The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-07-11

"The Servant in the House, which
will be seen at the Salt Lake theatcr
for a week S engagement, beginning
Monday, July 26, is 4 modern comedy
through which runs well defined vein
of pathos that occasionally touches
tragic significance. 1t tells Of mys
terious Indian bishop who enters the
home OF an English clergyman, dis
guised AS a butler. At the end of the
play this servant in the house dis
closes himself as the Bishop of Be
mares, the "Iloly City Of India. And
il does moi take AN audience many min
utcs to realize that he Is something
more than ga bishop in God S church;
he is readily recognized as a reincarna-
lion of the Christ,
When the curtain rises for the first
act a man clad in flowing oriental robes
is seen standing with his back TO The
audience. After a few minutes of con
versation with tho "buitons of the
household who tells him that he can /
helm thinking he has seen him some
whcrc before, this stranger from th"
east startlcS The lad by correcting him
for y petty ofiensc which had been com
niffed while his back was turned.
Z" Pom my word. Mr. Manson the boy
eyclaims. Won give me The far crccps.
and no mistake. % on VIII get over
that The other replies, ''whcn you
know me better.'' A moment later he
turns about and tho audience secs tina
this Manson bears a startling rosem-
hance 10 Il we'll known painting OF the
Man of sorrows =
The story Of the play tells Of three
brothers who have not met for fifteen
wears One has become vicar IN the
Church OF England; a preacher famed
ll,.,s lrpf hnr has
sruit low in the social scale and become
u p'scayenger-'' the n18n who looks after
drains = The third had disappeared
in India when a mere boy, and only the
previous dav word had reached the
vicar that his long lost brother and the
celebrated Bishop of Benarcs were one
and the same person. On the morning
OF the play these three come together
AT the vicar : house. The Drain Man
had iou.ncycd there with hatred in his
rcart against his clergyman brother,
and broodirg over wrongs for which he
holds him responsible. The brother
from India is present, but neither OF
tbc others recognize him. They soon
comc under the wonderful influence OF
this servant in the house. The wear
realizes The hypocrisy of the conven-
tcnal form Of religion into which he
has drifted, and IN the revolt from 1t
finds peace. The Scavenger turns from
his thoughts of revenge, and in the end
gladly faces Il horrible death down IN
The darkness TO save his comrades up
above
The most pathetic episode in the play
is the meeting between the ScaVenger
and his little girl, whom he has not
seen since she was baby. She mis-
takes him for a thief when she first
sees him. and Shrieks with fear before
his dissipated face and disreputable ap-
pearance. But in conversation with HIM
She grows even friendly and tells him
of her longing to see her father, who
is. she knows. "brave. beautiful and
good The Scavenger is tempted at
first to disclose his identity, but is
stopped by her description of her idea
father He realizes his own unworthi-
ness and that he can only drag her down
to his leved by claiming her. He deter
mines to 20 away without speaking.
As he goes out the door she says: I" Be
fore YOU go, won't You tell me your
name7 Who are you1" 81 got no
name worth spcakin' Of, miss lie says
in broken tones. 81 m Just the bloke
wot IS a-lookin' after the drains
In the last act the scavcnger returns.
He has discovered dangerous condi-
tion down in the sewer under the build
ing which threatens the lives of those
above lie announces that he Will 90
down there to repair the defective
drain. although the attempt is almost
certain to cost him his life. His
brother, the vicar, says he shall not
90 He would rather see the church
itself perish than have his brother die
such death "Wbat, you call yourself
a clcrgyman,'' exclaims the Scayenger'
in astonishment. .tI call myself, moth
ing the clergyman despairingly eX-
claims 'tI am nothing-less than moth
ing in all this living world, BY
God, but T call myself summat," the
Scavenger returns in ringing tones.
''I'm the Drain-man, that's what /
am,''
The mans splendid enthusiasm
sweeps the vicar off his feet Tearing
off his clerical garb and rolling up his
sleeves, he cries that his brother shall
not 90 alone. IF the Scavenger can
give his life in such a cause. he, the
Clergyman, will go with him. He grasps
the hand of the undiscovered man and
the brothers are for the first time recon
ciled. And then the little girl who had
listened breathlessly to the Scavenger s