Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-22
SHALL A WIFE DARE
WHAT A HUSBAND DOES?
Problem of Mems Neglect and Decep-
ton of Wives Theme of THE Revolt"
A Play That Gets Across

waiting wifc-a wife waiting late in the
night for the husband to return-who, loving,
deudes herself into believing her husbands
excuses and untruths, and who caring for the
home and child, is stinted by a meagre al
lowance, makes over old dresses and bears
negligence patiently. wife tortured with sis-
picions, narrowed with jealousy still devoted
and meek and silent. pathetic fgure-a too
common figure in life. Her counterpart is to
be found in the little frame dwellings Of every
town, in the drab rookeries of every hive like
city apartment house.
1t has remained for Edward Locke to present
this piteous human drama in such popular
way as to express and bring home the injus-
tice of the double standard of morals in the
marriage relation in 1.-THE Revolt" which
opened at the Adelphi last night. one might
say 1t remained through the vehicle of Mr..
Locke's play, for Helen Ware to present the
heart tragedy of too many wives.
THE Revolt as play has excellent quail
tiles. 1t transplants complications and phases
of actual life to the stage It carries its allie
CORY convlncngly. 1t is play that must seri-
ously do good While it throws before its
audience. in the second act, the meretricious
elegance and luxury OF vicious living as main
tanned by self-rghtcous self-justifyng men,
THE Revolt is clean and sautary 1t is an
-'"'~'4N'ii Pl"S' uedlIS Win laillIlldr domestic
conditions 1t is effective play on its
theme as was the antiseptic, much-expIoited
drama of Brieux on another
Anna Stephens, the wife, has waited for her
husband night after night for seven years
There was only honeymoon year of happiness
John, the husband. acted by Alphonz Either
spends his evenings many husbands do and
while he tells his wife he works at the office
mingles in the company of a certain kind Of
emancipated women. To them he gives his
money. A tribute must be paid to Miss Ware
as an actress Unaffected by the tricks Of the
stage, intellectual in her Interpretation. her
acting has the simplicity of really great talent
One Is never conscious of the actress. you see
only the Wife Such a portrayal Is art
Assured of her husbands inhdelity by her
scheming, villsnous. whisky addicted step
mother who urges her to the life which. if It
costs men money. brings money TO women
Anna confronts John with evidence OF his mis-
diongs in a letter received from a woman The /
long pent-up passion Of years bursts forth, and
Anna rushes forth to the life of freedom en-
joyed by the husband. while her preclpitate
night after midnight in the morning from the
dingy fiat in Brooklyn to the swell apart-
ment of Flora La Rose. formerly Lima Schmidt.
her old school chum. on Riverside drive, raises
a doubt TO its plausbility it is supposedly
excused by the claim of dramatic eXgencies
Most women would wait till morning and. IL
they loved their child as prodIgousIy as Anna
did. would take their child with them.
In striking contrast to the mean home Of the
decent wife, the second act haunts the allure
md horror-of the luxurious homo of the abau-
1oned woman, Beth Frauklyn, as La Rose. is
true TO life, We Just almost hate To
make her acquaintance in public 4 night, or
ather very early morning. revel takes place,
ma Anna Stephens, radiantly clothed in a
Partisan gown OF rose satin ana spangIed sill
'er' is wooed by intoxicated admlrer. She
rinks champagne, sings smokes cigarettes.
inally breaks down and weeps. There is a
truggle. for the indomitable honesty and purity
4 Anna's nature recou from the abyss. At
he crucial hour Anna is rescued by one of the
-nonymous visitors, and is about TO fee when
telephone message informs her OF the serious
lness of her child.
over the bed OF the child, believed to he dy-
ng, the husband confronted with the folly or