The Washington herald., 1906-12-09

/ Whatever play Out "a -
dozen. which she is to try, MISS i'oD,
son makes the most decided hit' ne wiz
present her on her annual starring
tour. Tuesday nights opening was the
fourth of the series The play was
called "The Girl Who Has Every
thing" and, as you might infer from
the vertebrate title, the author was
Clyde Fitch.
Il is a comedy Of four acts with an
undercurrent Of pathos. or, at least
sentiment The girl actually has every
thing but love. and that. too, comes 10
/ her after various misunderstanding
are satisfactorily explained.
The play is a process Of grating SEN
/ timent on the materialism Of up-to-
date life in New York Fitch acts in
/ the capacity Of AsmOdeus. and unroois
/ a fashionable house on the avenue,
where lives the girl Sylvia Lang, an
other heiress of the type which he sue
cessfuIly introduced in Her own
Way" Having first shown US the sor-
rows that lurk at the doors Of the
rich, he switches us of to Harlem and
uncovers the roof OF a Harlem fat,
where resides the hero Philip Waring.
/ a dutiful son 10 a fOolishly fond
mother.
Philip is a young lawyer and in love
with Sylvia, the heiIess. lie is not
quite ripe for the firm in which he is
employed. but has prospects. Sylvia
/ has a wicked brother-in-law, Of the
I type Of dissipated, emi-degenerates of
which Fitch always has a supply on
/ hand This man. Guy Weems. has
squandered his wife's money. II was
/ 20 90 to Sylvia under a viii. made
/ three days before her death, in trust
+ for the two little children Of the un-
happy marriage. After her death q
/ second will turns up, making every
thing over 10 her husband
Waring becomes Sylvia's attorney, and
/ persuades her 10 contest the will in order
/ TO protect the children. She has become
/ a second mother to these children, who
/ are introduced in the play with all the
prominence and praukishness which this
F author delights in. 10 throw into relief
+ the maternal instinct Of his heToines.
. Weems cannot account for the money
/ and resolves 10 cut Warnings claws. 50
/ he lays a wager with Sylvia that he can
/ buy Waring OF
She laughs AT him Sylvia calls on
Philips mother. i'm her Harlem fat. 50
different from her own luxurious home
( completely capuvates the white-ha.red
+ old gentiewoman. makes tea for them
and shows her true democratic spirit OF
contempt for the conventions OF vulgar
/ wealth iu "A most charming display OF
giriish simplicity
Weems calls and persuades Waring q
+ advise Sylvia 10 drop the suit on the
I rascaIly pretext that a trial in court
. would develop evidence Of his dead wife's
-Sylvia's beloved sisters s-infidelity with
a New Jersey chauffeur. It's a lie. Of
course, but Waring believes il. and con-
I sents to be persuaded. Thereupon he
tells Sylvia that he has succeeded in
. brlbing Naring 10 drop the suit
Naturally, when Waring soon after ad-
I vises his sweetheart not TO prosecute heI
I br0JheT-in-law, she concludes that he has
+ betrayed her for money. and the little
. tea party breaks up in tears
+ When We see Sylvia again. il is night
+ in her room, and she is burning her ole
/ love letters and soothing the sleepless
4
/ whom she has been all that a mother
can be. When Tommy has composed
himself 10 go TO sleep. Weems enters
4 more or less affected by drink. We learn
I that Sylvia has won her suit that day
/ through the agency Of another lawyer
I than Waring, and has greatly discon-
f certed her brOther-in-iaw. He frankly
/ cOnfesses that there is no money 10 20
with the verdict. that he has been a
/ rascal in gambling il all away. but tries
. 10 make her believe that he is not all
+ bad, and is willing TO make Sylvia his
J second wife and divide with her the
$4,000 she owns in her own name
Sylvia Is thunderstruck at the mans
/ baseness. especially when he confesses
/ how he imposed upon Waring in order q
stop him from prosecuting the suit. and
. Indignantly spurns his offer The mar
/ grows hysterical, seizes her in a WIG
/ frenzy. and means TO do. goodness knows
/ what when the scene is interrupted By
l the entrance Of little Tommy in his pa
jamas and the half-crazed father re-
4 pentanuy leaves the room. and the cur
/ tain falls, with Tommy's arms around
/ Sylvia's neck
The last act of the play is taken ur
with the incidents OF the reconciliation
+ Of Sylvia and Philip Waring. largely
/ through the instrumentaIty of Philips
darling mother.
II one did not know Fitchs method and
! types of character so well. the nlay
might have the charm Of novelty: but if
hews closely to the line of some of his
/ former successes, and the surprises are
always more or less anticipated. There
Is the good girl of wealth and position.
with her love of children and her admira-
/ tion for a man of character: and there
is the moral derelict Of a male relative
! who is a disgrace to his family, without
/ enough manly stamina to resent the in
. suits which the hero is always hurting at
1 his head with virtuOus resentment. Some
/ of the touches one habituates oneself to
I look for in a Fitch play are clever; others
/ are shopworn. He introduces a vain
maiden aunt who is old enough to be a
grandmother, but imagines herself for
ever in danger of crushing some tender
masculine heart, and who takes her wig
/ OF in Sylvia's room. The high light of
! the dramatic color scheme IS the scene
with Weems which is INTERRUPTED bv
Tommy; but a very effective incident.
though it has no place in the play ex-
capt to throw a sidelight on the sweet
nature Of Sylvia. is introduced when she
+ resolves 10 punish Tommy by making him
strike her open hand with a ruler. and
/ the little clap. after half a dozen ieSt
blows. throws himself on the floor and
/ weeps scalding tears of repentance for
applying the ruler to Sylvia's hands in
stead of suffering her to use IL in rla wing
tattoo on the seat OF his breeches. As
a pointer to parents 1t is really moro
valuable than as a dramatic point but
/ the applause justified its employment
The play was well presented. and was
/ followed with interest by the audience
/ Miss Robson was charming as Sylvia.