The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-09-22
ADJUSTMENTS
Academy of Music-'The Echo"
Bijou-"rhe Soul KISS"

Good Company In Powerful Play.
Rounds of ringing applause greeted
The Clansman" upon Its return to
the Academy OF Music yesterday for
two OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES so ring
ing. so spontaneous and SO hearty that,
at times, one voice could have started
the house a-cheering. However one
may question the wisdom of keeping
alive the memory of those wretched,
heart-aching days and nights of misery
In the South that followed upon the
heels Of The War;" lie is compelled
to admit that Thomas Dixon has put
the bitterness and horror, we'll as
the bravery and heroism of them. be-
fore us in a manner, doubtless true to
the life of that time, that makes US
shudder and culver at the raw realism
of 1t. yet admire, with any amazement,
the brain that conceived the innum-
cradle tcnsely dramatic. shocking sit
nations IN WHEN the play abounis. To
quote the mayer of the house, more
or less calloused critic. Every line has
"a punch in it" Melodrama. II You
like. but a tslorihed melodrama.
Althous the play opened" here
yesterday, so competent was the stage
director. whose name. by the way, is
not mentioned In the prog ram. that
last nights performance was smooth.
easy AMI practically without a flaw.
Even I who write. TO paraphrase. who
went to the theatre in a most uu-
friendly state OF mind toward the au-
thor. after his Sins OF the Father
and the unpleasant correspondence that
followed, caught only one single slip
or even hesitation on the part Of any
member of the company. And 10 the
company itself is due much praise. One
rarely sees. in so large a cast, so many
excellent actors-without a star or n
featured actor. they gave n clean cut.
well-balanced and unusually pood per-
formancs.
Vivian DeWolfe. as Elsie Stoneman.
with soft pretty voice. and an easy
stage presence. was attractive and APP
pealinG in her love scenes and thor
oughly convincing in her terror and
horror OF the Lieutenant Governor
little Isabel Mendoza made the very
dearest kind of child as Flora. and
Edith Mendoza grew better and better
as Nellie Graham clyde NJ, Shropshire
was manly, natural and sincere
young knight of the Khan, as Ben
Cameron: Nanny Koler was beyond
criticism in the character part of the
Governor of the state, and j. D. Walsh
was good. more than good, as Stone
man, the abolitionist. But, to my mind.
Harry Bartell and Myron Paulson We're
the two sl,rs OF the company. AIR.
Bartell as Nelse. in spite of the
fact that his features initiated against
him, gave the best representation of a
negro that l can recall having seen on
the staEe--the most natural and ii.a-
like. and | do not forget Willis Sw eat
nam in The County Chairman" Mr..
Faulson, as the negro Lieutenant-Gov-
ernor. a most trying, unsympathetic
and hideous part proved again that
we still have actors who can read
Big, with voice and biz man
nor. he made up as nearly like o;le of
our own mulattoes as white man
possibly could, and played in complete
accord with his appearance. One rare
ly sees stter piece of work than his
scene in the last act with the father
OF the girl he desires to marry. With
the exception of Mr.. Rartcll, the rest
OF the men and women who played
"darky" parts. inciud>--g thar of Eve,
wore bad-they all said "Sowth" for