The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-06-01

II has long been designated as "a Di-
vino Comedy OF the Slums." 1t is a story
OF the slums of a great city, OF lesser
city. But 1t Is realistic picture 1t Is
a moving picture. You forget that you
are Witnessing play, Fer the time You
are living with the characters, Yon arc
IN the slurns. This Is Salvation Nell"
This is the play whose initial production
WAS given 10 Salt Lake playgoers al
the Grand theater Monday evening. And
II was presented by splendid company,
headed by spicndid actress, Mrs MIN
nie Maddern F'ske. whose interpretive
power OF Salvation Nel' is magnif-
cent portrayal. 1t is new departure for
this gifted actress. 1t might be IS, said t,, OF
so accurate are the details. so realistic
are the stage settings,
II was a magnificent audience which
greeted Mrs, Fiske. 1t cosmo
politau audience, 1t was an appreciatiye
one. And 1t should have been appre-
ciatve
representation OF places in the slums was
most vivid. There was McGovern's sa-
loon. the flashy barroom seen In the
slums OF all cities Toughs fiji the place
The time lis Christmas eve, that time
when in all the world there should be
peace on earth good VIII toward men
But it Is not peace, II is not good Will
1t is not good cheer, In this dive sal
walton Nell" is n scrubwoman. In this
dive the man she believes she
loves, for she had borne him a
the insult to this scrubwoman by half
drunken rufflau, who grabs her and
kisses her. by telling the brute to &he
floor. The usual scene follows of the
police patrol with its retlnue OF officers,
surgeons and the like, the carrying out
OF the brute and the arrest Of the man
who felled him. Then Salvation Nell is
turned out OF the barroom, and as she
wanders into the street two women stand
ready to help her one has the mark of
a wanton, the other the mark OF the
Salvation Army. Myrtle O'Dell Is the
first: Hallelutah Maggie tho other. Both
appeal one to lead n life of shame. the
other to be better woman. The choice
captain In the army.
There was seen the home of Salvation
Ncll IN the tenement flat. where. with
her hoy, she lived, and where her lover,
Jim Plstt. finds her after his eight-year
term spent In prison for Staying the man
who insulted her, and here he finds his
him. and where he strikes her down be-
cause she seeks TO restrain him from
committing another crime. and this after
he has nursed and fondIed their boy.
There was the tenement district pre-
scented. At the windows of these tene-
mcnt houses were ill-kempt women with
faces drawn ray r1 and by poysrt ny
starved chliiren revelilng in the squaiid
surroundings, played: happy in their ig-
norance OF the awfulness about them
outcasts were there. Want and poverty
and crime were all wonderfully portra yed
in this Kaleidoscope scene upon the
stage.
Amid this was the blue gowned woman
In her simple dress. with her poke bon
net, with her tambourne-thc lassle OF
the Salvation Army soliciting aims to aid
the distressed that lassie from thai
Army whose outstretched hand is always
eager. always willing to minister to all
the good, the bad. the more wicked.
Then there Is the parade OF this Army
from the Salvation Army hall, with the
flags and the drums and the cornets nnG
the songs and the, short talk TO th'
crowd and tt is Salvation Nell" who
speaks. and in her talk, her exhortatlon
she says:
say to you: it's the old, old story. ",
told you SO many times before. Chris
was poor man himself an ne chose
poor people for his friends He know!
how hard we have to work tn keep alive
an he pitics US because we're his broth
ers an s!sters-cvery one OF us. i don
care how wicked nor how low.
.'The rich folks have big churches L
worship him in. but we have our hearts
an he likes them just as well. The peo
pie up there that always lived decen
an never done thing TO be ashamed o