The Washington times., 1904-09-13
New Play by George AIDE
Scores Unqualified Hit
at the Columbia.
Amelia Bingham's Fine Com
pany-"MiSS Bob White"
Rose Coghlan in
Vaudeville.


hundred old men, many Of them dis
tinguished I'm statesmanship or in war
fare. grew young again last night at
the Columbia Theater. All the old en-
thusiasm, all the old intensity, all the
cid carelessness of whatever does not
affect youth. came back again to make
the eye glisten and the heart tug at its
fastening. These older men looked about
them as boys on ten times their number
OF real boys. enthusiastic, intense. OBJ
hvious; and they all followed on the
stage the presentment of a life in which.
apparently, all had taken part a life OF
boyish loyalty. whole-hearted fun. and
sentiment which is sometimes tender,
and sometimes Callow.
The play was the work of an AmerI-
can, in whom the elements of college
training We're inbred a very few years
agO-George AIDE. This young man has
been writing ever since he stood on the
campus OF old Purdue with his.arms on
the shoulders of his classmates and
gave the old yen for the last time as a
student. Little fables in slang-terse sa-
tires on the everyday life OF every read
er Of the unprecedented him vide
audience. Such plays az that Of last
night will enable him to keep that audi
ence always.
1t has been intimated that the pIav
deals with the American college of to-
day II has, indeed, lie highly modern
title OF The College Widow" and both
college and widow are much in evil
dence. The former is an institution
founded 10 inculcate the teachings Of
John Calvin with the help Of moss
covered buildings and a newly exhumed
mastodon skeleton. Its name is At
water" after the sleepy little town
which frames il. The widow is the
daughter Of the college president, a
young girl who has been engaged 20
forty students In series. Both fear the
rivalry o. Baptist school, which
hourishes as Bingham Baptist Uni
versity for the Youth of Both Sexes. -
and has recently whipped the life out
Of Atwater at football
In the Atmosphere of a College.
In this atmosphere scores Of young
people are growing into representative
American manhood. Their music is a
mixture OF college songs and school
yells. Their ambitions are either to
make the team and wear the armor
of football or 10 walk hand in hand with
students in that armor. Their year
hangs like a seesaw on the Thanks
giving Day game. teetering back TO
Bingham's walkOver or up to the day
when Atwater Will soak Bingham with
an AK. Banners of silk. ribbons tied
TO canes or fastened to shoulders with
fraternity pins, and gowns for the girls
in cherry and white haunt poverty
struck Atwater in the face of affiuent
Bingham. Before the play came TO an
end last night the Atwater team was
our team, the Atwater girls were our
girls. and cherry and white were our
colors to all the audience ~r-~ttr7 ave
Whoever has seen the inside of
small. UNCONVENTIONAL fresh-water col
lege will know the characters Of the
play Offhand. 'Prexy' -lank, side
whiskered, kind impractical, genial Of
aspect and simple OF heart; excellently
acted by George z. Bryan. Billy Boil
ton. the great half-back. inveigled by
the widow TO enter Atwater rather than
Bingham. the institution TO which his
father is chief benefactor. acted man
FULLY and straightfOrwardly by Freder-
lex Truesdell. a Washingtonian Jane
WitherspOOn, the widow, beautiful and
vivacious. In the personality Of Dorothy
great American half-back, owner Of n
railway, and. because Of frequent do
nations 10 Bingham. a D. d. and an
LID, and drawn as Whistler might
have drawn him, by Edwin Holt The
athletic girl Of the town, who Dor
rowed the personality Of Amy Ricard,
ana so became great favorite. The
daughter Of the boarding house keeper
whom Gertrude Quinlan made one Of the
most distinct characters in present-day
comedy. Edgar L. Davenport and F.
backus; both capable actors, rather
waste their talents on minor roles And
the cast Is otherwise so good through
out that II would be unfair TO single
out particular numbers OF IL for special
mention The mounting reflects the
greatest credit on the MANAGEMENT OF
Henry w Savage.
A Comedy of Types
The comedy, then. IS comedy Of
types. Unless our descendants lose their
q
with any skill at all will move them to
laughter for 800 years. But the play is
not merely a farce. It has, here and
there. touches Of the purest sentiment.
In the course OF the great game one Of
Atwater's men f. carried from the. field
with a sDraiHed ankle. AS trainer and
coach put him down on a bench ne fights
them both to get away Then. When.
they hold him fast. ne breaks down and
cries. 1T amt the pain" he says, in a
tone every football player viii recognize
with a choke Ia his throat; 1T amt the
pain that m cryln about ] want 20
20 IN and do that dub team TO a stand
still" II there Is "A man in Washington
who can follow the progress Of the game
after that without every fiber tingling
he has no place among those who know
the joy Of sport and love pure manli-
ness.
Thackeray relates that a cotton-headed
minstrel. twanging an accompan lment
to one Of our Southern songs, mOisteued
his eyes with more effect than all the
tragedy queens on the stage of his day.
The sentiment Of ''Thc College Widow
Is like that of that darby minstrel and
II rings as true. II is an American "Old
Heidelberg nervous and noisy where
the German play was formal and still.
and as happy in its fuIhllment as the
German play was pathetic. Ii IS impos-
sible a play should have begun its career
with more promise OF success or thea
ter opened. its season with a more aus
picious engagement.
NATIONAL.