The sun., 1916-09-10

The Old F Fashioned
Mother Comes Into
Her Own Again and
Offers a Solution Of
the Problem Of How
70 Reform Criminals

-HE day after the FIRST perform
ance Of Turn to the Right"
! winche,l smith, one Of the au-
,,ors. sat in the box Office Of the
c.,.,y Theatre. his head bowed in his
,,,ds. On the desk before him lay q
,,rf OF newspaper clippings, all
,,i.ing the play; at the box once
,,ndow stood a line OF ticket buyers
,h,, stretched clear around the r
Turn 10 the Right" had scored q
,r The success Of the little play
,s,, had slipped no quietly 10 Broad
.,y-a,most without announcement
any kind-was beyond question. Mr..
smith knew all that. yet. sitting there.
n. eazel into vacancy and murmured.
4 wonder
What had the successful author 70
ronder about? The man whose
"Bocmerang" was then entering Its
sccnd year at a nsighboring theatre;
vhose Fortune Hunter "Brewster's
Millions and other successes we're
pouring in their royalties the year
,ound. this fortunate dramatist who.
with h.s friend, John l.. Golden. had
turned producer and scored a business
a well as artistic bullseye at the
trst attempt-what had he to doubt ?
81 wonder" said Mr.. Smith. III the
public has really gotten u message?
| Jchn e. Hazard and I wrote this play
with one great object In view. to show
the all p%ervading. all powerful innu-
,nce of faith. We did not attempt to
preach a sermon. but we did want to
show the tremendous power for good
An unconscious power. II you will
that lay In a perfect, clean soul. In UNI
,verytng belief. Last night the audi
,nce shouted with laughter. to-day the
critics shower praise and predict a
long run, but what I am wondering at
/, whether or not we have labcred TO
bring forth a drama with a message
and bYousht forth instead a successful
comedy"
Mr.. snAih's question has been an
swered. The, lire stili forms at the
box ONCE. the theatre stiil rings with
shouts Of laughter. but more signin-
can, still than that laughter are the
tears Of synfNsthy shed nightly by the
thousands who follow the adventures
Of Joe B1scom and his mother In Turn
10 the Right" Mother has come into
her own again on the stage; not the
schem!ng ma,her ~ the society play
the laundering mother of the farce. the
mother with n past Of the tragic melo-
drama. but the mother Of clean heart,
unbounded telf-sacrihce. limit!ess faith
IN God, and 1t 10 the influence OF
this mother upon all the other char
scters OF the Smith-Hazzard play
hat il the real secret Of it's lasting
quality, For in a way the auihort
have evolved in the character OF Mrs
Basoon. as portrayed by Ruth Chester
a sort uf superwoman.
The prologue Of Turn to the Right
10 st in a pa wnbroker's shop in Os.
slr.ng. Joe BdScom, who has just nm.
ishsd q years term for IA crime tina,
he believed he had committed wh!.s
under the influence Of liquor, Is met b!
,so OF his prison pals. Mugs. a pick
pocket. and Gully. Il safe blower. The!
have come to tell him hat a famou.
scehorse, Of whose future he had fire.
quenily spoken. was about TO run mex
day. and they believed they could max,
tt0rtune out Of it..
Joe-Rut how are we Coin' to bet or
lin! You. too. are nat broke. and go
four bucks.
Muggs-Let me tell you. Me an Gill,
knows Il place in The Bronx where W,
can turn "A little trick tonight that ~il
ge, us $40 cases Al the very least. Now
We
joe-liere. here, here. How abou'
Eoin' straight?
Muggs-Sure we're goin' straight. buI