Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-04-04
%RY WELCOME this day OF calm
with its surcease from rag
AAk time melodrama and super
w lative cynicism!


by petitions or COMPUTATIONS but through
the odium of sheer neglect.
The play that promised TO be the SEN
sation OF the time and 10 develop into a
literary permanency has dwindled into
flicker Its sulphurous sarcasm has sue
cumbed 10 the cold water of popular dis
dain.
AS a masterpiece of cynical Wit II de-
served a better fate The history of this
production may be taken as a pretty con-
elusive demonstration of the public's lack
of interest in managers auarrels There
was as much of a fight over the Amer
Jean rights TO 1.-THE Devil as if they rep
resented public franchise with profits
guaranteed Nolleys of ammunition were
discharged in the way of speech and
printers ink. Allegations "a TO moral de-
linquency in respecting copyrights and
royalties were exchanged. But the pub
lie looked the play over, smiled little.
applauded some and then yawned. More
judiciously handled II might have been a
great success, for there is no question of
its originality of idea or its brilliancy of
expression. But fiamboyant exploitation
brought it to the level of conventional
meIodrama in its bid for appreciation.
Many auditors were doubtless disappoint-
cd to find none of the trap-doors or tum-
bling imps customarily shown in Satanic
fantasies.
Mr. George Arlss enlivens the role by a
display of sprightly temperament which
whether or not entirely apropos. is always
engaging Whatever may be the tragedy
in progress among other characters, for
him the play is distinctly though, deli
cately comic. Though playing with hu-
man souls. the spirit he throws into his
dealings with humanity is pranksome.
He is more nearly a Puck than a Zamiel.
There is some room for doubt whether
the Arliss presentation of the play is a
version or a perversion. There is an over
supply of epgram of distinctly native
flavor; excellent wit in many cases, but
not good enough to excuse the hindrance
to the action in the earlier portion of the
piece Some telling points made in the
Stevens production are absent from this
one; for instance, the dismissal scene, in
which the Devil shows his profound
knowledge of human nature as he gets
rid of people one by one, and the de-
Iicious "bah, blah. blah'' in which he
discourse.
Ben Jonson wrote a play entitled 1.-The
Devils an ASS" 1t may not be bad as
that. but in this case he has not made the
most of his opportunities.
\ day of rest comes with especial well
come after a siege with The Talk of
New York and Fifty Miles From Bos-
ton" The idea seems to be that the
talk of New York is made up of ancient
and enfeebled slang. There is a crisp
eXhilaration in slang when it has the
flavor of current thought to vitalize it.
The coiner. of phrases can no longer be
content with a readymade vocabulary
of last years street lingo. He must be d
word artist, philoiogist as we'll as a
mimic. There is something positively sad
dening In threadbare repertory of cold
storage badinage such as Mr.. Victor
Moore is burdened with in his new play.
No fault should be found with the au-
thor, Mr.. George Conan, for the liberties
he takes with the English language So
long as they are smart and inspiring. In
considering the song he introduces in
Fifty Miles From Boston tit sounds
much farther than thaD about girl
who doesn't know a blessed thing she
hadn't ought to know it should be re-
membered that Mr.. Conan is a poet, not
grammarfan. But he should not allow
the enterprising managers associated
with him to push him to the work of
composition SO relentlessly as to destroy
the spirit of spontaneity upon which his
style of work particularly depends. Mere
speed and hubbub are too often the sole
considerations in these two plays The
fetching lyrics and the irresistible melo-
dies that Mr.. Cohan has created should
guide his endeavors away from the clap
trap with which his later productions are
numbered. His rural melodramas are
rural chiefly in that they sound as If
they nigh, have been written by a farm
hand. PHILANDER JOHNSON
ACTORS DON'T WAKE Up EARLY
When Thomas W. Ross was d young man
he worked in q drug store in a Pennsyl-
wanna town. That same apothecary's
shop has been dramatized and is seen in
The second and third acts of The For
tune Hunter in which the actor is now
starring Ross was a hard worker, but
ne had a most discouraeing habit Of fall
ing asleep at his post ,and sleeping for
hours. The proprietor would reach the
was supposed to open up-to lind line
or customers waiting with prescriptions.
Five times in succession the thesplan-to-
lie was discharged. and he was threat
ened with sixth dismissal. He told one
OF his friends. VINO advised him 10 buy an
alarm clock
For some unknown reason he failed 10
do 50. and few days later appeared al
his work two hours after time. lie re-
ceived his sixth discharge. and appealed
10 an acquaintance of the druggist. who
which he interceded with the druggist.
Again Ross was re-employed, and again
re appeared late. but he was rot caught
foI the owner of tine store was out of
town Five friends came into the place
that DAY, and all advised him 10 gel an
alarm clock. Ross said he was supersti-
tious, and believed the gong clocks
brought bad luck. Then week after
ward. he got his notice again, and after
making faithful promises was taken back
once more. He went to "A local jewelers.
and bought an intermittent alarm clock
Ii was guaranteed TO ring for fifteen
minutes. and. as the salesman said, if il
didn't wake Ross xhe must be dead The
then youthful clerk took the timepiece
home, wound IL TO its limit and placed il
on a chair beside his bed. IL began ring
ing furiously in the morning, and Ross
turned over in his bed
Finally he awakened thoroughly. turned
OFF the alarm-and then went TO sleep
again.
II was at this period he learned that
the firm could get along without linn for
ever. and he went to New York, where in
the space of short time he became an
actor Later he explained his success in
the protest. by saving: