The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-11-03
AS the Unhappy Princess
She Scores at the
Columbia.
New Faces Seen at the Ma
tional in THE Lion and
the Mouse.

A beautiful land is the Social Fl
Dorado. a land Of shimmering gowns
and waving pIumes. OF lovely young girl
roses pining on the stem and brave
young millionaires riding by 10 pick
them of, of dallying princes who need
to be Weakened, and dainty fairies in
old gold messaline. None of as ever
lose altogether the longing for 1t,
though We hunt for it like the pot of
gold at the end Of the rainbow. And
now and then we get our reward. as
We do this week at the Columbia.
For the scene Of The Stronger Sex
IS laid there, and ell the old characters
OF the story are brought together In
it. AT their head is Annie Russell with
a personality that never quite so fully
found expression as when it donued
its right clothes and scampered through
bosk and dell as Puck. Here she l.
not Puck. Oh. no indeed! This time
she is Alice IN Wonderland IN one
scene, the peasant girl who IS made
queen for day in the next. and the
maid whose lips drop roses and pearls
and all things sweet in the last, She
is all these old favorites at once. this
week. and they are just as welcome
is ever they were ten years ago. or
twenty, or-even more yet
Let Old SCTOOge Stay Away.
Now, there are those who don't be-
ieye In d social FL Dorado. Well,
there are good folk in the world who
don't believe in Thanksgiving Day. be-
cause they have never been genuinely
thankful for anything, And there are
those who say that when you get into
a
rooms, and stacks Of money, and OBJ
stdCle courses for the testing OF true
love. that It doesn't amount 20 much.
OF course no woman belongs 20 any OF
these Ounce classes, and mighty few
men, way down in their hearts. The
truth OF the matter Is We all believe
in lJ-mOre or less, more when FCe
wear our right glasses. and less when
the dinner has been bad.
SO a good many of US will 90 TO the
Columbia and follow the winding or
the romantic thread which euthralls
man and leaves the ends OF the skelu
In the hands Of woman. In sense,
john Valentine Is not true Hans
Christian Anderson; for TO make his
story he must conceive a young
dallyer who asks one CIR! 10 kiss him
on the very day he marries another;
and also there are some strange char
aCteTs in this fairy tale, such as a
South African widow. who speaks the
truth right out though II dsn in your
ear drums. But before the curtain
falls 20 redeems himself, does Mr..
a'entine, and you ana ] (who love
fairy tales and are not too old for
them. we 90 home TO live happily ever
after.
Miss Russell is the unhappy princess.
with treasure house filled with leases
and stocks and other investments. and
Oswald HUrke Is the hopeful prince,
though at urst MI YOTke hopes for
the treasure and not the lady. Then
4 H..
Hitchcock, and the one, as an alluring
lady Of the court, cant make trouble
any faster than the other. as the mas
ter Of ceremonies, can straighten II
out Miss Helen Tracy is the treasurer
OF Capetown Kingdom. IN the end she
gives half OF all her wealth 20 Miss
Kruger, that estimable lady fOTeEOes
any longer flirting with Mr. Yorke; and
MISS RusSeu sees WnaL you ara saw
much earlier and the play is done.
A New Smile and q New Focus.
Not much to all this. you think?
Not much 70 EI Dorado, either and yet
all Of US would journey there today II
VIC could. In despite OF the election,
There are some excellent acting by
Miss Russell an interesting foH In the
person Of Miss Kruger, a curious form
Of a part by Mr.. Yorke, which is empty
Of personality as Diapers model, and
other representations TO order. There are
sCme gowns and hats that even mem
can see are imposing creations. There
is a fairy tale of a lady who tames a
man because she holds the purse
and has a valiant male sup
porter. Best OF all, there Is a chain /
Of scenes so constructed and so Ell
liyened by Miss Russell's quaint little
NOODLE that being the language Of the
play and not the reyiewer-that when the
evening is done, at seasonanle au,. (
q gTeeable hour, you step out into this /.
old world Of ours with a new and
fugitive little smile in your heart, and
a new focus in your eyes.
Some fear Is expressed lest Mere
Mate through this wonderland Ii IS
grOEndless. For, first. the fair auto
Gratis, even in Mr.. Valentines play. love
power only TO yield Il: second, they
have Wit enough to see that here, as
elsewhere, they owe all they are 10 the
gift of a rib third, they wouldn't dream
Of buying themselves such lyur1eCL
dreams OF golng-aWay gowns, and house
gowns. and morning gowns. and stay
at-hOme hats, if they were not perfectly
sure in advance that Mere Man under
stood how lovely they were going to be;
and lastly (and we can keep this to our
selves II the worst came to the worst
we need not altogether reiinqulsh do
minion over the treasury of the realm.
No, there are no pitfalls in this castle
In the air and Miss Russell is a guide
" no knows the way 70 its most brightly
jeweled chambers.
ALLEN D. ALBERT.