Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-12-28
Neutrality the Gospel
of "Land of the Free

Women wept in the gallery of the
Adelphi Theatre last night.
That fact of it's contact with humanity
atoned for the sugary lovemaklng. the
overdone sentiment, the obvious patriot
ism, the borrowing of n georgem-
cohan finale OF vost American flag
pseudo curtain, rapidly raised and low
cred TO Il choral ensemble-in very indiffer-
ent part-slnging-of the cast singing
Francis Scott Keys words. all of which
are part and parcel of Edward Locke's
patriotic American comedy, THE Land
OF the Free"
OF plot there is little of sentiment
much, OF imagination none. In this lat
est stage production by the author of
THE Climax" and "The Case of
Becky" which is a war play without a
gunshot and drama without action or
the inevitable clash of Wills conflict of
motives or transition and growth of
characters, lacking which We mistakenly
believe drama cannot be.
Yet women sobbed in the theatre, and
so the playhouse once more was brought
close TO life in the authors few tense,
moving, memorable moments. Perhaps
those who smiled overtly or covertly ac-
cording to their kind and degree of breed
ing were touched momentarily to the
fearsome utilities of war. as its grew
some prospect, its grisly, grim, CORY hor-
rors were somewhat guilelessly and often
unSkllIully IelCntu HOHlo 10 lHe average
American household
Those eNemplihed were OF a German
family, with a daughter; a Frenchman
with a grandson, too proud TO fight";
BritOn. whose V. c., gained in the Boer
War compels service in the Great Con-
fiict when sense OF duty prevails over the
call OF love and the American girl, whom
he has wooed and won. The hyphenate
families are menaced by the break OF
many years OF friendship, as partisan
argument keeps each loyal to its side
of the hyphen. The Gallic scion loves the
TeutOn maiden. but the Saxon Is winner
in the love match, but loses TO Death in
battle somewhere in Belgium. This Is the
posture OF romance, but II is purely incl
dental to the alignment and contrast OF
points OF view before and after the cata-
clysm OF hostilities.
Such is the sequence OF events and atti-
tudes In this popularity adramtic piece;
Il would be a confession of ignorance of
technical canons to speak OF plot or
psychology. The moral OF It all is very
palpable and is reinforced by a stump
speaking local Judge, who is the rather
verbose evangel of the gospel of neu-
trality for Americans. 1t Is a good moral
is not pointed by a tale adorned with
the poetry which fires the heart and slim
ulates the hand and suffuses life with spiT-
ituality. These blend into the essence Of
patriotism and make pro patria morF
a phrase so living, so charged with sac
rifce that the devoted patriot remem-
bers in stress and crisis and the rigor
OF death only the mOtherland. and, Ike
the lad of Hellas. remembers only his
own sweet Argos" wherever II may lay,
The stun Of which dreams are made
and by which high sacrifice Is inspired Is
not in Mr.. Locke's play. yet il is only
by their imagination, that idealizes re-
ality, that plays are great. Mr.. Locke
does not idealize at all. however much he
sentimentalizes; but rather he intensifies
reality into mere actually. So THE
Land OF the Free" is a literal transcript
OF daily experiences In many thousands
of divided homes In this country today.
where the melting pot OF the nation has
not completed its mission OF fusing an
tagonistic bloods and breeds into the
AmeHcanism which is sterling enough to
stand the acid test imposed BY such
mordant conditions as those OF the Euro
psan war.
The. cast. On me whole well selected. in
elRde4 RaQlex Holmea. lepnie Enztla.