The Washington herald., 1906-11-04
PLAYS IN NEW YORK
VIEWS AND REVIEWS

Correspondents Of The Washington Herald.
New York. Nov. 3-SFaight on the
heels OF a bitter controversy over the
question. "Are the English a nation Of
wife-beaters?" which dragged It's slow
length along 10 the columns Of the Her
aid. we have an English arraignment Of
wif@beating In a play.
The play is ''The shUamite," IN which
Lena Ashweu, the English emotional ac-
tress, made her New York debut Monday
evening at the Lyric. The title is from
the Book of Solomon. and the scene Is
the TransvaaI Of twenty-five years ago.
But the wife-beater is not an English
maB-oh, no; but a pious old Boer. THIS
rich old Boer farmer has taken Tor his
second wife a friendess young girl from
the Cape. and in his patriarchal way he
loved her, for she is Ike the Shulamitf
woman Of the Bible. lie calls her So
An. be is a Bible-reading, sanctimonious
man. and believes that the head OF the
house should be the master in all things.
and exact slavish obedience even from
his wife, though II be with the weight OF
the whip. Along comes young English
overseer. by the name Of Waring, who
puts foolish thoughts into the head Of the
fair but docile Deborah old Krillet's s
wife He reveals TO her the beauties Of
Shakespeare Tempest" b" and also the
debasement Of allowing her husband 70
beat her.
Il is an old saying that every man is
ready to protect a woman from every man
but himself. and he makes her swear TO
submit to no further lndignity Of the sort
at her husbands hands. So. when Kril-
let IN a moment Of besetting kindness
eaws her afrecdonateIy about the shoul-
ders. discovers forbidden volume OF TIE
bard concealed under her shawl. and or
ders her 70 kneel to be chastised ike q
Kaflr. she bethinks herself Of her vow
and sdjures her husband not to strike the
mother OF his unborn child.
Out Of this deception develops the af-
Ter plot. The anticipation Of m heir tends
70 soften the harsh. pietistic nature Of
the old Boer toward his young wife. But
the deception that saved her from the
humiliation Of a beating IS burning the
conscience Of the woman as with a red
hot branding iron. Now cones the crisis.
II is IN the barn Outside an African
thunder storm Is raging Krillet is about
70 start on a three days journey across
the veldt. The overseer says. let me
60" The truth is. Waring secretly loves
Krillet's wife. though he has a wife Of bic
own in London-s woman he once loved.
who was spoiled by the contamination Of
London society. became. a dipsomaniac
and drove him out into the world. a
stranger.
But be tries 20 behave honorabiy to
ward his employer and get away from
Deborah. And KrlIet consents at the
last moment 10 let him take the horse
and cart and go in his stead.
Waring takes the old Beers storm coat
and hat and departs. Now comes tine
mysterious working Of fate. He is scarce
" gone when the Boer finds Warnings
diary. IN which the foolish Englishman
has been rhhpsodizinE over Deborah. and
with cry OF mingled pain and rage KriI-
let rushes 20 the door. But Waring IS
already beyond his reach.
Not so Deborah. She enters the barn
by another door at that moment carrying
lighted lantern, and or her head falls
the furious wrath OF the cd Puritan
den revelation OF Warnings sentiments to-
ward her. but defantly glory in his love,
proclaim her own infatuation for the
oveTseer. and then challenge fate by open
ly confessiug that she has all the time
been playing fast and loose with her hus-
bands pateTnal instincts IN order mere
+ ly to preserve her dignity IS a woman.
Now fetch tie whip and beat me"' she
exclaims.
speaks # is In the tone Of q desperate
man.
III not whip you this time, Deborah ''
he says; I'll Kill yout'
He goes to get his rife. and in the in
term Waring returns and enters the barn
Unexpectedly. His cart has been struck
by lightning and the horse killed. He
hears from Deborah's lips what has iust
transpired. And, although she tries 10
restrain him. he goes pistol r. hand to
meet the excited husband
Two she's are heard IN short intervals.
Wari7g enters alone, He he's killed
Krillet in fair fight.
II Is the woman who suggests the plan
Of evading the responsibility os TIE act.
No one else knows that Waring Instead OF
Kriilet started in the cart. Deborah says:
Throw my shawl over the dead mans
face and they carry the husbands body
away, and make it appear that he was
killed by lightning in the cart
I Down to this point, the end OF the sec
ond act, the play sustains an unbroken
chain Of interest. although the links be-
tween cause and effect are sometimes
abrupt, and the wires by which the cpl
( sodes are drawn suggestive Of the Ions
arm OF coincidence. In the original YER
sion, presented in London for more than a
whole season. after Krillet is buried. the
affair hushed up. and the overeeer nursed
by Deborah through a wasting fever in
the farmhouse. Waring receives 4 letter
from his brother in England. This letter
says that his reformed wife. III from des-
peTately trying to conquer her mania to
regain the forfeited love OF her husband.
F.. Is praying only for his return. It makes
Waring turn again In sympathetic love
70 the poor. sick little wife in London.
Efc uses the spiritual shambOk. where the
late sainted KTillet employed the physi-
cal instrument OF chastisement, and de
serts Deborah TO struggle alone with her
conscience and the agonizing loneliness Of
the South African veldt,
But in conciliaung the demand for q
happy ending, the American adapyers
have clumsily worked out the solution by
introducing a second letter. announcing
the death OF Mrs. Waring. and thus clear
I'd the ways for launching the cOnven-
tionaI tag: And they lived happily for
ever after"
This IS the chief defect OF the play. 9th
erwise the freshness Of the subject. the
sustained interest Of the plot. the thrilling