The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-04-08

few big audiences OF the Academy of
Musics season put on It's scarves, it's
furs. or its be-strapped overcoats last
night and shivered with Mrs. Fiske
through a weary pilgrimage In Eve
parts. entitled The High Road" Ed
ward sheldon's latest play
The author Of The Niger" The
Boss and Salvation Nelr set out to
! write a great big play, judging from
its theme or themes. for there were
several, but he fell short of his am
bition. and produced only ono strik-
Ing scene, interesting II improbable.
surrounded by desert of talk.
This pilgrimage" as 1T is pro-
grammed, seeks to portray, by series
of brief journeys extending through
a period OF some twenty-onc years the
high road of lofty endeavor travelled
during that time by woman, who. as
young country girl, left her home
in company with light-minded ar
list, and, after having lived with him
for three years, gave him up. not from
any particular reasons of morality, but
because other things were more beau
;iful"
The other things were the alienation
OF conditions in the life of working
women. chiefly, and somewhat indef-
1
eral. Just how this influence came into
her life is not disclosed: she had Just
/ three years before been an ignorant
II not illiterate. child. and her life
with the artist had been spent in wan
dering about the world, collecting OBJ
| jects OF art, listening to music, and
leading rather exaggerated Bohemian
! existence.
! sun. the call comes and she heeds
II. Eighteen years pass. She has won
her fight for the passage of Il long de-
sired bill, and the Governor OF the
state signs it in her presence, and i'm
mediately asks her to marry him
She tells him the whole story, but
/ here 81 another theme his love for her
conQuors conventionality, and airs right
with the world.
Act or part" four discloses the
husband and wife upon the eve OF n
presidential election. with the husband
an almost certain winner. Enters
mighty newspaper man in full posses
sion OF the wfe's earlier Bohemian
career with a threat to cause SEN
ator of his to call for an investiga-
tion as to Il large sum or money which
the husband is said TO have contributed
to the party's war chest and which lie
is charged with having obtained from
her, who, in turn, is accused OF hav-
ing had il from the artist.
The wife first lies and attempts with
the husbands assistance, to disprove
the artistic career. but she is caught
in trap and confesses. Then she
saves the whole situation by threaten
ing to tell her whole story TO the AS
sociated Press, and throw herself upon
the mercy OF the world. which Will be-
lievc her denial OF the financial trans
action If she sacrifices her reputation
upon the altar OF truth.
This is the one strong" scene in tho
tial candidate allowing n man to charge
his wife with such an affair and cross
examine her upon the point--but we'll
worked out, and, as played by Mrs
Fiske and her company last night, very
effective.
All the preceding scenes arc lacking
In sincerity; are artificial, and. worse
than all, rather duh.
In spite of Mrs. "iske's undoubtedly
great art the part OF the girl Is un-
suited 10 her, as Is also that OF the
woman Of three years later. When.
in the course Of the play. she reached
the age of forty, or thcrcabouts, she
was admirable. rising easily and artis-
tically. as always, to every height that
opportunity offered. But--to put II
courteously--at that time her appear
ance had not altered In the least from
that of the earlier period
With tho single exception of the
young man VINO played the artist. who
was affected. explosive and unintelligi-
BILE, the supporting company that Mrs.
Fiske gathered about her was of the
highest order of ability.
Frederick Perry, who will be remem-
bered in Richmond as the Indian.
Hugon. in Miss Johnstons Audrey"
gave Il superb performance Of the role
OF the Governor, ana Arthur BYRON,
last seen here with Maudc Adams In
What Every Woman Knows" held
high the honor Of a distinguished fam
lily of actors as the newspaper man.
while all the smaller parts were ex-
ceedingly we'll played.
All four OF the settings shown were
elaborate, massive and perfect in de-
tail, which fact probably accounted for
the interminablc waits between acts.
But as for The High Road" itself:
remembering the old Scotch song, TIL
TAX the low road"
w. Douglas Gordon.