Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-12-07


this speech:
our mimic scene be acted over. in
states unborn and accents yet un-
known.
1t is hardly fitting to refer to the
District of Columbia. vote!ess though
1T stays. as "a state unborn" Nor
are its accents. apart from some pic
turesque evolutions in colloquial dis
course shared throughout the land.
very different from the language of
the day when the civil war drew to
its close Yet there is remoteness in
the attitude of the English author.
Mr. Drinkwater. toward his theme
abraham Lincoln: remoteness which
gives perspective and enables meas
urement of values impossible at c.ose
range. To some degree the lack of
distance in time has compensated by
distance in geography and enables
the author to observe the character
more than the characteristics.
4 y
The play. produced for the first time
in America last Monday night at the
fore the first act was half over the
fact that the undertaking is an enor-
nous one, something to be regarded
with the most delicate sympathy in
it's discussion, for a product of its
nature invites criticism from thou
sand angles. Not only does the student
who generously hopes to assist the
cause of accuracy. by counting the
buttons on coat. or measuring the
tilt of a hat. bestir himself with
II Oh <Jafn In IN
in the poets eye. while the spotlight
beam of dancing comedy b,azes else
where unreproached, but there is
finger itching in every laundering
boob that the inscrutable laws of Its
erary gravitation have brought into
relationship with unrestricted print
to reach for a typewriter and hand
out a wallop.
Mr.. Drinkwater frankly points out
certain departures from historic fact
eide whether they diverge SO far as
. to become fatal incongruities. He had
the courage to put his play into book
form and circulate it well in ad-
vance; something that scarcely any
writer for the stage at present dares.
Perhaps his most perilous expert
ment is the Introduction into Lin
coins cabinet of fictitious character.
On this point Mr. Drinkwater gave
early and abundant publicity to the
following: The fictitious Burnet
Hook is admitted to the historical
company of Lincoln's cabinet for the
purpose of embodying certain forces
that were antagonistic to the Presi-
dent. This was a dramatic necessity
and / chose rather to invent char
any single known parsonage with
sinister qualities about which there
might be some dispute
X + \
How needful the authors explana-
tion was is shown by some discrfmi-
mating and genuine informing COM
ment that the play Immediately called
Blair is not at all aggressively
drawn. but 1T brings from Joseph P.
Tumulty protest to this effect: with
out any attempt to disparage Mr..
Drinkwater's fine dramatic achieve
ment. in the play Abraham Lincoln.
pears to be gross historical mac
curacy with reference to the atti-
tude of Mr.. Montgomery Blair, MEM
Der of Mr.. Lincoln's cabinet. from the
state of Maryland. toward the defense
of Fort Sumter Mr.. Drinkwater said,
in his curtain speech, that historical
fact must yield to the pen and pur-
pose of the dramatist. While this
privilege must, of course, be accorded
the dramatist, it ought not to be used
aI the COSI VI tTulu anu uHNAo RAtC0
fact hope it will not be considered
amiss, therefore, for one who has
been a deep admirer of Mr.. Blair's
fine work as a member of Mr.. Lin
coins cabinet to take issue to the
attempt on the part of the playwright
to place Mr.. Blair in the position of
opposing Lincoln in one of the most
critical decisions he was called upon
to make-that of provisioning Fort
Sumter.
In one of the leading scenes of the
play Mr.. Blair is pictured as opposing
the President and as voting with Mr..
Seward to sustain the opinion and
advice of Gen. Scott that it would be
futile to provision and defend Fort
Sumter. 81 -
Mr.. Tumulty proceeds to refer to
the diary of Mr.. Gideon Welles. Sec
, rotary of the Navy under Presidents
Lincoln and Johnson, and quotes ex-
cerpts proving that from the very
first Mr. Blair was a leader in op-
posing Secretary Stewards attitude.
Postmaster General Blair, who
has been a close and near observer of
what had taken place through the
winter and spring, took an opposite
view from Mr.. Seward and Gen. Scott
finally, observing that the
President, with the acQuiescence of
Seward and Scott policy, he wrote his
resignation, determined not to con-
tinue in the cabinet If no attempt
were made to relieve Fort Sumter"
Quotations from the Welles diary
are extended. and point with unmis-
taxable clarity not only to oppos ton
in Mr.. Blairs mind to the policies of
Seward and Scott. but to a very vital
and significant influence OF President
Lincoln's own stand in the matter.
Mr.. Drinkwater need not expect
that all criticism will be as construc-
tive as Mr.. Tumulty's.
-
This point. important as it is as a
matter of historic justice, does not
affect the main purpose of the play
portraiture of Lincoln. 1t is de-
feet which should be easily remedied.
just as other defects Awe been reme-
died. by some American adapter
the recognition it would seem to de-
serve. 49,.
While the Abraham Lincoln" shown
in England inspired warm apprecia-
was intended. some of its episodes
were discussed by Americans who
CHANGED to see the play as scream
fngly funny. Gen. Grant, in the Eng
lish production. was made to say, as
he pulled his big cigar and paced the
Moor, My word. My word" Gen.
Grant also announced in rather un--
American phraseology. Gentlemen,
must hurry away in order to see my
Jon well settled at West Point" In
The early Illinois home Mrs. Abraham
lincoln tremendously invited her
suests to afternoon tea" Slavery
was symbolized not by the gentle
:olored preacher shown here, but by
gaunt. bronze figure that threw his
blanket over his shoulder. folded his
arms and said, "Ugn.! Old chief no car
DO" or words to that effect. These
things illustrate difficulties to be over.
come. Had they remained in evidence