The Washington times., 1909-02-09
Play Teens With High Col
OrS of French Revo-
luton.
JULIA MARLOWE
FINDS APPROVAL
fhe Goddess of Reason Proves
Revival of Classic Style
of Drama.

acted at the BeIasco Theater last night
by Miss Julia Tarlowe. The play has
The high color of the French revolution,
IS developed in text Of marked beau
~, and registers a distinct literary
achievement for Miss Mary Johnston.
uur neighbOr OF Richmond. Actress.
company, and play wright alike found
FAVOR with an audience OF mauifestIy
high intellectual and social character.
The countryside which Breton ana
DdGblgny nave pictured so sentimental
~ aad yet 80 wildly 10 our eyes is the
background. a garden, adjoining q
white chateau in Brittany. and a vista
Of the Loire may, IN fact, bear compari-
SIN u atmosphere with the work of
these modern painters. and when the
one picture Is figured with characters iu
the stlh costumes OF the close of the
eighteenth century and the other cen
tered ON Goddess OF Reason, dethron-
Esd 10 be again Ii mere peasant girl, there
- IN them more than a suggestion OF
N Vatican and COTOt
But the fairyland Formally Of the
Louis and the stOlid peace OF the mulch
ed field are not the keys 10 this play
Of Miss Johnston. Its title, .Tue Goddess
Of Reason, VIII lift the curtain 10 those
VINO know the story Of The Tale of
Two Cities and that wonderful ESSAY
ar Carlyle. A common people UeIiTiOus
with vengeance aud drunk with license,
an arisJOcracy lifted into true nobility
by Unborn pride, are its subjects and
these two factors are followed through
a storm IN which the lightning flashes
are from human hearts and the wreck
age LETT is thar OF human lives.
Passing Into History
such plays as these are rare and be-
coming rarer stiII IL is form Of art
endeavor which is passing into history.
This is not a day of epics, of symptom
les, Of three-part novels. OF stalking
grandeur. II is day OF naturalism eX-
pressed IN plays COlloQui8l as the talk
OF the stree IS In symphonies domes-
tiqUe," In lyrics in the nearest approach
10 naturs which the capabilities of tine
modern artist make possible. ROStanO,
with his "IiAiglOu,'- and Hauptmauu.
with his 'Sunken BelI' are not the char
acterisJiC dramatists of this time. Rath-
or are lbSeu and James A Hearne- This
Is q Gay of hlpllug- not of Shakespeare.
But last night there was uudeniable
pleasure in hearing formal English just
ly spoken such phrases as spirit Of
the wind, from lonely graves OF ar
guish, and OF wrath, 30 the smitten cheek,
the uauuJ, the burning heart have d
certain appeal OF dignity and grandeur
which does not mark the dialogue Of
'Hedda Gabler' and Shore Acres. 20
And mere, indeed, IS our tongue beauJi-
fully spoken. For If Miss MaTlOwe and
AT. SOthern were hailed In London as
the superiors OF all living English actors
in reading Shakespeare. the woman Of
that pair is advanced Etill further Ia the
reading Of this later verse
Offers Ample Opportunity.
such play may weu be thought 10
offer this actress the full of opportunity
size is aboveN everything accomplished.
8 voice naturally musical mas been
beautifully trained and is used with as
true an instinct ana as fine a melOdic
effect as the singing Of "a diva. A face.
more than consolidated By the CLEAN
or Intelligence and modelled to mirror
personality end not be simply a con
tour of curve and c0lor-refeCtS clearly
tire whole range Of emotion. A train
ing begun In g1TIlOJd and diligently
fIrthered iu the best Of plays, gives
Voice face, and mind fun expression
Eld If there be lack OF thrilling power,
there - yet an ability truly wo1dIuus
10 Undue verse with life and euliveu q
scene with a thousand quick PLAYS Of
hight and shadow IL is a treat not
otLen cQUsled 10 see this woman lean
ing over a. graE stone fountain In the
garden of "a convent. her face in tie
Glow OF q pickering candle. her peasant
costume atuHe with the dark corners
OF the garden, and 20 hear her recite.
Tho snow was on the ground,
The shadows all around,
LAID a finger on my lips,
As 7 stood, hand on hip.
Listening 10 the gray wolf bark.
Hoeel Hoecl Hocc.
Een-alA lhe half way tree.
Tween Josseiu and POutivH-
Around This figure moves the pauo-
rama Of French life iu Thar tGeatriea
time. 80 period of history was ever
more artlhclal.F seemed Here were the
nobility ln pauiers and high headdrcssez.
I'M Velvetsr broeades. and rare laCes.
here were peasauiTg iu flaming red
and white and blue. here were priests
and nuns In rich vestmeuls. and every
where were the weakly delicate or the
64utfre features Of generations of re-
hnemenI SET against the pudgy swollen.
snkempt faces or the pIebeian.
Cast Thoroughly Competent.
TO a th0F0uE.ly competent cast are
Entrusted the roles counterpart 10 these
ngurcs. A baron. patHciau, gentle.
brave. kind gallant iu the manner Of
hiE rank. IE acted by Waite Whittlesey
Ills training having been like Miss Mar
lowe 8. It iE gratifying that ike EeT
also ho can read blank verse as one
who knows his photography confident
~. Opposed 10 him lu voice. in c6arac-
ser. iu allotted task. is Wilson Mo'Tose.
and he quite supplies the foil required
for the imper5oHauons Of The star and
her leading man. The geutlelOlk 40
whom IN SIS given 10 walk with heads
erect 20 blatant accusation and prede-
1eTmiuCd sentence are unusually well inn
peTsguatet bE vincent SteruIoEd TEco-
drre Hamilton Alexander Calvert. Svd-
ue- Grerustreer- Lawrence Frye Miss
olive Temple. and Miss Edith f-cWmaIJ
1Tise payeou Graham fits "a peasant role
associated with that acted los MIss Mar
lowe
There are nuns and convent girls. sol
d.ers and patriots. women of tAe TeE5lu-
zion and ToEaIiet prisoners Some OF
these. come together as a mob, create
SD truly the vliT and din OF the streets
III Nantes when reason was ranked
above Cod and law deI1r9ued bE reck-
jess liberty. bat the mind aches and
the eyes clos against b.
The Weld OF II all is pleasure akin
10 tbaf of reading Tcuuysou, OF hear
fnc WeudeIsH08u of viewing the paint
lnea of Edwin Abbey il is an at
1aumeut 90 the higher standards of
ara III teaches no lesson. save that il
suaErus c0uua @si0U and stirs the hears
To pits. D. is not au expression Of our
owu time. and De- does not quicken the
runuI-a 10 an art of your own. u
serves Ia introduce tine author OF The
Prisoners of Hope and ITO Have and
20 HoIi iu a. new and Cuv.abIa char
actor as one who writes imaginative.
poetic. and musical verse. Most of all.
81 eiEe4 pleasure because IN permits q
graceful and gracious personality. an
actress Of unusual accOmulisHmeuts.
and q Gue mind further to express
themselves even than when they earn
cd Miss MaEOWe fame as HOsaliud
and Juliet
ALLEN j. ALBERT, JR.