Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-04-01
JUNGLE v0M'S CABIN.
How the Play Appeals 10 tho Young Per
sons Of TodSy.

| ''-''C'' anu ItSofl
Toms Cabin. still retains peculiarly
sacred character in connection Win
certain great principles now regarded
by the greater part of the ciVi'i|ed
world as finally established on the
basis OF axiOms. AS for the South. a
Southern youth who was asked last
week If he liked Uncle Toms CABIN
replied. with the dignity of one max
ing public profession Of faith: NO,
sir; my sympathies are not with the
play, SIR
The revival of this drama at big
New York theatre afforded the caves
dropper an opportunity OF observing
how the younger generation or n great
city-cven the younger generation OF
the tenderer scx-have hardened their
hearts in this affair The cavesdropper
went to Saturday matinee. at which
ii seemed that the ground floor was
packed with girls of less than the
graduation age but here and there
standing at the back of the rows Of
seats. We're some men past middle life
Now, the strong points OF what may
be called the pure and apostollc snow
are % Uncle Tom and Eva, CD Topsy
and Miss Ophclia, go Bloodhounds and
Ice. In the latter day rendering there
is the additional interest of the cake
walk. which Is 50 entirely foreign to
the conception of Mrs Harriet Beccher
Stowe as to amount 10 "a corrupt fol-
lowing" The impression derived from
that Saturday matinee study was that
the cakcwalk was not second In inter
est to any other feature in the eyes Of
the ground floor as n whole. the elder
~ men at the back formed minority
all the more important because OF its
smallness. Topsy and Miss Oph"lia
seemed to come next in Importance TO
the cakewalk. in the Judgment of the
majority. Speaking from the point Of
view of the contemporary New YORK
city school girl-the stcnoErapner.
saleswoman. teacher and matron Of the
next twenty years-Topsy Is a "pn-
derfully and delightfully."- original con
ception. an end man and circus clown
combined. endowed with the additional
charm of juvenility and sex. There
may he no good reason for crediting
Mrs. Stowe with this conception; the
minstrel end man may never have en-
tered into her thought. nor Topsy into
those of the original end man: Mrs.
Stowe may have had a very different
and much more serious idea in her Gre
alton; but all these things are as an
cicnt history to the contemporary
New York school girl. who accepts
Topsy as pretty good rag time fun. in
spite of the criticism that. like Shake
speare. she is always getting OF
quotations
The elderly men who stood in the
doorways took n strongly contrasting
view Of the whole thing. Their ages
ranged about the half century mark.
so that they mus; have been ten,
twelve or fourteen years old when
.Unclc Toms Cabin was doing its
chief work: they were not old enough
to go to the war. hut they heard all
about il in their time. saw the sick
and wounded and can still remember
all the thrills associated with Mrs.
Stoves great book when it was still
taken very seriously. To such men-
Ike the group of three leaning against
the wall by the right hand door
| Topsy is Il minor character. pcrmlssi-
BILE as a foil. not to be thought of nj
the same time with the serious .ea-
lures of the great drama, while, If they
recognized her amusing sayings rs SO
many bits of righteousness which hey
! Themselves have been using in their
| lighter moods since hoyhood, they AZ
| least know that specs ! growed
and the little black angel joke. with
| its piquant suspicion of profanity. are
not quotations hut original with
Topsy. Uncle Toms Cabin is still
something of a religious drama for
these men-a sort of mystery play OF
| the nineteenth century middle ages
the play whose holy burden gave II
the power to break down the stubborn
barrier that used to stand between the
eminently proper lecture and the aw-
fully wicked stage show. tnfortunate-
ly. the eavcsdropper missed seeing the
effect of the cakewalk upon these
three representatives of another
&c neration of young people. but it may
easily be guessed. They did not come
to see cakewalk: the climax for
them was at the end of Act III.
This is where she dies. isn't it?'
one of the three said sadly to another
as the lights went down after scene
~ Of that act
| And the other murmured sadly
Yes"
Contemporary young New York city
/ looked on unmoved while Eva cOughed
and persisted to a piece of sacred
music. What was it thinking of
'L'AiglOn," of course. and Camille,
also Bernhardt. Maude Adams and
Olga Nethersole. Not all of these
young persons. of course, had "eer
L'Aiglon'' or Camille" but they read
so unrestrainedly in these days. ano
know the different stage deaths. see
ing angels seemed. figuratively speak
ing. to rol. off their young imagina-
tons like water off a ducks back. anC
rs a company of them walked out into
the corridor for air. after the fall 81
the drop. while Uncle Tom was carry
ing the prematurely livid corpse OF
Eva across the stage and bowling t.
the applause for self and lady. 70;
could see by the deliberate turn o.
their heads that three young womer
were comparing the work Of Mrs
Stowe with that of the younger
Dumas and Rosland. and arguing a!
whether Camille was an imitation o.
Eva or the other way.
Meanwhile the three elderly mel
stood pensive. like men who have Jus
passed through profoundly emo
tiOnal experience. If the eavesdroppe
did not see tears on their cheeks. tina