The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-03-12
soldiers of Fortune" at EngIish's.

1870
%"SoIdiers of Fortune at EngIish's.
Soldiers of Fortune" acted at English s
last night by Robert Edeson and his COM
pany. is as elaborate and pleasurable a de-
ception as recent theatrical seasons nave
offered. 1t was applauded almost furiously.
and it seems safe TO prophesy-though such
prophecies usually are futile-that its
future will be prosperous. An interesting
combination produced it. Richard Harding
Davis. one of the smartest literary posers
of the time. wrote the novel of the same
name. Augustus Thomas, the most skill
full American dramatist, made the play.
Mr.. Edeson and other actors representa-
tive of the best of their craft in this coun-
try perform it. The scenery is gorgeous
and massive. illustrative of the marvellous
ingenuity and resourcefulness of the Amer
lean scenic engineer and painter.
Most readers of the best selling will
remember that Mr.. Davis's novel describes
the adventures of Robert clay, a North
American mining engineer, in a turbulent
South American republic, where he Is SUI
perintendent of iron mines. The mines are
worked by a company owned by a Mr..
Langham, of New York. who pays d per-
- 0h1C u NA~ ~
the government of the republic. A faction
represented by General Mendoza thinks
that the government is getting too little for
the concession, and this grievance is the
basis of a revolution. Clay and the Lang
hams, the latter having come from New
York to visit the mines, become entangled
In the revolution. Naturally the faction OPP
posing the government looks on the Amer
leans as thieves. In the course OF this eX-
element Clay falls in love with Hope Lang
ham,, and finally when the difficulties are
settled 1t is decided that Hope and Clay
shall be married and stay at the mines,
while the others go back to civilization.
All this might easily have happened, and
it is presented in a very credible manner.
Mr.. Davis often has shown eleverness or
the sort, and there is no intention to detracr
from his hard-earned fame as a writer of
descriptions of adventures. But he never
has been satisfied with just this; he al
ways has been on the side-if such slang
be permissible In this company-a fash
ionable mOralist. For this he has been
guyed pitilessly and sufficiently as a pink
tea" novelist, but il is none the less inter-
esting to examine his accomplishment in
this line as exhibited in the absorbing melo-
drama presented last night. And it so nap
pens that the deception is the most promi-
nent phase of the play.
The president of the republic. Alvarez.
is a gray-haired man. He is married to Il
young woman whom he met i'm Spain. He Is
a politician not of moral strength and slips
easily into juStifying himself In appropriate
ing the funds of the country when II be-
comes apparent that he probably will be de-
posed. His wife opposes him. She feels
that the money belongs TO the people, what
ever may be the custom among the many
deposed presidents of South American re-
publics. II is not strange, then, that the
husband and wife have not been in SYM
PATTY for years, their characters being so
different. Neither is 1T peculiar that she
should favor a young Englishman that rs
in charge OF the police of the republic and
is her husbands chief adviser. He loves
her, too, but he believes his love dishonor-
able and suppresSeS 1t.
When the revolution is fermenting, pla-
cards are posted in the city limiting that
the Englishman and Madame Alvarez are
guilty lovers. The Englishman takes one
of the placards to Clay and asks his adj
vice. Clay demands TO know whether or
not the statement is true. His advice will
depend on the answer. he says. The Eng
llshman flies into q rage and threatens TO
break every bone In Clay's body for the
insult. Whereat Clay puts out his hand
and clasps the Englishman's
1t is a noble spectacle and one that has
been seen many times in the theater. The
trouble is that soon afterward Clay admits,
i'm d conversation with another besides the
Englishman, that in the past he has as
ISOLATED only with women from the dance
halls of Butte" This hero is like the
others lauded by Mr.. Davis and romantic
writers of his school. Thousands of young
women have yearned for them while eager-
ly coming the pages. The Englishman,
too, is shown TO be such a stanch Puritan
that even when Madame Alvarez exposes
her love for him at a moment when death
Is near them both, he Will not so much as
acknowledge his love for her. Nature sell
dom reduces such phenomena as Clay
and the Engiishman, but the romancers
have made their livings by creating them
by the hundreds.
The play has four scenes-Clay's cabin,
the Langhams' cottage, the outer hall of
the Presidents palace and a telegraph
station. In the first act Mr.. Edeson. as
Clay, shoots the neck off a bottle to show
General MendOZ that he is a dangerous
man to trife with. In the second act he
alIo IInnA Il nho h Of bic q
and she declares she thinks him 'splen-
did" In the third act he holds back the
revolution and keeps the ladies from harm.
In the last act he ridicules General Men
doza. when the latter condemns him to
DEATH. and very prettily proposes TO Hope
and is accepted. All of these things Mr..
Edeson does with American dash. admirable
intelligence and a well-bred manner that
Richard Harding Davis must have rejOiced
in while he was watching the rehearsals.
Clay is always a gentleman. Mr.. Blossoms
assistants are so numerous and so uniform
~ clever that ii were needless to pick
them out for praise. except, perhaps, 10
point out that Harry HARDWOOD, as the
honest adventurer, MacWilliams. contrib
utes another of his careful. truthful imper-
sOnatiOns. Gretchen Lyons is Hope Lang
ham. Dorothy Donnelly the Madame AL
varez. Guy Bates Post the Englishman.
The engagement of Mr.. Edeson and his
assistants was for but one performance.
They will begin a long term at a New York
theater next Monday night and may be
expected 10 succeed extraordinarily. One
young woman i'm last nights audience was
heard to remark: II haven't been carried
away like this since | was sixteen. / have
been so blase in the last few years"