The Washington times., 1909-02-02
SALVATION NELL"
STUDY OF SQUALOR
Mrs. Fiske'S New Play a
Photograph of Life in
SlumS.

asco Theater last night 10y Mrs. Minnie
Madden Fiske i'm "a play by Edward
sheldon 1t caught the ser sibihucs OF
a highly cultured Capital audienCe in
gIip OF iron ana sent the members or
that audience out into the street with
a new sense of the oneness of mankind
and a new realization of the beauty that
lies in the regeneration OF the human
soul
Salvation Neu"-the play takes its
name from the role acted by MIS-.
Eiske-has provoked every character or
criticism eNJaut. one of the magazines
calls 1T easily the most nOldple play
OF the year" one OF our r. 'aSllnBton
contemporaries rates ~ as having HJ
possible excuse for existing, save as q
realistic picture OF the worst phase or
life Ia the slume." One critic rldiCules
It; another describes IL as "a divine
comedy of the Sums Very naturally
To one has ignored IT,
A Dramatic Photograph Of SqualOr.
The play is "a Photographic reproduc-
uon OF squalor. It's first scene is that OF
a saloon OF the Bowery type, free lunch,
tables where drabs can seek company
spongers. Ioafers and all. Another is q
room ia a tenement fiat, a hre-escape
renewing with every flash of lightning
the horror OF hre in such a dwelling, and
ing the clamp of that environment as a
column OF words could hardly do. The
last is the junction of two slum streets
with cliffs reaching almost 70 the clouds
and broken with windows framing
IrOuseled heads, with children degener-
ate and precOciOus in evil playing their
pitiable imitation OF childhood on the
hard street at the base.
Likewise are characters and events all
sQualid 10 the eve. Nell Sanders is
SUM grOwth-uot a flower, but sprOuL
struggling with unhealIEtul color to
keep alive in the dark corners of q Bow
cry lunch" and this bar. Her man is
a tough. a beat, walker on the verge
OF crime until he kills another in
braWl over Nell and a liver In shame
less idleness. With them move all their
kinda drabs whose Wit and pathetic
disregard OF her SOUL brighten lte
whole series OF pictures, a barkeepers la
the business Tor the coin there Is In II
and as hard OF spirit the sports ana
pikers who make the custom OF such
bars, the abandoned Old women the
musicians who Wanta da mons the kids,
half clothed and not even half reared
and the Salvation Army, led by reso-
lutte and intrepid "HalleluJa Maggie.
and the son of a rich house who has
given his life TO that work.
The "Army" With Outstretched Hand.
No one viii wonder as he sees this
play that iu New York a real lassie
Who stood outside the theater with her
tambourine reaped q fair harvest from
every audience For the story IS that of
light let into the souls of these two
Nell and Jim-by the Army. ''I heard
she sound Of voices they sing as the
curtain falls and he watches this play
LC poor erect who does not also hear
those voices as these two celler groWths
Lift their heads 10 the sun
They have been bad WTeJcneuly bad
Their natures have been GJly reflected
Ia FriE
shaven face snapeless clothes spotted
with food and booze, and made gray
with dirt and wear. and IN the woman s
fiat feet, IIayed SKIRT futhpIed shirt
waist, and hair done up Ia strlusy
mass representing even so striving
toward something better. Yet In these
two this play helps the spectator dis
aern the impulses that make as every
one a brother 10 his mates-the love UI
q little cullu. the love unfedsoHing aud
reckless Cf woman Tor man. the power
of the soul. and the appealing strength
OF the hand 9uJsfreJcned 10 help.
Characters Carefully Drawn.
The acting. like the scenes. is photo
graphic. Jim HalIeluiah Maggie. Myrtle,
the barkeepsr. the major Of the army.
and Nell are the chief of the nifty
speaking parts In them HOIbrOOk Buuu,
Mary Madison, Hope Latham. ". r..
Clark. and David Glassford give Mrs
Etske a support 81 is uo oveUsIaremeug
80 describe as brilliant. Elguettel
characters surround this group and two
of chem az least are marVeis OF accurate
dre Wing-Jle tenement mother VINO has
ths smartest baby ia the block. and an
old German woman who sItz and kuItz
and simply looks or.
Mrs EIzke ls the subject OF as much
controversy as her play. But these CON
illusions were altogether justified 10y heE
performance OF last night
She has invested this role with
ID 4. d
from those Of Mary OF Masdala and
-@Fhe New York Idea SHe creates q
surprising effect OF the hamperel
mind ana overcast outlook OF Nells
class She hJs her rather hard voice
and somewhat uumeI JdlDus delivery
10 her new character And though
her role Is not emphasized Tar above
thC others, she proves easily tine
strongest hEuIe in the play.
Bat only few Of her patrons car
be sal4 fairly 20 obtain amy Illusion
from her acting However they
might believe AfT. Blluu 10 be Ina Iacf
the tough be makes himself seem
they could hardly think Mrs. Fisks
other than eentle woman acuuG q
role il is not fair 90 say she does
not convince for, I'm addition to using
a dubious phrase. that would be r.
create au impression that the audi
enee does not follow every step she
takes with an interest that almost
hurts. But IL is yet true that Saliva
tIou Nell al her hands Us less reali-
LatiOu than "a wonderfully uue draw
5ug, Iu which the craft of the artist
cOmpel5 aU attention rIEaIuE that
which goes 10 the subject
Tu the volume Of discussion licl rhIl
play has provoked it has been suggested
that tIe public taste which responds CO.
n must 1e VltiateJ. tine public C0u-
slceuce duh, the demand for such plays
the fruit of UUITieuCE. ID is hard 10 fol-
IoW such au argument Every art needs
shadows. There would be no music
worthy OF Lhe name III IL were not fol
its dlssOuauCe. There would be ur
drama AT au IL e. dealt with human per-
fectiGuz alone.
Not an Education IN Vice,
The test Of art is that ll shall not D,
au educator in immortality and that Fl
shall express an aspiration tgwaTl
Beauty TO this newspaper Salvation
NeIr meets that test spleudidiy. It
shadows are no lesson iu sln. MS Bfc
gre OF vice i- not more an aiIur-WeU
EHau the cartoons OF HOEaTTh. It n
Ilt subject ly the condemnation earned
Bv MYcHeriE. Cousreve and Dryden ID
one age or by Fiuerc. Henry Arthur
Jones. and DaudeT iu another axe. tina
7lee is clothed with superficial lowell
ness and sport is made of the mos
-arged Impulses OF the heart The
curiosity which every American EunaI
being feels ln the life OF The vIckel
5a reitHer sinful nor discTeditabIe
Fr.F- #-.f