The Washington herald., 1909-04-27
THE COLUMBIA.
AThe Whirlpool"

Sented Tor the nrst CFne DSiOfe metro
politan audience their new play. "ThA
whirlpool" at the Columbia Theater last
night Macmillan Foster. the well-known
writer OF magazine short stories. is the
author Of the piece, and It is HIS first
attempt at writing for the stage. Mr..
Foster Is intensely modern as a story
writer his characters being type Of men
and women Of to-day. who live and move
IN an environment Of latter-day eondi-
tons. and it was natural 10 expect some
thing up-to-date from his pen in the way
Of play.
Were one unfamiliar with the fact that
the author Of The Whirlpool'' IS a writer
of modern stories, one might be at loss
to account for the lack of movement
which is manifest IN this play from the
very start Mr.. Foster has some very
pronounced views on society as il exists
at the present time. and he has set forth
in The whirlpool some very palpable
and unpalpable truths.
II is a play that causes the hearer
TO squirm a little as certain matters
are pressed upon hts attention that IN his
course he does not wish to pause TO con-
template. It seems that the playwright
OF to-day loves his New York types.
and no doubt many things in The whirI-
pool VIII appeal 20 New Yorlers with
an irresistible fascination-bOrn os the
lust 20 see ones neighbor hit OF IN public.
even though one may see himself lam
pO0ned side by side. The best. however.
that the public AT large can hope 10
get out OF such play Is the realization
OF the great temptations set forth in the
greatest metropolis Of our country, the
swirl OF the waters that draw and suck
relentlessly the fair flower Of virtue. Of
the mighty whirlpool OF sin that swallows
up the UnwaTy. OF the fight that must
be made IN order 10 resist, OF the almost
hopelessness Of the struggle. OF hoy many
give Up in despair and are rushed down
ward to destruction. and Of how few sur
vive the fierce power OF its terrific cur
rent
The struggle In the whirlpool IN this
particular case is HHda EInEard. Huda
Is a salesgiri IN q department store in
New York al 5 a week Her old father,
a German. with dreams az the fatheriand.
and her brother. an Americanized lad OF
about ten, are the things IA life Hilds
finds worth living for-particUlsrly Jip.
the brother. Old LinEsrd Is a cripple for
life-the corporation he worked fOr hav-
ing given him work that endangered life
and limb, and cast him out when msfor-
tune in the shape OF permanent injury
overlook him in his work, but Il did not
accord him the soisce OF a pension. In
stead. L has endowed a settlement
house" where Hilda and her brother may
fOreEather 10 be toys in the hands OF
rich workers" who. as Hilda puts H.
watch 20 see how long Il viii be before
she goes wrong Hilda, however. for
her brothers sake. that he rlay never
be ashamed Of her. keeps 70 the straight
and narrow path-besides, she Is naturally
good, anyway.
In the first act the situation Is made
very clear By a great deal OF dialogue
In which one OF the settlement work
eTs" David Pei. IS introduced as tryius
20 better the condition of the Lingard
family HIlda. however. resents his in
reference for she seeks 20 be honestIy
Independent and wants no help. She IS
helping herself But the fresh fiOorwalker
Of her department store makes advances
20 her ard upon her resisting them she
loses her Job Even then she declines to
follow in the footsteps OF certain OF her
girl acqua intances who have set I'D for
themselves IN smart fats IN that r7ys-
terious region up town so foreign %
the Iingard tenement in Esrick street
But a tragedy changes Hilda. Jip falls
through a defective balustrsde IN the ten
ement staircase and Is killed Upon this
startling episode the curtain is rung down
on the first act
The second act Is mostly given up 10
Hilda temptation. Her friend. Sadie
Meekin. is trying 10 induce Hflda 10 be-
come the mistress Of Buck Walsineham.
She pictures 30 the distracted girl the
delights Of a furnished fat uptown"
and contrasts those attractive surround
ings with the mes gerness OF Huda's tene-
ment. Her brother dead. her father in
want Ffilda is hard pressed David PeIi
is cold. and his advances are only those
OF settlement worker trying to help.
and his ideas OF universal brotherhood
are distasteful 10 Hilda- He is a rich
man. and she is in love with him. but
HE attitude toward her IS purely that
Of a philanthTopist. Desperate. Hilda at
last succumbs TO the roseste descriptions
given by Sadie. and. being urged by her
father 10 seek amusement" leaves Var
lex street.
In Sadie's tawdTy apartment Hilda be-
comes curious, and is more and more
tempted to give up the struggle Wal
singhaE is waiting TO possess her.
Sadie leaves her alone in the apartment.
and she hears a ring at the bell and fan
cies TIE approaching man 10 DC Walsing-
ham. But IL is Pell, who has followed
her there IN g brutal scene he upbraids
her fer having lost herself so far as 10
come 10 such place and although in her
frenzy and dismay. and in her hysterical
gratitude az being saved from herself.
she COnfesses 10 Pe1 her love for him. he
does not respond, being somewhat dazed
AT the developments Hilds's pride is
piqued. and upon Walsingham presenting
himself she asks him TO take her houp,
which he does
The final act is back again in the
Varick street tenement. and so far as the
action Of the story goes. It might as
well be omitted. Much sociaIistic talk
IS INDUCED in. but the upshot is what
is perfectly obvious from the frst-David
takes her to the Little Church Around
the Corner" and the whirlpool knows her
no more
It must be confessed that the conoiu-
sions arrived at by Mr.. Foster IN this
first play OF his are purely fantastical
Girls in Hiida's situation do not often
find rich men waiting 10 relieve them
from want and destruction The PLAY
in the commencement promises exceed
ingly well Great pains are taken 20 ge;
the atmosphere OF the dingy Varick stree,
tenement, and the sordid lives OF the
dweiiers therein The boy Jip is a ray
Of sunshine spirit Of young America
with his hero, Abraham LincOln-his
tragic end was a real thrill But there
is too much talk and too little action
There IS not sufficient material intro
duced TO warrant It's stretching into tbs
long periods OF discussion.