davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-04-11

worth and mettle of any institution
Like the purest of metals it has come
through the fire; and if Mr.. Saylsr
praises with enthusiasm it is because
he has seen, he has studied, and com
pared.
"ln any time of stress" he says. can
institution shows upon how frln @
foundation it is builded During the
revolution in Russia the inconss-
quentlal, the lighter, frivolous things
in the theater were sloughed off. In
previous times of social stress the
playhouse of pastime satisfied the pub
lie caprice. In revolutionary Russia
the theater of profound introspection
and inspiration has persisted. The
serious theater, the theater as an arr
and not a pastime or an industry, has
persisted through the anxious and con-
straining days of the Russian up
heaval because that has been It's
firmly established spirit for 8 hum
dred years. The American theater dur
ing the war also cut of the inconse-
quential elements, but with this Diff
ference. What had been incense.
quential in Russia, tho Lighter. frlvos
lous pastimes. was considered this con.
sequential in America and the theateY
as q home of serious art did not exist.
But l am by no means a pessimise.
The time is coming when the American
+ar ,r,t11 En oh 10 70 Will hot a y n
form Of stress without the necessity
of looping off the serious, artistic
things in it. We are going possibly
faster than any of US suppose toward
the time when the American threaten
will be able to do So"
With guns booming almost every
night as he left the theaters of Mos
COW and Petrograd, he persisted in his
study, gathering data, collecting pho
tographs, visiting and Interviewing the
leading men and women of the theatef.
He had to contend with the traditional
Russian tendency to pat things OF
for tomorrow which never comes.
He had to threaten, to show anger,
but in one way or another he collected
more than two thousand photographs
the six months he spent in Russia
and dancers. All except two weeks o.
of the six months he spent in Russia
Mr.. Sayler was in Moscow. He found
Petrograd, where he stayed two weeks,
not the place to study the Russian
thentcr There was no detach ment
no aloofness, no opportunity for con-
temptation.
The outstanding figure in the Rus
sian theatcr, the man he had planned
to see in 1914, is Constantin Sergsis-
witch Stanislavsky, president Of the
council and first artist of the Moscow
Ar. Theater, the most important thsa-
ter in Russia, If not in the world
Together with Nyemirovitch- Dant-
chenko, he started the theater twenty
two years ago, reminding activity In
the drama in Russia. Writing Of this
Moscow Art Theater, of which Stan!s-
lavsky is the gaiding spirit, Mr.. Sayisa
says:
"The supremacy Of the Moscow Ar
| Theater lies more securely in It's per
lection and thorough application Of {
dramatic principle, the principle O.
realism. From its earliest years tn,
adherence OF Stanislavsky 10 the be
lief In realism as an art method ha
borne the brunt Of bitter attack. Mey
'erhoid Quarreled srst within the esn
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-04-11
Edith Ellis, Experienced;
Norman Rose, a Novice,
Wrote Farce Together

The history Of "Mrs. Jimmie Thomp-
son." the farce by Norman Rose and
Edith Ellis, now playing at the Prin-
cess Theater, would seem to bear out
Willie Golfers oft-repeated axiom that
farces are not written, but arc rewritten.
This play was written nearly two years
ago by Mr.. Rose, and started the
rounds Of the managers. These gen
tlemen saw merit in the manuscript,
but were not sufficiently enthusiastic
about it to produce.
Hence the collaborative touch Of
other evening at the theater, this was
the first of his plays that had been
produced, and, iguratively speaking,
the hundred and first of Miss Ellis's.
Successfully newspaper man, a publ
city man and an advertising man, Rose
has always had, in common with some
millions of other mortals, the desire to
write plays. But here comes the re-
markable fact about this playwright
he has not trunk filled with manu-
scripts to DO rushed, now that his hrst
play has been produced,to ali the man
ayers In town.
In watching "Mrs. Jimmie Thomp-
son" 1t was interesting to one who
venture guesses as to the contributions
Of each Of the authors. The second
act opens with domesticated game Of
draw poker, laughable study Of an
American institution. The masculine
touch, one imagined, and Rose con-
firmed the venture. Not, Of course, he
explained, that he himself played poker
much, but he knew of the game.
There Is Mrs. Delmar, the retired
actress who keeps the boarding house
where the little comedy has its home.
Mrs. Delmar speaks eloquent sentences
fit for any situation, and explains that
these were her lines in 1.-THE Sins OF
the Fathers" CT some other. Of the
plays in which she had had her glor-
ious day. There one saw traces Of the
hand Of Miss Ellis; she has been In
and Of the theater all her life, as q
playwright, actress and producer. In
the majority of plays to which she has
contributed the touch that has meant
] production her part has been clouded
in anonymity.
"If may DO allowed to repeat what
III have heard said Of Mrs. Jimmie
Thompson's,' said Miss Ellis, "it Is tire
human touch Of the play that appeals
to the audiences. They see something
that is very much like life. The story
Is told in platitudes, perhaps. but after
all, life has way Of getting It's story
told in the eternal way"
Miss Ellis contributed many Of the
lines which the manicure girl in "Mrs
Jimmie Thompson" speaks; they are OF
the philosophy which all the mighty
legion who wear their hair In little
puffs over their ears embrace. "Be
decent, but don't be shy" says this
young philosopher, and one sees the
smile Of acquiescence on the lips Of
her sisters in the audience.
The collaboration between the two
playwrights extended up to the last
moment Of rehearsal, when lines were
changed and changed again. The ways
of collaboration are dark and mysteri-
Gus to the layman. who acknowledges
tho force Of them in the only way he
can, by going as near to hysteria as
nafoty allows.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-04-11

