The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-10-27
.IBSEN PLAY
WAS WEIRD
Ghosts Drama That Works
Upon the Nerves Of an
Audience.
BUT IT TEACHES A LESSON
Points Out Forcefully That Sins
Of the Father Shall be Visited 4
Upon the Children.
BUT IT TEACHES A LESSON
Upon the Children

/ Il II Z
The sins OF the father shall be visited
upon the children This Scrptural
warning Is powerfully impressed In lb-
sens play, Ghosts" which was pre-
scented at the Academy yesterday. after
noon and evening.
One can but pity Mrs. Alvng. whoseNl lfo
since her marriage has boon devoted to
guarding the closet In which this family
skeleton Is concealed. The bones Of her
husband have been rotting III the grave
many years, and the spectre in tho closet
haunts only her own memory when sud-
| denly, without warning, tho ghost of the
dead appears In the person OF her own
son.
This son, Oswald. Is doomed at histirth,
though the awful truth is not known
either to himself or his mother until he ia
Just beginnIng8,to see "tlse joy Of life, !
the same JOY that bl.ghtcd his father In
body and mind. and left his offspring
with brain, rotten at the core. Oswald
when his brain sounded the first warming
of tho awful end. little knowing at the
time that the seat of his reason was af-
fected, consulted q famous French ply
sician. who calmly Informed him Of the
disease which was just beginning to mako
itself manifest. though its germ. he said.
had been there at birth. AT &
Oswald, unable to work, to think, or
even sleep, confesses his condition to
his mother. Then It Is that Mrs. Alving
opens the closet door and discloses the
skeleton which she has guarded with such
vigilance for so many years. She does
this in order to prove to Oswald that the
physician was right, SO that he may not
add to his misery By blaming himself
for his condition. though the son had
already declared that he had not lived q
~; "a
dire consequences.
IN TERRIBLE SUSPENSE.
The thought that launts Oswald Is that
he s'los.ng every mental power; that his
brain Is slowly decaying, softening, rot.
ting away. and that the moment will
come, perhaps as suddenly as flash OF
lightning, when his reaso Will tottel' and
fall. leaving him helpless ruin. It Is
not the fear Of madness that creeps over
Oswald's fast falling mind: Even the fate
Of a maniac would be preferable. The
impending doom that threatens him is:
that OF utter and complete loss OF men
tally, when he shall grope In the dark
ness as helpless as a newborn babe;
when the jaw shall drop, and the tongue
hang in the mouth without power of ut
terance when there shall be no light In
the eyes but only avacant stare; when
the strength shall leave the body, and
he shall be as linn as an Infant in Its
cradle.
1t had rained through the night as 1t
had for many days but now there is a
gray light in the sky. and 1t Is sstreaked
witt, red. Oswald, through the long, rainy
spell, had frettcd and sighed forsthe SUM-.
which seemed never3to shine IN his Nor
wegian home The mother. seeing the
light in the sky exutantly declares that
the sun IS rising. But the hour has come,
and the brightness of the sun, and the
"joy of life" have forever passed from
Oswald. The vacant stare Of the idiot
is in his eyes. the mouth twitches. and
even his body seems to shrvel as the
brain gives way and the awful, sckening
transformation slowly creeps over the
man, as with imbecility stamped on his
face, he says, in toneless voice: /" Mother,
give mo the sun-the sun-the sun"
81, The mother. horror-str!cken al the sight,
fumtles in Oswald's pocket for a drug
with which to end his life,H and. bringing
1t forth, pauses a moment. and then falls
PROSTATE at her sons feet while Oswald,
with half open mouth and countcnnnce
roid of all expression, stares vacantly In
front OF him. The curtain falls on this
scene, leaving the audience In tremble
OF nervous excitement, and almost sick
at the spectacle.
No further praise Of Claus Bogel Is
necessary than to state that such were
the feelings he wrought In his audience
ms he played the unfortunate Oswald;
Miss Adelaide F'itz Allen. the first Leading
lady Of the Gfren Stock Company IN
Richmond. vas excellent as MRS. = AlXlng,
and the three remaining members OF the
cast were entirely acceptable