The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-04-04
THEATRICAL LETTER
or FRANKLIN FYLES

New York. April 2--vampiresi Wo-
men vampiresl ! The ancient super
stition was that those creatures who
came out of their graves at night TO
suck the life blood OF slumberers were
Emasculine. usually II not invariably.
Some modern American playwriEfts,
however. have created three vampires.
for simultaneous exhibition here In
New York this week. who are not
buried men kept alive by such hideous
nourfshment. but sirenic women with
q plenty OF warm blood of their own
to live with. and robbing their victims
OF hearts and souls. honor and money.
Henrietta Crosfnan 10 the vampire In
SHAM" and you know what q
healthy. hearty beauty she IL: while
the vampire in THE Conflict" 10 not q
less wholesome Helen Beresford: and
so there 10 nothing grewsome In those
two women's vampirish absorption OF
subsistence from their befooled dupes.
They take in like soft human sponges
rather than harsh ghouls. Their KIND
OF CRATER 10 not rare in the society OF
fashion and culture. Katherine kaei-
red IL q much more dreadful vampire
in "A Fool There Was" as Will tell
you.
Sir Philip Burne-Jones. Engiish
painter, made picture which he la
belled "The Vampires The epects-
tor read In 1t. at one look. tho awful
story OF o mans destruction by wo-
man. A young fellow lay limp and
wan across a bed. He wore an even
ing suit lacking the coat. as though he
had fallen, spent Of strength. when al
most dressed for q nights dissipation.
Upon his legs sat beautiful young
ceeding elegance, as though he had ta-
ken her In his lap In fondiing admir-
alton. and then had fallen back In
collapse. OF death. Her face bore a
startled Took. but no trace of pity or
remorse. and her eyes glared into his
eagerly, hungrily. gloatingiy. as
though she would revive him with one
a final drauEht OF shis life blood. 1t
Was a dreadful picture. as you may
have seen when It was brought to this
country for exhibition.
Rudyard Kfpling. then a journalist
unknown as poet or novelist. saw his
friends painting before It was shown
publicly. He was acquainted. too. with
Mrs. Patrick Campbell, the actress,
who had posed for the siren vampire.
Kipling wrote while taking his frst
view Of the pictorial parable:
"A fool there was and he made his
prayer
To rag and a bone and hank Of
hair;
But the fool he called them his lady
This vampire woman who didn't care"
That Is the germ as mutual friend
gives 1t to me. that grew into one Of
Kipllng's famous poems, although he
didn't own up to 1t for awhile. cow
ing, believe. to Mrs. CampbelPs
wrath at it's curt summary Of her yis-
uaI points,, and to this day 1t 10 not
included in any authorized collection
of his verses. Now the picture, the
poem, or both together, have inspired
Porter Emerson Browne to write o
drama. The audience reads In the
program the Kipiing poem in Its ex-
tended form, before seeing the play,
gazes at the Burne-Jones picture In a
tableau, after It is over, and goes away
profoundly impressed with tragedy
that is being enacted here. there and
everywhere in American life.
The drama that lies between those
first and last ends of "A Fool There
was. has none OF the painters or the
poets genius; yet It serves very well
its purpose of Illustrating the destruc-
ton Of men who are fools by women
who are sirens; and Robert Hilliard'
who can't have lost his patience more
than his friends have theirs waiting
for his big opportunity. seems to have
got II inothe, character OF the vampires
victim. The layout OF the action 10
like this: A New York husband. hap
by with his wife and child, goes TO
England on a,diplomatic mission OF I'M
portance. He meets the vampire at the
outset of the voyage. We don't see
him during his stay abroad but are
told that he IL bedevilied by the wo-
man, and when he tardiiy gets back he
has been recalled In disgrace by our
government for negiecting his duty. he
Is dominated absolutely by the evil
-nraaA,ra and ahA has ahaorhAd his