The Washington herald., 1914-03-31
COLUMBIA.
,rhe Man WHO would Live.r


The futility and fooihArdiness OF hu-
man wishes where they run in opposi-
ton to the will and wisdom OF the Al
m;~hty are amply demonstrated in Will
lam Hurlbut's new drama, which had its
premiere at the Columbia Theater last
night, where distinguished audience did
honor 10 the occasion.
The piece is a fantasy, novel in treat
ment, If not altogether so in idea, told
in prologue and three acts, the former
transpiring in the year iTsS. when Sill
der of fortune OF the Revolution arrives
at the cabin of Father Ambrose In the
wilderness of Western Pennsylvania
where the priest, 10 save him from
cruel death at the hands OF hostile In
dians. works the magic he has learned
in India, through which he accorSptlshes
suspended animation, seals the soldier,
who is eager 20 live, in a metal casket
and buries him alive. Before the priest
can rescue the fiery young captain from
his living grave an Indian Kills the ior-
mer, ard the first part of the story leaves
the audience with the hideous certainty
that tie soldier is To meet Z horrible
death lzneath the earth.
Two hundred years have passed
when the curtain rises again me
ycens is a reception hall in the Cart
wright home near Pittsburgh. Three
generations of Ca-Twrights are ENJOY
ing the wealth of the coal mines, IN
which the great conquered land leit
them by the valiant young captain. is
rich. Two hundred years have brought
many changes. Patriotism has been
deyoured by csmmercialism. and this
in its turn has destroyed the chivalry
Of the earlier age. Wealth is accumu-
lated by the oppression OF the poor:
luxuries bought at the sacrihce OF the
pIaytime years of little children; di-
vorce is talked Of as nightly by pre-
cocious children as one would mentloh
the time Of day. The spirit OF the
American Revolution is gone from the
land Striking miners appeal to capi-
tai for a living wage, and hours COM
patible with health and in bitterness
of denial fight a losing game.
Back to this America Of the twentieth
century comes the Revolutionary soldier
the metal Casket in which he has lam
in a state of suspended animation being
blown uD by an explosion in a shait
Of the mines owned by his kin. Back
he comes to time in which the spirit
Of his manhood is dead thing, the
ideals of 1ISS all crumblcd to dust back
to an age in which he is a stranger in
a strange land. and his return is sad
and futile thing since il acrOmplishes
naught save the giving of his life for the
granddaughter of the girl he loved ana
was to have married in that far away
yesteryear.
As straight drama the story is impos-
sibJe. As fantasy it carries much OF
serious purpose and spiritual charm,
pointing Gods wisdom in the choice OF
Ieriod and conditions for each individual
existence in the material world. and il
handled with more of delicacy is likely to
rivet attention.
The leading spirit of the piece that of
Capt Richard Cartwright. moves through
the 30 years which. the story covers
with the gracious charm of a day that is
dead. winning quick sympathy through
the virile portrayal of Elliott Dexter. who |
is easily the star of the performance in |
point of fact if not in point of adver- |
tisement. His portraiture OF the valiant |
and esthetic patriot is n consistent char !
acter delineation which is all the more !
COmmendable in that Mr.. Hurlbut (who !
is producer rs well as playwright of The !
Man Who Would Live'D does not always I
give the touch of realism to the pro- I
duCtiOn. notable example of this is
in the appearance of Capt. Cartwright I,
after more than 200 years spent i'm !
grave. While his uniform is yellOwed, it,
presents no other sign of age. As mat I!
ter of reality il would long since have !
cTumbled into dust. Then again wheh |
he comes totteTinG down the stairs and !
stands through many long explanations !
from young Dick Cartwright, neither the !
young chap nor Elizabeth Mclean this !
sweetheart and companion of the even |
ing) have enough common sense to offer |
the daZed and weakened man anything |
of sustenance which seems hardly a ma !
tural procedure.
Surrounding the central figure of Mr..
Hurlbut's fantastic play is a capable !
with Miss Julie Herne in the |
role Of the modern Elizabeth VINO has in
herited enough of the spirit Of her great
gTeat-grandmother to enable her TO give /
the returned soldiers ideals something Of
understanding. Then there is Miss Grace
Reals pOrtraying the ultra-mOGern cigar
cite smoking divOrcee; Miss Violet
Howard presenting the overdrawn pic
ture Of the precocious spoiled child Of
the present generation tthe fault of the
author and not of Miss Howard'sl. Ed
ward Langford as Dick Cartwright typI-
flying the lack OF seriousness Of purpose
and loftiness of ideals in the young man
Of our America of today: Miss Ester