New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-01-15
CLIPPED WINGS.

'I-'.t'o.-, I9no 30 500 "ag.- Bro
Mr. Hughes is nothing IL not sophisti-
Gated. and yet in even the most knowing
Of his stories o. modern life one con-
stantly comes. amid the carefully cal
culated effects, upon telling evidence
Of sincere feeling and conviction.
Clipped Wings" ie full Of this sim
cerity Hero Mr.. Hughes deals with n
subject which he not only knows and
understands, but which he rcyeres the
actors art His long experience "a a
man Of tho theatre, as playwright,
has no doubt oivcn him tho ideal OF
what that art can be, and sometimes Is.
lis heroine approaches D., and here
and there. in the other players who
Dro1lo bis pages, there is a CLEAN OF D.,
even n. in the real ization, 70 proves 20
Doe lttle more than taste, DEVOTION
.r...I.. W .H fIc DRY ls COCA
realism. The drudRery the dissppoiat-
ronts. the failures. the waning Of the
player's powere. the chaos OF rehear-
saIe. the WEAKNESS % road tours, the
eternal due between dramatist and
producer. between artist and stage
raaager, the public and the oox-office,
dramatic criticism all this falls into
its place ia the picture and IS made 10
reveal its meaning without idea.!zation,
but al7o without that cynicism which
writers on tho American stage Of TO-
day 30 much affect. Familiar as ne u,
with II all because he Is so familiar
with it Mr.. Hughes does not hesitate
% confess that he is puzzled by the IN
certsin.ies that make the drama and
tho theatre the great gamble which
thoy arc and always have been.
The heroine is the daughter Of 8
couple OF popular players, the grand
daughter and great-granddaughter OF
actors. Tn her the talent Of the fam
ily blossoms into tho rare flower OF
genius. Marriage clips her wings, 70
use tho authors own hgure OF speech,
~ tho beginning Of her career. But
neither the love she bears ner husband
nor her love for her children Is strong
enough 10 Kill the impulse from within
20 soar, and 20, IN the end. she returns
20 the stage TO find the fuiness Oh ner
life.
Incidentally. as t. were. and certain
~ lightly. ..o story deals with many
questions OF the momeGt With the
no lern woman, first Of all, for Z this
woman Of genius finds the existence OF
wife and mother insufficient to MI
ncr DAYS. so do tho lees gifted wives
Of rich men into whose circle her mar
rage has brought her. Mr.. Hughes
discusses, through his characters, many
OF the questions that constantly IN
trlgue the public the morality OF tn
stage, for one thing; the feeling of the
husband. not of the profession, whose
wife IL wooed and won and rapturous-
y kissed ~ six evening performances
and two matinees, FOR another Then
there Is the social status Of the actor,
present and past. And If, in these dis
cussious. the players OF the story are
art TO break into long speeches. they
certainly speak in character, and 70 the
purpose.
Originally published serielly under
the title u "The Barge Of Dreams,
Sir. Hughes's story is a welcome add
ton 20 the growing number " our
novels Of stage life. Il Is not sensa-
tional, 10 is not 1000 and tinsel; II
deals Uitn that life as II is IN the
average as we'll as in the case OF the
exceptionally gifted. And, above All
else. IL is intensely, uninterruptedly
readable. Whoever begins il will read
10 the end with steadily growing in
tcrest.