The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1905-02-14
WILLIAM (1|LLETTEIN
BARRIE'S CREIGHTON
4 Fashionable Audience at
the National.

4 comedy which has made all England
Iaugh ana has found a lasting echo Of
its British popularity in American New
York, reached Washington last night In
the form OF The Admirable Crichton.s
It's author was James NJ Barrie. whose
earlier plays-''The Professors Love
story" ard The Little Minister have
raised high the expectations Of his
American readers. This extra interest
and the popularity of William Gillette,
who acted the role which gives theAplas
its name. served to fill the National
Theater.
Conspicuous in the audience were
Senator and Mrs T. c. Plat, Miss Snow,
Mrs PIatts daughter. and Mr.. Car
N ody, their guest; Representative Gil
lett of Massachusetts and party; Mrs.
John r. Mclean and a party; Mrs.
Thomas Jefferson and a party, and Dr.
| and Mrs. Ralph Jenkins. Representative
Sullivan of Massachusetts was also pres
ent, but was not generally recognized.
The audience included otherwise the
confirmed Monday-nighters and the van
guard of visitors for the Inaugural cere-
| monies.
Mr.. Barrie's plot is fanciful and
| humorous intermingling Of satire on
| the social communist, genial play
| Robinson delicate. but not deeply
moving pathos. and a delicious con-
trast Of the conventionalities Of mod
ern formal society with the elemental
/ conditions of life on a lonely island.
He finds his characters in London
| drawing room, and, at the end of the
play and after many vicissitudes, sfle
leaves them there in their old Tela-
| t1onship. In the meantime, however,
the last has been first, the servant
/ has been master, and social COM
munism has developed from a doubt
ful theory into hard reality.
Who the Real Crichton Was.
The play gets its name from the
! chief character, a butler named erich
| ton. The butler, in turn. seems to
have been given his name out Of men
| tai association with a distinguished
| scholar. soldier, swordsman.e theolog-
ian. dialecticfan, and philosopher who
| stirred Europe with the inexhaustible
/ resources of his mind in the. latter
| part OF the sixteenth century. AL
though but twenty-five years old
| when he died, the real Admirable
Crichton'' was the first linguist. the
| first disputant, the first philosopher
t1ic Hrst duelist OF his time One of
his most remarkable performances
was challenge TO the pedants OF
! able errors in Aristotelians, mathe-
maticians, and schoolmen. but to meet
conduct the dispute either logically
or. according to the secret doctrine Of
numbers, OF in hundred sorts OF
i verse, whatever all that may mean.
| All This is re-rendered but reduced in
/ Crichton, the butler. He, too, is at
the head OF his class. and ready to
i hundred sorts of verse. ; He maintains
above. all these accomplishments & man
ner of such excellent Difference 10 his
superlors that all my lords vagalizs on
the equality of man, give him great
pain. But when the wreck casts them
all ashore on an uninhabited island. then
makes him master. In this new l}osi
he falls I'm love with his old master :
daughter, and. has lust obtained &C.
acknowledgement of her love in retllrr
the approach of a ship. The Tespona,-
bility for the signal III reply rests will
the erstwhfle butler. and Ire. IN his OWE
words, plays the game fair =. -@S,-fes
Interesting But Not Funny.
All this appealed irresistibly to tht
1<R@iton's sense of hurnor Yet here :.
the Capital of democratic America The
spectacle of lady In love with hel
butler. of a servant in command 6y4l
his employer; did not, apparently. seen
funny at all The play was foIiowet
! with manifest interest. But il was no
laughed at. Just as sir. Thomas me
an unexpected unresponsfVcness in ."1'ht
! Other Girl when he presented an arts
tocratic young gentlewoman in the role
of a prizefghter's sweetheart, aIr. Bar
? rie has found it Impossible 10 rake
| Washington laugh at his picture Of
= like young girl in the arms Of butler
: Nobody loves lord. says Thackeray
like the true Democrat-and last night's
2 reception Of THE Admirable Criehtorl'
would indicate that Mr. Ta as.lIerly
2 knew America well and accurately
! MIR Gfllette's inpersonation cor
[ responds exactly with all the others
: which have brought him into notice He
5 Is grim, imperturbable impassive, stiff
{ HnmOr comes from his lips with as Lit.