The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-11-21

81.
been represented as violating their
oatlis q celibacy. But I have never
known Until now Of nun figuring In
Z play as . sinner OF that sort In thie
Isolated Instance. however. the woman
Il guiitless except as a liar: for she
confesses falsely that her cloth ought
to be scarlet. instead Of the white Of
her convent garb. This play, Mar
tha," 10 being performed experimental
ly by suburban stock company. and
the Indications are that II is under the
test for possible use by one or another
OF our starring actresses Of emotional
renown. II IL translation from q
new French novel. or drama, don't
know which; and II can hardly be
transferred 10 American life, az II IL
granted on the recent abolition of con-
vents in France and the dispersal Of
the inmates
Nan In Play.
A Partisan nobleman's wife has let
herself love an army captain more than
her husband. The nobleman's sister,
formerly o nun, and still under sacred
vows OF virginity. has come to the
household on being driven out OF con-
vent. To her the wife confesses her
lapse from virtue, but asserts that II
occurred during the responsibility Of
fertigo.
The persistent captain. being denied
access to her. writes o letter recount
ing the incident In which she was i'm
volved with him. She throws the en-
velope Into the fire. but distracted
drops the crumpled enclosure on the
floor. The husband and his sister. the
nun, enter the room simultaneously by
opposite doors He picks up the paper.
which has no name at either end; so
while he recognizes the writing as the
captains, he can only suspect that II
was sent to his wife. He accuses her.
She 10 about to avow her guilt. Then
the nun. to save her brother and his
children from disgrace, resolves to sac
riice herself
THE. letter IL mine" the nun says
Yours. sistery he cries in amaze
milne. brother" she calmly rsas-
serts.
The heroine regards herself as still
q nun. and wears the robe OF her holy
order. She makes the false confession
as an act such as nun. consecrated
to seif-destruction. must not fear to do.
Before her death. however. she is ex-
culpated by the conscience stricken
wife. whose husband forgives her, and
the devoted nun, presently. will md her
happiness In Heaven. 1t Ii quite the
trend OF an advanced drama.
Having taken the dramatic elevator
going up, let's take it--for contrasts
sake going down--away down to John
L. Sullivan. the obsolete and obese
slugger. as the hero Of new play. You
see, the Jeffries-Johnson blowhorns
are all bursting with blasts for the
forthcoming boxing match Jeffries Is
to the East Side with his vaudeville
sketch Of last season. in which a mod
ish belle loves him for his Drawn. as
shown in his gymnasium work at train
Ing. John the Baptist Rockefeller went
with an Oil Trust party to see tint
Jeffries show. and the newspapers re-
ports of the visit have sent ten times
as many people to the theatre as could
get in. johnson isn't able to prosper
that way in New York. His black is
beaten by the other fellows white in
that play OF the pugilistic game. He
was so badgered and abused at his
stage appearances last spring that he
doesn't offer himself again this autumn.
john L. Thespian.
John l.. Sullivan SHES his castor TO
the centre OF the stage, at theatre
commonly devoted to rip-rousing melo-
drama, In "A Day at the Races" The
author puts prize fight in between
horses contests. This is purpose
playa problem sort OF thing--to ex-
pose the false ferocity of glove con-
tests and giorify the oid-time fights
with bare fists rounds. that ended only
with knock-downs. and no finality till
one man was unable to respond to the
call of time.
"A pngiiist didn't have a chair In
the ring to sit on."s said sullivan In q
heart-to-heart talk TO his audience:
'one Of his seconds got down on all
Soprs to make asseat for him; and we
weren't polites enouslrtto wear padded
gloves Hello Kflrain. Amt that so3.
And KiIrain said II was so. He and
Sullivan met at the race track and ex-
.tolied each other for the hundred-and-
ten round fight they'd fought with
naked knuclles away back In 81.
As an actor, John belongs In methoo
to the French school; for at times he
steps forward from the dramatic scene.
as Rachel did In classic roles and Bern
hardt does, and delivers a passage d.
rectly at the audience. One Of these
IL q fervid plea for revival OF by
gone glory in pugilism. Another Is 3
rhymed toast to lovely woman. A third
Is an autobiographic monologuo made
up of such anecdotes as that once. in
a Boston hotel, lady on hearing Sui
livan's ballad. The Lost Chord" said
10 him. "Mr. Sullivan. you must have
composed that sad tune after losing =
prize fight" John pronounces 1t
.chupe,., which gives q Celtic touch to
his Gallo art: and then, again, he now
is wearing a big moustache turned up
1ercely In the manner of the German
Emperor. which gives him Teutonic
aspect. Under these puzzling circum-
stances I decline to risk my reputation
as a dramatic critic by positively class
flying Johns dramatic art.
There's a plot In "a Day at the
Races like that of I'm Old Kentucky"
and all the other racetrack plays ever
written. A jockey is dismounted for
dishonesty Just before race. and a
volunteer wins In his stead. Sullivan
would weigh in at about 800. and
couldn't get In the saddle without .
derrick: so he leaves that 70 be trav-
estied by the Jew OF the play; while he