The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-03-21
ADJUSTMENTS.
tcndcmy-DustIn Fnrnum. In ''rhc
IittIest Rehcl"
BIjou-.'Thc White SInvc."
tolonial-SHudcNIIlc.
tmpire-Mininture Musical Comedy.


Wonderful Child In beautiful Pnrt.
From the box office standpoint Dus-
tim Farnum opened at the Academy Of
Music last night an engagement OF
four performances; from the artistic
point OF view, little girl named Mary
Miles Minter played Edward Pcples
The Littlcst Rebel"
While much Of the play l. simply
conventional mclodraua OF the civil
War. constructed in worknanlike man
nGr. but formally, about the central
fgure OF child. Mr. Peple, with his
rare and delicate gift for drawing
children, has written the part of the
child with such sympathy and art as
10 lift the play out OF the ruck, clat-
Ter and clash OF military melodraIna
aud Undue IL with quality that grips
the throat and sends tears yelling up
10 the eyes.
And the little Minter girl after her
first entrance last night, which was
somewhat strident, settled down into
the part, frightened the grip. and made
The tears course down the cheeks or
many IN the audience. Perhaps ten
years old, she appeared apparently
without makeup and simply got I'M
der the skin" OF the house by the eX-
crcisc Of sheer art.
IT was not her fault that she. n
daughter Of Southern gentle folk, spoke
of her fathers people" as ''uiEgcrs'
ror do believe that il WAS Mr.. peple $.
il is Uncomfortable that he could have
fallen into that error or into that OF
making her father a Confederate Off
Ger and even General Lee, speak OF
lighting for Dixie These touches OF
realism. from the Northern idea OF
what is. or Was real in the South were
IL all proba ability the product of some
wise producers fertile brain; William
Farnum. 81 very fine actor and bro
ther of tho star is credited with
having staged the piece
For the rest OF the staging. William
i'arnum deserves much real credit
There is Il battle scene in the third act
lasting nearly minute. that is ear
splitting. exciting. smelly, and every
thing else that q battle scene ought
L. be. while the whole performance is
smooth and we'll managed. due TO some
extent TO the amazing fact that all
The 'supers' are carried by the com
l.auy.
Dustin Farnum is n big, outstanding
man. considerably less slender than in
the days OF The Nirginian,'' who
plays the Federal colonel I'm a big,
outstanding. rather stiff and elocu-
tionary manner. Opposite him. Alexis
n. Luce plays the Confederate captain
most cmotionally and cXcitably, so
that the two together are highly
melodramatic. without being particu-
larry effective Florence Campbell is
charming and gracious as the child's
mother, while =. r. b. Henry is
notably good in the very small bit
Of the drunken sergeant, and the au-
diencc seemed to he pleased by the
work of Sam Burton as the old negro
servant.
Norris Burr's makeup for General
Grant is striking and. whether his i'm
PRESERVATION be fanciful or accurate, 1t
is undoubtedly very impressive.
But after ALL wonderful little Mary
Miles Minter in the very beautiful
part with which that "old Richmond
boy Edward Peple, has supplied her
is the figure that one takes away
with him and will remember.
There will be performances tonight
and Tomorrow night and tomorrow
afternoon.
w. Douglas Gordon.