Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-17

- PASMODIC propriety appears " oe
a predominant virtue In THESE
wicked days. and the heroes
who seem willing to sacrifce
everything except their curiosity
and their comment are many. There are
undoubtedly plays that drift along In the
course of the theatrical season Wnlch
seem to have a financial support out
side the public patronage that Is mar
Vicious simply because they live so lons.
But there are a great many stald, orol-
nary people, not at all brash In tneir
morals, who refuse to go into convul-
sions of criticism when such plays come
along. because they believe, from a habit
of good taste If one may so term 1t, II Is
better to suffer the unfit to pass I'M
noticed rather than to advertise 1t with
caustic criticism. which invariably ADDS
10 the patronage and makes perpetuation
possible Nay more, such a course and
such consequence seem rather to en-
courage certain caterers of the drama
TO persist in their attempt to pollute the
public taste and hide their efforts be-
hind the excuse that the public must
want such things or it would not patron
ize them.
1.-The Common Law" which came last
week with advance notices clever with
insinuation, was a rank failure as an
immoral play. Summed up in few
words, the whole cause for thinking 1t
immoral was the fact that a foolish girl.
very much in love with the hero, rather
than give him up, was willing to drift
through life without marrying him
rather than marry and see him ostracized
by his friends and family and cut off
from all his brilliant prospects as an
artist. The morbid Imagination was nee
essary to suggest unspeakable vice, and
on this fiimsy fact the press agent built
up patronage for play that. while en-
tertaining to a degree, was little more
than commonplace, regardless of the fact
that it borrowed its name and some Of its
incidents from widely read book.
There, was an element of the doubtful
in the ring incident in the pure, beautiful
play, .'Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
that every one went to see and for which
nearly every one had good word. And
BABY Mine also rested on an uncertain
foundation, Notwithstanding it made
crowded houses laugh immoderately the
entire week.
Given a pure mind without morbid
curiosity and spyglass to see things a
long way off. the natural delicacy of the
average audience would quickly repudiate
suggestion of vice as a theme for en-
tertainment. and the consequence must
invariably be bankrupt box Office, which
after all is the severest criticism that can
be registered against an unworthy play.
It is doubtful If fanatical zeal ever help
ed good morals. 1t is more than doubt
full that the general public needs the
stimulus of the dramatic critics effort
to make it more virtuous.
Because of the doubt. however, that is
ever and anon raised concerning new
plays that come with each theatrical sea-
son. the Washington public doubtless will
hail the coming of the productions of the
Columbia Players at. the Columbia The
alter thus early in the season with CRATE
full appreciation. Experience has demon
strated at least that there Will be no
cause for Mysteries over the morals, or
the plays presented, and capacity. houses
in the past, even during the warmest
nights of summer, seem an assurance to
the public, if not to the dramatic critic,
that the talent of the players Is such as
to command prominent attention. Nor
is this patronage, as is sometimes mt
mated the result of the personal follow
ing of individual players, because there
have been many changes since the CO.
lumbia Players three years ago first won
the confidence and support of the local
public. But when all is considered, II is
All indisputable evidence that the local
managers may be trusted in both plays
and payers when other matters in the
world theatrical leave them free to act
as they think best
SIMPLE BALLADS BEST.-"In these
days of choruses and ensembles the stage
does not offer enough ballads - those
songs that tell the story Of the heart
said Lew Dockstader recently. There
is no form of song more democratic than
the simple ballad of the day. for it
touches all classes. II appeals more
strongly than classical song because there
is always d heart story lingering among
its blend of word pictures and melody.
1t recalls scenes dear to memory and
sweet for their associations More than
any other form of song, il soothes our
cares and restores 10 tine heart its own
most precious treasures. 1t is said the
man who wrote Home, Sweet Home.
never had a home, yet his song found a
response in a million hearts.
\ NEW TYPE OF THE NEW WON
AN.-Now that tire militant suffragettes
are said to have devastated London
town and to be Threatening the fab
ric of constituted British society,"" re-
calling in truth the memory of Gill
berts whimsical plant in The Pirates
OF Penzance," "A policeman's lot is
not happy one"-now, in short, that
femininity is said to be everywhere as
sorting itself picturesquely, IL rather
Onconventiona!ly with the slogan Votes
for women certainly a stage por-
trayal of noted authors idea OF any
phase of femininity rampant should
possess timely interest.
The new woman" is not q new fig
ure on the American stage by any
means. AS long ago as 1890 the late
Charles Hoyt caricatured women who
pursued political preferment and de-
manded equal suffrage in farce called
~ Contented Woman" Since that time
the female apostle of equal rights has
been annually introduced in one guise
or another, and some of the guises
were not at all fiattering either to the
new woman or to the old man..
In The Old Town." George AIDE has
introduced the new woman again. He
calls her a "suffragette." this time
utilizing the expressly coined word by
which London designates its female
vote seeker, who invades the house
Of parliament and forces battle upon
the metropolitan police. Fawnie Smith
fragette. She is contradiction of
the massive and masculine looking
woman Mr.. Hoyt drew as his idea of
the woman champion of woman $
rights. Mr.. AIDES suffragette is not un-
attractive. Fawnie Smith is rather of
the tailormade, stalwart, athletic and
intellectual type, often discovered in
he nh NJ hip OF nj