The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-04-10

full force. As a star coincidence
usually frolicsone, Hattie Williams now
demonstrates her facility in dignity and
pathos. We have seen how the pairs
poverty has borne heaviest on a woman
of taste and culture. She has had to
be the cook of the meals, the seamstTess
Of her wardrobe, the nursemaid Of three
children, and, additionally, the ever
cheerful. sympathetic wife OF a fond
but misanthropic husband. Now she
rises above him with loving reproof and
the best of domestic philosophy. She
proclaims herself a cOntented wife,
proud mother. not unhappy woman.
And (here is the lesson of the piay) she
Is the mother and moulder of three boys
"a fond, faithful and hopeful maker
of men, Miss Williams moistens the
audiences eyes with Sutro's object les
son.
Denman Thompson's Chance.
It was thirty-five years ago, in Tony
Pastors variety show, that Denman
Thompson, a low comedian from the
old-time kind Of resident stock COM
| panies, offered a Quarter-hour sketch
entitled Josh Whitcomb." A genial
rustic stood with eyes and mouth wide
open IN front of Grace church. He had
| his boots BACKED by a saucy urchin,
gave dime to a little beggar girl. some
| advice to drunkard, and laugh to a
! bunco man. Then he ran after an en-
| CINE to fire. That was in q front
scene, after which the stage was opened
up for a Fifth avenue parlor, where
Uncle Josh told the news of Swanzy to
/ his city relatives, and took off his hurt
| ing boots to dance in a quadrille. That
was the farcical brevity which. when
enlarged by passages from life on
Josh's farm, became THE Old Home
stead"
The new Joshua Whitcomb" starts
like the old one, but the tourist from
New Hampshire doesn't visit his city
cousins, nor take the audience to his
country homestead. Instead, we go with
him and the little waif to a garnet,
where he witnesses the brutality or a
sot to his dying wife, and befriends the
child The welcome Of Thompson to
vaudeville is unanimously affectionate
The people are not fooled at all. They
know that they're getting as small a
| portion of the actors former ability as
of his famous play. Yet they laugh
loudly at the few jokes that he delivers
feebly, applaud hts nerYeless move
ments, and give to him that priced
triumph of show folk, an ovation.
When Uncle Josh kneels with the child
at tne IlOJnSTE DSO61Qe 10 pray LDoI
rises TO throw the cursing father out
through g window. and quietly kneel:
again to continue the prayer. no here
ever climbed melodrama in greater
popularity.
The jolly old Josh Is not now hale
or hearty, but 30 decrepit that he cam
} do much else In his accustomed way
than smile blandly. His voice is 81
} weak that he can with difficulty MAKE
} it carry throughout the theatre, and tn
effort Of acting at all tires him 81
quickly that he has cut the play down
, to half an hour. This is Thompson's in
deed farewell trip, and nc one expect
} 1t to extend beyond New York, Phila
J delphia and Boston. In view Of tn
million that ought to be his fortune
/ why does he work any more? The an
: swer is that his bad luck in invest
'nts, and his inveterate taking o
chances TO lose, have not left him ricl
enough to refuse an offer Of many thou
sands in vaudeville