The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-03-21
IT PLEASES WELL
SWAY Down East" a Breath Of
Fresh Country Air.
Delights a Topeka Audience
Last Night.
AN OLD, OLD STORY.
Realism That Satisfies and
Does Not Repel.
A Glimpse Of New England
Farm Life.
n OLD, OLD STORY.

There's only one way to live, and
that's accordin' to the Scripter"
TIE rule FOR living. as laid down by
o. squire Anasa Bartlett IN Way
Down East at the Crawford last night,
Is q mighty good rule 10 follow on or OF
1he stage and whoever follows 1t must he
ehe better.
The story told IN - Way Down East
q no new conception OF a playwright IL
IS not new 10 the stage nor IS II new 70
everyday life. It Is the old. old Eloi'4 o.
a rror1an's love and a mans deception,
betrayal and desertion- The wealthy
young man OF dissolutA habits de1erils
his course because as ne says women
don't refuse 10 marry men because Lney
have been a little wild " The woman,
friendless and an outcast, hunting Tor
work with hands that have never DetOre
known what IL was to toll for q nve4i-
hood turns in at the gate Of Squire
Bartletts'' farm house The woman. a
victim "a a mock marriage, asks for eta
pIoyment and the squire would have re-
rused her and turned her adrift because
she was not known but for the professor
who reminded him that ''inasmuch as ye
have done IL unto one OF the least OF
these We have done 1t unto me" and TIE
good old man. who followed as he be-
1ieved In the path OF righteousness LooH6
her in
Then David Bartlett" who is expecs-
ed 10 marry Kate Brewster" falls IN
love with Anna Moore" who was be-
friended. ard -Lennox Sanderson-' the
berr-a ser presses his suit with Kate p
And then Martha Perkins. the goSS-p |
brings sorrow 10 the 'squires family |
with her tale @ 'Anna's" life The squire
investigates and finds IL true Thep he |
turns ANA" away and DAVID 1oI- I
lows her out into the night with its bit |
ing cold and furious snow Anna al /
most distracted wanders about Before /
she had gone she denounced SANDER 4
son." Then David finds her and car II
rles her. almost Mfeless from the cold, 20 4
q sugar camp where she is revived She I
takes DAVID Tor better or for worse, \
the Professor and Kate" receive the 4
'squire's blessing and all ends we'll
The characters IN Way Down East
are pleasing Beryl Hope as Anna
looked very sweet indeed in her plain .
Bingham and calico frocks- The part is
a difficult one and Miss Hope handled II
IN an excellent manner. Robert Fischer
as Squire Bartlett was rustic and
fat an old country squire as could be
VI as perfect in his portrayal Of the New
England character even to his saluta-
ton how BE- YER
Louisa Bartlett, - pronounced Lola
an the vernacular. by Julia Hancaett ves
a loving old mother. who when she fourd
that her son David had fallen IN love
with Anna burst out with 4 wouldn't
a thought this Of you"
7 "A 4
told him So I don't want his love-
Why don't your shrieked Mrs Bart
lett almost in a frenzy at IKE turn Of
affairs and the sudden realization that
Anna" scorned her son
Ruby Bridges as Kate Brewster was
excellent and H H Forsman a. Prof
Sterling" the absent minded pedagogue.
WIS funny. The hit OF the piece and the
one who Will be initiated on the streets
Tor weeks to come was Hi Holler'' By
-rz--Fr L.
from the time he creased his boots to 90
10 the train and meet Kate until he
arrived at the sugar camp al the end of
the play with a basket OF mince pies and
another basket Of doughnuts. He didn'T
grease mis- boots for nothing, ne got a
kiss from KATE" The audience never
tired Of him and only divide the laughs
between him and "Rube Whipple" che
town constable by Charles Burke ard
seth 6oicomb" and his long life b1-
ters' by J. H Bunny Martha Perkins
by LoyoIa C'Conner was as vicious a /
nrarriins old spinster an any village ever
dared to boast she WAS a typical vii
lage gossip.
The quartetts OF berry pickers. with |
her old-rime songs. Come Where Ny I
love Lies Dreaming and '-MaXWelJon's /
5raeS are BOnny." was recalled several Z
INES he snow storm scene IN the
nird act was SO realistic that the peo-
lie In the audience felt like shouting to
ne actors 20 shut the door OF the kitchen
Then II was left open The snow piled
10 on the windows, and every time the
i0or was opened the wind carried the Z
now into the room
One OF the noticeable features Of the
'lay = the carefuineas with which de-
aAiS are looked after. There was some
hing in the churn used I'm the farm
Gene which made the dasher sound as :
{ i were working up and down IN real !
milk The dishes used were OF that old !
lue china 50 typical OF New England /
ne corkscreW curls OF the old spinster :
nd her back comb OF tortoise shell were
ust exactly right. I
Way Down East" with its story Of
ruth and its moral Is n play that a con I
regation could adjourn to. and were the g
election taken after the first act the I
late would be fuller than II is gen / Z
Isl act without being fmbued with the
pirlt or the piece and without feeling q
that it il better to give than TO re- G
aiVe- So different IL Is from the society
lays and plots with lov-necked dresses q
nd men in dress suits. 1t shows how Z
odlil1e Is humanity when at its best" y
The plot Of Way Down East is a
omeiy and commonplace It does not n
sam with surprises nor abound with ri
nelly spoken sentences. It's charm Is in q
9 simplicity and its success is due to e.
s portrayal OF the plain. honest every q
az farm lie OF New England People g
re or dress suits and loW-cut dresses n
'st as they do OF weary vVillies" and d
I
the society drama" just as they do 4 s.
the mel0drarr1a- and when they ind a
2 the stage a. breath Of pure country ic
II and get a glimpse of the plain. un-
Intentional farmer folk. they like it
ID appreciate the change There il not
single situation in way Down Fast r
at might not be seen every day in a f =
.ousanc nelghhorhnods in the rural -
scrlcts- Even Hi Holler the awkward n
ld effarvescent farm hand has many a
iriicaress though to the uninitiated he r.
az appear to be overdrawn. David
g. fr~~a~