The Minneapolis journal., 1901-01-01
ADJUSTMENTS
''The Little Minister" at the Metro
pOlitan.

POtItan.
The power of wilful woman has rarely
been more delightfully."- illustrated than in j.
M. barries dramatization of his own book,
The Little Minister" The kings and
princes and ministers Of the earth are as
naught compared with one wilful woman,
II she be also beautiful One OF her dan
gerous smiles dissipates as IL by magic all
the laboriousy reared barriers with which
the austere religion of Scotland doth hedge
about man of the cloth. The Rev. Gavin
Disnart becomes as clay in the hands of the
potter when the Lady Barbara, masquerad-
Ing as the Egyptian" meets him in Caddam
wood From that very moment his doom is
sealed and finally he goes forth to meet it
as II 1t were victory and he were proud
of it,
The author has shown a marvellous knowl-
edge of human nature and especially Scotch
human nature in this charming story.
Thrums is veritable nicrocosm in which
live all sorts of human characters and he
SHOWS us what they are with a whimsical
humor that illuminates as if by lightning
flashes. 1t is really little short OF marvel
Gus that man whose training had all been
literary and whose fame lad all been won
by purely fctional endeavor, should have
turned his hand to play building with such
success. This play of his is not merely an
exhibit OF his quaint humor; it is not simply
a vehicle for the exhibition of the odd
characters of Thrums; it is not alone an ex-
ploitation of novel that had won popularity
1t is more than all these; it is a well
constructed comedy that commands the in
terest and admiration of one who has not
read the novel just as surely as of him to
whom Thrums is no strange village. There
is no straining for effect, no exaggeration
bordering on grotesquerie. The story is full
OF interest and is well told and the comedy
nuvC r1ntrv rn11 -us,. L..LL
from the earth One hopes that Mr.. Barrie
will enrich the stage by more of such
wholesome comedy writing
The company presenting the play this sea-
son is on the whole a strong and wel-bal-
anced organization. Agnes Palmer, who plays
Babbie, is winsome lass fit to set the heart
of even a minister in q 1utter. In the
lighter and more frolcsome moods Of that
froward damsel she is delightful. Some Of
the finer points in the impersonation she
misses. In the third act, for instance, where
her father and her fance make the discov-
cry that Gavin is really the husband of the
Egyptian, having publicly acknowledged her
as his wife, she is not altogether successful
in indicating the concealed exultation that
fills the soul of Babbie. But for the most
part she is the mischieyous elf of ones
imagination. Ira A. Hards makes an excel
lent little minister, lacking something per-
haps in the hard. austerity that ought to
characterize that young man at the outset
but revealing very cleverly the humanness
the masculine vanity. and, at last, the chiv-
alrous nobility of the character. He is
moreover such man as the Lady Barbara
might easily fall in love with and so is
more acceptable than his predecessor in the
role. Frank E. Aiken is an excellent Lord
Rintoul and Richard Sherman as the cap
tain is acceptable. The Thrums people are all
well bestowed. There is dear old Mamie
Webster MARY B. Henderson, with her
very human foibles and her warm heart;
there is the intensely devoted Rob Dow
George K. Henery), with his propensity for
mixing things up in his desire to help his
idolized minister out of trouble; there is
Micah, his boy, Leslie HaskelD, who touch
ingly begs the woman to ''go ava; and
slaves to duty, the elders of the kirk, the
stern Thamas IT. c. Valentine), the diminu-
tive Snecky John R. Cumpson), the tall
and sanctimonious Silva civilian Hender-
SOM, and the unctuous Andrew Crank
Soule) Was there ever a more delicious
bit of comedy than that furnished by this
famous quartet with their variant views Of
life and duty, all seen through the blue
spectacles that the truly "releegious'' among
the Scotch-and other nationalities as we'll
always seem to wear? The other charac-
ters, including the manse servant MARY
Hughes) and Babbie's French maid (Amy
Meers) are in good hands.
w b. G.