The San Francisco call., 1909-02-28


The Circle tbSater IS sold out for
months in advaIiee, so reports declare
and the purchasers. Of seats are guests
Of the management which willingly ad-
Inits the indecency-of the performance
and asks Stolidly: IF the public wants
this sort Of thing, what are you going
to. do about it," Viewing their duties
with bolh eyes liked. on. the cash reg
lister and the ticket racks, it is natural
that the management answers; Give
IL TO them 2" As long as theatrical man.
ayers regard. theniselyes as only q
grade above their Janitors. then such
plays VIII be produced for the money
.t1ere.is in. them" But there is another
way=to regard ones work. Elements Of
self-respect- ones duty to the times
and to his people argue that manager
IS not necessarily a janitor and that
his business may be profitable as well
as clean:
Speaking from the pulpit of st. Pat
riek's cathedral on Sunday, February T.
his grace Archbishop Farley of the
diocese OF New York city spoke in
strong and no uncertain words relative
10: .che. present epidemic Of salacious
PLAYS being presented in different thea
ters. Of. New York city. Among other
things he said:
THE theater today in New York city
. - "a. - HBAcE NBiAAtLlVn Nlidn II Was III
the days OF paganism. There are being
presented row dramatic and musical
offerings that appeal TO the most sor-
did OF tastes. and it behooves every
man 10. exercise care in the selection Of
theatrical entertainment for his wife
and daughters, or his sons. to visit"
Henry B. Harris. who has issued a
+ statement in behalf of cleanliness on
she stage from a managerial point of
=f-~r- ~ ~ 1Fs.
an illustration OF the continued pop
ularity OF q clean play. The play has
just reached its majority. 1t was 21
years old last season. Way Down
East is another piece that Harris
mentions as illustrating the truth Of
his contentious. Then he speaks Of his
own biggest successes. The Lion and
the Mouse" "The Chorus Lady" and
now @The Third Degree" as being dra-
mas OF heart interest and free from
tairIt.
Looking back" says he. "over the
list Of producing managers who have
accumulated wealth, ] can not find
three men who have made permanent
money out OF filthy plays.
. The 1ewd play may be compared to
, a fash in the pan. At first it does a
large business. and after the morbid
: element, which, so far as theater goers
;: are concerned, is in the hopeless mi
notity. have seen IL. the play is forced
to withdraw for lack OF patronage. It
csn not be denied that the stage is one
: or the greatest educational mediums
. that we have. The lessons that It
TEACHES. are as obvious as those result
ing from the reading OF a good book
> This epidemic of s5lacious plays will
soon pass BY. with the result that the
stage will again be the center OF such
that deal. with live and timely topics
: of*fnterest to the general masses."
Kleinss New Drama
: Charles Klein in his new play, The
-Tiiird~ Degree" seems 10 have hit upon a
STORY aAd a theme exactly to the pub
lic's liking. The drama. like Eugene
!. Wa1tsrs ':The Easiest Way" Is frank
and. It is devoted to q consideration of
~cQncrete. facts rather than distractions.
A confession IS extorted from an inno-
cent nan. through the skill OK the police
detectives. who subject the wretch to
the. horrors OF what newspapermen n
Know as the third degree. wherein
every means outside OF actual murder
are brought 10 bear 10 wiring state
Tnent from suspected man which will
be in accord with police theories.
That such practices are sometimes
fndulged IN is only too true. Klein in
q recent letter to a friend in this city.
said that the idea of a play, based on
such a circumstance, was not altogether
original with him. He acknowledged
his indebtedness TO Professor Hugo
Munsterberg OF Berlin. whose work he
read while he was touring Europe The
drama was written while Klein and his
wife were at Shepard's hotel in Cairo.
Egypt. and was completed more than
two years ago.
The undenied success OF the play
..The Third Degree" in the east makes
81 OF interest to know that Helen Ware
who as Annie Jeffries in the drama. is
undoubtedly the personal hit of the
drama. was born in San francisco. Her
frst theatrical engagement was with
Maude Adams in 1899, when she was
engaged as a super" for so cents a
performance.
Maybe Grand Opera
Eastern papers have printed rumors
recently that Oscar Hammerstein had
under consideration the possibility OF
bringing his grand opera company 10
this city. The lack Of . sHitable place