New-York tribune., 1917-10-07
YOUR HONOR'S PLAYERS
Melodrama's the Thing


ing emotions than our brothers across
the sea, because VIC arc newer and
more primitive people. We live in
newer, more primitive surroundings,
I are differently environed, and conse-
! ouently express ourselves more frankly
and more forcefully. Every vital thing
we do is tinged with sensationslism,
from our romsnces to our crimes. We
/ hear the call Of our bugles with .
\ thrill; we unfurl our flags amid SEN
sstionsl cheers; we greet heroism with
feeling akin 10 reverence; We love
deeply; we hate fercely; we express
our opinions without fear. and we are
not ashamed when the fellow across
tho vsv sees our emotion. We feel
hate, love, jealousy and revenge with
an intensity so great that when these
passions are expressed TO us through
any form Of art they at once quicken
our understanding and awaken our
sympathy. II is because meiodrama
presents the emotions without gloves
that IL stirs the latent bigness in each
Of US; grips our hesrtstrings and alb
serbs our interest as does no other
form Of play.
The more primitive the people-thc
closer they live to the heart of nature
the franker their emotions, tho bigger
their loves, the fercer their hates.
The instant success of Tiger Rose"
was no surprise to me. Its story OF
primitive love and purity is common
meeting ground for the world. This
tale Of Tiger Rose" set as it is in
the Canadian Nopthwest, involves
people free from the superhcialities of
society. In writing Of this country and
its people to his friend, DR.. Hugh Gal
vim, OF London, John r. Dickerson,
Fellow Of the Royal Geographical So
ciety, recently said:
Here l found a land peopled with
the best end the worst; the Oxford
graduate on his homestead claim side
by side with a renegade American
later arrested for murder in the
Ststesj the genial Hudson Bay factors
with their ever ready welcome 10 the
stranger; the stolid-fsced Indians
whose moral lie is so well watched
over by those wonderful men, found
wherever the finger of civilization has
been pointed, the Jesuit priests; but
above all. what most appealed 10 me
were the light-hesrted young girls,
children Of the Canadian French, who
laugh and Jest with the stranger at
the door and who wander alone. sing
Ing, through the dark. wolf-ridden for
ests, knowing no fear.
as II so strange then that here in
this undsveloped country Of plenty We
should find the human emotions
stripped Of sll pretence, and men and
women standing clean and true, unfet-
tered by the hypocriticsl veneer Of
social environment, with hearts OF
children, bodies OF men and souls that
respond to the voice of religion a.
the pine bough answer. the breeze
Loving Hercely, hating wisely, their
code becomes their law. And over the
destinies Of these adventurous people,
whether 10 be upon the backs Of their
sturdy mounts, or swinging on the gee
poles behind their sledge dogs, ever
present, ever watchful, unquestioned
in their stern Interpretation of the
law. you find his majesty's greatest
body Of men, the rollicking, adamsnt.
duty-loying Royal Northwest Mounted
Police.
II shsll hate to leave them. these
dear red-blooded men and women, and
return again TO my club, cafes, and
the voice Of the city. | would that IT
were possible l might wait here
amongst them for my end, loving as
they love, fighting as they fight, hating
as they hate, dying as they die, with
their last look upon life in the rosy
glow Of an Alberta morning, or in
the cool, clean moonlight OF the day
Just passed. Such are the people Of
the far Canadian Northwest, whose as
socation in the last few months Is
bringing back to you a better man."
That is q graphic picture Of the land
in which the girl called Tiger Rose
knows no code but that Of love, ac-
knowledges no obstruction TO the con-
summation Of her romance, counts the
giving Of life as nsught In proof of
loyalty, hates with passion equal TO
that of her love. and reflects all the
glory Of Gods radiant sunshine In her
smile.
That IS the Canadian Northwest so
beautifully and truly described by Mr..
Dickerson-the Northwest of Tiger
Rose and the folk who companion her
along lifes way.
That IL Is melodrams is not due TO
any fslsity to that life, or any con-
tortion of it, but rather because Of its
faithful depletion Of 1t In all its vivid
ronsnticism and intensity of existence.