The Washington herald., 1909-11-16
THE BELASCO.



Cleveland Monett in his new play. For
Better. for Worse" extends the hypoth-
esis that # is impossible for a woman
10 give herself 10 one man when she
feels that she belongs TO another, but he
chooses 10 take advantage of an authors
prerogative and keep his audience in the
dark as to which particular man 1t Is
until quite near the final curtain.
Mr. Moffett. who has heretofore dealt
with a large subject in his recent play
Of THE Battle" in which social ques-
ton were discussed, but not settled, in
his newest effort attempts to settle a still
broader social question, that of whether
OF not a woman can love two men at the
same time.
He very nearly succeeds in convincing
his audience that the vacillating heroine
OF For Better, for Worse" dnes love
two men at once. and represents her
throughout four acts as indeterminately
Weighing the best characteristics Of each.
and Juggling with her own affections, as
il we're. TO a point Of hysteria- While her
temporizing may be assumed as weak
ness on her part. at the same time both
the author end Miss Nilsson, who plays
the lady in question. are perfectly serious
in their efforts. and succeeded by their
combined efforts in saving a somewhat
unconvincing situation.
The two men in the case are as widely
apart i'm temperament and in all mental
and moral characteristics as may be pos
slble LLOYD Allen is a weak and selfish
dreamer. with little principle. Elsie the
heroine Of the play, is first married TO this
man His infdelity causes her TO secure
"a divorce She Is loved sincerely by the
honest man. the contrasting type. He is
rich. she is poor She is also very tired
of being loved and bullied and being loved
and deceived Into the strong mans arms
she eventually finds herself, and rs his
wife she reaches the very topmost rung
Of the ladder of social success. with a
villa AZ Newport, a perfect baby girl
and a millionaire for husband number
two.
But she still loves or imagines she
loves. husband number one. Her dreams
are haunted by his image and she works
herself into a frenzy OF nerves and in
duIges in self-disgust AT having allowed
herself 20 be loved by one man with the
image OF another still IN her heart
George Craig. the second husband, Is a
man Of keenness and discernment His
wife Is distract and he seeks the cause
quietly on his own account He de-
termlues 10 confront her with her tirst
husband and either cure her forever or
the infatuation. or send her about her
business with her former love
He has plenty Of precedent at Newport
sor this situation. Mrs. Spencer-Hast-
ngs the type Of the ultra-smart woman
~ fashion. urges on Elsie the advantage
Of being able 20 meet former husbands
calmly. else there would be no men 10
meet Elsie. still in the throes Of her
own emotions. protests against the intro
luction OF her eX-husband into the do
nestle circle. but Craig insists that the
matter shall be settled once and for all
The curious thing about the play is
that the author succeeds In mystifying
the audience 10 the extent that Il. too,
sees danger In the experiment. Indeed,
when the interview with the eN-husband
IS well i'm progress. and he purrs and
lnsiuuates and revives memories Of incl
dents with a willy avoidance Of the I'M
pleasant phases OF their boy and girl
honeymoon, and the wife and mother
that he has cheated and discarded throws
herself I'm his arms, the wise ones were
there with their Il told YOU SOS"
Craig is dUmfounded by the result Of
his experiment, or at least he appears %
he so. The subtle intuition Of strong
and sincere love, however reads the
truth One feels that II he were con-
WINGED Of HIS wife's love for her former
husband. he could never take matters
so calmly. Instead he goes on TO arrange
provision for their little girl. who he Is
willing 10 relinQuish for the sake Of pro-
offers to make handsome provision for his
daughter. Allen. however. weakling that
ne IS. Immediately begins 10 plan COM
Portable existence upon the baby's mon
ev, and this serves as the first glimmer
N insight into the character Of the man
that the cropping Elsie gets. Her eyes
omen wider and wider Her idols feet
are not only clay. but they are reeking
with the mire in which he has been
wallowing.
Her newest impulse IS 10 call her hus-
band and completely reverse her de-
cision. thro wing herself upon his mercy
as a weak and foolish woman, who has
awakened not only to her sense Of honor
and duty. but 10 a love of the man who
Is really worthy Of her, and whom she
IN the future will try TO be worthy Of.
Mr.. Moffett improves his opportunities
10 take some falls out Of the divorce
question. but, as ne did in 1.-The Battle,
he leaves his audience TO decide the ques-
ton for Itself AS far as are concerned
the three leading characters. one divorce
IS accomplished, another prevented In
the one case divorce was made out 10 be
a necessary institution; in the other, a
needless wreckinE Of lives and domestic
happiness II leaves the question pre-
cisely where Il has always been, and ex-
actly where 10 should he; that divorce is
purely a matter Of individual expediency.
The testing at the expense Of marital
infelicitv which is INDUCED in carries
no permanent sting. The play is cyni-
cal-it could not help being that; but at
the root and foundation are some sound
and well-voiced truths. There is n noble
moral underlying the authors Efforts his
purpose is undoubtedly to utter a warn
ing against certain evils-the principal OF
which is misinterpretation of ones feel
ings. All Of Elses sufferings were
caused by an abnormally developed con-
science. She felt from the first that
divorce was an ugly thing and that a
woman has no right TO give herself e
another man when she has one husband
living. Her constant harping on this
idea came close to being the cause OF heI
making another hideous mistake, from
which she was happily prevented
II IS powerful play and one which
cannot but attract the attention Of the
thinking public. Beside the main theme
there IS a charming vein Of comedy. the
participants being Elses matchmaking
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