Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-03-30

Special Correspondence,
n r EW YORK, March 9j.--ln this
mi dollar marked day and age that
critic who wants his Judgment
valued must take care never
10 express liking for anything that
won make money. Success is written
with two vertical lines through each
IS" and the final court that is ac-
corded the authority to reverse has
most thoughtlul decision insCTlpes It's
Verdicts upon greenDac1ls. Two months
after The appearance OF my review ui
Madam butterfly fresh liIIle press
ugent-l hate slang, but sometimes IL
hts dellcl ously--sent me n sneer1g note
to- say that the production had played
TO $4,000 in one week Ia san Francisco
L didp't reply that, about Ihe same
time, the Cams Nelson prize light drew
as much in a single evening, without
going into history as notaDle artistic
event.
But the fresh little press agent has
made me Iimid- I'm afraid to say that
a PLAY Is good now unless ] am pre-
pared to- prove 1t by the box office state
InentS. Nevertheless, | did like The
Silver Box maybe The compoSttor Will
be kind enough to set this confession
In shrinking italies-eVen though there
make a dollar. When Ethel Barrymore
presented the play last week al the
Empire, her audience giggled through
most OF IL, and a majority OF our loca
scrlbes observed wttily that there was
nothing in The Silver Box Perhaps
it you get an opportunity OF seeing
Miss Barrymore, you Will agree Miln
me that even AN empty silver DON may
be worth while.
i know why I enjoyed ihls three-act
play by John GaIsworthy. and know
why most other people didn't, IN lhe
first place. il is one of the merits OF
our star system that we nave grown
to care more for exhibitions OF per-
sonalty than for exhibitions OF aetillBi
and pretty nearly everybody resented
fine envelopment OF Miss Barrymore
own sweet and giTlish individuality IN
that OF the rather rcpulsIve character
created by Mr. Gilsworthy. In the
second place ltaral-mt1ded audtences
found II difficult TO associate the I'M
important incident presented Win inc
really big problem that the author M
tended 70 eSempIify. Frank Norris
used to spend hours trying 10 make MS
friends see that THE Pit was net
n STORY OF the wheat that 1t was Il
Story of thar everlasting American
struggle between the Office and the
home; that the grain itself was merely
the means 10 an end that nllShl may
heen reached as we'll had the novelist
made curtis Jadwin engage in fight
ia conner Garnet tacks, FinalS, "
wouldn't have made the slightest ar
ference II Miss Barrymore's audience
had understood. American audiences
DON'T want 10 ba fecSured whom they
20 To- the theater. 1t Is my TeutonlN
blood that causes me 10 enjoy The lslnl
Of pIay that proves some thing-th1l
evening by the strength OF the lncen-
tive II has given ME to think apol-
oefgo for my Teutonc blood. IN SOL
INs I emit subscribe 90 the enllnently
practical doctrine that the mission OF
dramatic art ike the mission OF the
Punch and judy show, Is to make one
laugh
Mr.. GaswOrthy's tract, In It's super
fetal aspect deals with a cigarette hos
worth e5 los and with a young man
worth rather less, The young man is
Jack BarthwlolS, and no Is the result
of those domestic conditions that pro-
duce Harry Thaws' His father.
wealthy member of parliament has
reared him IN IDLE 0tfluence, 50 fh0t
having n gEudgc against a woman OF
tho streets, and a Jag at the same
time, the method OF getting even that
FIRST occurs to the cub Is To- steal her
purse. He comes home with the pLrse
and the 'iag"--when the play beglne
bringing along q drunken sol named
Jones, whom he mas picked mp In thu
streets and who proves 10 be the hus
band OF the family char WOMAN Jones
walks 0ut with the purse ana its bur
den Of tainted money, taking a silver
cigarette box for good measure, iitd the
cuba parents missing the boz shortly
after breakfast blame the char-wn-
man.
The second-act begins in hi abld-
ing place OF the Jones. where Ihere
4 some talk Of sociological facts ana
lshere detective llnds tle stolen box
Husband ana wife are arrested, and
Immediately after, we look I'm on the
Barlhwicks at dinner Papa lSarih-
ysick has learned good deal on his
SONS shane I'm the adventure OF the
purse aud tie hus and there ~ con-
sultatlon as 70 the slFest Means OF
kreping Jacks mamie out or the IA
pers In The middle Of the debate TIE
whnpcrIng 81 CHILD Il heard II II
one OF the scIons Of the house Of Jones