hlgh talent unless he gets, some time or
other, the chance he deserves
One of the tragedies Of the season is
the sudden cancellation of the run of
Richard III" and the retirement of
John Barrymore for the remainder of
the season. New York reviewers
seemed to be largely in agreement that
his performance was the best of his
career and ono of the most brilliant of
our generation. The one unfavorable
criticism which was made against him
was that he was too restrained in the
final scenes of "Richard." One or two
critics felt that he consciously under
played the tent scene and later his
meeting with Richmond. We did not
share this feeling in any measure. and
so we cannot pass judgment on its fair
ness from an artistic standpoint. But
We do know the physical fact that
Barrymore played SO consistently up
to the hilt of his strength that when
the break came he WAS as exhausted
as Marathon runner. Certainly he
made no conscious reservations. 1t al
ways seemed to US that his death in
Richard" was the most violent and
devastating physical burden which any
actor In our knowledge has ever put
upon himself. When Richmond's fatal
thrust came Barrymore would stagger
back and gasp for air like a drowning
man for space which seemed at least
minute. Then he would go down pell
nell, armor and all, in fall which
shook the theatre. We have never seen
anybody fall 80 utterly since the night
we saw Jack Dillon knock out Tom Cow
Ter. II was a fall in which the whole
body seemed to sag suddenly into COM
plete inertia. Nor do we doubt that
there must have been nights when the
actor was as completely out as any
beaten prtzefghter.
When Barrymore comes back to the
stage again 1t may be that he must
seek parts in which the physical strain
is not so great as in Redemption" or
"The Jest" or Richard Ill.," Yet hav-
ing so often given all he could, 1t would
perhaps be hard to be more parsimo-
NOUS In performance. Although there
Is probably no fun in acting to the
point Of collapse, Barrymore at least
has the satisfaction Of knowing that it
was a big wave which tossed him.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-04-11


