The Washington times., 1909-04-20
Men Brave and Fearless In
habit KoSSle of Chilval-
rous Baronet.
PLAY is SATIRE
ON "OLDEN DAYS"
when Knights Were Bold" Fur
nishes Occasion for Laughter
and Teaches a Lesson.

But the age of chivalry Is gone. That
or sophisters. economists, and calculat-
ors has succeeded"
Be still. sad heart Not quite, not
ouitei At our own National Theater
the good old days come back this week
IN when Knights Were Bold" Only
in dream do they come back; but they
are SO clearly visualized that you and I
and all the rest who long with Burke
for the age OF chivalry are more than
satisfied. For the which. my merry
masters. are we obligated to that noble
knight Sir Francis Wilson and his rare
steward. Sir Charles Frohman. of
ulyrica.
we wers men OF law, MERGERS. per
hapS even sophisters, economists and
calculators. when the curtain rose. And
those in the frame Of the stage were OF
our own ilk. Sir Francis was 2 rollick-
Ing youth of our own time who had
come 10 inherit a baronetcy and whose
shoulders shed lightly the pon1p and
heavy dignity of his office. There we're
guests in his kossle-a Shylock and a
Jessica; a pseudo descendant of Irish
kings: lady Rowena, who longed TO
be back in the pages of Scott: three
nnaidens airy and fairy; a dean, who
traced bis ancestry proudly back to a
certain Peter the Monk; and an aristo-
cratic Grimaldi
Miss Bruins as Rowena
Miss Edna Bruins Is made TO act Ro-
vens-and the ungracious fault-fnding
which the playwright, Mr.. Charles Mar
lowe (whoever he may be- makes fall
from her lovely lips was mitigated by
a sweet personality and a voice of
music "Ah." signs she. for the Good
Old Days. There were men brave and
fearless. Sir Guy. in the time of the
first King Richard TFs happy lady of
that day had lover VIM was a knight
Whereupon Sir Francis. who is in this
play the Sir Guy, tlmbles backward
over broad settee. throws a handker-
chief over his face. pseks from under
the corner, and queries in light tenor
voice-'.A knight? A knight? Did you
bolt the kitchen door?'
From the library the party goes out
10 dinner-al but Sir Guy. whose cold
in the head not only makes for laugh
ter. but keeps him out Of his chamber.
where a chimney of the good old days
fills the room with smoke. Then falls
ne asleep-asleep, perchance TO dream
A suit OF armor Is vivified. The rear
wall of the kossIe fades away The
sound of light voices caroling floats
on the air. Pages pass. and a retainer
with a hound. EquerTies ride to the
1cslst Retainers pace TO and fro A
trumpet sounds. And from the bosom
of the broad settee before the embered
fire pulses the unromantic snore of the
titled sleeper
He wakes in the twelfth century, Of
course. Midst the gay company of the
first sir Guy de Vere's stately court
moves he in Tuxedo and patent leath-
ers The sacred charges of a pious
nun rush frantic for asylum from the
militant Sir Bryan BallymOte, of the
first act. alike transplanted, but trans
formed as well. The danger is 'mmi-
nent Trusty vassals flock to arms
They need leader.
Then comes Sir Guy into his own.
He leads. he meets Sir Bryan. They
fight. The rollicking blade would be
a pailadin. Back. back, Sir Bryan
forces him OF comes the coat Of mail.
Down goes the broadsword- Stripped of
all save gloves of chain and formal
dinner costume. the knight Of 1903 ad-
vances to fight Not with the science OF
IauncelOt and Perceval fights he. but
with the science Of Gentleman Jim"
and Abe Atteil The battle is fast.
While YOU and I are yet laughing till
century and the twentieth, his lady By
his side, sits proudly on the breast plate
of the fallen
A farraEo Of nonsense? To be sure.
An. but how we laugh! We know that
Mr.. Charles Marlowe, come 70 life out
OF the Victorian Age, did not write II
ali. we know that II he speaks OF
more tany for the living and less
epitanfy for the dead" he could not
make the comedy OF Francis Wilson IN
arn1or, like the last sardine in the
tin.' TO save his neck from the moose.
We may even know that the lines OF
the play are sprung apart like withes
IN a basket TO hold the tricks Sir Fran
CTS has tried so often and found 10
work so well. But We do not mind.
Moral of Tale.
For we have found occasion 10 laugh
not to study modern sociology or TO
weep with Magdalenes. or 70 hear blank
verSe-but 10 laugh until we wonder
II there Is any such disease in the cata-
Iogue as dyspepsia aIi,s how the doctors
keep alive We are happy, too. 10 see
how absurd It really is to wish for the
good old days. for days We always
ina gine as uplifting us % the nobility,
no matter how far down the scale OF
today's feudalism we may be. We are
stronger, too; stronger for a lesson as
old as men and women, a lesson nevtr
taught too often, and yet once ex-
pressed IN lines so simple and beau
fifu that they are known of every
pupil IN our public schools lines ad-
dressed 10 another who bore the name
this comedy Drightens with so much
frank hUmor-
Trust me. Clara Vere dc We're
From yon blue heavens above US bent
The gardener Adam and his wife
Smile at the claims OF long descent.
Howe'er IL be, II seems TO me-
''ris only noble 10 be good.
Kind hearts are more than cOronets,
And simple faith than Norman blood.