Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-29
a CENSOR of the theater?

ed upon TO come TO the aid OF mahaS-
ers with timely and enlightened advice as
To what style of entertainment VIII De IN
offensive to the tastes of the particular
poprllace over whom they are placed IN
guardianship In The Queen OF the
Moulin Rouge" there is song with the
refrain Take that off too The repre-
sentatives Of municipal government who
scrutinized the performance with a view
TO pracins objectionable material seemed
to take a fancy to ii. There was scarcely
an evening in which they did not repeat
IN accents of stern prose this lifting In
junction. as some new audacfty revealed
itself to consciousness. The act which IN
troduCed this refrain was one OF the reve-
lations of deficient feminine attire which
usually abound in a production intended
for the exhibition on Dear Old Broad
wav" but il was allowed to remain, pos
sibIy ont of Difference to its usefulness
in providing a sentence ready made which
fitted the eXigencies.
So many features of the performance
were taken off the stage during the week
that the performance on Wednesday was
quite different from the one given on
Monday.
1t is a sad commentary on the stage Of
TODAY but why proceed in this dutiful
vet unayailng strain? The character OF
the performance was frankly set forth In
the review of last Tuesday; yet the warn
ing that there might be something to Of
fend did not prevent the box Office from
issuing the usual number of seat coupons.
A play patron can depend on being frank
inf to ha r. n
tertainment offered. Even the press agent
usually consents to cooperate with the
critic in avoiding a misunderstanding. and
the people who allow themselves to be
shocked must be, in a certain sense, clas-
sified with those who go on being vic
timized by bunco artists because they do
not read the newspaper.
His dramatization of Trilby seems to
have given Paul NJ. Potter the studio
habit: In this latest production from his
pen he fairly revels in Cay Paree." as
the American sensation seeher desires to
see it portrayed 1t would be impossible
for Paris to be as red as 1t is painted.
The only way in which it could approx
innate such result would be to repro
duce some of the fevered imaginings that
purport to represent its amusements.
The Queen of the Moulin Rouge" re-
leved of expurgations. ought to make a
congenial Dearoldbroadway entertain
ment.
There was a real play submitted to con-
sideration in THE Battle 1t proved to
he work of serious interest; one whose
philosophic thought must appeal to even
he Sfr of fat
it might daunt the auditor who visits the
playhouse only for mental relaxation. Mr..
Moffett. the author. is a writer of repu-
tation on topics of public interest. AS
such he represents the analytical rather
than the sympathetic or emotional meth
cd of thought. He made his hero a man
of business; one to be admired for keen
ness OF discernment and Incorporating
directness in reasoning power. He Is the
absolute opposite of the conventional
''come-what -may -we-will- face-the world
together hero that the auditorium has
learned to expect when a popular star Is
announced. The result was a lack of in
terest among the lovers of sheer emo
tionalism. and the play, fine as it is in
structure and in writing, is not universal
in its appeal.
Mr.. .Lackaye has manfully endeAvored
to get away from the trite commodities
which a popular actor is expected to vend
If he would have the approval of the
general throng His determination in
avoiding hackneyed heroics is the ad-
mirabIe obstinacy of the artist. 1t means
greatness. but it is often the greatness
Of financial martyrdom.
The Man of the Hour is a play OF
the present. one which touches on our
social system in philosophical spirit
But it is first of all a love story-the
question of whether the young man will
become engaged to the young woman, at
the conclusion of the story, being at AL
times the paramount issue.
PHILANDER JOHNSON.
BURR McINTOSH.-There are few
more interesting personalities before the
public than that OF Burr Mcintosh. A.
Lafayette College, which he first at
tended, he was president OF his class
and OF the college athletic association. In
his freshman and sophomore years he
was catcher of the varsity base ball nine.
Maj. PaytOn c. Marsh, U.SA. who com
mauded the famous Aston Battery in the
expedition dIter AgulnalQO. was ptcner
o. the team. In the fall of 81 Mcintosh
was at Princeton and was member OF
TIRE foot ball team. In the intercollegiate
games Of 'S3 he showed himself the fast
est hundred-yard runner and Splinter in
all the colleges of the country at that
time. He was president and captain OF
the Six FOoters' Republican Marching
Club in the Blaine campaign Of IS. This
organization contained 100 men OF six feet
and Owe. He next entered the newspaper
field, and won distinction as reporter
on the Philadelphia News. In the mean
time ne dabbled in amateur theatricais
and later took advantage of an offer 10
20 on the professional stage. Among his
trumphs in this part of his career may
he mentioned Taffy in the original pro-
duction OF ''rrilby." 10 Vernon. the
mighty blacksmith of Augustus Thomas
pay. In Mizzoura'; Col. Moberly In
Way Down East" etc.
On the Breaking out OF the war with
Spain he went TO Cuba with the 18th Army
Corps TO represent a number OF leading
periodicals BY swimming IN three-Quar
tiers Of d mile on the day Of the landing
at DaIQUiri ne secured the first valuable
pictures of that famous historic episode.
Two days later he secured the picture Of
the Rough Riders first battlefield AT Las
Guasimas He also made the only pic
from FL Poso Hill He contracted the
yellow fever and returned to New York.
After his recovery he was starred IN
play called THE War Correspondent"
lie subsequently wrote book called THE
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