisms have discounted even
the superb work of the army and navy
as whole.
England is not prepared for emergen-
cies so we'll as might seem to be the
case with the casual observer. Only ex-
perts can tell of the power of her navy
and her armament but that she lacks the
impromptuity of the United States. des-
pite her standing force, there can be no
doubt / believe in the unity of the two
countries almost above everything else.
and it is possible that I may lecture on
that subject Further than this, 1 can
give no definite information concerning
my course while here Saying that 1 have
given up the project might offend Major
Pond who first suggested it, while the
strain of today's travel has shown me
keenly how hard it would be to journey
about talking to the country in INSTALL
ments of one night each.
Regarding my work-and that still
means The Christian'-little remains to
be said, although 1 have talked to but a
few on the subject, and many of the in
terviews published have been OF doubtful
verify. I was immensely pleased with
the evident success attained by my play
Friday in Aibany-probably more than
most writer's would have been. for, while
/ have had a hand in dramatizing some
of my previous works, this is the first
which I have essayed to do alone. Such
an audience as the Empire Theater prob
ably never held before assembled on the
occasion of the first production of the
piece, and its qualities were not even dis