The sun., 1919-09-28
By LAWRENCE REAMER.


his means in the future. He is not
unlike the other playwrights; SO as
he progresses in the use of the medium
Of his new craft will his means ever
grow less apparent.
Here Is. further contribution to
the burning question Of Mr.. Tarking-
ton as playwright, received, 1t must be
said in justice to the writer. before the
performance of Clarence:
ITO THE DRAMATIC EDITOR OF THE
SUN-SIr:: What a fuss you make
over q trif7e like Linskd! Isn't the an
swer really very simple, and obvious3
Mr.. Harrington has no interest in or
sympathy for the Linskies of life;
therefore he has not equipped himself
with the understanding and compre-
hension necessary to the proper treat
ment OF any such character in fiction
or drama 1t takes the broad human
sympathy and basic understanding OF
an Ibsen in drama or Victor Hugo in
fiction to give adequate treatment to
the Linsld breed of biped. And until
Mr.. Huntington acquires this basic,
sympathetic understanding you will
always find him Diminishing his Linski
with a gesture of disdain. Booth
Tarkington's field Is the varieties of
life rather than the realities and there
are infinitely more Linskies in the
world than there are George Wash
igton Silvers.
"Why doesn't some one show Booth
Harrington where he really excels?
n he would only step over into the
realm of fantasy 1 believe he would
find himself strangely and joyously
at home. 1 believe that II he concen-
trated his efforts on the creation of
fantasy the theatre would have play
not only par excellence but classic
of its kind. But the fantasy would
want to be unencumbered of any col
laborator. 1t would want to be all
Harrington. Yours,
"LrNsK1 &c. c..
"HoTn. CONTINENTAL" ''.
II would be interesting to know why
Thompson Buchanan did not consider
| II worth while TO write a last act for
"Civtlian Clothes" which L. Just now
on the top wave Of prosperity at the
Morosco Theatre. The playwright could
very reasonably answer that any play
which proved so highly successful
without a final act did not need one.
But there is still, a retort for the critic,
He can humbly suggest that any play
| which has in It some scenes as fine
as the best in "Civilian Clothes" ought
to be just as good throughout or that
at least the author should have made
effort TO preserve certain quality in
l ~ IL q I'D AnA 10 q
man who could write the best OF
| Civilian Clothes' should not possess
that capacity when he deliberately puts
down the worst of It under his name
None of the increasing crop OF
| doughboy dramas has possessed any
Importance comparable to the theme
Of this play. The doughboy Is essen
| tial here. II the Captain from Racine
with the cobbler father had not been
in France and made his reputation
there he could never have met the
Kentucky aristocrat-are there aristo-
Gratis on the dark and bloody ground
of Daniel Boone married her and
come back after the report of his
death only to find that he was dis
tasteful to her. common" is the usual
word. provincial and fiashy in dress
and uncultivated In manner. But he
is still her husband. AS an aristocrat
Of the best three star brand that Ken
lucky can produce. she all but hated
this man. Physical contact with him
was repugnant. Even his attempts at
serious love making which swept her
of her feet at st. Mihiel now chill her.
Often a woman may feel affection
for a man below her In worldly caste
in his serious moments OF life. In pas
sion he may overwhelm her in spite
of their social differences. This same
man in his lighter moods. when he is
jocose or bantering, may be intoler-
able. Mere courtship may not bridge
the wide social chasm between them,
although gust OF strong passion may
bring them together. This husband
with the yellow shoes and the appall-
ling necktie. the 'icud" suit ana the