The times., 1899-10-22

NEW YORK. Oct 2l-In the language
CT The street urchin. .dere's nuttin' doin.
in Gotham just now and what little is be-
ing done is far from wen done. Of course,
The event Of the local week has been the
production Of Children Of the Ghetto
which occurred on Monday night at the
Herald Square Reports Of The success of
The piece in Washington. Baltimore, and
Philadelphia had reached here and the au-
dience which assembled vas a large and
fashionable one. Seldom has the Evans
Hopper house been better filed. And it
is only fair to say that the gathering re-
mained until the end Of the play, despite
the fact that, aside from the piece itself,
1t was given as disgusting an example Of
Israel ZangwiITs egotism as could be i'm
agined. Mr.. ZangwiITs name was placard-
cd all over the theatre had the biggest
type on the programmes, and was printed
On the souvenirs handed out at the door
Nothing quite so bold has ever been heard
Of before in this burg.
Despite all these things-despite the eX-
cellent advertising the presentation had
had. Children Of the Ghetto was a griev-
Gus disappointment TO US. We had been
told so much about the enthusiasm with
which the drama was accepted everywhere.
And so We waited through the first act pa
tientiy. When the second brought nothing
but strange faces and strange studies in no
way connected with the central theme we
began wondering and worrying. Before
the really strong scene Of the third act
rE.-T
should have gone home had 1 not been
anxious TO find out how much cOnceit Mr..
ZangWill had left himself for use in his
speech. I was not even pleased with the
final climax II made me want to swear
The efforts Of the cast-especially of VIII
ten Lackaye. Blanche Bates, and William
Norris-were decidedly pleasing, but they
could not redeem the Offering. At mid
night / was sure that Children of the
Ghetto had failed.
On Tuesday morning ! found that 1 had
been right Every prominent reviewer IN
town had something cOndemnatory 10 say
about the piece A Brooklyn friend Of
mine tells me that the Lieblers are issuing
a circular IN which they vii attempt TO
prove that the local critics were preju-
diced. don't think this plan viii be car
RED out, but, if il is, no good viii be done.
Either publicly or privately, every man
ager whose attraction has been roasted
makes this claim. J. for enc. am hardly
inclined to believe that men Ike William
Winter and papers like the Dramatic
Mirror would stOop to that sort Of thing.
II seems improbable that if they did all
would agree so thoroughly on the difficulty
which Mr. Zangwill failed to sDTmount in
constructing Children Of the Ghetto
There is q little story that crops into
ny memory as I begin writing about the
New York performances Of the Girl From
The Barracks It tells Of a gentleman who
asked the attendant in a museum whether
one Of the stuffed animals was an ostrich
or an elephant The fellow touched his
cap and replied: Hi don't know, sir.
Anythnk YOU loike, sir. You pays your
money and takes your choice This is ex-
actIy the privilege that was given here on
Monday Folk who care TO be entertained
IN their native tongue-and between Mad
sme Tougere and the kendals these are
coming 10 be few-were invited to go
around to the Garrick and there see Louis
Mann and Clara Lipman in their new
farce. The Girl From the Barracks. %
Those otherwise inclined had only to step
over to Irving Place TO see the same piece
done n German. At neither threatre was
il a great success My Innocent Boy
died recently at the Garrick and the
house is still morgue-like in consequence.
Neither Mr. Mann nor Miss Lipman, who
is Mr.. Mann's better half is particularly
funny. and their present vehicle does no,
contain d single original idea You in
Washington are 10 be congratulated upon
having escaped its premiere.
But one Offering remains to be reviewed
This play is q -hayseed" melodpama
called The Dairy Farm, and il has just
been done at the Fourteenth Street Thea,
ire II appears 10 have scored not ponder
ously but heavily. The story is the con
veEliOual one Of a mortgage on the old
place and the good fortune that prevents its
foreclosure in the nick OF time, but the
production is elaborate and there are many