&H Importance If one is willing to
~ travel half way around the
world. from Indianapolis, across
the Pacific, through Japan, and thence
over the vast stretches of Siberia to
Moscow, to complete it. That is what
Oliver NJ. Sayler set out to do in the
late summer Of 1917, when the Ker-
ensky government had replaced the
LvofP forces in Russia, and when the
Bolshevik hordes we're preparing to
send Kerensky to his London retreat.
Once before had he set out on his
task. In the early summer of 1914
he went to Europe to see three men
Bernard Shaw, Gordon Craig and
Stanlslavsky. He saw Bernard Shaw in
England and Gordon Craig in Italy, but
war broke out and the Russian the
aters were closed before he got to
Moscow.
ITO have spoken to Stanislavsky
about the theater, about his theories
of production, his methods Of training
actors FOR the Art Theater, about his
art, would not have boon Of much
value without having had an cppor-
tunity to see him carry them out In
a practical way. SO. temporarily. tho
job I had set myself had to remain
unfinished" said Sayler.
when revolution broke out in Rus
STA | felt that the time for finishing
my work had come. | had faith that
in Russia ! would find the most i'm
portant theater In the world, but
did not have faith enough to hope or
believe that it would weather the
shocks Of the revolution, and instead
of falling by the wayside come out
with banners flying. I wanted to get to
Russia before the records Of the the
alter were destroyed, to study them
thoroughly. Part Of my task was to
see Stanislavsky and to attend the
performances at the Moscow Art The
alter. The other part was to gather the
records If they were still available.
Life in Russia Is so intense that It
is possible to live only in the present
One cannot and does not think of the
past, and 1t is impossible to plan for
the future. So If the records were
not gathered before it was too late
there would have been no way Of
getting them
Leaving his post as dramatic ed
itor Of 1.-THE Indianapolis News" he
started on his mission, hoping that he
would find what he sought Fellow
travellers gazed at him curiously, they
Knocked him, laughed at him, made him
the butt of their jokes. what tom
foolery was this" thought they, "to 90
to Russia when peoples entire future
hung in the balance, to study their
drama? Was the man zy?" By thi.
time they have been siienced, no doubt
No other English speaking critic OF
man OF the theater had attempted to
do what Mr.. Sayler has done. One OF
the magazines, in reviewing the book
he has written, The Russian Theats.
Under the Revolution" recently pull
LIKED by Little, Brown & Co., said:
He has monopoly on the Russian
theater. Like other monopolists, he
ooosta up the price"
Meaning. Of course, that Mr.. Sayle,
has been too enthusiastic in his praise
Of the theater In Russia. But he saw
the theater in the land Of the soviet.
| under conditions which would test tn,
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-04-11
Chauncey Olcott Clings
To Old-Fasllioned Irish
Romance With Ballads

Once there was q time when the city
was divided into wards, with ward heel
ers, ward rivalries, and other appurte-
nances. The ward heller or boss" still
remains, but the city lines have been
shifted; the inhabitants have scattered
to various parts Of the city and to the
suburbs No longer is it possible to
pick out n district--it used to be q
ward-and say, "This Is an Irish ward, 4"
and be sure that only Irish families
live there. 1t is the same for the other
nationalites also. Chauncey Olcott
and others before him have been play
ing in Irish costume plays and singing
ballads Git is hard to tell which is of
more Importance, the play or the bal
lad), for twenty-five years, and in the
days when the wards still existed, he
played in theatcrs on the fringes of the
Irish wards and was always assured Of
a thoroughly Celtic audience. But his
audiences now have many Of the other
races as WE'LL
Mr.. Olcott has just come back from
a tour Of more than six months which
took him to many corners Of the United
States, playing last week In Manhattan
and this week In Brooklyn In "Macush-
la" In Minneapolis he has q large
Scandinavian following. The appeal of
the play about Irish men and women, in
costume, with love ballads interspersed,
v,o,,1r CT; lad opo
Back In his apartment near Central
Park after many nights on Pullman
cars, in various kinds Of hotels, dur
ing the weeks on the road, Mr.. Olcott
was resting preparatory to his opening
the next day at the Standard Theater.
THE appeal Of the Irish plays, the
kind have been acting in" be unused,
"is in their cleanliness and wholesome
ness, that makes them go on like the
proverbial brook, babblng along its
course. There are momentary hutters
Of popularity for bedroom plays, for
the triangle plays and for others.
They all have their day Of popularity.
But when they vanish as they came
the sweet Irish plays keep going on
and on with no signs of diminished in
terest."
Only once or twice has Mr.. Olcott
appeared in plays as the modern Irish
man in America, at one time emitting
his songs entirely, but ne had to go
back to his moro familiar roles.
So Chauncey Olcott will not essay
the role of the modern Irishman on the
stage again. He will remain in the
costume plays with an opportunity to
sing ballads at each performance.
when a play shows tendency to
lag, that is the time to put in a ballad
1t is hard to find an audience that does
not enjoy good ballads that are we'll
sung"
Whether you know Gaelic when YOU
see it or not, whether you know the
difference between a shillalagh and a
mid-iron or not, whether your name
isn't what 1t was before q Judge gave
you permission to shorten or change it
at one time or other you will probably
find yourself in the audience watching
Chauncey Olcott make love to an Irish
colleen and listening to him sing swee,
ballads about home, mother and love
. And you will go. away feeling lighte,
In spirit and refreshed.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-04-11

