The Washington herald., 1913-10-19
ng and New Drama Offer Diversity

! ment she viii be seen all this week at
the National Theater in 6 role which both
author and producers claim to be the first
adequate outlet for her talent since the
beginning of her versatile career.
Talking of Elsie Ferguson reminds one
of the diversity OF opinion concerning
Her Little Highness." as expressed last
week by the New York dramatic critics.
for Miss Ferguson created the title role
Of the Charming Pollock play when II
was first produced as a drama in 1909
under. the title: 'Such Little Queen"
Her Little Hlghness." which was cor
daily received here at the Columbia
Theater a couple of weeks ago-coming
of New England enthusiasm-wert into
the Leberty Theater, New York, the
18th, with result not SO strange when
one knows all the circumstances.
Approval of Fraulin Hajos in the title
role was unanimously acclaimed. Rem
mold Wolf, who collaborated with Mr..
Pollock in making his drama into a musi-
cal comedy book, was relieved of all
blame In the scathing criticisms accorded
the piece, as was also Reginald De Koven,
who is responsible for the music. That
Werba and Luescher have furnished q
lavish production, intersplicing the story
with terpsichorean features which alone
are worth the price Of admission, was all
accorded, yet, in the majority OF in
stances, the critics declared Her Little
Highness" impossible Of success. which
shuts one up to the conclusion that Chan
ming Pollocks connection with the piece
is the deciding element In the voice Of
criticism, and all because Mr.. Pollock had
the temerity to, at one time, voice his
opinion in a current magazine that New
York critics are incapable OF unbiased
opinions.
Not satisfied with the cesspool of dis
favor into which he has been drawn by
the play-censors of New York Mr.. Pol
lock hurls an antagonistic bomb at the
metropolitan layman in the November
Green Book, becoming dellciously satirical
in mis- presentations Of the public attitude
toward the present epidemic OF plays
whose principle scenes are laid in brothels.
Mr.. Pollock's article, which is well worth
quoting, says in part:
who says the theater Is not educa-
tional, that the stage offers no uplift.
that managers are wholly commercial?
Here We have the playhouse providing
instruction in a subject that otherwise
might have remained a sealed book to
the women of our land! Educational?
When, at a price ridiculously low, our
youth may inform itself of the manners
and customs of the bagnio! No uplift in
the sight of shrieking girl in a chemise
before the raised fist Of
pleasant gentleman who has just an
nounced that shed "a been worth q
hundred a week to me, easy.' The gen.
tleman subsequently is captured and sent
to prison, and. II that doesn't make the
spectacle uplifting. what could? How is
it possible to apply the word CONNER
ciaP to managers so keenly interested
in the social evil SO suddenly anxious
to do away with white slavery and re-
form the world? To see them at it one
cannot eat nor sleep while the dark blot
rested upon civilization. The public
spirited producers Of The Lure call at
tention to their crusade by advertising:
The super-sensational white slave dra-
ma Commercial oh, fie!
''The sweetest part Of the thing Is the
public eagerness to be educated. Women,
seem to revel in IL, thronging
to satisfy their curiosity and giving to
theater lobbies on matinee days the as
Dect of a bargain sale Of wash goods.
Here observe the newspapers, editori-
ally, is a play that outrages common
iecency' Where oh, wherer inquiries
he public, focking to gloat over the ex-
libition. What do you think about it?'
4 woman sitting next to me at The Lure,
asked her companion
There isn't anything to think about
t yet he replied. The next act is the
Ine.'
Truly, in the picturesque phrase Of
William Marion Reedy, it has struck sex
o'clock in America"