New-York tribune., 1911-10-01
THE PLAYGOER
Regarding "The Woman" at the
Republic Theatre.


noIiSicians and il is high time that
now nlay with new turn should appear
about these troubled and troublesome
characters They are not new poliu-
clans. the men folk who inhabit Mr. De
Miles play, but that may be for the
very good reason that new kinds or
roliticians have not of late hurled them
selves before the gaze of Congresses OF
Of dramatists All of them in this play
are old friends Of the playgoing public
hut they get themselves into rather new
dilemmas. or into new dramatic situa
tions. This time not a god but god
dess from the machine blurs their plans
DESTROYS them with the engines of their
own wrath. The goddess from the ma
chine is the telephone operator at the
switchboard of the Hotel Keswick, in
Washington Her name is Wanda Kelly
and she is as bright as new coin from
the mint. She will teach the public at
The theatre how certain dangers attach
themselves to condolences by telephone
and. incidentally perhaps how some OF
those dangers may be avoided. But II
might be as well 10 ask if the telephone
companies lend themselves as readily as
the dramatist assures us they do to the
blackmailing schemes Of grafters who
happen to be playing the political game
in Congress. According to Mr.. De Mile,
group of clever knaves can obtain I'm
side" information relating to the num-
bers" Of calls" and the identity Of the
persons conversing, because the inquir-
ers are members Of the House while the
plain citizen is forbidden this privilege.
This NAV be true, or it may be dramatic
license. Anyhow, it makes a story for
the play maker.
According to the Hon Jim Blake, OF
Illinois. "a reformer is a CRATER out
of a job" The Hon. Jim is a charac-
ter worth studying, and John Cope
plays the part in manner that COM
pels attention and admiration. Grating
is not merely the Hon. Jim's vocation.
il is his religion. He crafts by convic-
ton and simple duty. because, as he
explains. everybody else is in the game,
or wishes to be in il, and he means Ito
get his" before the dear people wake up
to the fact that they can stop the game
If they wish to take the trouble. Pre-
sumably they must have ideals before
they take the trouble but the Hon. Jim
is unacouainted with ideals and does
not mention them. He has risen from
nothing. and owns Illinois. and carries
Washington in his pocket. At present
he is steering the Mullins bill through
the House The Mullins bill is graft
bill. hence the Hon. Jim's navigating IN
terest. The Hon. Matthew Standish,
'front.' is not quite clear where he is
from. but evidently some district in New
York votes for him And everybody
knows that New York is purer than Il
linois. The Hon. Mr. Standish is an in
surgent, the leader Of insurgency, and
the dramatist assures us that this means
the leader of reform although not OF
reform in the Hon. Jim's way Of putting
IT, Standish opposes the Mullins BILL
and the Hon. Jims only hope of defeat
Ing Standish's opposition is the ruin OF
Standish. whose record is raked fore
and aft There was once a woman.
That is fl. find the woman. 1t can be
proved that there was a woman-but?
learn her name. or get clew TO her un-
iii Standish calls her on the long-dis-
tance telephone from the Hotel Keswick.
The Hon. Jim makes it his business TO
learn the number that was called. The
business Of the play is to tell how he
learns the number, and how he threatens
ruin 10 everybody commemorative woman,
if he can find her; the telephone girl who
pluckily refuses TO give the information,
even when ordered to do so by her dis
trict manager; and, of course, Insurgent
Standisn When the Hon. Jim discov-
ers what he wanted to know. he wishes
that he had not made the effort because
the woman in the case proves to be his
own daughter the wife of his right
hand man IN the political machine, an
Ex-Governor Of New York. The STORY"
is suppressed. Standish is not ruined the
graft bill IS defeated. But for all that
the spectator knows to the contrary
the machine" goes grinding on. The
business OF running regulations may be
halted temporarily. but in the nature Of
things it will be taken up again in some
other direction. For of such is the king
dom Of politics as ruled by the Hon.
Jms and the Mark Robertsons of this
vale of tears.
The play works up 10 its climax with
persuasive skill. The audience, of
course, is in the playwright's confidence
II knows the woman and it knows how
the story must end. But the dramatist's
skill, and Mr.. Beasco's skill GOr you
can see the latter's hand throughout
keep the house wondering just what
road will be traversed to the inevitable
end. The traditional business of these
matters is in two instances avoided.
Reformer Standish had not deserted the
lady; the lady had deserted him and
married the Governor At the time Of
the incident Of error she had loved one
suppOses. the Insurgent-to-be. Quickly,
though. she recovered from her passion.
She is cool enough toward him now. and
he 20 her They have not met in years,
nor communicated. He considers him
self badly used, which is natural. lie
will not shield her now If the scandal
breaks. II must not break, he says. be-
cause his career must not be sacrificed,
and he is the guardian Of the interests
of the people. If you are inclined to
cave 'arf a brick at him when he talks