The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-11-14
Phoebe Ioster.
an "AAc1c HOME"
~ LAWRENCE REAMER.

The Liars ever begins to
date It will be on account Of the
1 nice development OF it's story.
Henry Arthur Jones. who loves
dearly to deal with the nearly
smfrched lady. has contrived the COM
plications OF Lady Jessicd with con-
.immate skill. The gossamer web Is
spun lightly about her ankles until
the end OF the third act is reached.
The declaration of the truth by the
a!ncere lover comes like a breath OF
fresh air, not only because it is tAe
truth and therefore a novelty. but
because the emotion OF Faulkner
seems important.
Important--and how much Of what
preceles this avowal to her husband
that he is In love with his wife is
really important. A mere acceptance
Q. an invitation 20 dinner In a
try inn is no, after all more than n
ycnial breach Of matrimonial fidelity.
As 70 all her explanations there is an
cccssional feeling Of ennri. Every
spectator known that the lady does
protest too much, but from fear. not
from guilt.
So after all Il is through the in
adequacy Of its motive that this de-
..ghtful comedy Of Henry Arthur
Jones is likely to show its age. The
de,Our OF Lady Jcssicd from the
straight and narrow path is little
worse than Mr.. Pdnmure's furtive
Kiss. So the increasing confusion of
tie heroine seems al times excessive,
That would never be the suppression
Of the audience were the motive which
has spun this string OF white lies a
lite more important than It really
o. Gustav Freytag was not as plati'
,udtnous as he seemed when he said
mat the motive Of a comedy must bt
important IL 1t is going to Interest
tie public.
There is one other element In
The Liars'' which seems with the
passage of the years TO be less skNfu
than Il once was. At least it Is now
obvious, which is more than it used Il
be Tho inJiscretion OF Lazy JcSsicc
should be impaired to her husband by
some less artificial agency than hi
sHeaky brother. There would be m
GiiLs,, in the play We're it not 10 in
form on the wife of his brother. Ger
'a'nly a play wright of Henry Arthur
Jones's skin ought to lie equal TO de
vting some less obvious c~Xpedient bl
which tho guilt. the YER little gull
~ his vito might be conveyed to he
hlstand, These are not perhaps i'm
portnnt matters, but they are lik'
srsy hairs TO a human being. On
'svsr notices them until age is Their
10 attract attention to their eXistence
The Angel in tho House. starte
on as ~ n were going to be a play
The. prigEish hero was not in tn
!east what tho public expected. TIL
family into whose midst he was sud
Ssnly catapulted wae Just an aston
Shed a. his appearance. He did nc
"A the least correspond to what ha
len saii about him. The surprise G
'as establishment at tho reality wa
all Tho best kind Of drama. Once
ths household this hero should haN
SHOWN that he was there for n pun
psA whether Il were to marry on
=" the daughters murder his wal
VI steal tho ancestral plate.
But HyncinH did nothing Of Il
and He talked, and all there ha
zen of drama In the earlier scen'
'S submerged in the food OF "a
nov differently playwrights hay
manage! me same situation In Il
'@s' t"ere are excellent monuments
Prove today, Nobody would deri'
"oHe's 'or writing a good pla
'sruf" VAS tho mother OF a who
"hIy - plays which came after
me S"g'1us Family. and sat-r "Tl
.''n" 10th had dramatic interes
:" once the im~postor--for Hydcinl
" "''" more than that IN his Ia
"S9t ar aud eugenics--had edged h
- into the homo he set out to