The Washington herald., 1906-12-02

par leil Il lUlSe OF resentment Wneu
they learned that Mrs. Rida johnson
Young in writing her play for Mary
Mannering, had departed widely from
the facts in order to achieve her dra-
matte purposes. These people, although
they had no personal interest in, or
family or other connections with, the
principals in the sad international ro-
nance. or with their descendants, had
a sense Of resentment growing vaguely
out Of their regard for the truth Of his
tory. Most OF them. probably. could give
no clear reason for objecting TO the use
Mrs. Young made of the story Of the
Baltimore beauty and Jerome Bonaparte
They felt that If the story was to be
used at all for the purposes Of a play.
no liberties should have been taken with
its essential outlines. What actually hap
pened was so much a matter of famil-
lar, popular knowledge, that It seemed
sort OF affront 70 all who knew It
TO make believe in play that the course
Of events was different. Had the lapse
OF centuries blurred the outlines Of the
truth, it would have been another story.
But the truth about Betty Patterson and
Jerome BonapaTte remained distinct In al
most every detail. and to twist the facts
for stage purposes seemed a mild sort of
literary vandalism. It was condemned in
some quarters as bad art, as well as
bad ethics. Yet Mrs. Young can plead
that other dramatists have made free
with the stories of persons Of greater
moment in history than Betty Patterson
or the brother Of Napoleon l. without in
curing severe criticism. Probably Mrs
YoUng's critics are Influenced more than
they realize by the circumstance OF pro-
pinquity to the scenes which once knew
the living Betty and where her descend
ants still survive. It is certain the feel
ing over Mrs YOUngs liberties with
history was much stronger in Baltimore
than in Washington, and her play was
rather coldly received by the press Of.
that city for this reason.
It is safe 20 say, however. that most
persons who saw the play in Washing
ton the past week LETT the theater un-
resentfuL If they went there feeling that
the author had done wrong in scrambling
history. II is. on the whole. a plausible
and entertaining work As it was done
by Miss Mannering and her assistants
one quickly forgot that the truth was
being departed from. The JOYS and sor-
rows Of 1.-THE captivating heroine absorb
ed and swayed the emotions. to the exclu-
sion Of considerations about the actual
happenings of a hundred years ago.
Maybe this fact will have a tendency. to
make Mrs. Y0ung's disregard Of history
more serious offense in the eyes of her
critics than il would have been if the
play did not take hold of the heart
ana Imagination. They viii argue that
lhe success OF the play Will spread broad
cast through the country a false version
or the story Of Betty Patterson and Je-
rome Bonaparte, that will pass into Ie-
gend safe from correction by historical
study, in which so few persons indulge.
But probably the misgivings on this point
are largely unfOunded. Wherever the play
Is produced, the fact that il gives a fan
eiful version of the international romance
VIII be dwelt on. Thus. the real story Of
Betty Patterson and young Bonaparte
viii be taught TO thousands, who other
wise would never learn il. except in
vague and inaccurate outline.
The opening OF the season in the two
arena house on Capitol Hin causes no
misgivings to the managers Of the regu-
lar playhouses downtown. The latter now
and then may set before their patrons
dull queer. and boresome plays inter
preted by bad actors. but they seem to
have no fear anything they put on will
prove less interesting than the average
performance in either arena on the hill
They have got just enough Of the tradi-
tional theatrical conceit in them to feel
positive that their actors can't be as
bad actors as most Of those who make
the welkin ring from the sunken stages
Of Senate and House The feeling among
the regular ''profesh" is that the people
who appear in the houses on the hill in
the roles Of statesmen are with few ex-
CeptiOns unCOnYinCing. So the self-COn-
fessed actors at the regular houses feel
no fear Of the rivalry of their uncOnfessed
cousins on the hill On the contrary the
former expect to profit by the opening of
the season in the great Congressional
show houses. The people who essay the
roles of statesmen are as rule fond OF
seeing professional actors act, partly for
the pleasure it affords them and partly
perhaps to get pointers that may help
them in their own branch of the great
art of nlaSe-believe. Then the opening
of the proceedings in the two arenas on
the hill has the effect OF bringing thou
sands of new people TO Washington. OF
these very large proportion are as fond
of seeing professional actors act as are
any of the actors who won't "fess up
10 their real business. In other words
the coming Of Congress usually means
improved attendance at the Washington
theaters The season so far hasn't been
bad but the managers viii welcome the
boom that usually comes when Congress
meets
What weight has the judgment OF a
police court Dogberry against the vote of
confidence of 5000 musical enthusiasts
gathered in the Metropolitan Opera House
under the spell OF a tenor whose high C's
ravish the ear and send the pulse beats
up To maximum? OF course. Caruso |
didn't do it No man who can emit
sounds that set the swooning soul afioat
on an ethereal symphonic sea could pos
sibly be guilty of descending to the rude. /
crude practices of the vulgar street-cor- /
ner masher. That must be as clear as the /
MONDAY sun or the arc light to those
who understand art and are blessed with /
the artistic temperament. What are facts /
and evidence gathered by caIlous police
men, Of what pertlnence the testimony /
of contempOraneoUs students of human
freakishness and the piled-up chronicles /
that tell Unchalenged how very weak the |
very wise, how very small the very great /
Of the past have been? Caruso. big and |
burly, and feshly as he may be corpo-
really, can sing like an angel. and for /
those who have come under his spell ne /
simply couldn't do 1t. and that's all that I
need be said on the subject It has been I