The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-12-06

sickle for conventionality in the dear sex's
behavior. Kitty smokes an after-dinner
cigarette while two men. her guests. enjoy
cigars Now. we are accustomed to regard
a cigarette between the lips Of woman In
a play. a symbol OF vice-the tag-mark
Of an adventures And you must have OBJ
served. too that the actress who has 70
smoke usually does ii with an apologize
air. as II to say that she practices no such
thing in private life-being too much of
lady. you understand. Kitty Is above re-
proach in morals. and assumedly polite In
department. yet she smokes as a matter or
course; and the actress makes no show or
excuse to the audience, but sends out full
and fieecy clouds OF real tobacco as though,
personally she enjoyed the professional
service keenly. This Is a public recognition
OF what has come to be positive fact-that
mary women lin society are habitual
smokers The practice Is now usual. really,
in our smart set" sE5 we may expect to
see IL spread from that source to the general
feminine population. Regrettable? Well.
that question is aside from my theatrical
subject All 1 say is that the stages imita-
ton OF the modish lady is a follower and
exemplar-even TO some extent leader and
guide-in matters of fashionable usages;
and that Miss Tempest as smoker gives
evidence that tobacco has been accepted by
London women some centuries after Sir
Walter Raleigh gave II to London men.
The source of The Marriage of Kitty is
the French Of Gresac and Croisset, and 1t
was very wicked until expurgated in the
English version. The original point OF the
plot was that the French law forbids mar
respondent until after there has been an In
termediate period of wedlock with some
man or woman not party to the case in
court. Nine. semiano was the vicious one In
this instance, and her subsequent conduct
was very bad indeed, while that of Reggie
and Kitty was none too good Marie Temp
ests husband, Cosmos Gordon Lennox-who
= tries to live UP to the social level of his
name-rewrote the play for his wife's use'
and his device of the conditional inheritance
cleans UP much that was foul. The piece, as
we get it from London, is witty comedy,
barely, yet safely. avoiding indecency, yet
piquant and at times audacious with close
approaches 10 salaciousness. Its characters,
numbering only SEVEN are played hawlessly
by an English company. Miss Tempest,
known here hitherto as a comic opera sing
DDS and mannerisms resembling those of
Minnie Maddern Fiske. Our pretentious peo-
pie have accepted her. and the play with a
merry laugh.
Robert ManteIl has been exied from New
York a dozen years. He comes back from
Punishment this week. How can L explain
his long absence from the city Of his pro-
fessional popularity without mentioning his
personal affairs? And IL is no secret any
way Mantell was the handsomest actor on
our stage when he disclosed himself as the
Russian lover in Fedora" Sardou had
written the play to create a frenzy role for
Bernhardt, and that part was taken here by
Fanny Davenport, the beautiful; yet 1t was
the blonde Loris quite as much as the bru-
nette Fedora who filed our ears with elo-
quence and especially our eyes with lowell
ness. Mantell was an Englishman, and when
his wife followed him she found evidence
on which to obtain a divorce. The court or
dered that he give her alimony along with
her freedom, but he wouldn't pay a dollar,
and had to stay out of this State TO escape
punishment for his disobedience. In the in
terval he has acted from Maine to Texas.
and from Florida to Oregon; he has come as
near as New Jersey and Connecticut; but
never has he dared TO cross New York until
now through a compromise. the wanderer
is permitted to come home.
To young New Workers Mantell Is a
stranger. SO quickly does new theatrical
generation rise into the place of the older
one. Yet many who remembered him were
present. in either curiosity or friendliness.
to see how he looked and acted. wonder If
he means anything peculiarly pertinent in
naming his play The Light of Other
Days?" May be so: for his rnelodramatic
fire is still incandescent. and the play of
the French revolution is Iurid. The hero
flashes and flares with passionate fervor,
and blazes and burns with reckless Draw
cry, like one of Nero's human bonfires.
Mantell Is accomplished actor, but he is
making his present appeal for favor in an
OF Broadway theater. where robust activ-
ity tells and quiet subtlety doesn't count at
all. and where he responds with no sign of
unwilIingness, to the demand for noisy
force. But he Is not vociferous all the time.
He has a wonderful stage whisper-which
I had forgotten when heard it again. like
an echo from the past-and as of beforetime
he sent each sibillated word of his conf
Dental communications to the ears of the
1urrnermOSt DOy In the gallery. THESE whfs-
pered passages express his secret thoughts
concerning the evil persons who, taking ad-
vantage OF the reign of terror in France,
stole away his bride-elect and drove him
20 deeds of desperation to recover her. No
doubt hantell would rather his excep-
.tional ability in a Shakspearean play. But
he knows that Nat Goodwin has just had
rejected by the public, including those who
cry habitually for a Shakspearean eleva-
tior OF the stage, the costliest and most
beautiful representation ever made of "A
Midsummer Nights Dream 1t is aban-
doned at loss OF $3.50
FRANKLIN FYLES.
LONE FIGHTER.