The Washington herald., 1911-01-10
THE COLUMBIA.
ssThe spendthrift."


"The Spehdthrift," the play by Porter
Emerson Brewer. which was presented
at the Columbia Theater last night,
touches upon condition which has pre-
vailed throughout the history Of man
kind. or at least as far back as We have
any authentic records-the selfish ex-
travagance of a certain class of women.
While the scenes and incidents of the
play pertain to the present period. the
exposition of the lesson fits all periods,
and hence the production is entitled to
be called real playa thing Of more
than evanescent interest-and there is no
question that it is capable Of doing good
il sincerely considered in some quarters
And the expression. "some quarters" is
used advisedly, for the woman in the
case. upon whose character and actions
the plot impinges and from whose suffer-
ing the moral Is drawn, is by no means
| a general exemplifcation Of her Sex. She
is rather an example of a certain type.
While many instances of like attributes
fail to ones notice in the course of a
lifetime. still the discerning man or
woman will not be prone to lose faith in
wOmankind upon viewing this stage ex-
position. The same period of observa-
,, ton will show too great a concourse of
loyal women going down into the depths
with no-account men, and recall too many
instances Of men lifted to the heights by
proper feminine influence. The play is
remarkable in this day of vaguely out
lined and insuficiently answered prob
lens from the fact that the author
states his premises without equivocation
and gives the answer clearly, although he
is compelled to temper the punishment at
the close in order to attain what Is COM
mOnlv referred inn
But. as a matter of fact. one would
| rather see it END that way, anyhow; for.
like all of the human species, this woman
| was not all bad; she had much that was
good in her makeup, and, according to
| the immortal code transmitted by the
Nazarene. repentance is the first step to-
ward rehabilitation-ands she repented.
Richard Ware. a man of about forty
| five years of age, doing business in>New
York, is on the verge of bankruptcy.
He is an able man, capable of maxi
! ing something more than a mere re
spectacle" living. but he has been. for
| twenty years. in order to crafty the
| wishes OF his wife, spending more than
his income. She is selfish, unthinking,
| fond of the extravagant usages of So
| ciety. with an inordinate love OF fine
| things and a great fear of the opinions
of others. Now the end has come.
Every resource is exhausted. a rich aunt
refuses to help further. and tomorrow
her husband is to declare himself a
| bankrupt. At even this crucial point
she must do another foolish thing. She
| has been paid some attention by Suf
fern Thorne, man notorious for his
| improper relations with women. and she
| "borrows" $4,000. enough to tide her
husband over, from him, actuated by a
| foolish notion that she is doing 1t for
| her husband. without improper act.
or hardly thought, and when pressed
| by him. she resorts to a lie. and tells
him that the money has been obtained
from the aunt. The man discovers the
statement to be false. and finds ont the
real source Of the loan by a dramatic
| trick, and then ensues another dramatic
episode. in which Thorne Is summoned
to the wife's bedroom and the truth
disclosed to the husband. although be
makes no visible sign, and follows the
would-be lover from the room.
During the night the wife disappears
and is discovered in the last act in the
tenement district. striving to earn a mea-
ger living, and there is reconciliation.
and the couple presumably start life anew.
There are a number Of clever sayings, no
tably NO place is God forsaken except the
place where man forsakes his God and
comedy is furnished throughout, princi-
pally through the brusque philosophy OF
the rich aunt and the slangy exuberance
Of the hero's younger brother. Altogether
the piece is intensely interesting.
The acting is up to the best standard.
Robert T. Haines appears as the husband.
Richard Ware, and the role is strictly
suited to his talents, which have been 30
strongly exhibited in quite every period
of his career. He Is man OF quiet yet
magnetic personality. and he is able to
attain the strongest emotional effects
without apparent effort, yet always keep
ing within the limits Of the characteI. He
has acquired the reputation, based upon
his work, Of being one of the best lead
ing men on the American stage.
The role of Frances Ward. the wife. is
difficult one. but splendidly delineated by
That's Magrane. the result being accomplish
ed entirely by artistic methods. Upon these
two already mentioned the weight Of the
drama really falls but they are compe-