Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-19
BY sIDLE LAWRENCE

! ter by MIR. Hare.
1t is a strong, purposeful drama, the
| tragedy sf a woman's shattered ideals
The clumsiest thing about it is its title
which is wholly misleading. Upon the
presentation of the play in Germany
| in 1899 this error was corrected, the
| title used being Die Genossin," in
English, The Compact By that
| time, however, the English title had
become too firmly established to make
a change commercially advisable.
Agnes Ebbsmith was the daughter
of a man who, in his day, doubtless,
was known as a Socialist agitator.' -
She herself became of the type COM
monty denominated, until within the
past few years, as a fanatic. Unhappy
in her married life. from which she
was released by the death of her hus-
band. she espouses the cause of the
people and becomes a public speaker
| upon economic subjects. At this stage
in her career she was known, even
among her own followers, as Mad
Agnes" while that other epithet was
bestowed upon her by members of
the class which she assailed in her
public utterances.
Her health, however, broke down under
the strain. She went to a hospital, and
upon emerging from that institution be-
I
toward earning a livelihood. In this
circumstance she is sent to Venice to
care for Lucas Cleeye, then grieVously
| ill. She nurses the man back to health.
He becomes dependent upon her
strength and ultimately the two make
a compact, founded upon the woman's s
belief and upon the mans self-decep-
ton. They are to live together as man
and wife, but without the marriage
ceremony. an example to the world of
constancy unfettered, of happiness un-
| bound.
The Play Opens
Here the play opens and here the
tragedy of Agnes Ebbsmith's life be-
gins. Cleeve is an egoist AS the duke
says of him, possessing self esteem
without self confidence; without pa
tience, in body, nervous boy; in NOR
ais. an epicure." Agnes revolts at the
description. but is compelled to an ad-
mission of its accuracy. She had pic
tured Cleeve and herself leading a life
of mental comradeship; working to-
gether, side by side, for the uplift of
! humanity. She comes to a realization
! that they never can be coWorkers; that
/ Cleeve's monumental egotism will toll
| crate nothing of the sort: and she
| sees that her appeal to the man must be
physical.
cumbs, voicing her defeat in the pa
thetic My old life coming all over
again." Again. she says:
lone supreme houri My poor life
is like the arch of a crescent; so many
years lead up to that hour. SO many
weary years decline from it. No mat
ter what she may strive for, there is
a moment when Circumstance taps her
upon the shoulder and says Woman,
1t.
to spare you 1t may come to her IN
calm or in tempest, lighted by a steady
radiance or by the glitter of evil stars;
but however it comes, be it good or evil
it is her hour-let her dwell upon every
second of it! Oh! Oh! Am
bitionsi Yes, yes! You're right, Once
long ago. I hoped that my hour would
be very diIerent from this. Ambi-
tions. l have seen myself standing
humbly clad, looking down upon a
dense, swaying crowd-a scarlet flae
| for a background. l have seen the
| responsive look upon thousands o.
white, eager, hungry faces, and I'v,
heard the great. hoarse shout of wei
come as l have seized my flag ant
! hurried down amongst the peOple-tt
| be given a place with their leaders
| l! With the leaders. the leaders! Yes
| that is what l once hoped would b,
my hour. But this is my hour"
This apostrophe was delivered by Mrs
| Campbell last night with all the patho.
possible to great nature battling il
futile defense of shattered illusions.
Grasps at Shadow
To this woman. then who meets de
feat with an attempt to grasp thu
! shadow of victory, comes a woman
friend to whom she tells her story
| Once, when the death of Ebbsmith i.
mentioned this woman says: "Yol
were free, then, free to begin all owe
| again?" Yes" replies Agnes, 'bu
you don't begin to live all over again.
| That brief speech serves as the eX
Her beliefs had been shattered and the
| new belief painfully erected upon The
ruins Of the old, was of different stuff
! To Venice come relatives of Lucas
| Cleeve. They extend to him the lure OF
+ a great career impossible with Mrs
| Ebbsmith openly by his side Ther
! they insidiously suggest that politica
preferment still would be possible if he
| should consent to return, ostensibly, tC
his wife; at the same time establish.
! ing Mrs. Ebbsmith in a country villa
near London, and continuing clandes.
! timely the old relations. His wife, from
! whom he is separated but not di-
vorced. accedes to this plan. Agnes
herself, taunted into the test by the
duke suggests the arrangement, anC
| Cleeve eagerly falls into the trap. She
| helps him into his coat, sees him off OF
a visit to his wife. and then, her houl
over fees for comfort to her woman
friend and that friends brother, al
| English clergyman.
A Strong Climax
The descent of the curtain upon the
| third act marks a tremendously effec.
tive climax. The clergyman, in rather
! tungling fashion, to be sure, has giver
! Aenes a Bible. Fiercely she tells him
! the book has been the source of al
her trouble. ut played me false" she
cries; 1T played me false" And she
hurls it into the fire. A moment later
she thrusts her bare arm into the
flames and draws from them the
charred book, pressing it frantically tc
her breast.
In the last act Cleeve seeks Il recon
ciliation. His wife also pleads with
Agnes to accompany the man to Lon
don to encourage him by her presence
and her submission to his wishes tC
| ,ae,,n,a biS iufarrIIOfad work Mrs