New-York tribune., 1909-02-14
An ENGLISHMAN'S HOME
Drama in Line zrith a ConScript
4rmy.

~
q London, February 3
i The Play with purpose seems TO have draw
-r power when there is a patriotic motive be
6hind Il -An Engnshman's Home" at Wynd-
Mems Theatre is a pamphlet on home defepce
reduood &C dramatic form. with consloeraDle
Esatire and mere than q little gun1re. II Is the
E7gork of an arnateur-possibly Captain Guy Gu
= #Maurser-and IS not so good play as The Flag
lieutenant" which Mr.. Cyril Maude is carry
ling te the 25oth performance this week. yet
3from the arst night Il has been q valuable the
stricei property The booking Is already re-
rnarkable: several companies Will be organized
fer THE provinces. and there may be authorized
versions fer the colonies. The newspapers have
ADVERTISED Il because il is in line with MI Hal
danes scheme Of army reorganization and Lord
Roberts's appeals for national defence, but It
has not required the rub-a-dub Of press drums
The theme was one about which every English
man OF any grit was thinking. and it was pre-
sented with honely realism and plausibility.
The strategy ot the oldtime war shocker. 1.-The
Battle Of Do-king." was avoided National de-
fence was reduced It's simplest terms in bat
tie for an Englishman's home Audiences have
taken FIRE, and Nr. BaIdane has received pow
erfni reinforcement in his campaign for the or
ganized defence Of the kingdom
At the opening OF .he play an ordinary subur-
han family is revealed amusing itself IN dull
way on the eve Of an invasion from the North
One Is playing dfabclo. another is puzzling over
Enser1cis and a third is reading aloud news
paper report OF q football match. Every man.
Der Of the household is interested in trivial
things and nobody can believe that the country
is IN danger. although the invaders at the
cocr- To tkis unprotected home, with its cock
rey narrowness and false sense Of security,
GONE the hostile troops under Prince Yoland's
command, and it is temporarily occupied after
payment has been offered for the provisions
cus1sur1ed- The invaders retire in the second
sct and the house Is held by volunteers from
the nearest town: and the garrison is as thought
less and inefIcient the suburban family
IRE Northern forces return with artillery and
opsn fse upon the villa The garrison with
draws but the suburban householder remains
70 defy the enemy from mis- own hearthrug. and
IS saot sahiie his daughters are helping the doc
Tors in caring for the wounded. The bagpipes
are heard without. and there is an thrush OF
British soldiers 70 drive the Northerners out
when the curtain falls the ruined home is in
the possession of the British rescuers, and con-
seQuenily there is happy ending. Yet there
has been evidence that neither the volunteer
home guards nor the civilians take a serious
view OF the obligations Of national defence.
That IS the moral Of the pamphlet. and IL Is
enforced with driving power The English
mans bone Is UNPROTECTED: Il may fall into the
eneriyss hands any day while he IS chatterlng
about football and Iirnerscks and imagining that
there car never be any danger while Britannia
rules the waves.
The yiay is admirably staged since Mr. Gerald
On Maurier has taken charge Of the production
The oorrhzrdment scene is remarkably effective
with constant exchanges Of gun fire, and all the
military episodes are stirring and picturesque
The parts are well enacted By experienced artists
ike Mr. Edmund Maurice. Mr.. Charles Rock
Mr. Laurence Grossmith, Mr- Z. w. Garden ano
Miss Mona Harrison. Suburban types are hit
OF brilliantly especially the stodgy householder.
the bounding cigarette smoker, the noisy rcnp,
the nsrsnC sister the expansive city clerk and
the ceaf citizen soldier Yet in spite OF the
merits CT the production it is crude drama.
vfich does not merit critical attention as an ex-
ample Of craftsmanship II is written, however,
around subject of vital interest and expresses
plsin4y what many people feel respecting the
necessity for home defence II sums UP logically
and zsith convincing realism what veteran gen.
erals experienced officials, military experts and
newspaper agitstors have been saying about the
defsnceleasness Of England and the inefficiency
of she hons guards. II portrsys home where
there is no serious thought OF the dangers of the
situation. and brings il within the range OF in
sasion and destructive fire. II becomes at once
the most popular drama Of the day. although the
women have 70 stop their ears while the firing
Is esSng
The excitement produced By this play and the
Use made os IL by leader writers and alarmists
IS text for honliies upon the dangers of in
zssfo- and the urgent necessity for strengthen
ing the territorial forces reveal one Of the Eng
nsh weaknesses In other countries there is
Fetlcence respecting the risks Of territorial In
-asion snd the incompetence Of the home guards
as protectors Of the nation In England. not
pifnstanding the advantages OF ias.Iiar position
and the most powerful navy a8oat, there Is con-
slant talk about the defeneeless nation. The
Kings diplomacy during the reign has been
more effective than army Of territorial re-
serves Il has created good feeling with France
ard Russia strengthened national prestige, in
creased the resources Of the Foreign Office and
Diminished the risks Of war. England is
stronger and safer to-day than she at the
Cpsning OF the reign. when the Boer war was
6-zggiEg on. yet there Is 10 recognition OF her
superior position in Parliamentary debates and
the xrtriags os experts. There is uncsasing azi-
sztson II ssycr Of expenditures for the navy on
&C enlarged sosIe. and there is constant worry