The Savannah morning news., 1902-12-18
AT THE THEATER

The audience which will witness
William H. Cranes presentation of
David Harum" tonight will be one of
the representative audiences of the
season. While the sale of seats has
been large. there are still many good
seats left. These will be taken, how
ever, by night.
To Ripley Hitchcock is given the
credit of being the first one to discov-
er any merit in Edward Noyes West
colts description of men, women and
manners in Central New York. West
colts book went through many hands
before il was ever given TO the public
and for a long time its author, who
was in precarious health. he suffering
with consumption, despaired of ever
living to see il published. In SYRIA
cuse Westcott worked in one of the
banks and was exceedingly well
known. He was man of many
graces of manner and of an engaging
personality. When he had completed
his book he passed it around among
his friends in its manuscript form and
the question was debated as to the adj
visibility of having it published as a
series of character sketches or as
continued narrative 1t was finally
decided to have it printed as con-
tinued story.
The first publisher to whom II was
entrusted sent it back rather hurriedly.
He could see nothing in it, and neither
could the next nor the next to whom II
was submitted. But Westcott was
buoyed up with hope, and the manu-
script went on its travels back and
forth through the mails.
The thirteenth publisher to whom
~ l,,1 /,
rejected it, the work fell into the hands
of Mr.. Hitchcock, who was then one
of the readers for a big New York
publishing house. He saw lots that
was good in il, and was confident of its
merit. However, to him it seemed to
lack something. He studied it out and
came to the conclusion that the domi
nant feature of the book was not the
love affair between John Lenox and
Mary Blake, but the Characterization
of the shrewd old country man, "Da-
Vid Harum." What the work wanted,
in his opinion. was more of Harum.
He communicated these conclusions to
Westcott, and the result was that an
other chapter was added to the book.
On Mr.. Hitchcock's recommendation
the book was accepted and published,
and every one knows with what sue
cess. This added chapter Is the one
describing the horse trade with Dea-
con Perkins, and is the one with which
the book opens. When Charles Froh-
lnahSs secured the dramatic rights to
the book and heard the story of its
travels, he decided that Mr.. Hitchcock
was well equipped to transplant 1t into
play shape and readily commissioned
him to do the work.
when We Were Twenty-One" Is to
be presented tomorrow and Saturday
nights with a special matinee Satur-
day. The story of when We Were
Twenty-One," briefly outlined, is that
of youths infatuation for a concert
hall singer and his rescue by self-sac-
rifieing love. The orphan son of an
old friend. he was committed as a
child by his dying father, to the af-
fectionate care of Richard Carewe. and
a trio of old friends who have acted
as guardians. Sharing the home of
Richard Carewe and the Imp, as the
boy is called, is the widow Ericsson in
the capacity of housekeeper, and her
lovely daughter Phyllis. The daughter
and the ward are engaged to be mar
ried as result of well-meant machi-
nations but there is an absence of
love on either side. Such is the Stu
alton when the play begins, and the
story is carried forward by the boys
infatuation for the FREELY, as she Is
called; a confusion of correspondence
due to two Dicks, boy and guardian:
a self-sacrificing assumption of a COM
promising compact by the elder, and
the eventual explanation leading to
the PRONUNCIATION of their earlier at
tachment, and awakening of the youth
10 his folly, and the discovery that the
daughter has all along loved the mid
dle-aged bachelor guardian. The result
is happiness all around; the incidents
of when We Were Twenty-One" are
ingenious and the dialogue is brilliant
and sparkling with wit. Seats are
nov on sale. The matinee prices are:
Orchestra, so cents; balcony, so and
20 cents. Regular prices at night.
h IA jolly American Tramp" which
will be presented at Monday matinee
and night, there is heart-to- heart
story that will touch every one who
sees 1t. The comedy element in 1t is
very pleasing, and specialties galore
aid in making it doubly interesting
The sale of seats will open on Friday
morning. The matinee prices are so
and 25 cents; night, 25. 35 and so cents.
One of the largest, as well as one OF
the strongest minstrel attractions of
the times. is Hi Henrys Big City Min
strel Aggregation and Vaudeville Con-
Weak Man Cured FREQ