Arizona republican., 1913-03-23

detonation and gave up the ghost after six performances Marcus Low, the moving picture king, has taken d long lease and the home of many of the greatest productions New York has ever seen, passes out of the list of great theaters Many and many an actor will feel d pang of keen regret for no theater holds warmer place in the affections of the profession than this famous old house From many points of view the most interesting event of many years
 was the public presentation of the Brieux play Damaged Goods" at the 1 Fulton theater last Friday. Probably no document in recent years has
 caused the widespread discussion as
 has this remarkable handling of d
 vital sociological question
 It was presented only after innum- erable obstacles had been overcome. 1 The police department forbid its pre-
 sentation. but Mayor GaynOr inter- | vened, declared it to be a matter of
 vital importance to public health and happiness and insisted there should be no police interference.
 It was produced by MT. Richard Bennett and most wonderful cast, including MT. Wilton Lackaye. Miss
 Grace Elliston. Miss Margaret Wych- erly Dodson Mitchell and Clarence l Handyside, under the auspices of the Medical Review of Reviews so- | biological fund, and was described as | "a treatise on bloodpoisoning." No
 tickets were sold for the perform
 ance They were distributed in such
 a manner as to insure an audience of
 thinking people.
 | To us the most peculiar thing about 1 the production was the request. so 1 insistent as to be practically a de-
 mand. that there be no newspaper criticism of the performance. The whole idea was to bring conditions | public. and as large a public as possi- l ble. Here is q case where the most widespread discussion and criticism whether it be favorable or adverse can only further a splendid course I All of BrieuxS works are literary masterpieces - wonderful reading | plays" Anyone at all familiar with Damaged Goods" and familiar with 1 theatrical requirement. will realize that apart from the terror the horror and repugnance it's subject inspires it has little dramatic value. Handled in reverent manner, cut away from sensationalism, it could not fail to be impressive As an indictment of conditions existing today. as a protest 1 against that prudery and false mo- desty which forbds the frank discus sion and dealing with a problem.
 state of affairs which is undermining the whole 'social fabric, it is an over- whelming argument, crushing in it's l force.
 It was this play which was recently
 read before the Mems club here by
 Dean Scarlett of Trinity Pro- Cathe- | dral. It was read because it put into ! concise concrete form, ghaStly in it's
 vivdness and truth if you will, the l reason for the stand taken here in Phoenix on the question of marriage 1 without medical certificate and the
 marriage regulation bill now before
 the state legislature.
 The propriety of presenting a prob 1 lem of this kind-one of the greatest
 problems with which the world must l
 which cannot be determined by any
 one man or group of men. It is a subject for widespread discussion and
 thoughtful criticism.
 1 Quite apart from it's value as a
 play or as a literary masterpiece this wonderful work of BrieuX's is some
 thing which should be read by every l father and mother, every man and
 woman throughout the length and
 breadth of the land That it is hor- ] rible, gruesome and revolting is quite | true; many truths are. But it is a
 great big wide visioned handling of a
 problem that must be faced, if not
 today tomorrow, and it will be hard
 CT and infinitely more bitter to face it tomorrow than it is today and if the theater can be used as a potent means of forwarding a great good MT. Bennett and his associates are to
 be congratulated and deserve the
 thanks of a grateful public for help
 ing to show the way.