The sun., 1903-08-30

: orders shares his profts--Hor every para
| site has its own parasite the transaction
| does not concern the donor But in Austria
| the affair In q more serious and likewise an
arithmetical one. The paymaster who
presents the bill must be tipped, the man
who, fetches your food must be tipped;
the boy who hauls in the drink, whether
water, wine or beer, must be tipped. And
there is a sliding percentage that takes
time and attention TO master. J. now reel
qualified for position in a clearing house;
after endless practioe, l can summon
smile to the cashiers face, dismiss the
wrinkles of care from the brow OF the food
locomoter (the only one of the trio who
really works hard) and tickle the risible
rib OF the piccOl0, otherwise the wet gar
con. But my face il a study In divided
tones when finish. And even II one takes
coffee or soda, the ordeal is the same minus
the Schnitzl traeger-only two tips are
given and solemnly received. The system
IL an institution that prevails at lschl as
at Vienna, at Prague as at Salzburg 10
overthrow it might mean rivers Of split
blood, millions of money and numberless
devastated homes.
Lothar Schmidt, is the name Of a tragic
comedy In three acts, produced at the
comfortable and ornamental Deutsches
volkstheater in Vienna. The cast was
made up from the members OF the Neuen
and Kleinen theatres OF Berlin I cannot
say that the piece made very powerful
appeal, though 1t presented one strongly
outlined character. that OF an avaricious
old curmudgeon who, suspecting his rela-
tives OF seeking his money, marries the
pretty daughter Of his landady.. This
mismating Of December and May is not
accomplished without difficulty. The girl
loathes him. The mother, who has seen
better days, selfishly accepts the sacrifice
Of her daughter, though the maiden loves
a poor student and is engaged to him..
So far the materials are commonplace.
1t is in the third act that the authors de-
velop new curve OF the morbid. The
young wife il now a mother the baby ia
hauled around the stage in a carriage with
live bonne dressed in all her native finery.
Ackermunn, who has to spend money at
rate he never dreamed of, dotes on his
infant son. Through certain channels--his
envious relatives-tie hideous fact is brought
home to him that il is not his own flesh and
blood that his wife detesting him and
determined to be revenged, arran ged
matters with her lover before tho ill-as-
sorted wedding. Ackermdpn goes crazy.
after narrowly and unlnckily escaping
an apppletic stroke, and to show the extent
of his madness the curtain falls upon him
as he throws into the furnace his stock
certificates, his bank books, his mortgages.
his entire wealth No one, not even his
putative son, will enjoy his hard-ea rned
wealth
The scene is more effective than the bible
singing episode In Pnero's Notorious Mrs
Ebbsmith,' Acksrmdnn, as played by
Emanuel Reichers, a sterling character
actor, was startling in its realism. The
only parallel in execution was perform
ance | witnessed once in Munich-Ermete
Novelli, ltaly's foremost character actor
and versatile artist, gave very real
though none the less unpleasant, simula-
ton OF acute paralysis The piece. If
sn% nd Tshty was bk hsrs agco ppnsd pfass
with fidelity the idiosyncrases of an un-
tidy old man who wore his shoes several
years and went to bed with his clothes on.
The other characters We're OF minor lm-
portance, mere tributaries; they were we'll
portrayed
In construction "Ackermann' is OF the
familiar mould, two short acts, with one
setting; brief and long intermissions, with
a long last act. Herr Reichers was called
out many times. His performance must
have been an exhausting one.
In the audience was Theodore kremcr
of Fatal Wedding" fame He was after
dramatic ideas, and think the baby-ear-
riage motif fired his prolific Imagination.
He was en- route for Belgrade there to se-
cure local color" for his new Servlan
tragedy. There are already several on
the boards in Germany and Austria of the
screeohing variety-and enormously popu-
lar.
II Mr.. Kremer can but duplicate his cele-
brated epigram in "A Desperate Chance
the success Of his new Servian play is as
sured in advance. With what thrilling
effect could the unfortunate sovereign be
made to cry aloud Just before the sangui-
nary denouement: "Oh for a nice fried
egg!" as cried the enamored woman to the
escaping Bddles. The name Of kremer
should be enrolled in the book of fame I,
opposite Richard Brinsley Sherdan's.
Sufficient for the season is the theatre /
hereof With -Ackermann' my theatrical |
pilgrimage in Austria stoppednot cheer |
fu note to end upon; therefore, as began |
this day with Liszt, / shall end with his |
Mann quoting by way Of epigraph the elo-
queg words Of Richard Wagner about the
great Dante -symphonv of his friend
THIS work is one OF the most astounding !
achievements in music"
And Dante" is to be given az the forth |
coming Wagner festival, next autumn, in |
Berlin. JAMES HUNEKER.