The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-05

been sent TO her husband from the country house
They were left there from previous visit ostens-
msm9 9s, Kitty, $50. Snse more iho ire
her husband. Nothing can persuade her that
the marks on he, husbands cuffs arc only an
for the expenses, and which had grown so much
larger than necessary that he had borrowed from
q She believes he has given her 1irtatious
vince her Of his innocence. He is unmindful for
We moment n Of o6e games ysTed ,eImipnoogy
gcsis, and he viii ,eli you what the word kitty
means" She selects a hotel clerk. who defines
The fund set aside for cigars, drinks and so on as
established Ono more chance Of clearing himself
comes in the appearance OF one Of his guests, who
interrupts IT, .he agi,aied scene between him and
and answer this question" Once more the kitty
is described and he is asked to give the customary
but gives his answer deliberately @The rake Off :"
he cries with conviction After that cumulative
evidence against him. Miss Irwin is so assured
Of her innocent husbands perhdy that nothing
he might say can restore her confidence in him
Julia Arthur in More Than Queen" is at once
actors who irs, interpreted his ideas The gor-
geously drawn out panorama Of Napoleon's carer
is literally transferred into English. Seemingly
no step in Emile de Bergerats minute exposition
has been omitted. From the time Josephine
sold coffee beans until she consents 10 her husi
bands divorce some of the episodes in this revela
and nearly every one has an cngrossing element.
The visual beauty which unfods itself from scene
to scene plays such an imrortan, share in this re.
suit that II Is dificult TO imagine what the piece
would have been without II. Satin and velvets,
canvas and paint rarely seem an essential part
Of any play. II they were separated from More
Than Queen" however, not much would remain
besides Miss Arthur's own beauty. That is in
no respect dercndent on its surroundings. Re
magnifcence'to hide the dryness Of some Of it's
epsodes. Paris audiences had an especial pa.
tiencc for much that the play contains, because
the Bonaparte dynasty Ia q part Of French his
tory which preserves still freshness OF interest.
Any new phase Of that era which historian or
dram atst may rtescnt is certain 10 nrrcal 10 the
utation and authority of the man who wrote Moro
Than Queen rIonor,ionntelv greater - the re-
sronse Of the public TO what he offers Thus in
cdcnts In the play that excited interest before
its first audiences seem unnecessary here. Inc
introduction ~ Bonar nrtc struggles and differences
become less cnCrossing in lust the measure thai
thew are remote from the life Of Joseph me and
Napoleon The introduction OF the mother, the
acrin'ony OF the sisters who promise TO 60 down
the stage has ever tnlcl from history, the sug-
gcs'ed Sym atnics ard motives OF the .oynliss
TO an American audience They seem 10 banner
the un-ollinr Of the brilliant canvas. Nobody
has called More Than Queen" drama In the
sense 81 that wuTd as II Is understood 10 mean
more than stage representation divided INTO acts
with The hishes, theatrical interest The scene
between Narolcon and his brother l.ucien. whom
he IL irving Ia se"ara,e from his wife would STIR
liminsry scenes than the earlier play affords;
The fmrerur has been temporary reconciled
10 his b,nishcd brother through the agency Of
Joscrhnc. who hoTcs that he will prove the heir
Jo his dynasty sought by Nanoleon. In vain
the Emrerur endcayors to persuade him TO inrsake
his ,oGly born VII, h, and his h children hi The re-
There is the whole world Take your choice
from "" lie rolls the globe, and Lncien glnnccs
pr~rect which itprcsents, but ,hcreis TO country
there for which an honest man could desert his
wife and children. The frightened Empress;
10 her by Tdiley and. because she thinks II is
poisoned, is a subordinate figure in a stirring
scene he, cls.s the , ae,; Her husband ,s calls
poisoned and commands him To drink IL. He
obcvs and Josrr hines ultimate surrender TO her
Julia Arthur differs entirely from Jane Hading
in her method Of acting the most dramatic scene
in the play. When she Discovers that Ndpo<on
has had a wall built in the secret passagevay
between her apartment and his, she knows that
her influence with hin has gone io-ever She
finds out the trick that he has PLAYED on her and
starts TO his room. As tie passa-rway In dark.
she grorcs her way to the wall without knowing
its presence. In the French PLAY this was suppressed
is presumably mrde only Of boards, In Pans.
Jane Hading walled and wcp, as she pounded
her bands against the bricks. I'm Ally In despera-
ton beat her head against II and when she ap.
pcar~d before the audience again. the blood WAS
on her brow. where her crown has pressed into
her skin from her ho-rless dcs airing attempt
TO break through what she knew was her final
sspara ton from Napoleon. Miss Arthur might
be relied uron to act this with more physical
force and more emphatic and vehement emotional
EXPRESSION than the French net esS. But she
prefers tn rlav the scene in her own way, which
is much euie,er and IN mood 81 resignation
al variance With Mile. Hntrgs DO the audiences
At the Broadway realize that Jo"phins in the ear.
lier scenes Of the play is opposed 10 care little
for her husband As the rrosrect Of the divorce
grows imminent sh" bames herself for having
failed To love him as she should have done. When
he returns from Egynt. he finds her preparing
to go 10 fancy dress ball. Some ri the spe .ches
she makes To Toiry'dnd imply indifference IN him.
II one chooSrs TO take them in that sense But there
Ia nothing in the dcmsanor Of JO.sphine before
her husband arrives or when she Is ca'ong him.
10 indicate any lack Of affection. Miss Arthur
Is quito as warm in her manner then rs she is
later and the audience recalls no seeming lack
Of affection when she rcproaches herself In
these two episodes the American actress followed
her own idea, which was not that Of the actress
" no the first Joterhir, or Of the author u
whom in nearly every other particular the bril-.
liant American actress has been most consid-
crate.