New-York tribune., 1921-02-06

% OMETHlNG Of & poirt has been
S made, here and there, that IONA
O Gale considered with the box Of
fics when she wrote q HAPPY
ending" TO "Miss Lulu Bett' in its
play form at the Belmont. It is fur
ther pointed cut, in order that TO
guilty person shall escape, that audi
cnees are no better than Miss Gale
seemed to think they were, and that
with the "happy ending they are now
lining up in long lines al the box
Office.
No imagine Miss Gales conscience
is pretty clear, without any reassur-
snces from US, but We would, neverthe-
less, like to raise the question in her
behalf if she has really done All end
ing any happier than the first and if,
on the face Of it, her new ending was
prompted either by & desire to be pros
porous or one to be happy.
The box office is, if nothing else, a
good indication of how many people
want to see a play. II too few Of them
want TO 1t is perhaps fair to ask what
Is the matter with the play, as we'll
as what is the matter with the audi
ences. Miss Gale, at least, appears to
have taken this view of it. She not
only wrote different ending to Miss
ialu,' but she did lot of other things.
She reduced the eXtraneous scenes and
slored up others. Miss Lulu Bettn
's, after all, still essentially herself. as
she has been from her first appear
shec between book covers, distinctive
and unforgettabIe figure. When she
decided to go out on her own there
we're three or four things open to her.
al OF which would have been entirely
Nithin her character 1t certainly must
nave seemed better to let Lulu take
another turning. more 10 the liking of
aer potential friends, than to let her
Fither and die with 10 friends at all
= aoes not seem to US that this WAS
open to the charge of being either in
artistic or untrue.
as to the happiness Of Iulu's new
destiny, none but the-mos iumat,,ro of
judgment could feel certain about It.
- is perhaps a good theater and fairy
'aie tradition that they lived happily
osef after, and it is probably true that
marriage is happy ending for a ma
305isy Of plays. But the "happy end
.ng tradition for the whole OF the
'aeater, whether in terms of marriage
~"eaith or anything else, seems about
- wise as demanding feathers on the
~ Of everything, from e tomtit to g.
mountain lion.
=, after sitting through the whole
= iona Gales play, with its pathetic
sAe Of Dwight Deacon and its sud-
~ @sa might've glimpse into the depths of
stsadina Bett, there can still be those
sno feel that to Lulu, as to the rest Of
'snl' there was surety and happiness
marriage, they must be too dali to be
ssrta writing play for.
aeerns to US fair that Lulu might
temporarily more than pleased to
aa mat she had been really married,
a'er all. With that she could club g.
ssoa many heads which had lately been
ssack up in derision. Such things pro
noe . distinct pleasure. But Lulu
,4pst have had a second thought in the
Saek OF her head. She had spent most
' aer life in long drawn out misery
aa shs rest in an acute and terrible
4isesg, and that's q fine way to get
ssy-wise.
ne think that tho true explanation
= the whole business, if Miss Gale
uA let US go on speaking her mind
zen she can so ably do it for herself,
mat the author. of Lulu Bett loved
ass valiant young spinster to the top
asr bent, that she was more anxious
as Lulu should be similarly under
ssO0a and loved by lot of other peo-
80 1nan, lost through misunderstand-
that she would have redrawn the
sss''aif hundred times, IL necessary,
make 1t clear, and that she would,
'aese tokens, have upset heaven
4u earth aooner than bear it false wit
oas Of the defects of "Dif'rent" is