Evening star., 1901-11-09

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"The Helmet of Navarro does not leave
this city with unanimous verdict or ap
proval, albeit its picturesque heroism ana
its handsome clothes won 1t measure OF
commendation Lulu Glaser had a pros
porous week at the Columbia. and made
her funny little speech six nights and two
matinees Dolly Warden" is novelty IN
that it is a comic opera and not musical
comedy II is slightly archaic, like much
of Mr. STANCES work. 1t goes to the Old
English plays and the piece reads as II IL
might have been taken almost bodily from
one of Wycherly's or Congreve's plays, the
present authors task being chiefly that OF
expurgator. The Lafayette Square COM
pany played THE Wife in satisfactory
manner. Chase's continued its Hoyt sea-
son with emnently satisfactory hnanclai
results There We're fears that the Wasn-
ipgtou pIaygoers would become over-ac-
uUainted with this organization and de-
mand novelty. but the patronage Is large
and constant. The Academy had good
week with a popular pastoral, Home,
Sweet Home, ana the AIRY leSiueiS ehii"
speciality artists received their due share
of attention al the other houses
ARRANGEMENTS were perfected yesterday
by which THE Helmet of Navarro goes to
the Criterion Theater, New York, Decem-
Der p
Edgar Saltus contributes to The Theater
for November article. entitled our
American Dramatists, an Apology, IN
which he declares that the writers for our
stage lack virility. He argues that Amer
lea has not yet produced a dramatist Of the
first rank and that none of those now be-
fore the public give evidence of real crea-
tive power.
Mr. Saltus is one of the most agreeable
of writer's But the writers who most please
the casual reader. are often under the
suspicion of subordinating the logic of their
discourse to the melodious flow of phrase
ology. Whether America has produced a
dramatist of the first rank or not is hardly
a question to be determined by the current
reviewer But the charge that the play
makers of today lack yirility is an unjust
one. There is, for instance, no manller
playwright on the boards or in the books
than Augustus Thomas, whose plays are
typical of the spirit of nation still young
and still hopeful. It would be quite i'm
nrobabIe that a nation should produce
Sophocles or a Shakespeare thus early IN
its history. Our component elements are
scarcely reconciled. and We are In doubt
whether to say the United States is or
"the United States are" But even this
point may be regarded as doubtful. for the
recognition of great genius at close range
Is a task in which the most elegant scholar
ship has failed.
The agent of Joseph Jefferson on his
visit to Pekin, ILL.,, last season called on the
editor of the Morning Times of that town
and during their conversation he Informed
the agent that he had something appertain-
ing to Mr. Jefferson that he thought would
interest him. Going to his book case with
a. bland smile upon his .countenance he
brought forward the city directory. The
agent wondered what on earth could inter
est him in the city directory. The editor
turned the leaves and proudly held up the
book and this is what Mr.. Jefferson's agent
read: IN April, 1851. Mr.. Jefferson ap-
peared in this city in the opera house that
formerly had been stable and on which
site today stands the ST. Mary's Catholic
Church. II was during this performance in
one of the most pathetic scenes between
his wife and himself in Rip Van Wrinkle
that the pigs underneath the stage made
such a rumpus spelling the scene SO badly
that the curtain had to be rung down
Mrs Jefferson. who was of a very nervous
temperament lost control of herself and
burst out crying. The joyial Rip quick as
Hash raised his cup and bowling gallantly
to his wife said: Here's to your good
health and your family's and the little pig
gies. May they all live long and prosper I"
Very few people may know It, but 1t Is
none the less true. that Charles Wyn-
gate before finally adopting the stage as
his profession read law for several years.
and today II he wanted to forsake the stage
to become a disciple of Blackstone he would
have little difficulty in being admitted TO
practice in any court.
Reading law must be a very dry oceu-
patton" the writer remarked to him the
other evening.
mot bit of IL. he replied. You would
be surprised to know how very interesting
1t Is. In the most musty looking old law
book particularly law books of record
which practitioners use in citing precedents.
In these you will fnd cases which run he
whole gamut of human emotions.
For instance many Of these cases bear
directly upon things theatrical. and natu-
rally am Interested In those. Among the
old English records Is a very curious judg-
ment which Curran. master OF rolls,
once delivered In a case which had to do
with free admhtance to a theater an abuse
which the renters sought to restrain. AS
the case dates away back In 1885, you will
note that the deadhead Is not a modern in
yention- In his judgment. Curran, then a
famous English Jurist, drew an Illustration
from Lundy Foot. and said that: This to.
bacconist might well bring action TO,
damages against a man who, in passing by
his shop, caught an eleemosynary pinch OF
snuff on the breeze He then preceded A.
say that the case reminded him of hi.
youthful days. when he used to freauen,
the gods. and there noticed that the gra
tuitous part of the audience were the mos
ciamorous and applausive. and accordinei,
came to the conclusion that IL free admis
sions were not allowed, not only would tn,
theater be proportionately thinner. but
what would be a serious grievance. bad act
ing would go without applause.
There were two things about this cas-
which interested me most. First that 4
shows conclusively that there must hav,
been something In those days which repre-
sented the present-day llthograph. for tn,
tobacconist had received . free admissiol