The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-03-08
ADJUSTMENTS
At the Jefferson.

American theatregoers like to see Will liam H. Crane play those bluff, hearty roles that smack of the soil and ex- emplary national characteristics. They have learned to look upon him as comedian whose attachments are limited to a portrayal of those happy-hearted old philosophers of them David Ha- rums in disguise-who are found in many parts of the land. As a sunny-tempered' good-nautured old gentleman, mellowed by experience and full of bubbling witti- cism, William II. Crane is known wide ly, therefore the art of the man is all the more apparent when we sec him in play, containing a certain comedy cle- ment, it is true, but still a play that slowly rises to a climax in which the most powerful emotions are depicted
 Business is Business, presented at the Jefferson theatre last night by William H. Crane and his excellent com pany was a revelation The play itself is rather depressing. There is none of the Crane that we hay applauded so often in the past Instead we are confronted with a grasping, sordid Frenchman, pos sessed of enormous wealth. whose every thought is concentrated on the pursuit of more gold--a merciless. heartless man is iron who sweeps obstacles from his path as remorselessly as he brushes his daughters book from off the table. The whole world is for him encompassed in the money marts; the object of every endeavor is to obtain more wealth Science. art, literature, the finer accom- plshments of life, the tenderest emotions honor itself is to him rubbish All pow erful through the medium of his wealth, he will stop at nothing to accomplish his ends. Woe to the speculator who dares to cross his path and worse than woe to the unprinclpaled scoundrel who tries to trick his master.
 What Is home, his wife and his daugh- ter to Isadore Lechat? He dismsses them with wave of his hand. Business Is Business" Outside of business he never permit his thoughts to wander for an instant. Not satisfied, his ambition and greed grow by what they feed upon He dreams of greater power, of social prestige, of stll more conquests in the world of finance He boasts of his vast estates, he denotes with a sweep of his arm domains that would grace mon arch, and with short soulless laugh that reveals the man better than words, he gloats over the luxury which his money has bought. He strikes his servants
 tramples upon his enemies and stands alone. a giant of finance to whom nonc can offer equal combat. Pitiless as is made of stone his cruel eyes seem ever to seek after the millions that he sees at his finger tips
 Yet there is one tender spot in the heart of this monster-an affection for the spendthrift, coxcomb who is his son and upon whom he avishes every luxury at his command. The youth, a conceited fop
 treats the elder Lechat with contempt that does not lessen the old mans affec- tions. Germaine Lechat, the daughter
 loathes the wlckedness of her father. sensitive, breeding gi-l, she realizes at what cost their wealth is purchased and the luxury with which she is surrounded sickens her soul. She yearns to get away from 1t all and her love for Luclen Gar raud, a poor chemist employed on her fathers estates, opens door of escape
 Madam Lechat is a good woman at heart but has long since ceased to trouble her self about matters that cannot be helped and has grown a trife worldly. She loves Germalne but the girl thinks her indif- ferent.
 This is the picture of family that Is presented in gilded atmosphere. Lechat Is supreme on his pedestle. The world Is at his feet but he would have more. He plans to enter Into a venture with two
 rascally engineers who are trying to fleece him and attempts to marry his daughter | to the son of a marquis whom he has in
 his power. The girl refuses. avows her | love for Lucien and the scene which I follows is one of the most powerful in the play. The rage of the bafiled Lechat | is like that of beast thwarted for the | first time. He storms, implores and l threatens but in vain. Then he drives his | daughter from home. While he sits plan 1 ming 10 crush the unfortunate marquis,
 his passions at fever heat the news Is 1 brought to him that the boy whom he l idoized was killed in an automobile ac- | cident
 | In an instant Lechat is turned to stone. Ht htAl hhoHicht H' nus gwen away lV despair. His spirit is broken at last and | he falls sobbing to the floor. The agony of this scene is almost painful. Yet in this overwhelming grief Lechat is still Lechat He rouses himself long enough l to foil the engineers and then staggers out to meet the body of his son.
 It was an impressive analysis of char acter, drama of the human emotions which depressed the spirits and still moved one by it's power. MT. Crane had