The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1908-12-03

4 j &
wen rendered, phI1osoEi icalIy oral
IStare stories Ctarksburt theater -goeFs
have had the Opportunity Of heartng
| for 4 long time was the presenta ton
by arranGement with Henry ". Saw
/ age OF Franz Mol1ar . famous Eu-
ropean play The Devil p by NJ. Al
tired z Aarons at the Grand last
night.
IN Franz Nfolnar's story It e almost
didlculf to determine whether The
DEVIL, who calls hfTnselk Mr., Miller,
| Is supernatural or a terrestrial person
age. He appears. however. as q well
dressed polished though cynical man
OF the world. There IS an artist, Karl
Mailer, who Is about to marry an
heIress. But the Devil. whose bust
ness as he himself tells as. has been
for six Thousand years to know a lit
tie about everything. Is aware that he.
stiil loves an old sweetheart. who has
married a Eat and prosperous banker,
a good fellow, honest and loyal
enough. but who certainly does not
attract the love OF his vile. The art
ist and the wife had layed aside their
romance and had agreed to forget the
past entirely, the wife herself is
furtherInR the betrothal of the artist
to a young heIress. They are a bit
stupid but they are honorable. this
artist and this wife would walk a
straight line TO the end of things were
81 NOT that the Devil suddenly interests
himself in their afEafrB, clicking them
occasionally with taunts as to thter
stupidity, shaming them with clever
phrases about their own respectable
fty and constantly iEnpreBsinE them
with the foolTshness OF missing the
good things of life. The banker takes
his wife to the artists studio to have
her portrait painted. then leaves her
to attend TO his own prosaic business;
for a brief time the artist and the
wife talk easily, gradually reyerting
to their old love affair. both striving
to conceal their true feeling for each
other. After a lapse into sentiment
tally they get themselves strongly in
hand once more, the artist leaves the
studio to prepare for the Sitting and
the wife commences TO disrobe... Sud
denly the DeVIl appears smiling, with
easy nonchalance, Introduces himself
to the artist as Monte Carlo ac-
quatntance and takes their affairs
into his own hands. Cynically he re-
minds them that there has been no
sitting although the lady Is in a sIls-
picious state of urdress- What, 4
therefore, will the husband have to
say when he returns to the studio
and finds that paint has not touched
the canvass2 They have done no
wrong, nor thought none. but Instant |
ly they are made to feel that they
have sinned. It IS easy for the Devil
to push them a little further along |
the road and they are soon ready to |
fall into each others arms when very |
suddenly a ringing at the door bell.
that the husband had re-
turned. For time the spell is broS-
en-.
In the second act the bankers wife
is giving a ball and the Devil by
trickery gets an invitation. To arouse
the artists Jealousy and distrust the
Devil makes love to the wife and In
structs the heTress how best to inter-
est the artist in order TO arouse the
wife to Jealousy. By every trick and
turn of speech, every glance and
laugh he plays upon the emotions of
the pair. They are quite ready to
foreswear their honor. In the last
act, again the artists studio. The
DevIl' succeeds in bringing about the
DOWNFALL OF the couple he has set to
ruin. The wife leaves her husband
and the Devil with the brightest smile
Imaginable bows her into her lovers
arms. Notwithstanding the intense
heart-interest OF the piece II is full of
bright epIgrams. clever situations and
delightful bits OF comady.
Miss Alberta Galiatin. as Olga HON.
man, the bankers wife; Mr.. Reginald
Barlow, as The Devil:" Miss Virginia
Berry as Elsa Berg. and Arthur
were all exceedingly good in their
parts and the play was handsomely
staged and costumed.
It might be interesting to learn OF
u