The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1916-08-08


an alliance with his sisters brother
and is anxious to see him join The
Society for the Preservation of Emolu'
ment of the Higher Clergy. Rolling
in wealth, he desplses the lower class
es, except for what he can obtain of
their personal savings.
The besotted brother whose mode of
livelihood has finally become the
cleaning of sewers or drains" as
acted by William Owen, is a charac-
ter at once humorous and pathetic.
Hardened and embittered toward the
world by the enforced separation from
his daughter, foe to the clergyman,
vile in speech and, outwardly, in
thought, he is the only character in
the play who possesses the true at
tributes of a simple and natural man.
1t is he whom the Indian mystic,
spiritually acted by William Linquist,
at once recognizes as the possessor of
true godly worth, despite a rough ex-
terror, among the other males con-
cerned in the action. This peculiar
character of Manson, the butler, un-
cannily sees the faults, and the vir-
tues, the troubles and the joys of all
whom he meets. He realizes the sit
uation Immediately and, as the servant
in the house, finally accomplishes the
moral changes necessary to bring hap
piness to all within its walls.
He upholds and praises the drain
man to the bishop, after the latter,
through partial blindness and bad
hearing, has dined with the supposed
inferior being, with the idea that he
was the vicar whom he had come to
visit. Engaging the bishop in con-
versation later and adroitly drawing
him out by tales of how he, the native
of India, had obtained millions for a
church, he forces a confession from
the bishop that his theory of church
work is Gods not watching; let us
give little and grab all we can" A
fake compact is entered into whereby
the Indian will head the list of donors
to a new church through which the
bishop hopes to add much more to his
store Of worldly wealth.
The scene where the mystic, who
confesses to powers Of divination, as
sumes charge of the house, after &C
quainting its real owner of his insight
into the private soul tortures of every
occupant, and drives the bishop from
the door, represents the climaxo Of the
action of the play. Not content with
this, the butler has the satisfaction OF
seeing the vicar realize his duty to
ward the little niece who dwells with
them and restore her to her father, his
brother, the drain man.
But the big scene of the play comes
when the drain man, before his reun
ion with the child of his flesh, enters
the wears home and announces that
all of the city is filled with stencil
arising from the sewers, and that
battling through muck up to his eyes
and enduring terrible odors, he al
last traced the cause of the trouble to
a vault, beneath the wears own
church, where the remains of people
had rotted for years.
Despite the seeming sacrilege, the
vicar tears off his clericals, tosses
them aside and with the words, "This
is the work of man, not priest,
declares he will personally accompany
the drain man to the place and assist
in removing the shrouds, caskets and
dead bodies which have caused such
a condition.
1t is then that the drain man be
comes reunited with his child and the
Indian butler finally casts aside the
mystery which has surrounded hif
identity and proclaims himself the
Bishop Of Benares, the brother Of bott
the vicar and the drain man whose i'm
pending visit had been anticipated fol
many days. The unexpected denoue
ment was indeed thrilling and the cur
tain descended on a group of players
who had left much with an unusual
ly attentive and absorptive audience.
o.