Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-20

labor His acting in the scene with the
bishop of Lancashire reflected every
emotion and thought IN the nina OF
the wanderer confronted with type
of man and of social over-lord whom
he instinctively detested. His recita-
tion of his big speech in the last act
was capitally done.
Mr. Wilson was the money! grubbing
old Erastian to the life, and had 'early
Victorian" written in every line OF MS
Wizened face and markedly simple cler-
ical garb. The details of his imperson-
alton were carefully thought out, not
ably his cropping for the door in his
fury at Mansons banishment OF hlrn
from the house-itself a striking symbol
OF a lost and impotent soul, ignorant OF
it's own perdition. His was the most
finished portrayal of the production.
Mr.. Sills embodied the vicar-the
most difficult part in the drama-Wlth
a certain stiffness at times and with q
lack of attention to makeup Whlch lelt
his eyes lamentably encircled with TOO
obvious circles of black. He was at his
best in the scenes with "Auntie." l
should like a clear explanation of GER
tain peculiarities in this character, as,
for instance, why he finds 1t necessary
to fling from his neck his clerical collar
in his enthusiasm to get at the drains.
II this Is q symbol of sitting ecceleslas-
tical authority it is mistaken one, as
the records of countless martyr clergy
men who have fought under the yoke Of
discipline might testify, from Thomas
a Beckett to Father Damien.
Miss Collier leaves much to be de-
sired as the wears wife. She STUN
bled over her lines three times last
night and failed adequately to cover
her retreat afterward. There was an
air of artificiality, also, in her delivery
in the first and second acts, which may
be accounted for partly by the artl-
ficiality of the character, but which
seemed more probably due to the fag
of constant playing. So, too, she failed
to make clear the psychological change
in 'Aunties' life which the servant
effects in the closing acts-a change
which is something like a miracle of
influence perhaps but which still could
be visualized.
Mr. Field has a good dialect and
acted one or two emotions-all his part
requires-very well.
There are uncounted symbols in this
tremendous and often baffled play
among them the little regarded symbol
of body, mind and soul in the three
brothers, Robert, William and Manson
1t is a drama in which, apart from
the symbolism, the author has deftly
mingled not a little of the methods
of farce the problem play and even
melodrama. The ludicrous situations
following the confusion of identities in
acts two and three are pure farce OF
the cleverest kind-with an under
current of sad seriousness. The rela-
tions of the vicar and his wife and,
further, of the vicar to the church,
offer two real and vital problems. And
the basic idea of the search of father
for his child and a child for her father
is nothing If not melodrama--enYelope
as it is by a veil of spiritual meaning,
OF the big. commanding lessons OF
brotherhood and human life in THIS
drama there is no space to speak, ana
they have already been descanted upon
on the occasion of its first production
here nearly a year ago. If you nave
not seen it, it is distinctly worth your
while. If you are able to judge of lts
aim and significance apart from any
preconceiVed suggestions as to its inner
meaning, you should prove a better
critic of it's merits than those who nave
studied that meaning with sometimes
overzealous enthusiasm and have at
tempted to graft Hindoo mysticism
upon a theme which must be both
Christian and rational to enforce Its
mighty message to the world.
James Thornton, who looks like a
compromise between Senator La Fol-
Ilette and William Tecumseh Sherman,
and who writes sentimental songs just
as easily as Mr.. Hartman signs $1,000
checks is purveying the freshest line
of monologue patter which has tickled
the Orpheums ribs since Frank
Fogarty departed Mr.. Thornton hasn't
the dapper cork-drawing method OF
the Dublin minstrel, but his gags are
more deliberately conceived, and often
convince you on second thought. And
you always take that second thought!
Besides his monologue, Mr.. Thornton
sings one good new song and one
reminiscent medley of some of his old
ones. What memories they evole!-
pretty Maggie Mooney" 1T Don't
Seem Like the Same Old Smile
(whereat the ghost of Lindley Murray
turned a flip flop Of chagrin), "She
May Have Seen Better Days." and,