The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-11-10
FEE CASE or MISS CROHHERS
MER REALISM NOT YET DEEP
NOR THOROUGHGOTNG.

A contemplation Of che current dramatic
season from August 20 the present date
suRnpats tho melanCholy reflection that
the Internal asphalt cannot be suffering
from any lack Of repairs. Seldom In 90
short q spaOe OF time has 20 much good
paving material gone thtther. Seldom
have those most pathetic OF all human
manifestations, good lnbsntions, boen more
plentiful. And not tho least pathstSC OF
shem was the last manifestation, Miss
Crothers's new play. %rhe Coming Of Mrs.
Patrick" shown on Wednesday az the
Madison Square Theatre.
The pathOs here hoes not consist In ths
mere failure of an intention IA amuae or
entertain. PlAywrighta OF far greater
achievement than Miss CrOtlsrs. who
has only The Three Of U.s. 20 her credit.
have written plays that failed, and failed
far more conspicuously than THE Coming
Of Mrs. Patrick; but nobody shed q tear.
There were no popular manifestation
of grief over the grave OF The Step SistcV :;
wsilinRs were not heard In the Alley when
Augustus Thomas's play The Rangers
folded It's scenery n silently stole away:
Tue Struggle Everlasting breathsd its
last In a decent privacy. n only the Inn
mediate relatives. Mr.: Harris. Mr.. RCybs
and Miss Florence Roberts. we're at the
bedside. But what Miss Crothers tried
20 do in The Coming of Mrs. Patrick
vas TO some OF US vastly more important
than the purpose Of these other plays.
Her intentions were TO us significant Of
something modern and imaginative (the
use Of the word imaginative will be ex-
planned later in the theatre. And 30 her
failure 10 realize them becomes q personal
matter. and we. too. are sad When just
another play fails IL would be absurd 70
waste any pity. When an effort to move
the drama a step forward along the line
Of development toward truth and pOwsr
goes wrong, however. the man who docs not
feel a personal grief has no real interest
in art. no, enthusiasm OF Judgment
What the Intentions Of ths new play were
became sufficiently apparent In the FIRST
act not only to DO estimated but 70 create
very distinctly just the sense Of truth and
power that the author desired. The dis
cussion OF this plays purpose is no mere
guesswork. Miss Crothers Is not stumbling
by accident into the march Of events. She
belongs by right Of vision in che little van
guard oF leaders if only she can make
achievement keep pace with intention.
Ill NONAH NAAat AAAAAy CAO ND - NOWH NV
not TO discourage her further effort, but
quite the contrary Though in all probability
she will take what Of help she may find
in any words anywhere. in the attitude Of
audiences. in her own failures and. ignor-
ing all else, 90 ON her way after the gleam,
as al artists should. And what is this In
tention Of hers. disclosed in the first act Of
THE Coming Of Mrs. Patrick" a. IL was
HsrNod In bar mora aurnaoa(tvl and haNtar
acted drama. "The Three of Us" this
method 10 attain truth and power2
Let us sit for a moment i'm the darkened
theatre. The curtain rushes up in the
dusk and from the unlit stage comes a
musty odor. Presently You hear a door
open and somebody enters, scratches a
match and lights the gas jet in the hall,
which by the glowing flicker il dimly
disclosed. A man is seen. evidently the
son Of tho family. Just returning at the
days end. He comes down into tho larger
room. the drawing ROOM. and lights tho
gas IN the central chandelier. A horrid
vision Of red plush and black walnut meets
h eye. The wall paper. Of the period Of
the late '7Os. is awful with its gloomy green
figures. Tho crate is set in a low. black,
dismal mantel The two long windows
\ OniORbNu ~ AVu AA1bStukSs III III ZIG
low shelf in front Of the mirror between
them stand a vase or rather an Urn. Yet
this is neither a mansion of decayed gentility
given over 10 bosrders. nor yet a home in
Brooklyn, People actually live here. You
learn that the mother has been sick for a
long while upstairs and without her guiding
and the house has stood still in it's black
walnut gloom. the domestic arrangements
1000 10 ~aAL md -~sn w.. A. -.
even entered a ray Of hope from Grand
Rapids! You see the elder sister, the head
Of the house now. narrowly devoted TO the
invalid above. but hard. u~nsympathetic.
incapaciCated by her very ideaIism for the
task laid upon her. You see the little
sister and her Chum blow breezily in from
. matinee TO be frozen into stiK middle
aged Puritan propriety by the air OF the
place. You SEQ the son put on his coat 70
20 u where ne can hear some music and
laughter--anywhere. probably in hone too
reputable a spot. And you do not blame
him Then you hail the coming Of Mrs.
PdfTiek. who is common sense, cheerful
ness. domesticity, efficient wOmanly
strength. incarnate. In short she is health.
Shit pokes the fire n a blaze. she puts a
cushion behind fathers back. she lights
y ClecTy OIL lamp, bne moves a table. she
has the piano opened. tho dusty keys struck
The son comes back from the front door
At the sound at the waltz, the little sister
dances, father cracks an unaccustomed
smile INT then the stiff elder sister comes
town the stairs and chills the new found
warmth. I'VE try TO keep the house AZ
quiet as possible because Of my mothers
illness. Will you please step upstairs.
Mrs. Patrick?7 The note OF contest be-
tween these two women is struck. between
these two orders Of mind and heart. And
the curtain falls.
Now. all this has been conducted with a
Iuict fidelity 10 fact. with "a minute and
faithful realism which held the audience
IN it, grip and gave fine promise of the play
70 come. And IL was realism far removed
from mere photography. IL was imaRi-
native realism. II was realism surcharged
with symbol and quite capable Of becom-
ing II proparly developed and worked out
developed. that is. with the symbols always
held IN a solution Of fact aud always ap-
plicable 20 the moments intricate and
polished piece Of art. as true, TO be sure.
~ a photograph. but with beauty OF form,
a heightened meaning. a heightened emo
tional appeal, a comment on life which the
photograph can never attain. Miss Croth-
ers,Was 10 the track ~ the best develop
,,-,s "a y,u.I.r, Arav,a al. -