The Washington herald., 1909-08-29

That Is the lesson given. one way or an
other, by these examples from sordid
life In America. The special point of
two dramas curiously alike seems 10 be:
II Hartman, or Morgan. or Rockefeller
Invites you 70 a short cruise on his yacht,
don't 60 Tho possible consequences are
shown in the third act OF THE Dollar
Mark and the second act OF The Ring
master" George Broadhurst has more
than once got in touch with popular taste
IN melOdrama OF crafty finance. He has
not convinced me that Hartman. or
Morgan, or Rockefeller has used hts mil
lions TO revenge the cold hauteur OF a
proud beauty by juggling a railroad or
giving the stock market the razzle-dazzle
or putting the lid OF monopoly on tract
OF oil wells. But since the people who
most Ike this type Of play find the en-
joyment enhanced by identifying charac-
ters as real men in the public eve. spot
ting the original OF Broadhursts villain
IS made easy by being narrowed down
70 a few dominant financiers. The quite
angelic hero, possessing mere half
dozen millions. may be almost any one
IN this land OF wealth. But the villain.
figuring his holdings IN the hundred mill
lions. must be somebody in particular.
The fair one Epurns the Hartman
Morgan-Rockefeller villains proposal OF
marriage on a Saturday night at house
party on Long Island and accepts the
mere half dozen millions hero. Does II.
n R. show HIS cards? No. He asks
the weekend party 20 make the trip back
to town on Monday In his yacht Though
the hero fears that the bank OF which
he Is president may fail. and knows he
ought 20 take a train. ne cannot decline
the invitation when reminded by HIS lady
love that the moonlight on the water
viii be very beautiful. So in the third
act all are aboard the yacht. while
banks tOtter, Wall street Is in a panic.
and the dickens IS to pay generally. BY
orders the captain says the machinery
has gone wrong. The tumpty-million-
dollar villain interrupts all wireless mes
Bages that lodge on the craft He has
the hero IN his clutches. But no. BY
accident that splendid young man gets
an inkling Of the true state OF affairs.
He remembers the hnancier's AFFECT fear
Df death. Indeed. whenever that great
masnate hears death so much as men,
tioned he involuntarily shakes like jelly
Covering him with pistol concealed In
I pocket the hero makes Mr. H. NJ. r.
order the machinery to get busy.
A stock company in Washington tested
THE Son OF His Father last spring
Renamed The RingmRster." It was hur-
ried into New York a week before THE
Dollar Mark" 1t was a race for the
Novelty Stakes. For whole act Of
THE Ringmaster" is aboard a yacht,
where the hero and heroine are guests
fas -
messages are delayed, and where finally
a good young fellow OF a few millions
discerns the plot OF the bad old fellow
OF many millions In time to reach New
York for a fight. Yet I don't believe
there is any plagiarism. II is ooinci-
dence only.
However. THE Ringmaster'' Is so near
ly a duplicate OF "The Lion and the
Mouse that Arthur Byron can hardly
keep them separate in his memory. Ar
thur was for long time the fellow who
braved a Rockefeller '1ion," and now
he fights a Rockefeller 'ringmaster."
He was GLIB enough in his first persona
ton OF the newer hero. but IN a repetl-
ton that 1 saw his mind reverted to the
more familiar role. and he became uncer-
tain what 10 say exactly when faced up
against a second embodiment OF the
money power. Olive Porter, writer OF
The Ringmaster," Is a secretary to a
Wall street operator, with tickers click
ing and phones ringing r. her ears,
while she shorthands and type-fngers
her employers dictations So the noisy
cOmmotiOn Of a money mart, confusing
to novices, IS clear TO her. Naturally
she locates the most important portion
of her play in the midst Of that sort OF
turbulence. with the old ''ringmaster's''
young antagonist dashing 'twixt tickers
and phones, dancing jigs of alternating
glee and wrath. and everything within
sight or sound at the utmost stress and
strain OF a crisis in a cornering OF the
market. The actors memory served him
perfectly as TO all he needed TO say to
and about his foes daughter, with whom
inevitably. he was in love, and who
thought his fight against her dear father
was horrid; but in the long spell Of tech
nlcal stock talk he was sometimes at
fault so was the audience, except the
portion familiar with the processes OF
speculation. OF course, the power OF the
Rockefeller was overthrown again ell the
same.
The local transitory playwrights con-
tinue 20 hold their mirrors up to nature
as they find It degraded in the Tender
loin. The Only Law" is a reiteration
Of The Easiest Way" It makes Just
the same sort OF exposure Of showgirls
and prohigates In their personal encoun-
ters. The heir TO millions IN this case.
though is no degenerate pursuer OF
pleasure, and he means no harm TO either
himself or the chorus creature who fas-
cinates him, but earnestly desires to
marry her away from the vicious life she
is leading. She dotes on fellow so low
and mean that he lets her support him
from her wages Of both honest work
and more remuneratfve sin. She will be
no ones wife but his.
You chumpl" ne exclaims. adding
other epithets OF contempt and disdain.
Not marry him? Why. grille. II won't
make no difference to us. Wen be to-
gether same as now; and think OF the
Doodle Wen tap him for. Why. it's like
picking up the Kohinor In a gutter"
Although shameless and constituencies
she won't go into a matrimonial triangle
with a husband she can't love and a
paramour she can't help loving. The
scoundrel pleads and argues, coaxes and
curses all in vain. However. she is will
Ing 10 wheedle a tip out Of her dupe.
make a considerable fortune by thus sur
reputously getting in on a big Wall
street operation, and then scoot 70 Call !
forRia with the wretch OF her fond and
foolish heart. he sullenly says all right !
but he means all wrong. for with the
money in mis- hands ne doesn't buy tickets !
By rail- with that showgirl across the !
continent but By steamer with another
showgirl across the ocean.
"a nj ~ a.
Wilson Miner, famous socially as a wit /
and more generally known for his mar
riage to the extra wealthy Mrs. Yerkes /
and Co.. Ernr.s IL - /