The Washington herald., 1921-08-13
|NekIporkcity
|DaEglEB|ylD,'.ays 2.

| 1sI - .
NEW YORK. Aug. 12.-Thc life
OF a New York dramatic critic is
not SO rolIIcking. as 1t might ,ap-
pear or course, II is nice to have
entire at all the piayhouses, have
your name In electric lights and ON
.tHlbosrds -indorsing plays and to
wean n nubbln of n smile from box
Office grouehes. Yet the dramatic
cNtic must maroon himself In iso-
'atton so far as the Rialto is con-
cerned, -
IL he stops to chat with the
atrical producer he has succumbcd
70 the lure of gold. He has been
bought" Just now a scurrilous
charge u being whispered. group
o. dramatic critics held stock in two
plays by former critic who turned
producer. and az result the plays
received superlative publicity, the
story goes.
II so happens that the group
lunches several times a week in the
public dining room of theatrical
hotel in the west forties. They are
old friends, and several other mem-
bers Of the literati Join them. The
iuncheons serve as means of relaxa-
ton, and serious talk Is barred.
Most Of the time Is consumed in
good-natured bantering as to who
will pay the check.
The two plays in question were
outstanding successes Of the year.
II Is folly to believe that dramatic
critics by an avalanche of puffery
can drive the public to poor plays.
Dramatic critics are carefully se-
lected. and in all the years Of New
fork's theatrical history only one
Il known to have played crooked.
He Is now a literary pariah. scorned
in every quarter. So much $50 that
he has sought European seclusion.
The only objection the layman
might have to New York dramatic
critics Is the space they consume in
reviewing a play. Some take a
column or more to give their opin-
ion. After all. Hhere is virtue in the
Texas editors review. He wrote:
Last plight Pure as Snow was at
the opera house. Many stayed to
the end
In a little club OFF Fifth avenue
a few steps where there are private
lockers with. in these latter days.
big padlocks. a club member and
guest visited the other afternoon.
Seating themselves in deep sea 60
ing leather chairs. the host pressed
the button. bringing Louis the Of
fetal handy boy.
Louis" he inquired, can you not
mix US something that will have
claws and teeth in il? Yes? Well.
please do so. and make one for
yourself so you will take a keener
interest in your work.
Louis soon brought them frosted
quart-size glasses. Guest and host
touched them together. wishing sue
cess to crime. and quaffed them
deep. A half hour later the host
was climbing a Fifth avenue traffic
tower singing a sailors ditty, and
the guest was swinging to club
chandelier by his feet, barking like
German police dog. II seems that
Louis had opened the wrong locker
and got hold of some home brew.
Louis Is still missing.
A press agent for one Of the
classical Greek dancers, who does
lyrical hop-scotches in cheese.
| cloth chemise with lifted knee
head thrown back and mouth agape.
sends me the following blurb about
her charms: She is Debussy music
in the ffesh-the divine apparition,
the white wonder OF arms and
breasts and thighs. 1t is as though
on the aphrodisiac swell of the sea
the white Anadyomene herself ap-
preached earth's shores again. Be
fore you rises an exquisite swaying
form. glistening carnation and sill
yer and over all the maddening
slow of red-gold hair. She lives
again that scene in Florence when
Sandro Botticelli saw Simonetta in
the spring"
whereupon, after reading. went
walking with my dog. and he bark
cd at cloud. ] did a zephyr dance.
We wer both en- rapport with true
art