The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-05-20
TOPICS FROM STAGELAND.
COUNT LEO TOLSTOTS ExPOSURE or
RUSSIAN RADATION.
Julia Morrison's Imitation Of Lily Langtry
IS Personal Exhibit In a Play Notes on
Revived Old Pisces-The Theatrical Trahc
In ReYeIaRea Gossip Of the Foreign StaKe.

DKwOuA EAhhot US
Revived Old Pisces-The Theatrical Trafno
In Beverages Gossip Of the Foreign stage.
connt Leo Tols,oi does no, indicate in The
Power Of Darkness" Of a portion OF which
W. have lust had a frs, performance on our
.,aoe ,ha, he uossesses dramatic instinct
or that he desires to acquire stagecraft. His
.o,e nurpose seems 10 hive been an exposure
NJ the degraded condition Of the Russian peas
.n,ry. In accomnishipe TINT object he dis
NAV. onlv one merit as a writer Of matter for
Shs s,ooe and that Ia n facility in clear, strong
characterization His typical peasants are
.ha,nlv Authenticated rural Adonis, loutish.
Ai..o,y,. and constituencies IN the debaucher
M ,brae women I'm the course OF the play. His
ovsftv mother aids him in these affairs. partly
N crafty his anorous propensities and partly
n nroat nv them in n money way. She incites
. murder olso and is NIL tho time "A prayerful
o,d traves,v Of pie,v. None Of the bestlal
fellows victims is reluctant or repentnnt.
Two of them are unmarried, and they become
mothers vet both find men TO be- their hus-
bands. The third is the wife Of nm invalid
old man whom she nelson's TO death In order
Cha, aha may we'd VIZ her paramour. Dread
m, ia tho disclosure which Tolstoi makes Of
Che C,nken minds and soddrn hearts Of that
levd lout and his carnal companions. 1t is
sUfullv enrrossinp and disgusting. That II is
true 10 life Ia indicated by the Cars prohi-
N,.,.u % I,s n.rforoopce In Pussia os his nc
o'uoh VI "' =" 49,,
tion was vowedly political ana not moral
Tho play IA quite unfit for public use. Two
....,o h.uo,irAa n, tho Academy
!. :, ,ho
Of hrts, ana SO W.T." poiuoh9 vi WV
three others. but even the remainder was too
IA h.on nod. nm from Graduates q, the class
40 100 ond IN. renresento,ion was n remark
.h,, ,ood ono for seui-nro,essiona ,oler, 10
1880 rho differing natures Of the barely
h,u.n ar,roa,s were shown with much Of rrspl-
4, oIo,,pes. II ,hese ure,chcd creatures ~
.Th. powor NJ Dork ness" were TO be unre-
.o,r.dIv ror,raved nv artists Of tho first class
a, , rorsormopce NJ tho nloy in its foul entirety.
q, is donh,ful ~ any audience If refined men and
.om.r would stay IN tho end Of il. The nh
,hnr,s oood intention need not be questioned.
II. n.an, N holm the unfortunate among his
oo,nrn,o, br showing thor condition in n
A., ne b. has T., novels lie Ind no thought
,n,nd,oir, f, "sanbo or o"zozo or n Rocky
sha,na" 20 onuso audiences with van,on
49,. NE ella women oro far too ranr,sive
nan,ai, and rbvsicol,v N no other than do
.r.n,,. ,roh,rn, o,onr,es So ,bore would
- .a,h,n norr,cio,s in n coupIe,e rerforr-
- -, ,his drama prt Z, would no unbeor-
Iii, ,ousoous IT,. ,hroe ovnurgoted acts
given NJ the Empire were about as much as
could be borne The, 1na curtain LEI, we
az" ond HE newaSi rorr,,hine n hnIr- witted
girl lying in his arms. while n discarded one
was described AS suffering elsewhere ny reason
p iIr ~ VI uered smhmissIvvelv in n corner
Lily Langtry came to us with a drama.
The Degenerates, " in which she and her career
were given in paraphrase, Most Of the news
rnper critics condemned her taste "a bad
Some Of tho clerRymen denounced her exploit
as immoral A few mayors excluded her from
the stage in their cities. But fashionable people
else where went 10 see her. and the venture had
ephemeral prosperItv. At the less comedy
'pn'""'"' r''7''''
~ the embodiment 81 personal pnn'-
in a play W. have had Prizefghters Sullivan
md Corhe,, and various other notor,eties have
""' W" ""' ' -" 49, ~ A. Ill.,.
been turned 10 similar account IN Inc eho"
business. So II was not n new offence. and no
singular degradation Of the theatre. when
"e'' So
Julla Morrlsoh put hersell on we" w 'ne H''r
last week. She had been an obscure actress
until she shot and killed an offensive stage mana
ger mat Tragic act anu he' h'dlH't"' ny Il ''n-
nessee jury, advertised her throughout the
wide world Was it shameful in her to offer
-, .. ,,hI,, sioh, Ia , rlo,. ror,i,dir,
audiences Of her own notoriety? She had at
least. what the English beauty and the American
boxers had not, the verdict of a jury that She
had done no wrong Accounts Of her trial
said that in the court room she was nm adept
actress that her impersonation Of a sensitive
woman distracted to the rational limit was Won
icrfully fine, that her graces of feminine weak
ness and irresponsihility were pitiful. and that
The only thing that twelve Southern gentle
men. by cad. sab. was to turn her loose. But
where between Chattanooga and Now York had
she lost her outfit of charm and skill? None
Of either was with her in \ Day of Reckoning. "
failed so utterly as nm actress that her
value as a homicidal exhibit was lossened TO
the vanishing point MrN horrlsoh-black
hnua nvares,n,,,a tho curi"sitv tn 500 b,r and
the satisfaction of seeing her. The Star is
supported by an exaci'ng portion OF the public,
,hmnt u 'p nn omni veI, nntsr,aininu nv bny a YEA
rejected. The farce must be- violent and the
melodrama turbnIent me actors must have
i I'ia aanhnu s. n ,GGi"crromuI,? rrmd no oc "% IA
vim, and the Star audiences might have grown
from Monday night panclty 10 saturday night
IHi,nola irL ~ 'nanu- nln,u rNrIu um "
~ wv nn ,htnr ~ " '"ms
adrnit aids he railrd where Mrs angry had
IT, Nv '"'" wv "'' 'e'' IL"
e"''eeue''
.uuu..- ~. .r,,
"N"'" "' nave "eeh
IN" contrasts III IN" talents OF the
Castle Square singers. AMBROSE Thomas'S |
o,or, IA cherisbod bv ,neric,r Tboo,r. M
,'e'" W 10 = "V""u "
ulences chlelN Tor lS comic episodes. When !