The Washington times., 1913-03-27

n . MATTER whether a thing Is
nj a hoax or not-just 50 long as
people are interested in It
enough to argue and quarrel
about 1t, and read 1t or go to see it
success Is assured, for there is no
more far-reaching and telling form of
advertisement than spontaneous gossip,
About twenty years ago speculation
was rife over the Stockton story Of
The Lady or the Tiger" consequent
ly everyone, to safely voice his own
opinion. read the story. Last night
at the close Of the performance of THE
High Road" at the National Theater,
jostlins, arguing. and very arsumen-
tative audience left the theater, prob
ably fought all Of the way home, and
Will go to the office in the morning,
and, to display the depths of superior
wisdom. will tell the story Of THE
High Road" to one and all.
For quite time l have been the
proud recipient Of divers booklets,
tracts. sheets. etc. ad infinftum. Ill
of which contain laborious pIatitudes
on the morals of Mary Page-the little
country girl whom Mrs. Ffske portrays
She wasn't a little country girl In
reality. except part Of the time. but
say country girl because that is what
she really was at heart to the last
just an honest. struggling little Spar
tan. trying to make up for the mistake
she made as silly. ignorant girl II
takes five acts for Edward Sheldon
to tell his story. but 1 will make the
effort to condense II thus:
Country girl. cruel father; city lover,
who Is miliionaire's son. Natural re-
suit. Paris. Spain. and an apartment
on Riverside drive, with Titians AMI
tapestries on the wall instead Of a
marriage license in Il frame. After
three years, firing of dull life, and
having awakened to sense of right
and wrong, Mary Page decides TO leave.
but unhappy chooses the moment when
Wilson comes in, accompanied by
reporter. who afterwards is The means
of betraying her past.
Well, then. Mary Page leaves and goes
in for making shirt waists and cutting
out sleeves. The author then skips
eighteen years and shows her in the
third act, all in white at the governors
offices. Mary is president of the Wom-
ans Affiliated Trade Unions, or some
such organization: has done wonders
for the cause, and II at last in the
presence Of the governor as he Is TO
sign the eight-hour law, which so vital
ly concerns women factory employees.
When Mary was young girl in the
first act, the man who arterward be-
came governor. was just young man
driving by the farm in his buggy on
the way to Albany to seek his fortune.
He liked Mary's sweet face and true
eyes SO much that when he met her
again in the third act. despite the fact
that her father had skinned him out Of
$3, he told her he loved her. asked her
to be his truly welded wife. and after
having grunted several times. forgave
her her past when she told him the
story, and took her to his bosom. All
in the third act.
The next two acts are not really two,
and | arrived home at 1l:3O. but / did
not think l could do 1t earlier in the
evening. when l contemplated all five
acts The governor Is to be elected
Pres!dent-election two days off and all
Is well-when up comes the FORMER re-
porter. now owner of a string or news
papers, with poor Mary's past Ex-
broken spouse to make speech. puts a
double-cross on the wicked tinancier
and paper owner, VINO is likewise mixed
up in crooked politics, and saves the
day and her own reputation.
One of the finest moments in this play
to my way of thinking. Is when the
villain is at the telephone. trying to
give the story to his paper. and Mary
Page is at the dictagraph making ready
To send her story to the Associated
Press. He sees that she intends to give
her true story to a rival organization
his story Is killed, his wits are no match
for hers. and he gives in chivalrously.
Then friend husband comes in and
Mary tells him that all is well. and the
curtain goes down leaving the audience
to think that he is going TO take her
into the White House with him-make
her the highest lady in the land. Ques-
tion: Could 1t be done? Would II be
done? Is IL right? Is II wrong?" Would
he marry her in the first place? Thus
II is argued.
All interest is minor to this question
even the rather explosive melodrama OF
the first two acts Is forgotten as one
chews the ,ud Ct reflection and shifts
IL pro and con.
The first two acts of The High Road
are explanatory and explosive. The fact
that the play is Of five acts and must
have its lines read quickly Is the only
excuse that I can see for the cannonad-
ing effect Of the utterances. unless II Is
uT Avo:J possor.