The Washington times., 1913-01-07
Dress Styles of 1863-1913 Are Contrasted in Play
At Columbia Theater This Week, Says Julia Murdock
'Hoopskirts, Bustles, AM
Tight Gowns All Figure
in "Milestones.

| 1t was a delightfully."- sentimental
journey that the audience assembled il
the Columbia Theater took last nigh
with the English company presenting
| "Milestones." II was a journey tina
| extended through a period Of fifty
years. and II was taken by perhaps tht
| largest company of playgoers that ha.
| gathered in the theater this season.
| That something unusual might have
| been expected when Arnold Bennett. the
I, English writer, and Edward Knaubloch
| the author OF another show which is tc
be seen in washington next week. put
their heads together to- fashion play
| was accepted as a matter OF course
The unusual in this instance proved tc
| be 'Milestones." the story Of three gen.
J erations which was reviewed in this
| column when the play was first pre-
| sented to the American reading public
| in the October number of the Munsey
! magazine
1t is therefore Unnecessary at this
time to again review the curious story
| of Milestones" furthermore than to
inform those who have not had the
good fortune of seeing It that It con-
Germs itself with the fortunes of three
radicalism versus conservatism In af-
fairs Of the business world.
All Dramatic Rules
Smashed In "Milestones." h
All dramatic rules and conventions
have been smashed to atoms in
'Milestones." but this is of no i'm
portence whatever, considering the
wonderful success of the play. And
when the playgoing public approves,
there Is mighty little use in making
protest. The very excellent reason
for the past success of ''MiIestoness
lies in the fact that II Is an intense
ly human play, the people in each of
the three generations being the kind
OF people that must have lived and
thought and felt in those times.
Through its entire action runs O.
love story-or rather three love
stcries-and these are protected
against the drab background of one
woman's broken heart. and subse-
quent life Of sacrifice. There in much
marrying and living in marriage in
NNSe0hes- SuplO Is on the 1oh
almost all of the time. and perhans
there Is nothing else which SO clear
ly illustrates the difference between
the older generation and the young
er one. than this very marrying and
giving In marriage. The curtain
descends In act 1, upon the breaking
OF the engagement between Young
Si6iey and John Rheads sister, bring
ing long unhappfness to the latter.
In addition old Sibley refuses to ac-
eept John Rheadi az his son-jn-law
but later Rhead weds Miss Sibley. in
spite OF his fathers opposition.
Again in 1855 (the first act takes
place in 1860 the curtain falls upon
the extraordinary story of. another
girls broken heart, and her meek
submission to the will of her parents
The year 1912 finds all the world
changed, and as this has happened.
so has the status of woman advanced
until II Is possible for John Rhead.s
to declare that she will
marry whom she pleases. and the cur
tain falls upon the old man and his
wife sitting by the freside on the
night of their golden wedding. All"
sighs John Rhead, we live to learn"
And. Yes, dear. we do answers his
old wife.
There Is a lesson in sartorial history,
too. in "Milestones." During the three