The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-07-05


YORK. the John Street, to see Broth
er Jonathan" patriotic farce. My
otnerwsse insignificant ancestor. a
Dutch New Yorker named Fyles, led
the musicians IN 1.-THE President
March," which he had composed for
Washington's Inauguration three
months previously, and which became
mall columbia when adopted as a
national hymn. Although history does
not tell much about the play that
washington saw. it may have been. by
ieason OF its levity, a hoodoo on later
ssrious drama of the American Revo-
iu,lon Else why have there been no
sedate plays OF our war for liberty ?
iney are written in plenty, but they
get no further from the authors to-
ward the public than the managers
nands, the thumbs of which are turned
uown as sign TO kill. Plays of our
civii war are accepted for production.
out those of the fight for freedom are
under taboo.
one or the devices TO get portions Of
dramas into public action, when the
whole cannot be presented is to add
pesihnings and ends to their best acts
ana performs the condensations on occa-
slons of charity or special festivity.
Ihree prosperous full length plays were
tnus edged into managers confidence.
rms week of patriotic holiday is util-
1zeu similarly by writers of martial
dramas in vaudeville. One is entitled
Hail Columbia" and said / to me:
here Is drama slipping fragn.en-
tarliy past the Revolutionary hoodoo,
and may be that old Fyles tunemaker
may get boost for his national air
over the later and better one. 1.-The Star
Spangled Banner" But no. This three
hour war drama, of which we see a
third of an hour portion, purports to be
episode of-not our war with Spain so
lar as the land fighting in Cuba was
concerned-but our desultory skirmish-
ing Charles Kenyon might have called
MS play more appropriately "A Hot
llme IN the Old Town." after the song
mat was sung by our brave boys for
the battling that didn't come to them.
Two soldiers of the United States and
the girl they both love are in a Cuban
cabin. Why she is there, and how she
mas made her choice of the man to mar
ry, may be explained in the drama
entire; but the scene here given in vau-
deville with no author or actors named
In the program, bluntly introduces the
three characters and a telegraphic in
strument. which clicks Off a military
order TO be delivered at a certain fort
ress. IL is almost certain death to the
messenger Which of the two men
shall go? The rejected lover volunteers
because he loves the girl so. The ac-
cepted lover insists on taking his chance
at the deadly hazard. The girl de-
clares that's fair and square. The re-
Jected lover loses in a cut of cards.
starts on his perilous exploit, and re-
turns MORALLY wounded. Then the
other fellow must go? No. A second
message over the wire says further
orders are coming. but the fate OF our
army depends on the immediate deliv-
cry of the previous one. One man is
dying; the girl can't read Geographic
clicks While her fiance stays to take
the second message she must make the
death run with the first. Both men de-
muir. The girl is Obdurately valorous
She is about to start. when-our rescu-
ing troops are heard marching to the
tune of Hail Columbia" 1t is an in
geniouSly tense spell of melodrama but
futile because every tolerably intelli-
gent person knows that our campaign
in Cuba rendered no such episode pos
sible.
A second war drama. of which indie
pendence day forces a part into vau-
deville as a playlet, is Buchanan of
the Times" and in this instance the
Jap-Russ collision in Asia. not Ameri-
can warfare that made the Fourth of
July sizz-boom-ah date for us, pro-
vides the background. When, on the
stage, is the journalist a hero? He
often is the comical chap, whether as
seedy veteran of the pen or as a
slang singing dandy reporter. We are
used to him In plays as the indefinite
young man who comes TO inquire
whether Gwendolyn. the heiress, really
has eloped with the poor but brave
American. so that the audience may
learn the truth without realizing it is
being told. We are used to him as the
dapper. irrepressihle. unconquerable
friend of the hero. and second only to
him in daring deeds. But the only
time he is the stage center, heroine
winning hero all on his own is when
he is q war correspondent. Genevieve
Greville Haines has illustrated the fact
anew in Buchanan OF the Times, -
written for her husband. 1t is not the
first time Robert T. Haines' wife has
kept him from making picturesque love
20 some star actress by writing a play
for him alone. This time she has made
assurance sure by acting with him. She
Is so handsome that ii would be hard
to say her play was bad If I thought
Sc. Therefore it is lucky mot to think
So She makes herself a Russian
princess stealing 1.-The papers" on the
eve of the fall Of Port Arthur. Right
here and now 1 want TO say that /
have never seen a princess dressed
more handsomely to go thieving. For
the information of women readers I
will say that the train is worn long and
the bodice cut very low for stealing this
season. There is a reason.
The plans of the fort, General Stoes-
sells dismissal, and a half dozen other
mysterious documents are crowded
down the bodice in bewildering num-
bers. Then the newspaper hero dashes
into view. For men readers let me say
that really smart herolsm is clad in
khaki.
1t may have occurred to you that
have not told the plot of Buchanan of
the Times" Again there is a reason.
I do not know the plot. If you must
have one. the third act of La Rosca"
would fit I'm with the action of this
tempestuous drma. The princess and
a Russian youth endeavor to save the
czars army in spite of the traitorous
General Stoessel. who Kisses passion