I'LL viewer and more casual the
w atergoer that there is little
music in our musical come
dies and still less frequently anybody
10 sing it lost much of it's force last
week when "Florodora" was revived ut
the Century and "Lassie" produced for
the first time at the Nora Bayes. The
music of "Florodora," to be sure. is
hardly distinguished, but it is pleas
ant and Eleanor Painter sings bcauti-
fully. Still. we had occasion to regret
later In the week that we had used up
10 many adjectives about her. Par
ccularly we found that we had over
written ourselves when we declared
mat there Is no other voice now re-
cIuited for the service of light opera
IN America half so good" When we
heard Tessa Kosta in. "Lassie" we real
ised That there was another prma
donna who could at least challenge
comparison Indeed, it is the closest of
contests.
SO ar as tne music itself goes there
IS no contest. The score which Hugo
Felix has written for "Lassie" Is far
ahead OF the pretty, tinkling melodies
u "Florodora" and Of every other mu-
slcal show of the season, for that mat
sss, with the possible exception Of
"beaucaise," which was not sung nearly
30 well. Miss Kosta's voice Is not only
Of pleasing quality, and perhaps even
more than that in the high tones, but
1t is exceedingly accurate. The only
laws are those Of occasional ques-
loaabie taste, such as some of the
heavily Muted top notes, and even here
u must be admitted that there Is prece-
asnt in the practice Of such distin-
gu'shed performers as the great Bat
tsstlni himself.
Moreover. the singing excellence Of
neither "Florodora" nor of "Lassie"
rests eolely on the performance of an
unusual prima donna. Walter Woolf is
excellent In the Century show and
Colin OMoore does nicely in Classic"
IN spite OF our not infrequent dlscov-
cry that We have been too lavish with
adjectives, which sometimes places US
n the embarrassing position Of having
'.othing more than great" or "mi
rseulous" left for praiseworthy pro-
auction, simply because something Of
less consequence exhausted the more fer
rent ones early in the week, we are pre-
pared to stand on the expressed opinion
snat 'Lassie" 10 by all odds the pref
vest and pleasantest musical piece Of the
season.
Some day wa hope to see George
aassell in piece In which he receives
little aid from the author. In the last
shrce or four seasons we have found
ann hugely amusing on several occa-
sops, but 1t always was by virtue Of
ais own efforts. He has been compelled
" 1aii downstairs, and putty his nose,
sao trip over the furniture to make the
Jokes provided for him stand up in any
UT OF effective fashion. And yet, I'M
'sss We arc greatly mistaken, Hassell Is
one OF tho most amusing comedians Of
'os stage and is capable Of sustaining
With great success a definitely char
sctsrtzed comic role IL some one would
only provide such an opportunity for
AIM Because he clowns we'll it has
oesn his misfortune to be called upon
0aly for the most primitive sort Of fun
making. He can do better and more
'antls staff, and the American theater is
"a institution amazingly wasteful Of
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-04-11

high talent unless he gets, some time or
other, the chance he deserves.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-04-11
Russian Theater Studied.
Despite Times of Stress,
BY an American Inquirer

~ T MUST be job Of tremendous
ia Importance If one is willing to
~ travel half way around the
world from Indi anannlia acrnsa
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-04-11
AS w W ere saving
By Haywood Broun

~. HE constant complaint Of re-
n viewer and more casual the
w atergoer that there is little
The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1920-01-15

