El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-03-07

sums must be spent in stage settings,
high salaries are paic TO our stars and
the advertising bills are stupendous.
I am not an expert on the financial end
of the theatrical business and would
never attempt to tell manager how
he can reduce his expenses and the
prices Of his seats, but this one thing
is sure, he viii have to do it in some
manner or the other or watch his bust
ness go to the film houses.
What Would You Dot
Augustin MacHugh asked this ques-
ton in the title Of his new play, pre-
scented at the Hudson theater, and then
proceeded to answer 1t for US in four
acts. I am quite sure that most of US
would not have acted as did the char
acters in the play. were we confronted
with the same conditions, However, va
riety is the spice of life, and if MI Mac
Hugh conceived of characters with per-
sOnalities such as those portrayed in
his play, we shall not rail at them,
especially when they furnish US with
an evenings entertainment, and this
new drama is entertaining and inter-
esting.
In the first act we are shown Her
bert Hostage, q young bank clerk, and
his wife, who are living happily on his
salary of $4,000 per year. The Hostages
are burdened with Mrs. Hostages sis
ter Ethel, and a mother who is anxious
to marry Ethel off to some rich man.
Ethel, when he is really in love with
Mrs. Hostage, a Wall street millionaire
by the name of SmOte, enters into the
scheme of things. His display of wealth
leads to discomfort on the part Of Mrs.
Hostage, who perSuadeS Herbert to
follow Smote's tips on the stock mar
ket and make more money. The out
come is that Herbert finally embezZles
$4,000 from the bank by which he is
employed and plUnges on the market,
n
undertaking magazine writer, a friend
of Herberts, shows him how to steal
S25O,O00 from the bank and send 1t into
w all street to save the $4,000 already
lost This time the fates are kind, and
Herbert, who intended to quit when he
had got back the $50, 600 he dropped,
comes out of the street with a bank
roll of 100000. What would you do
with roll of such proportions obtained
in such a manner? is the question which
gives the play its title.
Herbert, returning from the brokers'
office with the cash, finds his wife in
SmOte'S arms and fisttc encounter is
narrowly aYerted by the Intervention
Of the magazine writer This is the
big scene Of the play and ends by Her
berts casting off his wife and retiring
TO farm, leaving her to do with the
money as she sees fit In the last act
she finds that she cannot keep the
money, and returns it to her husband
As no one cares to take this 100000
Herbert finally decides to build and
MAINTAIN home for crippled children
and the pair are reconciIed.
While weak in spots the play has a
bright dialog which will carry it
along fairly well. Milton SilIs, as Her
bert Hostage, Bessie BarFascales, as his
wife, Richie Ling, as Smote and Louise
in the portrayal of the principal char
acteTs. A Byron Beasley gave a
breezy Interpolation of magazine writer
while the rest Of the cast is good.
The Last Resort.
Those people who are forever talking
about the punch" in modern play
wrighting should go to see George
ScarborOugh's latest melodrama at the
Longacre. THE Lure" and AT Bay
both efforts of this authors versatile
pen, each included a punch in its make
up, but 1.-THE Last Resort OutpUnches
both Of them, in fact, it Is regular
This time Nj. scarborough has
chosen the traffic in Justice. the cor
rupIOn Of our judiciary by dirty poll
tics, as his theme, and he handles it in
a highly successful manner, although
we do not like to think that such char
acters as the author has drawn are
true to life, but he assures US that they
are and he should know, for he has
occupied the position of special inVesr1-
gator in the department of justice.
Briefly, this is the story; A young
lawyer, very rich and very eloquent
has taken to annoying the corporations
and finds this so popular that he is in
great danger of being run for governor
Apprehensive of just such an outcome,
the political boss, Officeholder and cor
poTation lawyer, frightens a Judge into
committing the popular idol for con-
tempt. The popular idol is put in jail
and stays there until election day
He stays there because the same cor
porationfst holds the highest court Of
the state in the hollow of his hand and
a majority of that bench, itself shame
lessIy corrupt, upholds the commitment.
Even when photographs are scattered
around the consultation chambers.
when the heroine hides in the telephone
booth and takes down every incrimin-
ating thing that is said and done, and
even when the upright and venerable
chief justice discovers the scandal and
makes the exposure, the popular idol
remains in Jail, the girl is charged, trieo
and convicted Of burglary and things
come out all right only when the hero
is elected governor as told in the re-
turns which are flashed by a search
light through the bars Of his cell
The story itself is a good deal Of a
strain, but it is in its incidents thar