Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1910-05-06
THE CHANTECLER.

saw a rehearsal of Rostend's "Chan-
tecler" in Paris few months ago.
The first scene opens with a dark
stage.
Blackness everywhere. But soon there
is noise like Plymouth Rock cockerel
of discreet years ringing up Phoebus.
The rooster crows and away she goes
Light enters-first a glimmer, then
more.
The pastor of his flock opens up his
cutoff and crows again.
There is more light. A few more
good cock-a-doodle-doos. and we behold
the dramatis personae perched in trees.
There is the old rooster and flock of
hens.
The old rooster flaps himself out of a
tree and the hens follow, because it is
! the duty of hen.
One more crow, and the sun comes
out.
1t is broad daylight, but nottoo broad.
The old rooster explains to the hens
thst if he hadn't crowed the sun would
not have come up.
This is chicken logic, which is plenty
good enough for chickens.
The rooster believes it, and the hens
never doubt it. for hens have no capac-
ity for independent thought
They believe what they are told.
Only roosters think.
1t must be remembered that the en-
tire intent of this play is to give things
as they appear to the Brown Leghorn
mind.
The rooster regards himself as the
chief work of creation. planned and
plotted from the beginning.
When the old rooster explains to the
old hens how there would have been no
light save for him they all cackle in
glee and gratitude.
In the meantime the old rooster finds
a particularly fine morsel for breakfast.
He calls up all the hens, and when they
gather around he gobbles up the morsel
and crows twice for luck and to show
them that he is on to his sacred job of
denying the flesh.
This old rooster declares himself in
fallible. He tackles cats that venture
near, and they cut for cover. A dog
walks in and beats it when Mr.. Rooster
refers to his maternal pedigree. An
owl off on bat, bilin' full, not able to
see in the light, gets the stuffing knock.
ed out Of him. to the great wonder and
admiration of the old hens.
There is much garrulous, gallinaceous
speculation as to men. dogs, cats, owll
and hawks, but all agree that the roos
ter and the hen are the things TOWARD
which creation has labored.
Also, the old question as to which wa
created first, the egg or the hen, il
broached.
The question is referred to the cock
a-doodle-doo. and he decides, Neither
the rooster was created first
Here come in the villains of the pla
two big, wise owls, travelled and a.
tute. Now, owls are not really wise
they only look that way. The owl is
sort OF college graduate.
The owl doubts the infallibility of th
rooster, and decide to put him to tn
test.
=. A plot is laid. and also Matched.
The owl hates the rooster because b
crows and thus destroys the night.
he didn't crow the sun would not com
up and blind the owls.
The owls fly away and find beautjf
:. guinea hen-a genuine lalapoosa, petit
8. pretty, pug-beaked, dainty and spral
"a gled in a directoire gown, cut princes
= They refer to her wonderful perso
ality-a thing of which she has alwa,
had her suspicious.
Then they tell her of the old rooste
~ Of his power and his vanity.
Could she lure him to his doom7
Certainly! One good look at her. a,
ne would be hpynotized. paralyze
mashed and undone. She never "a
anything yet that wore spurs, wattl
ar and comb that she couldn't chuck n
der the beak and walk away with.
She is bird, all right, all right.
Scene three reveals the meeting.
They cackle. they crow. they stru
w they flap, they fly up on the fence. IT
guinea hen knows her business.
The only way she will be his is to
with him. She is no mute Mormon wi
its all or none.
NJ. They fly. OF course, he can't fly {
or fast-being short Of wind and wing
but he flies at it. She encourages hil
ne and soon, with her help, he expects
beat the eagles. They are chicke