The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1912-10-01
Julia Murdoch Says The Other Man.
Is a Confusion of Many Ideas
Critic Declares Play Has
Some Excellent Char
acter Parts.

When sat In the New National
Theater last night to witness the per-
Torrance Of Eugene w. Presbrey's
The Other Man." was minded of
many different plays and stories re-
volving about the same subject. or
some phase Of II. 1.-THE Return of
Peter Grimm" DIR. Jckyli and Mr..
Hyde" Peer Gynt." THE Picture OF
Dorian Grey" and a short vaudeville
sketch. the name of which have for
gotten
Sad to say, unlike many other of its
predecessors in the realms Of psyche
logical research, whether serious or
otherwise, this play left no definite i'm
precision Of one kind. II is gripping, It
holds one, but after everything IL all
over. there is nothing left in the mind,
on the way home, but a confusion Of
many ideas. Dual personality, mater
ialization of the soul. thought trans
terrence. the much disputed question
of "soulmates." Christian Science, the
New Thought. and even a subtle at
tempt to show the audience "how to
tell the child" were touched upon, Is
there any doubt but that the presenta-
ton Of SO many subjects would lea, @
the brain In a bewildered state no mat
ter how true Of that particular moment,
or any other moment the reference
might be?
Story of the Play
Concerns Rejuvenation.
The story Of the play concerns the
moral rejuvenation Of one Jack Ruther-
ford. man OF the world. when he
finally decides to marry and settle
down. finds that he has gone too far,
and is unable to sever those chains
which he forged for himself during the
best years of his life OF course he
does not love the young girl whom he
is about to marry, though there are So
cial advantages on both sides, and It
Is the match OF the season, yet by the
irony OF the hand OF Fate. he really
loves the beautiful Russian woman who
has practically given herself to him.
and whose establishment he has main
tanned for a decade.
Rutherford and two companions with
whom he had been travelling in Europe
at the time, had saved this beautiful
girl, a daughter of a nihilist, from the
hands Of the iva tchdogs OF the Gar"
and he had brought her to America
with him. This story. as are In fact.
all Of the events in the play. is de-
llvered to the audience not through any
dramatic interpretations OF the prin-
cipals, but from the lips OF Friend Doc
tor and Friend Lawyer. There are sew
eral times in the course OF the I'M
weaving OF the plot. when an explana-
ton is necessary. and every time this
hiatus of events occurs. the explana-
ton is given without question through
the two characters mentioned.
when the time comes for Rutherford
to marry. the question OF what shall
be done with this woman whom he sup
poses he can discard in the same
manner In which he throws aside all
of his WORKOUT playthings arises. The
two friends OF Anna Karsof, Ruther-
ford's doctor and lawyer, attempt to
dissuade Rutherford from his unneces-
sarily cowardly act and plead with him
to that effect Egotistical, cruelty
selfish. and recognizing only the bene-
fits which he will reap through this
marriage OF CONVEYANCE, he refuses
their request that he marry the
Russian.
Finds He Is Father
Of Eight. Year-Old Boy.
Then he is surprised by the announce
ment that Anna Karsof is the mother
OF an eight-year-old boy. his own. who
was ushered into the world in Paris,
two years after they had met, by no