The Washington herald., 1913-03-30

Tabatin." "Odette." 'TOncIe Sam" THE
Exiles." Les Pattes de Mouche" may
be mentioned as among the leading pro-
ductions Of his fertile genius.
The first part OF the book Is devoted 10
| a biographical sketch Of the playwright.
the second contains an analysis of some
forty Sardou plays. less critical than
narrative. and in this the author has
made use Of the original French plays
and not Of the English versions.
There is some part of the book de-
voted to Sardou plays in the United
| States. but this Is merely a record and
, cannot be complete. Most of the Sardou
productions in this country were made
| In New York. In other cities the plays
| were staged only II they had been sue
cessful in the metropolis.
Sardou was born at Paris in 1851.
| and at first followed the medical profcs-
sion, whiC he quickly abandoned at the
call of the pen and the stage. After
numerous failures his Les rattes de
Mouche" "a scrap of paper. which was
produced at the Gymnase Theater in
1860. made him famous. II was his mas
terpiece. He reached the pinnacle of
his earthly fame when his Dora" Diplo-
Macy was produced at Balmoral Castle
| in 1893 before Queen Victoria. ex-Em-
press Eugene and a whole coterie of
teen years previous his country honored
him by electlng him one of the forty
Immortals of the Academic Francaise
He died in November 1905, in his seventy
eighth year.
AMERICAN CITY GOVERNMENT: Ry Charles
A. Beard New Iork-1hc Century Company.
Many recent experiments in municipal
democracy. direct primaries. the initia-
.,,Nr
municipal ownership, and many new
agencies of civic uplift, juvenile courts.
domestic relation courts. public play
grounds &C, are reviewed by Prof.
Beard. He tells the story of the develop
ment OF progressive sentiment SO far as
1t relates to municipal reform. and Of the
ma nifest ia ton of this sentiment In what
are mainly nonpartisan and practical
measures. The most significant fact
about tho city problem is regarded. not
as the mere movement OF population
from the county to the towns. but as
! the reconstruction OF our economic sys-
tenn by the industrial revolution brought
about by steam and machinery. The
whole complex of the industrial Condi-
tions, says DIR. Beard, under which the
city workman labors Is such as TO exer-
else a deteriorating effect upon his home
BY its emphasis upon the economic and
social causes oil city COn0ltl0ns, upon the
social and economic products OF these
conditions. and upon the social and eco
nomic functions Of city government. the
book is distinct from others in the same
field in method OF treatment.
The great need is not SO much the
change in the machinery of government
as an Improvement Of citizens and citl-
zenship. Adequate means for bringing
this about must be sought. The demand
for governmental justice is fundamental
ly the demand for social and economic
justice. The processes are not so i'm
portant as the results: the political
measures are not so important as the
huma unitarian sentiment.
Prof. Beard does not present any
theory Of municipal government. He
seems kindly disposed toward the Social
lists. This is in keeping with the ten
dency noticeable in the book-to regard
the pros of things more attentively than
the cons" A great deal can be done
hy the city. says the author, to make the
living and working conditions within its
borders better. but when the city has
done its utmost many fundamental evils
will remain untouched at the real source.
That is why nonpartisanship. aiming at
mere business efficiency in administra-
tion and good city government move
mcnts. Is to be considered as temporary,