New-York tribune., 1912-02-28
THE DRAMA
Pinero's New Play, "Preservlng
Mr.. Panmure," LyCeum Theatre.

! don, allow them to be mauled and ham
strung I'm New York? or is his permission
solicited? Or does he perform the rude
surgery himself? Is it still believed, over
seas, that anything is good enough for
New York;"
! Sir Arthur can answer these questions
| himself. II he will, and II he viii, he may
| perhaps tell. also, in what respect he be-
lieves his comedy, The Preserving of Mr.
Panmure." has been improved by the lay
| ing on OF hands other than his own ~
| other hands they were-Or even il the
hands were his Anyhow. somebody must
have supposed that there would be some
| gain in the changes which have been made
| I'm this play for New York consumption
! Last night "The Preserving of Mr. PAN
mure" was performed at the Iyceum The
atre for the first time I'm this country Miss
| Gertrude Elliott was starred for the occa-
sion. and she made real hit. Never be-
fore has she been so successful I'm this city.
| The story of the play Is: Mr. Panmure
! was preserved by affable lying-his own
and that of others. The others are rot
| only his friends, as may be supposed. but
his guests at his country house. There is
also JOsepha. Mr.. Panmure is an elderly
gentleman of considerable ugliness as TO
| face, figure and character: an important
hut repulsive person. an English country
! gentleman" but a gentleman whom vou
! would rather not know, a sniveIIing, hum
bugging person, given to public prayers
and private disSipations. He has kissed the
goyerness-p pretty Josepha Ouarendon. 10
sepha doesn't like it. Her depression Of
spirit stirs the sympathy II not the alarm
of the ladies. What is the trouble. pratt,-
dear? Pretty dear Confesses-that is she
confesses half the truth; the other half
| she conceals within her innocent breast IL
II not within the innocent breast that
sweet maidens hide their secrets? Josepns
has been rudely kissed by a man in this
house. Was Mr.. Panmure the offender >
heavens, no! That, 10, it was not Mr.
| Panmure of course, not But II was ono
! oi the men in the house. and wild horses
shaI not drag forth his IDENTITY Whera-
upon all the other men are Suspected b,.
! the ladies'
This viii not do at all in the house NJ -.
Panmures For IS not Mrs & Tobn Do,
mure the founder NJ the order ~ rira
| souls? And is II not the duty. the obvious
! DUTY, OF tho husband of the Finest NJ p-iro
SOUS 10 investigate the offending and cast
,or'n me offender A pretty pickle for
| fanmure himself. but he Is dropred into
ana must make the best OF IT, Who
Iissed Josepha? Since Pannqure. yrbo did
! ~ was not &c man. it must have been
"e Rlght Hon Reginald Stulkeley. NJ. p.
! o. Ialbot Noodnouse. his private secre-
tsrv' or Hir. Alfred Hebblethwaite. NJ =
! 'f Hugh Lorins. The first is an eligible
! bachelor: the second bachelor less elf
| a.
! thl", but moro :rely the third an elderly
! bore. IN" fourth a duffer with no courage
| Tor tho decd. Josepha, pestered by much
| inquiry, beseeches Stukeley 10 declare him
self the guilty man and so bring the mat
| ter 10 whatsoever end II may roach
S'ulkeley doesn't see H. Josepba dis.
tracted, turns 10 WUodhouse. You see. she
| must prove there was Il kisser, and par-
! haps shc would prefer one Of this pair for
the fond attention But Woodhouse do.
murs. whatever he may wish And then
81 John Panmure, with the mighty air Of
2 Royal Commission incarnate in a single
SOUL and that a Fine One. bestrdes the
library Ike Colossus and interrogates
StGlkeIey and Woodnouse. How dare theyo
! or how dare either Of them? The fun OF
tho fair IS that Stulkeley and Woodhouse
arrive with certainty at the conclusion that
Fanmure. the immaculate, is the man who
! rave tho famous kiss but they Cuutrive 10
preserve him Meanwhile the horrined
ladies'. scandalized by the delay in Pan
nUre's Investigations and snorting will,
jealousy. arriyo on the scene and demand
the facts. Who kissed Jose pha? Mrs. Pan
mure. Mrs. HcbDlethwaito. Miss Ansticr
and Miss Stulkelcy cry TO heaven for i'm
formation and vengeance. they call aloud.
separately and together. There is "A hur.
rlcane of cNpoStulatiOn. accusation and in
curry. And then Woodhouso heroicalIv
rays he did it, with his little lips. he KISSED
.Iosepha. Happy coincidence: at that mo.
ment the household is summoned to pray
crs as the custom Is. and as II might bee
summoned 10 dinner, bv gong Mr.. PAN
murc is preserved. Hc can now preach 10
his household his bi-weekly sermon. a ccre-
uOny upon which his wife insists Mrs
Hanmure Is much younger than Mr.. Pan
mure. and she has Cshall II be said?) sanity
cnthusiasms. which he. to put it gently
has not But he l.. as you have seen. pre-
served. And the Ordc" OF Fine Souls
salutes him officially
Woodhouse by this time loves Josepha
So does his employer. who. by the way. ~
also his cousin, Stulkcley, VI. =. The two
men draw lots for priority Of proposal In
the London production Of this play Stulll-
eley won the fair hand and tender heart
In the New York production. for some un-
explained reason or no reason al all. Wood
house is the winning suitOr. In the orig
inal play the conspiracy for Panmure's
preservation came 10 an end; I'm the New
York production II is left entirely in the
air and forgotten. I'm the London perform
ance Panmure confessed before the assem-
bled household, not, however, because his
conscience TcvOltcd, but because a fOotman
discovered his guilt and hypocrisy. For
this driven herOism, poor Woodhouse ) was
nothing To IL. tho order of Fine Souls,
third class "copper". was conferred upon
him. Josepha, you sec. was - all events
I'm the original play, at all her pains for
the sake Of her friend and former school
fellow. Mrs. Panmure. who. finding her
penniless, gave her home and employment.
II upon .Iosepha Is borne the conviction
that a girl should not bc pretty without an
independent income-why. that is in the
course OF nature and Panmureism. or
what remains OF Panmureism, for having
cut out Panmures confession. his decora-
tion by the Fine Souls (thcy were Pure
Souls I'm London. Is IT supposed that New
York would be shocked by the word pureD
we really do not know what becomes OF !
MIR. Panmuro and his isms and his relation
to his many and curious friends. The New
York version. oddly enough Is content with
allowing Mr.. Paumure to remain liar OF
the first class. Probably he would never
have been anyth else, but at all events
Pinero dealt will i'm more effectively IN
London than the lew York adapter OK
Pinero deals with him i'm 45th street.