IS. from which capfrifgs have been
distributed free TO growers. Before
this distribution vas arranged for
many small growers of Smyrna figs
became discouraged and some even
dug up their orchards. The relation
ship between these two varities is
that the Smyrna fig is fortified by
an insect which lives on the capri
fig. When Smyrna figs and capriigs
are planted together the caprifgs do
not bear enough fruits to caprify the
crop properly until several years af-
Ter the trees begin to bear. For this
reason a young orchard is dependent
on importing the needed capriigs
during the first few years. 1t vas to
supply this need that the fig orchard
at LOOMS was leased by the depart
ment. Many new varieties of capri
FIGS have been brought to light. some
Of them very important in CONNER
cial Smyrna fig culture. Many thou
sands of Seeding figs have been dis
tributed TO cooperators in the fig
growing regions of California, Ariz-
ona, and Texas, and some promising
new varieties have been originated
by a proper selection of male pollen.
In the fall of 1917 the fig insect
was established in some old seeding
caprifg trees in Brunswick, Ga, and
since then a number of caprifg trees
have been similarly treated. The re-
suit is that it has been possible to
caprify and bring into bearing many
sterile Smyrna fig trees growing in
the Southern States. Some of these
trees bear a very high grade of fruit,
promising for use as fresh fruit for
canning. 1t is still doubtful whether
figs can be grown in the southeastern
United States to advantage in a com
mercial way, but it is a matter of
interest and OF some economic signi-
fcance that many old sterile fig trees
in this region are really Smyrna seed
lings. approximately half of the
trees are Smyrna figs and the others
are caprifig varieties.
Banishing Animal Diseases.
Victory over most OF the destruct-
i've diseases of animals is in sight, and
in a number of cases eradication l.
nearly complete. This statement is
made in the annual report Of the
Chief of the Bureau of Animal Indus
try, United States Department Of Ag-
riculture.
Cattle scabies, which in 1906 was
prevalent in nearly one-half of the
United States now appears only as
outbreaks in limited areas. These
outbreaks are being suppressed.
Eradication of sheep scabies, which
in 1906 existed in more than one-half
Of the land area of this country, is
now about nine-tenths complete.
The cattle tick, which causes splen-
Ic fever among cattle, and which has
been the greatest obstacle to the de-
The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1920-01-15

and the difference is commonly attri-
buted to the use or relatively inferior
seed stocks. Seedimproyement work
is being carried on by the department
in cooperation with agricultural eX-
pertinent stations in practically all Of
the important potato-producing sta
ties, The best seed stock Of the lead
ing varieties in different regions is
being grown in the various states,
During the progress Of the season the
various plats are inspected several
times for the purpose of eliminating
diseased plants and those which art
not true to name or to type. At har-
vest time carefully studied selections
are made for the purpose of obtain
ing the best strains of the different
varieties. These potatoes in turn will
be used for seed purposes with a view
The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1920-01-15
NOTICE

There came to my place about
June l, four miles southwest of
Hardman, the following described
animals: one brown horse, white
stripe in face, branded with spear on
right hip; mi black yearling horse,
no brand. Owner may have same by
paying all costs. i.-j22
LOTUS robson.
Hardman, Ore.
The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1920-01-15

Mr.. and Mrs. Clark Stephens Of
Hardman returned home recently
from a visit to Mrs. stephens par
ents, Mr.. and Mrs. ]. T. Rue at Mon
ument.
The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1920-01-15

TO developing stocks that are true to
name, true to type, free from disease
communicable through the seed, and
that possess high-yielding procliyi-
tics
The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1920-01-15
Better Seed Potatoes Needed.

Seed stocks of Irish potatoes com
monty available to growers contain
many mixtures, not infreQuently dis
eaSed and as a rule not as productive
as they should be. The Chief of the
Bureau of Plant Industry, United
States Department of Agriculture
makes this statement in reporting OF
the progress of work in developing
improved seed stocks. 1t is a recog.
nized fact, he says, that the yield Of
potatoes in this country is far below
that secured in some other countries
The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1920-01-15

velopmeut of the livestock industry in
the south, has had its domain reduc-
ed from more than 100000 square
miles in 1906 to 219.5S1 square
miles on December 1. 1919. Pro
gress has been continuous year after
year, and the tick should be extinct
in this country in 1924
Eradication Of animal tuberculo-
sis has progressed as fast as the work
could be handled by the veterinarian
force employed; in fact. there has
been a waiting list Of herds to be test
ed, Animal TB probably will not be
hanished from the United States in
the life of this generation, but it has
been proved that the disease can be
eradicated from small areas, and
there is little doubt that eventually
it will disappear from this country.
Meanwhile the Bureau of Animal
Industry continues its vigilance to
prevent the introduction from foreigl.
countries of such dangerous animal
scourges as foot-and-mouth disease,
Surra, rinderpeSt. and other malad-
les slightly known or unknown to the
farmers of the United States.
The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1920-01-15
May Grow All Our Figs.

1t is not improbable that this coun-
try will soon produce all the figs it
needs. This statement is made by the
Chief Of the Bureau Of Plant Indus
try, United States Department Of Ag-
riculture, in his report on the pro-
gress Of Smyrna fig culture in Calf
ornia. Much Of the success of this
enterprise has been due to the fact
that the department has been able to
maintain a capfrifg orchard at Loom