The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-14

There are plays that do not profess
TO be deeply psychological. The Lie
by Henry Arthur Jones (the George II.
Doran Company. is not like the Ibsen
plays or the Schnitzler plays or the
many other plays Of that profoundly
inauirlng character. 1t Is not like the
pathological plays or like the ungar-
mented plays and stories by Frank
Wedekind. II may be read without
nausea and without a blush. a circum-
stance that need not damn II. what
ever may be thought in some lurid
circles of intellectual endeavor. Lncy.
who tells the lie in this play. IL the sell
fish and constituencies young woman
that We have long known in plays and
tales. She is conventional. clear cut,
recognizable. Elinor. sister OF Lucy,
is also well known TO us. IN il the
opposite OF her sister: she is the hero
inc; she is thoroughly good: she I.
frankly drawn after the familiar pat
tern. The story that the play unfold.
Is interesting. The playwright knows
very we'll how to bring IL about that
there shall he X watching for the
rocked matters to he made straight.
Ia II hateful. does II excite angry feel
ings to see Lucy run on with the de-
sirable lover who had wished to marry
Ehnory Certainly there are angry
feelings; very thoroughly are they ex-
cited: hut how admirable when Non
comes along To compensate for Gerald.
Il had a sudden impulse. thought
I'd take the Abbey and make YOU
happy. I'm like most men. A woman's
tears double me up-and yours were
very big ones" That is Non speak
ing. Really II was no misfortune (,
lose Gerald and to find Noll. The pic
ture OF the ancient but Impoverished
family-of the fox hunting and foxy
and wine hihbing old grandfather. and
the tipsy and Objectionable hut ire
movab old hutler-is admirably ac-
complished. The sturdy, old fashioned
plays continue to he good. This is
n Of them.
Anatole Frances comedy THE Man
who Married a Dumb Wife" trans
lated by Curtis Hidden Page tthe John
Lane Company, is founded on a pas
sage from Rahelais Moliere made Use
OF the same material IN tho third act
OF his Doctor by Compulsion." hut
used II according to a different idea.
Here there is plenty Of broad fun. We
have a Judge who accepts presents
and permits them To influence his de-
c%isions. Hear the lawyer addressing
this vulnerable jurist: Permit me.
your Honor, with the object Of soften
Ing your heart and arousing your pity.
to present before you this young
orphan girl. despoiled by a grasping
guardian. who implores you for JUS
tice, Her eyes will speak TO your heart
more eloquently than my voice. Mile.
de Ia Garandiere brings you her pray
ers and her tears: she adds t%hefeunto
one ham, two duck pies. q goose and
two goslings. She ventures to hope In
exchange for a favoring verdict" The
hamper containing the gifts is set he
fore his Honor; the appeal Is not al
loved to be too subtle. 1t is this Judge
who has the dumb wife. A cure ia
undertaken. A famous physician con-
ducts the case. lie brings along a sur
geon and an apothecary. The imple-
ments employed include "a huge saw
with two inch teeth, knives, p~incers,
~ \, u Sn'"'' " "'
enormous bit. Sc" The operation Is
suc~cessful-too successful. The long
pent up wife becomes terribly voluble.
She pursues her husband. who is trying
to write a favorable decision for the
orphan who brought the duck pies,
up a stepladdcr to the top Of n cabinet.
where he had sought retirement. The
physician is called in again, hut he
cannot restore the Did condition. He
saws in effect that human power can
set a wOman's tongue in motion, hut
cannot stop II. Thereupon the hus-
band has a powerful liquor poured into
his ears, whereby he Is made deaf.
Now all 10 well, except that the wife
II sorry he can't hear her. Mr.. Gran
VILE Barker produced this play here,
and the book has Photographic illus
trations.
Victorlen Sardou's historical play
"patrie!" translated by Barrett II.
Clark, Ia published by Doubleday.
Page and Company. Here we have the
Duke OF Alva in Brussels. In the first
act Spanish troops are camped In one
OF the market places. 1t Is winter,
Soldiers sit about great fires, playing
dice, drinking, cooking, polishing their
weapons and their armor The place
Is Uttered with spoil. Drums are
beaten of stage. Distant fusillades
are heard. There In not rope enough
to hang all the hereto prisoners. not
wood enough to burn them; so some
are shot. This should he a stirrin-
and disturbing scene. Two prisoners
of distinction are brought In. One Is
French; he will be ransomed. Tho
other Ia a Flemish patriot; his end
seems 6 1t IL good to rear these
two They are calm; they
talk pointedly and well. The personal
complications that presently come &c
pass are Of a strong. a thrilling char
actsr. Sardou was not given to "draw.
i4e II mild. The Flemish pstyiot'i