New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-14
AT THE VARIETIES
1.-The Seal Of Silence" Out OF
Place at Union Square.
CONFESSIONAL THE THEME
The Earl and the Girls" Excels
French Importation at
Hammerstein S.

HammerSteln S.
There is 10 escape from sense OF nj
ness Of things. Taste" some people can
il. Il determines what is appropriate IN
certain surroundings. II questions the APP
rropriateness Il a pig in a parlor ana
singer like Sembrich in music hall Its
standards make no exception OF vaude-
vile. and It's presence in the makeup of
vaudeville patrons may make the sketch,
THE Seal OF Silence" presented for the
first time in New York yesterday after
noon al y. F. Kelths Union Square Thea
ire ID failure, or at the most, only par
tial success.
The Seal Of Silence" is the work Of F.
A. Cnppen. il is acted by Walter Law
and his company. and il deals with the
sacredness of the confessional of the
Catholic Church 1t relates how q muir
derer visits a Catholic priest and asks for
absolution for lis crime. The priest learns
10 his horror that the murdered man is
his own brother, yet he keeps silence be-
cause Of his vow. Even the final discovery
of the guilt of the man falls 10 unseal tho
priests lips
As a vital factor in the lives Of millions
to-day the confessional is a matter Of the
most serious consideration. That situa-
ton such as the playlet presents is en-
urely within the bounds OF probability
there can be little doubt. But the good
taste of the presentation of scene or
confession in the religious sense on the
general and variety stage, TO an audience
made I'D of those who are not in sym
pathy with the ideas presented. is mat
ter open for serious question. Even II the
playlet was a masterpiece, which 1t Is not
its production outside the limits Of church
surroundings would seem not altogether
advisable. The extent TO which the gen
eral public feels this will in the end de-
termine the degree of popularity wnich
the bit of drama will attain
Another playlet. comedy written ana
PLAYED by Virginia Harmed, seems much
more likely to endure. 1t relates the
purely secular story of the adventures or
man and woman and their differing codes
Of morals, and in It Miss Harmed has ar
ranged to give opportunity for variety
of emotions The remainder of the bill is
made UP of Johnston, Howard and LIS
tette. acrobats; Paul Nevins and Ruby
Erwood. dancers: Dorothy Kenton, with
her banjo; Madden and Fitzpatrick IN
'The Wcnderer'; Britt Wood, Maud Null
Ter and Ed Stanley, in chatter, and the
Flying Russells.
William Hammerstein has studded his
current vaudeville bill at the Victoria
with three widely heralded new acts. Two
of these. the most enthusiastically com
mented uuon in advance. are foreign ac-
ouisitions. while the third is home grown
from the plsylet factory Of our own Jesse
l.. Iasky. In this instance IT Is not only
a patriotic matter hut a cause for salts
faction. 10 say that the act bearing the
made in America" trade mark is far and
away the best.
lie Rouge ct Nofr'' (Red and Black,
ranto ,;,--tianoespumber. and ''I1a Sa7,
waite. Or boxing with the feet. are the
Continental importatons France might
have kept both numbers without any of
our own vaudeville patrons being any the
worse for it. The fact Of tho matter even
is that hral audiences might he bit
better off n lie Rouge et Noir' had re-
manned in It's home.
Tho act tells OF Everymans pursuit Of
Dame Fortune. II is an old saw that
the lady Is tickle Jade, and such she
proves to be i'm this instance, for poor
Everyman is left broken and poverty
stricken. Previous TO the number
Moral" is flashed upon the screen warn
ing the spectators Of the folly of For
tunes pursuit II is well, for about the
- 10 vi ol
that which the screen carries. The act is
called symbolical. but in things symbol
cal much is supposed to be left TO the
imagination. II isn't in Rouge ct Noir'
AS for Ia Savate," II perhaps has
its deYotees in France, but last nights
audience laughed.
The Jasky product is a dancing musical
comedietta. The Earl and the Girls,
The girls are the Courtney sisters, Flor
ence and Fay, who please with their sing
ing They are set In attractive sur
roundings. including several chorus girls,
with variegated costumes, and generally
spell entertainment. Another Lasky sue
cess is the result.
Frank Tinney. with his amusing nom
sense: Reed and Beldon, Wilbur Sweat
gomery. Diero and the Three Leightons
complete the bill.
Henry Woodruff. the familiar Brown
of Harvard" and matinee idol Of other
comedies and dramas. re-appeared in New
York yesterday, vaudeville having made
another recruit. 3. f. Keth's Colonial
Theatre was the scene OF re-entry. and
q playlet "A Regular Business Man" the
vehicle Mr. Woodruff has lost none Of
his good looks or his actor!al ability, and
bids fair to win new matinee admirers
among the theatregoers of to-day.
Stella Mayhem. with the assistanc Of
Billee Taylor, has a number OF ca tai
new songs for her present season III the
varieties. Rivals for hOnors with her
were Willard Mack and Marjorie Rim
beau. In AN amusing sketch, Kick In"
The rest of the programme included Ed
r. Reynard Ward and Curran, Horace
Wright and Rene Dietrich. Cartmell and
Harris, Hoey and Lee, Alfredo, the Great
Dollar Troupe and Blanche Sloane.
Two bits of tense drama are featured
numbers a, Proctors Fifth Avenue Thea
ire They are playlets called THE Sys-
TEN" and His Japanese Wife" present