Evening star., 1913-11-23


play of frivolity offered by the Ziesfeld
aggregation. 1t cannot be commended
as what the sideshow manager would
announce as "a moral and instructive en-
tertainment' The conscience of Fol-
lies show Is bounded only by the limita-
tions which the audiences appoint
Words OF reprobation for its September
Morn tendencies in costume have not
prevented the ticket rack in the box
office from being emptied at each per-
formance. Flippancies of speech which
defy the formalites are greeted with
laughter, and the assumption that no Of
fense is intended is sufficient to prevent
offense from being taken. One fact
which enables the Follies to maintain its
audacity is. the fact that it catches and
reflects the spirit of European gayety
Ii is not American humor twisted and at
tenuated into pathetic imitation of the
grotesqueries which the Partisan music
halls cultivate with so much enthusiasm.
The Folies has become an institution
From year 10 year il has increased in
favor Its title is a trade mark, as the
names of the Rogers Brothers used TO
be- 1t has merely TO change the date to
correspond TO that of the latest automo-
bile model. 1t compels so many laughs
that eensure would be unavailing- Like
Topsy. it Just growed," and in the face
Of serious reminders it may merely
chuckle and reply. .Golly. rs bad.
broadening of the humor in comic
stage productions is to be expected In
the same degree that serious produc-
tions extend their discussions into the
domain of earnest research COMEDY
can be rendered effectua1 only as II
touches a general trend of popular
thought from some unexpected angle
Mr.. Cosmo Hamilton's lecture was fol-
lowed by a series of performances cal
culated to make clearer the subjects
he took up In view of the very lib
eral attitude now prevailing with ref
erence to public consideration of So
Geological and biological topics, the
ignorance which he points out as a
danger cannot long prevail. His play.
The Blindness of Virtue" commands
admiration for the discretion he has
managed to preserve in placing in dra-
matte form discourse involving con-
siderations of some delicacy. The thea
ter. carrying with IL as 1t does an i'm
piled obligation to stimulate or sur
prise the auditors mind, cannot be re-
lied upon as a straightforward and
sincere tutor. The requirements of
plot and climax are so rigorous that
the thrill is usually attained at the
expense of the lesson. 1t is seldom
that play which assumes to impress
serious facts cannot be detected in
tissue of Inconsistencies. The subject
OF a drama and the method of its ex-
preston in words constitute but a
fraction of the theater's interest. The
acting Is an essential charm. and a
good play must have opportunities for
the actor. As acting depends on
temperament. and as temperament is
normally illogical the theater cannot
be relied on as a reliable assistant in
reducing the manifestations of human
impulse to the terms of exact science
As for Damaged Goods'-but why
spoil pleasant Sunday morning?
PHILANDER JOHNSON.
PAFLOWA'S NAMES The name of
Anna Paviowa Is one that a Russian
could freely use without a prefix in ad-
dressing her. whether the acquaintance
had just begun, or was one Of long stand
ing. Only outsiders feel compelled to ad-
dress her as "Fraulein' or ''MademoiselIe''
or Miss" Paviowa- The ballerina's full
name Is Anna Pavlowna Paylowa.
Assuming that Russian customs are
Greek to most people. some little ex-
PLANTATION is necessary. aside from the
fact that the foundation OF many Russian
practices II really Greek In the first
place. the Muscovites have no synonyms
for M1ss or Mrs or Mr.. But since
French IL the court language OF the land
Of the czar. and the tongue of polite So
ctal intercourse. Russians become
Nademoiselle. Madame or Monsieur when
they 80 abroad. At home people who
know them at all well, use the first. or
Christian name. PAviowa's patronymic,
ar second name - Anna Pavlowna
An native-born Russian children are
Gwen hrst Of all . saints name. taken
from the calendar Of the Greek Church,
q j then the derivatfve from the name
a the father. These derivatives or pa
uonymics end in '.owitch" or .ewitch.' .
for boys, and 'evna'' or 'owna" for girls.
For instance. Paviowa's fathers Chris
tian name was P4vel or Paul Hence her
middle name IL Paylowna- The surname
Pavlowa, without the n Is not, how
ever. q patronymic, but q regular sur
name. derived from the Russian name
Paul
Both patronymics and eurnames in
Russia have a masculine and q feminine.
Her fathers name was not Pavlowa. bu,
Pavlow. The "ow," which In Russian
has the sound of or and which is &C
common In Russian names. is sometimes
spelled 'ov," sometimes 'off," and more
infrequentiy 'hofY." It has exactly the
same meaning as the familiar ending o1
''ew'' or '.eff'' or "heff," and is some
what comparable to the French "de
and the German Won The great va
riance In spelling comes about because
The Russians use a modification of the
Greek alphabet. many Of the letters and
sounds of which often have no exac,
counterparts in English This last fac,
accounts for the variations in the spell
ing Of the great "danseuses" name
BILLIES LITTLE LAMBS-Last sum-
rner before Billie Burke went to Europe
for her vacation she bought flock o,
sheep to pasture on the lawn at Burke.
leigh Crest. her place UP the Hudson, and
keep the grass down-a scheme they uss
on the golf links in Scotland. and one thai
they say beats a man with a lawn mower
When she returned in the autumn tho
flock had been increased by Ne birth o.
TWO or three lambkins, and Hiss Burke