The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-07

w. p Eaton in the May Green Book.
TN Lane de Buridan.' which John
Drew Is now playing in English un-
1 der the title of 'Inconstant George"
the manservant remarks plaintively that
he doesn't care to go to the theatre any
more because the dramatists no longer
hold domestics In high esteem. Alas, he
Is right The butler and the maidservant,
the housekeeper and the second girl have
passed from the stage or are fast pass
ing. The writers of farce have not yet
had courage to discharge the COOK, but
that will come in time also. Let us pause
for a moment to drop a tear of farewell,
to mourn the passing of the first floor
back
Time was, and not so long ago. when
the poor dramatists did not have to do
their own work. They had large staff
of servants to help them The curtain
rose on "a charming room In the Till
mans house" There was "a profuson
of white roses and maidenhair fern
ABOUT Three smart-looking servants
were "peering through the crack of the
folding door" They were the pretty.
slender IDdlu, Tic DutiSi, eAiAo e'iS ''oNS~-
maid The dialogue began as follows;
Housemaid (gasping)-Oa, amt 1t q
bea utiful sight! IAN
Butler (pompously)-Not to me who
ave sen a lord married in Hengland.
Maggie-Oh. you make me sick, MI.
Potts, always talking of your English
aristoeracy! I'm sure there never was no
Pre- ttier wedding than this. Nor as pretty
a bride as Miss jimmy
And so on. for I'VE minutes, till several
characters and events of the drama have
been discussed, and the housemaid cries
Cheese it, they're coming this way! DO
you know where this dialogue comes
from? 1t has a vague familiarity. per-
hsps, and suggests to you that we are
compromising it from several oid-fash-
Toned plays of the long ago. Not SO. 1t
ia word for word the opening OF Clyde
Fitch's excellent modern drama, THE
Girl with the Green Eyes" first acted
in 1902.
The domes site in drama was one Of
those curious stage conventions which
have fiourished from time immemorial,
like the soliloquy. to help he author
out of his difficulties. to take the burden
Of work off his shoulders and explain the
plot for him. Some. even the younger OF
us. vii remember the stage ladies' maid,
celebrated in satire as early asi1S4s, when
Punch printed piece about her. 1t is
fortunate, indeed, thought Punch, that
all ladies' maids in the world are not
like stage ladies maids, for that would
put an end to all domestic discipline and
happiness. 1t would, indeed. She was
| a radiant creature, who always wore
black silk stockings which she was not
averse to displaying, who dressed, usual
| ly, rather better than her mistress. and
whom all the gentlemen callers a. well
as the man Of the house considered it a
duty to kiss.
| The stage butler, rest his useful soul,
fingers on. He Is always very erect and
ponipous he always tries at least to gel
laugh when he moves across the stage
as ii he had 'ramrod up his back, and
when the master of the house is out u
the room he appropriates the cigars
which for some mysterious reason Is re-
garded as an immensely humorous pro-
ceeding. But the stage buffers chief
claim to usefulness has always resided
| in his possession of intimate details ol
the plot, gained. quite naturally, from mis-
presence in the room at family dinner
parties. Once upon time he used tt
give up" these details, even when alone
while he was stealing the cigars and tast'
ing the rare old port" But Of late that
has come to be 4 little too long stretch
of credulty, and he has the assistance
Of the housekeeper for maid. To AFFORD
comic relief he makes love to the house
keeper or the maid (who always repulsc'