New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-03-30
THE DRAMA.
A NEW PLAY AT THE LYCFr-u
"JOHN INGERFIEIn

affairs, who is panoped with HeredItary A..
tributes. No matter what may be his desisnsnas
he Is essentially type OF Lineage crystau,~,.S
It's characteristics into the Last Of his Race r.,
for example. the Joneses never sleep, the Broy,,
are always on hand; the Smiths never say s,."
the Robinsons arc round the corner" n,
family IL was said-and Macaulay has recordna ~"
sayng.-that all its men vrtuous and al ~.
women brave. The Ingcrfelds as can be v,,hs
from the testimony Of John. who emerged las, ,.
I'm tho Lyceum Theatre. were hard men, ~
, always trusted their wives but always slev .S ~
when false. John. the latest survivor OF hi. .u
ing tribe,-aged thrty-fye. resident OF the r..
house district Of London at the beginning =, -.
nineteenth centiiry,-had gained a fortune b,, -,
manufacture and sale Of candles: but his prosn.rt
did not restrain him from getting up At 49,,
every morning. and whether winter or sum-
plunglng into the river Thames AT Is Ona -.
ing. as he rose 10 the surface in mora ,ha.
usually mpuslve condition. It occurred to Inr"
that he would get married. and being b,rs
headed man Of business. with nothing abou, a..
OF either sentiment or nonsense he straigh,x.v
hired an impecunous debtor 10 select a Oor,aa
suitable for the position Of wife IN his ss,ahl,.b
ment The selection was promptly made and N.
lady,-Anne Singleton by name.-was brougb, -
Johns cande-shop. together with her father ara
other titled persons. ana John and Anne presently
made a formal contract 10 marry. "There :, 70
love In this" said John but there is A CONTAIN.
abundance or talloW. and a large banks
and all that ! require is faith and duty-vi,b
good social position" THAT Is business" sa,s
Anne. land II suits me we'll FOR all the love tina,
had TO give has already been given to another man
who said that he did not want il. and am nov so
poor that, although you live on wharf and sell
candles and the smell Of this place Is loathsome
will marry You Tomorrow So said. 50 done
When people enter into the honorable estate Of
marriage in this emnently natural. rational and
he uRh he
but strange 10 say. John and Anne had not been A
long time married before the hitherto unapprecla-
tive possessor Of Anne's affections awoke 70 con.
sclousness though not 70 Righteousness. brought his
carriage 10 her West End door IN the middle o.,
the night and requested her 10 take a drive vita
him on the continent. A. first Anne seemed in.
clned TO accept this picnic but, hearing Of an
epidemic Of typhus fever among Johns numerous
candle makers at Limehouse. she overV lelmei
with the temptation 10 become hospital nurse.
and so she concluded 70 stay with John. and 10
assist him in taking care ~ the sick.-Lothario.
meanwhile. being left 10 influenza and repentance.
in the public street. Annes resolve pleased John
20 much that for the first time In fifteen years he
laughed and little later. on behoding a rolling.
min which he had never before been able % dis,n.
euish from marlinspike. he became translator
10 such degree, that he had lucid interval ceased
en- nose as n curmudgeon left off making o,
himself and treated his wife with human Kindness;
and they lived happily ever after. Forty years
later when John and Anne were old and gray their
son-a fine manly fellow who had enlisted n the
pr,tish army bound for Tndia.-took leave OF his
narents and went away. and presently. while Anne
was reading A verse from the Bible, Jonn EXPIRED
and so compulsive the v.rtuous air Of Lime
house that the titled backyard VINO had tried 20
seduce Anne and lead her into disgrace and rum
was on hand as one OF Johns chief cronies THIS
tale has been set forth by Mr. J. X. Jerome N
,or futile acts OF uniformly sluggish prose, result
ing in burden of duness almost without mi,lgs-
tion and Of plattude almost without rehet ms
text indeed contains. here and there playful Inc
half irony and half banter; the fabric oi Inc po'
fecked here and there. with tlnge oil quaint
eccentric character; while at the close there Is the
,,r,a-bopored venerable but drearily hackneyed.
nicture of diving age which never falls 70 COMMAND
resnect and 10 ncite pity But these things are NOT
dramatic and they do not constitute play.
MANY stories and many plays exist which sp'
narently we're written 70 signify that the'e can ~
n deep heart beneath cold exterior. ana that
sometimes a womans love can be attracted ny mo
suer+ strength OF an honest mans simple per-
sonaltv sedulously devoted TO duty but NOT denoh-
strative not exgent and not vocal some su0h
notion as this appears 10 have been IN MI Je'o"7
mind: but 1t is thing 10 ascrioe hooh" s''a
rouer IN the hero Of a work Of fiction and ano'ner
thing to create and present him as their reah1a'
ton and living embodiment Many years ago
lovely play was promulgated showing win equal
brightness and power the romantic computations
that are possibly sequent on disparity OF soo'a'
rank between naturally fine people and showing
coincidentally the gradual allurement ot uue
womans love by true mans worth. hoh0' ~"i
fidelity The name Of Il New Men ana OIa
Acres and {, contained neither taow candles nor
tvphus fever nor any buncombe about the WORK.
ing classes" any sentimental sop ABOUT nu's
ing sick babies any cant about re'ornlsi
seducers whose wings are beginning 10 sprou, l''
a heavenly flight. II is not easy 10 make cream
subject dramatic and effective the task requires IN
genuity Of invention and piquancy Of treatment anu
therefore plays like that are rare. Mr. jerome has
not added 20 the number 81 them. John lngerne'
T. a stick He says nothing important ana ne uoe'
nothing fine Neither I'm word nor act does ne iur'
nish any 70 Justify or any charm 70 s"e'ls'
his porten:ous and poker backed department nus
mind Is narrow his manner Is that or muish SUI
lenness his conduct Is marked by that dosgea
obstinacv which essentially little people ms'ahe
for will The part. apparently. vas transfers.
from Mr. Jerome's story book to Mr. jerome p~'
for It's present representative Mr. EDWARD -
Morgan and It suits him we'll. for Mr. Morgan
a hearse-i actor. felictous in the presen'hsh'
of uninteHigible solemnlty. who whether II oe 'hs
vein OF Mercutio or OF King Camhvses appears "
possess but a single type OF character ana VINO -
usual. presented a sullen. lowering morose person"
OF whom II could not readily ne de'etnnho'
whether he was suffering with religion or win usn'
boots Involuntary denotements OF teeHhk' u Wv
second act and a completely accomplished Tan
formation in the third. made the PLAYER peiso"S"
interesting al moments at the sacrifice OF Inc p
long before their reconcilemen, John ana 49,
were on such excellent terms that no chhNi
necessary or possible: yet. on the whole AZ" Va
withstandng fair stimulation 81 pathe"v
at the end. Mr.. Morgan contrived 70 " "'
and hard pretty we'll 10 the last curtain
Since however the piece is blasted WIN ".
reality IL would be unreasonable 70 expect any
but an artificial performance OF IT, tureal pe'sv".
doing irrational deeds under impossible cohoI"V"'
AFFORD no opportunity for impressive acting IT,
may be TRANSPORTED by maginat!on,-as II is III -.
great characters of Shakespeare ho"e'.
tronsdgured IL remains truth In this piece ever
thing is distorted. No marriage could De NV