The Washington herald., 1907-09-10
The CoIumhia-A Melancholy Drama
and New star.

and New star.
The Columbia Theater opened its regu-
lar season last night TO an audience that
was large and, at times, highly en-
thusiaStic The entertainment offered
was a melancholy drama-called ''dome5-
Tie" on the programme named Ruth.
an adaptation from the Yiddish ~ Z.
IAbln, made by Prof william Addison
Hurvey. OF Columbia University
But because a man is a professor at
Columbia is no warrant that he knows
the drama-at least from the practical
side. and Ruth" IS sufficient evidence
that Prof Hurvey does not. His name is
10 the play, and therefore he is. presum-
ably, responsible for tia play that Is
thing of shreds and patches, from the
technical side bearing strongly the mark
Of tie tyro, and from the moral side hav-
ing mighty little standing in court
The play deals with a man and his wife
who are living with the mans parents.
They have been married six years. But
AT last the wife's conscience hurts her
and in the first act she is impelled-after
six years-to confess that before she was
married and while she was yet young
girl she almost starved IN England, and
that while she was hungry man had
come into her Hfe-with the usual accom-
paniuents. told as they usually are in
dramas az this kind. by innuend0. OF
course. the husband Is shocked. but the
act ends with his taking her in his arms
and cry Il love you, Ruth. That's all
that matters.
Unfortunately the husband has sis
ter, who has heard the wife's confession.
and not unnaturally she tells her father
and mother Now that other people
know the secret about Ruth, the hus-
band gets uneasy. and ali through the
second act the breach between husband
and wife widens In the third act, largely
through the medium Of an impossible fur
nace-tender, who Is also a philosopher
and a Socialist, the husband suspects
his wife of having stolen a hundred dol
lars from him. Though he finds the
money in his pocketbook and begs his
wifes pardon, she leaves the house In
dignantly, and six months pass. ush-
ering in the last act
This takes place az a country house.
The husband has looked for his wife.
but in vain. His mother has had letter
from her saying that she IS ILL., Just at
that Observation-Disclosures ARE very
strong throughout this drama-Ruth
comes IN sight She has strength enough
10 come into the garden. though her
makeup suggests that she IS horribly III;
at least she Is not the least bit pleasant
70 look upon. and after hearing her hus-
band express his regrets that ne had
accused her Of stealing. she dies IN his
arms. but not until an orphan child and
her husbands mother have time % gath
er around her 70 make a picturesque
scene. What is the moral % the play?
II there IS one Il Is the old, old moral
that she who sins must suffer, though the
dramatist has done MS best 10 make vir-
tue ill-tempered, snappish, and ugly; and
vice attractive. gentle and long-sufer-
4 ing. i Is unfortunate that this meets
with a certain measure Of appreciation.
[ The play is. ar its best. a melodrama.
and 10 IS not difficult 10 understand that
/ in its Yiddish form il had a decided vogue.
/ There were many people al the Columbia
/ last night who liked H. But that does
not blind one 70 the fact that It is mere
tricious. not true TO life or art: preach
ing had ethics and worse morality. The
death scene IN the last act is so managed
+ that the supeT-sentimental IN the audi
] ence weep over the s0Trows Of the con-
/ sumptive heroine. who IS there gives a
/ thought 10 her sins and the unhappiness
which through those sins she has left be-
! hind herr
/ It may be noble Of the husband who
/ has been deceived into such a marriage
/ 10 say that the deception does not mat
I ter, but when he finds out that his sister
/ also kncws Of the shame, he revolts. and
I the one really true note IN the play is
where he cries that some one may know
/ That Is really human nature
As TO the construction Of The play-it is
( hardly worth while discussing. Where
does the action take place? There is moth
/ ing 10 show. II might be England, Amer
lea. or Finland. so far as the lines show
/ Here is the family Of Allan Buchanan
living with nim-for the first three scenes
are in Allan Buchanan's library. They are
! presumably, from the lines, not well of
get they are well dressed and seem pros
porous. They have adopted an orphan
/ why, is not stated-ana the orphan sir
has nothing TO Go with the action Of the
play. save TO furnish a sentimental con
trast 10 the star. There is an Irish maid
Miss Alice Butler worthy Of much better
things, who, Of course, wears a greer
necktie, and who, actually in this day and
ase OF the drama, IS not allowed 70 es
cape without saying, Bad scran TO yer
And then the furnace man. Hankin
played By William Robert DAILY. Surely
there was never more impossible crea
ture on the stage He is always walking
into the library and taking part in th'
i conversation or retailing his woes an,
trying in vain TO recollect where he ha.
seen Mrs. Buchanan befoTe-he thinks i
must have been either in Leeds or Biz
mingham
! The play IS. IN short, sheer melodram,
Of the tawdriest type, and has absolutel!
no appeal 10 first-class audiences. "Sh,
has sinned: let God be her judge" ant
appeals Of similar sort to the ground
lings' are the best things In the lines
Exits and entrances are made withou
| rhyme or reason; life and character hav
little TO do with destinations everything
To judge Of the acting of players pro
vided with such a vehicle is difficult
HampereG by such lines and situations, {
would be hard for the most skilled play
ers to show their powers. Miss Fernand.
Eliscu the star. is an actress of som
ability. but there is nothing in her work t
indicate that she is Of star size She Ia
rather q pleasing personality. withou
much magnetism; she has a pronounce
1ebr9ic accent. and her appeal in Calme
moments Is not strong. In strong scene
she displays a certain power; she can ex
press the emotion Of grief fairly well, bu
in the ending of the play, her dealt
scene, meant to be pathetic, came peril
ously near TO bathos. and was not at al
convincing But this WIS due rartlY Z