The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-12-06
THE CAST:
BY LOUIS ASHLEY.

70 q world Of ordinary mortals lack
1hg family. wealth. training. there ID
Q sinister attraction In the TALL Of the
mighty. even a. the tragic end Of Lady
Helen Haden. last Of the hard-fighting
hard-livtng Varicks. 1t Ii with awe
that she b seen passing on into OBJ
tvion. following the long line of goo
Inns salloping madly. but triumphantly
into the dim distance. And 20 does
she pass. triumphant in her pride OF
heritage tender In her affection for
. weakling not worthy Of tying her
laces.
Miss Barrymore 10 the visualized
leader of q cult. and her worshipers
were out In full force last night. Not
olnce the present season opened has 10
distinctive an audience gathered at
any theater in the Capital. not even
TOR Billie Burke. The more prominent
IN all branches of society here were
present to lend their aid to the sue
cess achieved by Miss Barrymore.
"Declassee'' II q sad story. In the
6rst place Lady Helen should never
have welded Sir Bruce. While she
scared majestically in spirit. he was
inclined to be q clod. He lacked
imagination and evinced total lack OF
appreciation Of the woman bearing his
name. Possibly he was too strong In
his own way. for lady Helen found
confessed failure In business and a
cheat At cards, the exact counterpart
g her titled husband.
There II something noble in Lady
Uolon's defiance Of that weakling.
Though he IN cad enough to expose
her mental unfaithfulness to Sir Bruce
~ turning over her letters. neverthe-
lsos she informs her husband of her
mistake - 70 the cheating. That &C.
TIN drives her from London to New
Yogk. II readers her declassee. But
what else vas there for her to do? A
vArick had but one answer. She
naAs It.
Ana %. stin cherishing her affec-
ton for the cad. Thayer, long since
guue out Of her life, Lady Helen
finally reaches the end Of her mate,
Yial resources In New York. Her head
= high, though. She is going down
1ato the trough Of the sea much like
enc Of old Dnsiand's vessels Of war.
with red banner streaming defiantlv
from the masthead There Ii no sur
render.
Lady Helen n . remarkable woman,
hist survivor of a remarkable line of
men and women. In all her acts and
al her thoughts she gives evidence OF
this. There Is nothing petty In her.
Her mistakes are large. Her gener-
sGity IL most generous. Her courage
= magnificent. With the abyss yawn-
ing ut her feet, she will not take from
Alice Vance the man she loves. though
that man has just offered her way
hack from the brink.
Miss Barrymore. received enthusias-
t1cally. dominates the scene the mo-
ment she appears. She radiates vital.
tured beauty. With the sole excep-
ton Of Edward Emery, in the role Of
the New York millionaire. Rudolph
Solomon, and possibly Gabrielle Ra-
vine, as the Spanish dancer. the others
aee ~ manikins compared with Misc
Barrymore.
Lady Helen IL. above all, true to
herself. She says her father never
spent $500 on her education. but
she shows that generations before
her had filled her with their own
tenets to which she chung with
unconscious vehemence. Facing utter
disgrace. she tells Sir Bruce that
Thayer, her lover. has cheated. Down
10 her last pearl, she declines Solo
mons ambiguous offer. Just as a
haven Of rest is about to be hers
tor asking. she walks out upon the
passing taxicab.
Tho demise Of Lady Helen Is one
Il the finest things Miss Barrymore
has ever done. She Ia injured unto
60ath, yet she is tender and grateful
- those about her. Above all Is she