The New York herald., 1921-01-23

otueI, lilOIt eApSIlOIlCtu, uTd1ltlllSls.
had tried their hand at this book and
failed, but the young actor. who died
shortly afterward, succeeded in max
ing stage version of the Hardy story
that first established Mrs. Fiske as one
of the leading actresses OF this coun-
try.
Mrs. Fiske's Young Dramatists.
She also spoke of Edward Sheldon,
who gave her. Salvation Nelr' while
an undergraduate in Harvard and later
''The Highway of Life" in which she
appeared at the Hudson Theatre. James
Harry Smith wrote for her Mrs.
Bumstead-Leigh." which in spite of its
curious social values made success.
Laurence Eyre, who wrote Mis- Nelly o.
NJ Orleans for Mrs. Fiske, was not
mentioned by the actress. But he did a
better job for her than the two authors.
Hatcher Hughes and Elmer Rice, who
are responsible for wake Up, Jona-
thanv They came in for rather hand
some notice.
Their best achievement in the play is
the character of the boastful husband.
There Is nothing else to entitle Mrs.
I'iske to her belief that they will ever
deserve to rank with Mr.. Sheldon or Mr..
Smith or Mr.. Mitchell in whom she
seemed to see their direct literary an
cestors.
Success of the star.
Mrs Fiske has found her greatest
success during the past three years in
plays that are quite frankly written with
no other end in view than the degree of
public success that may bring prosperity
TO all hands She is entitled to what
ever comfort this may bring. She may
think that the writer's of the pieces that
carry her through a season or more
with material success are all that she
needs But Il Is not quite necessary to
try to convince her admirers that any
author of n sure fire popular bit of
holSum rs equal to the best the American
paywrights have done for her in the
past. II n woman on the American
stage knows the difference between the
} value of the work of men like Sheldon.
Mitchell and Smith and the commercial
not boiler It is Mrs. Fiske. So the
camouhage is not needed even when
emotions run as high as they do at a
first night performance.
Sarah Bcrnhnrdts Ideals.
Sarah Bernhard has said more than
once that her greatest service to the
theatre of France had not consisted m
what she had accomplished as an ac-
tress. II is as a patron of the French
playwright that she prefers to figure IN
the history of her country. At her own
theatre she not only introduced numer-
~us poets to their own people, but she
performed the same service for for
eigners. notably Italians. Mrs. Fiskc
has for years lived up to high Ideals.
All the French writer's of the period
that ranged down from Meilhac and
Haievy to Victorien Sardou she well
coined as well as the later school OF
Lavedan. Ibsen, Hauptmann. Paul
Heyse. Dunsany and Schnltzler have
contributed 10 her programme. So she
knows plays. II Is to her kindliness to
the rising generation. therefore. that
one must attribute her unprejudiced
praise OF Wake Up, Jonathan 20
How 20 write Plays.
William Archer is giving at the Booth
Theatre, with the aid OF Winthrop
Ames. the unusual exhibition OF what
the critic as artist may accomplish.
Tho Green Goddess is his first drama
ever acted here. There is a story more
or less apocryphal that he collaborated
with Bernard Shaw i'm the writing OF
"Widowers' Houses" although that has
never been accredited by the appear
ance OF his name on the title of the
play. Mr.. Archer is another veteran
critic who has given tho young play
wrights book to tell them how TO
write the dramas that he will come and
criticlso himself.
In "The Green Goddess the English
critic has proven that he Is better quail
fled than any Of his colleagues to advise
the young playwright. Mr.. Archer has
observed in his long experience that no
Kind of play Is likely to interest the
public for as long time as a melo-
drama. He has also learned from his
observation that the melodrama of the