The Washington times., 1909-04-27
Void Picture of Old Social Eya
SkalfuLy Painted in NeD Play

Just how easy is the gliding from the
eddies of shabby respectability into the
whirlpool of a butterfly existence is the
theme Macmillan Foster has chosen
to exploit in 1.-The Whirlpool" seen in
it's metropolitan premiere at the Co
lumbia last evening.
To carry out this theme = e paints
the struggles Of people perilously near
the danger line and turns the light, for
an instant on those who have been
swept across. The squalor of living In
the tenement district. the iil-timed ef-
forts of settlement workers. the odds
against goodness are some of his ma
terials in the first picture. The turpi-
tude. the moral atrophy, the ephemeral
nature of life among the great white
lights are details Of the second.
These materials Mr.. Foster has blend
ed into a story of consistency, and to
the working out of the play Wagenhals
& Kemper have assembled an ex-
ceptional cast Of actors.
There Is no star. There is wealth OF
opportunity to an unusual degree IN
every one of seven characters In ev-
cry case there is capacity. IN several
there is a flash of the power that is
akin TO great acting. But essentially
the plays the thing. In substance, II is
this:
Story of Play.
Living in "sky apartment" of
Varick street tenement is the Lingard
family The father has passed into the
mellow age OF "reminiscences, the great
ness of Bismarck and the glory of his
Fatherland are more real than the
daily rnonotony OF the living room"
Let Jip. aged fourteen, tell his own
] - Sc
land, and mother, too. I was born in
America and IN an American citizen
Why Abe Lincoln has Bismarck and that
bach Of musty heroes beat 10 fraz-
zle on the getaway. Me for him. Ev-
ery American boy has chance 10 be
something. Just keep your eye on.
yours truly.
Confident in the strength OF her
young womanhood is Hllda Lingard,
a week on the morning Of a spring
day. when the play opens. all Is well.
The struggle is hard But @hat OF
that 1T Is only the down and cutters
that cry for socialism" s2ys Hilds.
Not the ones who are able to fight"
settlement worker meets with little
| encoura cement. Under the fine conf
dence of this girl he touches a streak
OF bitterness. My soul is all right,
don't need a message Look at this
apron, elegant hemstitching and costly
L
I lady who saw me Wiping up the floors
and washing dishes in gingham. Who
owns this rickety tenement The man
who gives the most 10 support your up
| town church, the man VINO built this
memorial settlement house The same
man owns the factory where father was
Il lost my Job today. The floor
walker made a crack at me and
slapped him in the face. No, L can't
get a job Ia some other department
store because these men have a clique
Of their own The girls would make IL
too warm for me. They don't like
men who slap their bosses in the face"
Tragic Ending.
Coming to take Hilda and her brother
motoring are Buck Walsingham and
Sadie Meekin, girl who quit the
struggle for a luxurious uptown apart
ment Not 50 much from the remon-
STRANGE Of David Pell as from a sense
that she could not 90 wrong and look
the younsster straight in the eye"
she backs out. But Jip, radiant in the
hope Of a clean collar, can 90. His boy
/ ssh flight proves too much for the
| rickety stairs. A step gives away. and
/ he Is killed.
With the strongest motive for keep
! ing straight gone, with starvation the
Only outlook the importantly of Sadie
Meekin finds a reader nearing. Up
I town goes Bilda. az did laura Muir
I QDth ~ 4 ~ E<dEiF0A " aF- tgul ne
whirlpool begins where the Waiter
play ends. One glimpse into Sadie
/ apartment. glance behind the scenes
and Hilda loses her nerve" David
I PeH comes before Walsingham ar
rives, and pleads with the young woman
l 10 return to hef home. That he fails
/ 10 see that she loves him. that he
would have her marry a German who
/ could keep her. braces her waning
/ determination 10 see the night through
} Walsingham' coming turns the tide
/ In a rey7Ilsi0n Of feeling she declares
| her secret and throws herself into Pql;'s
care. He can not comprehend She
/ asks Walsingham 10 take her home
I street again. Close upon her return
! claim her. Stoutly she maintains that
her love for him is the strongest OBJ
| stacle against their marriage She de-
| cIares he acts under strong emotion
| that wears would bring contempt for
/ her and everlasting regret that he aid
not marry a Woman IN his own class
PeH stands by mis- guns. and wins.
Paints True Picture.
In his portrayal OF conditions Mr.. Eos
/ ter paints with singular truth and ndel-
IHy. He voices the crying social prob
lem OF today. He has working knowl-
edge OF his subject from the "lnside. q"
/ The best thing he has done is to make
4 Us realize that this problem Is not con-
cerned alone with the illterate, with
! the dregs of society Engaged in the
battle are human beings with all the
Amer sensibJIitless with al the aspITa-