New-York tribune., 1918-02-06
THE CAST
By J. Alexander Pierce

y L
Heres play that many people will
want to see when they know that
George NJ. Cohan picked it to make
half a million dollars. Many more will
want to see it on account of what they
VIII hear from the successive audi
ences. 1t will be interesting to see how
good guess Mr.. Cohan made. He was
probably right in thinking it would be
a success. for it has many popular ele-
ments. robust comedy, shocks, senti-
| ment and pathos. 1t has foundation
Of the time-honored play of rural life,
with suggestions of a later melo-
dramatic style, and offered Mr.. Cohan
exceptional opportunities to encrust
it with his characteristic touches of
telling realism.
One of Mr.. Cohan's canny points is
that he knows that many things which
are familiar to the profession arc al
ways new to the changing public.
Years come and go, but the Broadway
crowd is always young.
So the story of the little boy who
had the nosebleed DOES not fail of ef-
aCe'' nc HISt scene OF lne Llttie
Teacher" was in the schoolhouse of
Goshen Hollow. The teacher herself,
having taken home the hemorrhagc
youngster. had stars entrance at the
appropriate moment, about ten min
utes after the curtain had gone up, and
the mere appearance of Mary Ryan, as
Emily West, who had come from New
York to teach in her fathers native
village. was enough to win the entire
sympathy Of the audience. Aside from
her prettiness, Miss Ryan played her
part with a sincerity that was very
appealing.
The play was slightly reminiscent of
Owen Wister's- "Virginian." in which
young lady school teacher from Yer
mont went to the woolly West and was
courted by hardy cavalier Of the
wilds. The Lochinvar Of the little
teacher of Goshen Hollow was lum-
herman, and the Dustin Farnum part
was played by Curtis Cooksey. In spite
remarkable susceptibility to gentle in
fuences, and Emily, on her side, be-
trayed an unmistakablc liking for ro-
bust and sterling manhood.
In New England village, as in other
small communities, people are apt
to have warped and ungenerous ideas,
and it takes a sweet young girl like
Emily West to regenerate them. The
gallery of minor characters, all skill
fully sketched, helped to heighten the
atmosphere. The spinsters in particu-
lar were the most certain that there
was something quite wrong in Emily's
friendship for lumberman, but they
had an able hacker in Neal Brockway,
a spruce and progressive member of
the school board, who made the mis-
take of trying to turn his authority to
account in his wooing.
The drama arose from Emily's illegal
conduct in taking two Of the school
children away from parents who abused
them. 1t could hardly be said that the
town was divided over the question, for
she had scarcely any one on her side
but her lumberman and the children
themselves. The alleged male parent
was sort of Yankee Bill Skies, truly
a most forbidding person when in his
with which she fired one shot at the
schoolroom floor. Emily bluffed him out
and took the children home.
Thereafter Pug acted as Emly's
bodyguard, and after being thrown out
once by the scruff of his neck the said
male parent decided to have recourse
to the regular process of law. Even
ed. was against her at first but she
had had an infant that died, and by
working on her feelings adroitly Emily
succeeded in starting the watcrworks.
which brought the landlady around.
Finally the selectmen and school board
convened to pass on the question of the
disposal of the children. Only the
woman was present to represent the
parents, and, seen for the first time in
the full light, she bore out that biologi-
cal truth that the female of the species
is more deadly than the male.
With the sentiment running so
strong against Emily it was difficult to
see how she was going to win out
But, of course, she did. The manner
of her victory was one of those tours
da force so dear to the heart of George
NJ Cohan. The surprise was complete
and the scene scored a touch of pathos
The children seemed somewhat i'm
passive in the presence of the violent
female, but possibly only very pre-
cocious children would have apprc-
ciated the menace of the situation.
Horace James as Mr.. Durham. the
presiding sclectman. gave an especially
successful character sketch. Marie
Haynes as Mrs. Hodges, Emily's land
lady, carried off difficult scene with
skill. Edward G. Robinson created an
amusing role as Ratistc. French
Canadian pal of Pug's. The fulncss of
the cast and the careful work done by
each of the players contributed much
to the effectiveness Of the comedy
drama.