The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-10-12

How Providence watche- the Play.
Before. the house Is seated.
Before the flotiiEhts blaze.
Before the curtain rises.
Before toe music plays
Sit here In ; and :.
Row L and Section .
Fer some sedsre reHections
/ want 10 STiel 10 sou.
In youth I always argued
Tia. every Circumstance
And even human destiny
Was but the work OF chance.
But years have taught me better.
And nos IN ripsr age.
I SEE the hand % providence
supreme upon 1hs stage
For thirty years I've p~ondsred
on curtains. flies and wings.
Drops and sets and properties
P7oEnpters and calls and rings.
Table and chairs and sofa. .
Tuap and throne and tree.
Business and fall and enter
And exit L. L. E
For thirty years I've watched .em
In noble and deadly deed
old man. soubret;e ana walking gen,
Character. heavy and lead.
Grams and laughs and muses..
Crosses and froEus ana aside.
Old Dunstan's stamp. and King Rtchard.s iimp
And HSmlet's fesrsome stride.
For thirty years I've studied
Productions grave and gay.
Opera. tragedy. drama.
Comedy. farce and play;
Paruuet. lobby and foyer.
Balcony. box and aisle.
And over the tout ensemble
Kind providence seems 10 smile.
y Fur when did the leading lady
Forget her entrance cae.
II The hero lay bound by the villain.
Where the night express comes through
In thirty years experience
I have never seen the day
When the hero Instead OF the Villain
Was killed At the end Of the pky.
When the tenor loves the sopraao
Does she sigh for the barytons2
Not she. Tor the dark c~ontraito
Has caught him Tor her own,
And when dd the heroine ian in love
With the comedy. high or low.
or the whole estate ~ the ioug-lost vii
TO the wicked lawyer 20.
Dos the hussAad forgive his errins vie
DOES The villain. instead Of the good old man.
Turn up 1.-THE last sIive7
So. taking II all together.
Author and piot ami theme
Ooera. farce and drama.
KIND proyldence reiEns supreme.
-POdaad Oreg0nizn-
Elsie De Wolf. who is to play in The
Way OF the World at the Olympic Tbeater
tonight. Is one Of the Few actresses OF
acknowledged social position. She aas
family connections. an acquaintance NJ
breadth and long standing and time and
money to devote to the preservation Of
traditions and the continuance Of definite r
lationships
Miss De won is interesting from the
furthep fact that she has clothes End
knows how 10 wear them. Most actresses
have quantities Of things, but only one
In fifty is able TO keep out OF bold evidepr.
the fact that she Is OF the tribe OF stron--s
she looks Ike an actress" Is a phase OF
no IDLE meaning, Miss De Wolf has not
been much seen in st. Louis. One Of nsr
notable appearances here was In the ps-t
OF 3 serpentine person in Annie RusseH.x
play, Catherine a visitor OF some sea
sons back at the Century Theater.
There is much good in the lady's work-a
quiet excellence Of a scholarly SORT. but II
she has anything Of greatness in her art.
the fact Is yet 10 develop.
Mr.. Mansfield will play In his big pro-
ducuon of Julius Caesar at the Chicago
Grand Opera-hogse next Tuesday evering
Whatever any ones opinion may be as 10
Mr.. Mansfield. the actor. the entertainer.
the tafker and the writer. there can be but
one opinion on the subject OF his generosity
In the matter Of Quitting his plays They
are easily the most gorgeous and studious-
~ correct p-resentments that this or any
generation knows Of
Several years ago-eight OF ten-wnen
Augustas Pitou brought Chauncey Olcott
out as the successor OF Billie Seaman in
the serio-cOuic musical drama OF old Ire
land. there were free predictions that the
tail, inexperienced youth would never M
the bin. recall Mr.. Olcott's first 81. Louis
appearance 1T tire Grand opcra-house.
when he sang "MayOurneen' and Molly
Or There was a good deal OF headshak-
ing over his undeniaBiy bad acting at that
time. but there was no question as TO his
vocal and physical fitness for the matinee
heroism for which he was brought for
ward. Since that time. through a series OF
Afr. Pitou's plays, Air olc0tt has improved
as an actor, and each year his following
has grown with a steadiness that seems 10
mean wealth and passing fame for all con-
cerned.
cts Skinner added sOmsEhat to his repu-