The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-01-31
OF QuadrupIed Entertainment,
Lecture Has Lead Over
Comedies
His SOCiaIistic Dramaturgy Is
EcIipsed by Views on
Matrimony
By Walter Anthony

the Victory theater He went after
theories in three one act plays. which
were designated as comedies, and which
We're funnier, sometimes. than he knew;
he ripped the heart out of what he says
is left of our constitution. and finally
he made speech in which ne toasted
the Examiner for an interview which
he declared he had never said"
Throughout, Sinclair maintained
show of deep sincerity and impressed
the writer as being all he pretended to
be. I admit his fine sincerity and con-
cede his courage. but reserve the right
to go to sleep at his plays.
Naturally 1 awoke when he roasted
a newspaper. What may be the merits
Of the controversy between himself and
Miss Cor is it Mrs.?) Annie Laurie of
the Examiner I do not know, and
feel but slight concern. He was quoted
by the special writer as saying that he
was sorry he had married his wife.
Even if true it was a courageous thing
to say and was prophetic of denial.
Sinclair did deny it last night. That is,
he didn't deny he was sorry he was
married but he denied he said he was.
He said he was a fool to have talked
TO newspaper representative, and
would not presume TO rush into his
presence refuting that assurance.
GIVES BRACE OF COMEDIES
The occasion for all this prelude was
the presentation last night at the Vic
tory theater OF The Indignant Sub
scriber" THE Second Story Man" and
John D." three comedies which Mr.
Sinclair has written for purposes of
socialistic propaganda and not, hope,
for entertainment. The plays were pre-
scented night before last at Stanford
under the auspices Of the socialists
there, and last night We're tried out
here before an audience composed
mainly of believers in the new school
OF sociology.
At the close of the second "playlet,"
which was by far the best OF the three
and which did contain the elements OF
a sketch, Sinclair made q speech. as he
did at the Valencia theater when
Prince Hagen" was presented as
play and proved to be a lecture with
scenic effects. As at the Valencia the
lecture was the most interesting part
of the business.
The author Of The Jungle" told
about the presentation OF his plays at
Stanford and how a labor leader
had approached him after the perform
ance and had said he liked the first
playlet the least. 1t was THE Indig-
nant Subscriber and purported to be a
il. The labor leader told him that he
(SinclairD had no concrete facts to base
his arraignment Of newspapers on.
Some good bird" said Sinclair. must
have whispered into the editors ears
Of the the Examiner this fact, for to-
day ] have the concrete fact" Then he
proceeded to review the story as writ
ten in yesterdays Examiner. in which
be was quoted as having said that he
was sorry he was married and that he
was a firm believer in trial marriages
and all that sort of thing.
CONSERVATIVE ON MATRIMONY
L am very conservative" said Sin
clair, lin my views on matrimony.
have often quarreled with my more
radical comrades on their revolutionary
views in this regard. ] did talk with
the lady, like fool, but my statements
were distorted. I said that when I wit
messed the lives of some married cou-
pies in the middle class of society, and
when 1 saw how the wife sold herself
for her food and clothing and a roof
to cover her-when I observed how she
did not love her husband but permitted
him to buy her for the trifies of pro-
lection and 4 place to sleep in-then
and my wife were ashamed we were
married"
He claimed that this was not the
first time that ne had been misrepre-
scented in the papers, and that he had
! delivered one of the finest stories in
the world-about clearinghouse. New
York-to big New York journal. but
that it had never been published be-
cause it was against vested interests
He said he proposed TO go through the
country telling this story, anyway
He is very much in earnest, is Sim
( clair, and though he can not yet write
play he says he means to keep on
trying.
Miss Elizabeth Magic. who made a
newspaper story when she offered her
self for sale, and presumably found no
great demand. is the leading woman of
the plays. She. too, maue little
speech before the presentation of the
first playlet She said that, as in the
time of Shakespeare there was little or
no scenery TO embellish the action of
the Sinclair drama and carry realism in
the play; so with the numbers to be
presented there would be no scenery.
The similarity between Sinclair and
Shakespeare ends there. Sinclair has
no plays.
No one would reasonably object to a
canvas boat-with brooms for oars-in
which the socialistic hero takes his
venial editor victim for a ride on tree
surrounded lake, but one might reason
ably expect some action. There was
none, and so dramatic review be-
comes impossible and the effort to
write one almost as pitiable as the ef-
fort which resulted in the play.
MILLIONAIRE STAGED
The John d. sketch is sensational
only in the fact that the millionaire is
brought on the stage as the buffoon.
The Second Story Man" is some
better because it has a real story, and
one which. 1 dare say, might have
really happened when a vicious lawyer
got hold Of a simple laborer and robbed
him Of the damages which he was rea-
accident he had sustained in a big fac
tory Such stories are not new to the
press.