Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1904-11-15
SELFISH MAN SEES HIMSELF
HIS IMAGE REFLECTEDBY "A
MESSAGE FROM MARS"
MIR. Charles Hawtrey In a Whole
some Play AT Colonial
Theatre.

delightfully."- amusing was - A Message
From Mars, presented here at the
Colonial Theatre last night by the
pleasing English actor, Mr.. Charles
Hawtrey. The play is by an Ameri-
can playwright, Mr.. Richard Ganth
ony, although it has chiefly found
recognition through Mr.. Hawtrey. the
English actor manager.
The chief action of the play occurs
in supposed dream. While the de.
I vice is not new one with dramat-
| ist, it is a novel one here, and it was
some time before the audience. ..realized
| that the fdream" is not reality, and
| tn g effect of the lesson taught by the
play is considerably heightened by
| the awakening. Mr.. Hawtrey is sup
ported by company of thirty, all of
| whom are good and most of them were
| thought of sufficient merit to have
| their names on the program. Mr.
| Fred Thorne, cast as A Tramp" was
| typical Englishman of that phase of
| English life. Mr.. Henry j. Hadfield.
| cast as The Messenger from Mars, -
is especially good i'll this part. Mr.
| Hadtield made his lines tell and while
| his character is all dream one, he
acted it splendidly and intelligently.
| Miss Mona Harrison, as Minnie
rempler, "Parker's" sweetheart,
had role of but few opportunities,
but she adroitly made the most %
| them.
The other women, like the minor
male characters, were all good. The
play is strong one without touching
several problems we are accustomed to
see in the average play and for this,
If no other reason, it is deliciously re-
/ freshing. 1t has no villain; it is
funny without being coarse, and while
the theme is pure and sweet in devlop
ment, there is no mawkish sentimen
tality. Above all else the play teaches
incidentally, though unobtrusively,
strong moral lesson which it is hoped
some in the audience took home to
themselves to ponder over and profil
blythe effect of the disagreeable
traits of selfishness, pure and unadul-
terated salfishness, an overdose OF
which has afflicted many of the genus
homo. While the character of Horace
Parker. the hero of "A Message From
Mars. y in which Mr.. Charles Haw-
trey introduces to the avowedly ex-
creme aggregation of the qualities of
.elfishness, may be more or less ex-
I9gerated, yet it has the unquestion-
thle true basis of fact, besides sug-
costing the attitude of the average
Englishman towards his country
women-an attitude that is radically
different from the American idea.
che selfishness of Parker is so
natural and unconsciously portrayed
by Mr.. Hawtrey that it creates amuse
ment rather than resentment, and If
lis reformation 80 the unselhsh man
sudden, 10 is heartily welcomed by
the audience whom he has won by the
underlying charm of his personality
Iud who do not doubt tho sincerity
and lasting effect of the change
wrought in the inordinately selfish
man, through dream.
As to the play itself. There is a
flavor of Charles Dickens about it,
and "a Message From Mars" strong
y reminds one of Dickens christmas
Carol" Instead of an old Scrooge,
however, we have Horace Parker, a
selfish man, who imagines himself to
be scientist, and who, though he
does not at all deserve, possesses the
affection of sweet and pretty girl,
Minnie Templer. Parker's self1shness
makes him ILL bred. He refuses to ac-
company his fiancee TO party because
there is snow upon the ground, ana he
wants to stay at home to read an as
economical article in a scientific re-
view. Minnie, disgusted at his ego.
tism, breaks their engagement and
she and her aunt go on to the dance
in the carriage of Arthur Dicey, a
rich Young man, who is one of Min
nie's admirers. Then Horace sinks to
sleep in his armchair and dreams that
he is visited by an 1nhabitant of the
planet Mars. The Martians, it seems,
are entirely altruistic, and the mes
senger, having committed a certain
crime. is sent to earth to reform the
most selfish man ON that planet. The
process is a drastic one. Overawing
Horace by the dynamic power which
be has at his disposal, the Martlan
/ forces him to perform several acts OF
beuevolence. These, however, go
''against the grain and it is not until
| Parker is actually reduced to beggary
bv the failure of a bank that he feels
his kinkhip with the rest of the human
race. His reform has been assisted
nv a series of "object lessons given
nv the Martian. These affect Min
nieis love for him and include the loss
of wealth and dearest friends. In this
Asmodeus-like manner the messenger
teaches Parker TO consider others as
we'll as himself. Horace's humanity
awakeus. In his rags he feels sympa-
thy and pity for an old broken down
INVENTOR. whom in the first act he had
snubbed and sent away, and the Mes
senger reloices as Parker sustains the
almost-dyinS beggar in his arms in the
snow. In the last act Horace is
awake again, but the impression left
by his dream is q deep on. A fire
breaks out at some cheap lodging
houses close by, and Parker hurries
ont and brings in the homeless out
casts. Minnie and her aunt returning,
are agreeably surprised to hear OF his
kindly energy and there is happy
denouement.
the company is the identical cast
that produced the same play last win
fer at the Academy OF Music, Balti-
more.
Marriage License
The Clerk of the Circuit Court is
sued today a marriage license TO Will
lam q. Ooghlan, of Alamenda. Gal,
and Helen Johnson, of Annapolis; also
m Levi Holland and Lulu Alvy, col
ored. of Anne Arundel county.
Death of Mr.. Suit
Mr. Jesse Suit, of Davidsonyile, this