New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-05-02

4
with looking at Tintoretto's st. George and the
Dragon in the National Gallery, has painted
horseman and monster in his own way; but he
has been more successful in "Ecclesia Dozens, :"
in which the crucial point in dogma is pressed
home to a most reluctant believer. II is a
dramatic little group, and fulfls the Middle
Victorian requirement of story in a picture.
and one easily understood. Mr.. Wattss COM
pick. mystical allegories. with their intricate
symbolism. represent the intellectual revolt
against anything facile as an anecdote In
paint.
The most conspicuously placed landscape in
the exhibition is Mr.. j. W. North's Little
Rivers Rising in the West" with beauty of
color rather than dignity of style. Mr.. Alfred
East's glimpses OF Villa Borghese. in Rome and
of the sunny valley of the Somme more
satisfactory, for his heart is always in his work
and he does not try to see too much in land
scape. and is content with beauty wherever he
finds It, Mr. A. D. Peppercorn has perverse
talent for painting austere landscapes with
gloomy masses of foliage. bare. windswept
meadows. and streaks of steel gray water under
a cloudy sky; but while his pictures are seldom
beautiful, the technique is always strong Mr.
Moffat Lindner has a charming little view of
Dutch river with yellow foliage massed against
a blue sky which contrasts strongly with Mr..
PepperCOrns landscape hanging near by. Mr..
Adrian Stokes has individuality of style
equally marked He has lovely little Novem-
Der scene in the Dolomites, with faded yellow
LEAKAGE against the purple mountains, with their
clinging blue mists and beyond them towering
fields of ice; and IN Green Haunts and Loneli-
ness" with trees close together and deer among
them. has fine play Of blends of green.
Mr.. Edward Stott has two pictures TO match
this pair in refinement of style and the study OF
lights is more subtle These are moonlit sheep
folding scene and THE Willow Pond" with
sOmnoenCe in the ARA soft and beautiful pct-
ure of fine quality and tone. Mr.. George
Wetherbee has fresh idyls of woodland and
shore painted with poetic fancy; Mr.. Mac
Whistler returns to the opening glades of
the forest, and Mr. Alfred Parsons's character
istic flower painting. 1t Is an interesting rather
than great exhibition. and in the main it is
annex TO the Academy
Mr.. George Alexander. in producing Saturday
to Monday" would have dlsarmed the critics II
he had substituted the honest word farce" for
the misleading phrase irresponsible comedy"
They found the first act more consistent and CO.
herent than the remainder Of the piece. and con-
sequently they complained that the authors. Mr..
Frederick Fem and Mr. Richard Pryce had be-
gun key and ended with another. II they
had been frankly told that II was not comedy IN
any proper sense, but farce In which effects
were exaggerated. incidents distorted and Iudf.
crous results produced with the slightest possible
groundwork of plot and thought they would not
have been justified In condemning the play as
unconvincing; and that. apparently is a more
heinous offence nowadays in playwrights than
putting together either a dull or an immoral
piece. The work produced at the ST. James's
Theatre was more serious and interesting in the
opening act than It became in the later scenes
when the hero. practical Joker. already bound
I'm honor 10 marry Angela and secretly enamored
Of Mrs. Wendover, widow living in a riverside
cottage. decided that he would make love 10
three other women. and I'm the course Of a single
Sunday succeeded In winning them all. But II
farcical I'm movement a the beginning as
it in the end. When the objection Is raised
that a rich peer would not he likely to be either
such a madCap such a cad as 10 make ad-
vances 10 Il disagreeable old woman and two I'M
attractive middle aged spinsters for the sake Of
furnishing the widow because she had told him
that it his duty TO marry Angela. the
answer can he returned that when the treat
ment IS farcical any ludicrous or extravagant
effect is permissible. So long as the Incidents
are possible in ordinary life. a farce does not
need 10 he consistent convincing; and there is
certainly nothing improbable in the unexpected
appearance Of three or four inconvenient guests
at country house nor in the assumption that
chance Of marrying a rich earl whenever he
filings himself a them. When the critics object
10 the whimsical peers proceedings as thought
less and unbecoming a gentleman, who is bound
Ito play the game" whether II he love or
cricket, they are trying smash butterfly
with hammer.
Mr.. Alexander acted the part OF the eccentric
nobleman with fine variety and I'm an utterly
irresponsible spirit. He the mischief maker
ventures. and he appealed audaciously for
thoughtless mirth. as 1t was his privilege TO do
when he was the hero of a farcical piece. When
II time for the curtain to fall the unwelcome
guests were dismissed. and the widow was easily
induced to accept him when Angela had been
properly paired off with a private secretary
With five women in hand at week end, Mr.
Alexander had full scope for his skill IN differ
entating methods OF lovemaking and he would
have pleased everybody on the first night II the
audience had been expecting old fashioned farce
with lot of practical Joking instead of COM
edy more or less Irresponsible Miss Lillian
Braithwalte was perhaps too demure and sin
cere the widow but the other actresses were
either sly or grotesque their parts required
them 70 be and the piece brilliantly cos
TUNED and staged. Mr.. Aexander's company
appears to the greatest advantage In romantic
drama. but it has also been highly successful I'm
comedies Of manners and in farcical pieces like
The Importance Of Being Earnest"
"DFMncp ACY" AT Peoples TNSTITuTF