The sun., 1918-09-22

temporarily estranged by the obicc
ton Of their parents; but that Is the
end OF all attempt at what used to be
called "the plot" when there was q
plot about that any author could
possibly refer to withla any appearance
of pride. There Is none in THE
Walk OFFS" by the HattoDs. unless
one accept the pretence of the hero
inc that she is q typist in lieu OF any
vigorous fiction. 1t was Just Ihis
complete lack of fable that ended
the career of "The SQUAD Farm
Tenuous as "Daddies" Is, 1t has a
discernible and interesting thread OF
narrative.
In Jonathan Makes a Wish" Stuart
Walker passes into the field Of allie
CORY and there he stays. More inter-
esting than any other characteristic
Of this little piece is the authors con-
vlction that a boy who acts and COM
poses plays Is more interesting than
any other kind. AS a matter OF fact
lie, is likely to be a mollycoddle and
not nearly SO sympathetic TO the word
at large as one who Is interested in in
venting motor. organizing baseball
nine, training horses or building up a
banking business Mr.. Walker, being
an actor. thinks that the theatre
genius in the egg Is the most tasc nat
.ng creation in the world Yet after
AL Jonathan might have been worse.
He might have been a violinist, grown
ais hair long and for business Reasons
changed his name to Saeha, Tascna or
aI.scha MIR. Walker deserves the
hanks OF the public. 1t is singular in
writing about adolescence that he
hou.d have overlooked the source OF
he iovableness of all the youngsters
n Seventeen" They were all hu-
man, out OF door regular young per-
sons. and the public accordingly liked
Them much more than IL they had been
precious milk fed kids who sat about
The house writing tragedies,
Oscar Wilde even bears in mind the
Importance of his story in IAN Ideal
husband" To be sure one Is tempted
to believe that he must have laughed
a, the dramatic scenes in the delight
ful play at the Comedy Theatre. which
he put there because he believed there
ton in four act drama. The eli
makes are SO artificial that one feels
certain Wilde must have been laugh
ing In his sleeve as he arranged them.
Yet they are exactly In the key OF the
, whole play, indeed OF the Wilde the
atre. Audacious, brilliant, paradoxical
and always keenly amusing. the play
is uncommonly harmonious In its
mood To feel any real sympathy for
Mrs. Cheueley or any irritation with
her priggish opponent would be as
| preposte rous as to believe that what
the Wilde mdnneQuins say about life
- about our life or any life but their
own. And this Is OF course the crea-
ION OF the dramatist.
Mr.. Williams's actors play these
scenes OF drama in just the spirit of
| semi satire which makes them possi-
BILE. In the same way they toss off
, the ep!grams at rate which alto
| gether prevents second thought. So
| the butterflies are never crushed by
the processes of analysis. This man
ner OF acting the Irish dramatist is
! assurcdly the one for this day, just as
II would have to be for any play of
manners even Of an earlier date than
the '90s. But evidently this mood Of
! the play Is not enough to convince
: some spectators that "An Ideal Hus-
band" is In every phase, whether 1t
| he in Its passages of dialogue or Its
sudden climaxes Of drama. altogether
4 product Of that No Mans Land
which Is bounded on all sides by the
dimensions Of the stage. Yet there
have been limitations that even now
the morality Of the statesman and the
justice OF his wlfe's ideals might be
subjects Of discussion. So Wilde must
Inevitably be misunderstood in one
| quarter or another.