The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-11-03
vservant in the House"-oennett.

"Servant in the House"-Gennett.
"The Servant in the House which
is the Thanksgiving attraction at the
Gennett theater, is a modern comedy
through which runs a well-defined vein
of pathos that occasionally touches
tragic significance. 1t tells of a mys-
FERROUS Indian bishop who enters the
home of an English clergyman dis
guised as butler. At the end of the
play this servant in the house disclos-
es himself as the Bishop Of Benares,
the Holy City of India. And it does
not take an audience many minutes to
realize that he is something more
than Bishop in Gods Church. He
is readily recognized as a reincarna-
ton Of the Christ.
When the curtain rises for the first
act a man clad in flowing Oriental
robes is seen standing with his back
to the audience. After a few minutes
of conversation with the butler" of
the household, who tells him that he
can't help thinking that he has seen
him somewhere else, this stranger
from the east startles the lad by cor
recting him for a petty offense which
had been committed while his back
was turned. pond my word, Mr..
Manson" the boy exclaimes, you give
me the fair creeps and no mistake. u
you will get over that when you
know me better" the other replies. A
moment later he turns about and the
audience sees that this Manson bears
a startling resemblance to we'll
known painting Of the man of Sor.
rows"
The story Of the play tells of three
brothers who have not met for fiji
| teen years. One has become vicar
in the Church of England, a preacher
famed for his eloouence Another
brother has sunk low in the socia,
scale and becomes a scavenger tthe
man who looks after drains) The
third had disappeared in India wher
mere boy, and only the previous
day word had reached the Vicar thai
his long lost brother and the celebrat
| ed bishop of Benares were one anG
the same person. On the morning Of
| the play these three brothers come
| together at the Wears home The
drain man had iourneyed there with
hatred in his heart against his clergy
| man brother, and brooding ovel
| wrongs, for which he held him respon
sible. The brother from India is pre-
sent, but neither of the others recog
nize him. They soon come under the
wonderful influence of this servant IL
| the house. The vicar realizes the hyp
| ocrisy of the conventional form of re
| lfgion into which he has drifted ant
in the revolt from it finds peace The
| scavenger turns from his thoughts o
| revenge and in the end gladly faces {:
| horrible death down in the darkness t.
save his comrads up above.
The most pathetic episode in tn,
play is the meeting between the scav
| enger and his little girl, whom he ha.
not seen since she was a baby, ant
who shrinks with fear before his dis
| sipated face and disreputable appear
ance. But in conversation with hin
of her longing to see her unknown
| father. who is, she knows, brave
| beautiful and good The scavenge
is tempted at first to disclose his iden
tity, but is stopped by her description
of her ideal father He realizes hi
own unworthiness and that he can on
| ly drag her down to his own level b,
claiming her. He determines to g
away without speaking. AS he goe
out of the door she says: Before 20,
go won't you tell me your name? VIII
| are you?" II got no name wort