The New York herald., 1921-10-09


1t must be kept in mind that the
preference for fun of the rural type
Is not exhibited in the theatre only.
In the music halls, the Chautauqua
entertainments and allied efforts at d.
version there Is always the same
prejudice in favor Of the man or wom-
an who will perform. perhaps not with
the same perfection, but any approx
mate skill, the Chic Sales kind Of a
programme. To initiate the nasal
tone. the uncouth manner and the
awkwardness Of the entertainer In the
basement Of the Methodist Episcopal
Emanuel Church or reproduce the ef-
forts of tho village musician Is to find
almost perfect success. This prejudice
in favor Of tho hick humor is too
firmly established to be a matter Of
accident. The Americm audience
loves It.
Recalls Famous Successes.
Then one need only recall the long
life OF "The Old Homestead" and way
Down East" They have outlived
nearly all their contemporaries. More
to the point is the persistent vitality
Of their own expedients. They are
tried. as we know, In every rural play
that happens along. and we know that
they are classed as "sure fire" by the
playwrights and the actors. Why the
audiences in American cities should
take such special interest in this type
of play Is not easy to understand.
1t Is no longer true that go many Of
the city dwellers are but one genera
tion from tho American small town. A
much larger percentage OF the thea
tregoers in American cities are now
but one generation, or two at the most,
from the steamer thai brought them
or their forebcars herr
1t Is not easy then TO understand
why the exaggerated representations
of rural life should appeal so strongly
to them. But 1t is fact statistics will
readily prove that the American the
atre public dearly loves the rural play
and rejoices most of all In its fun.
One reason why the frequent ap-
pearance Of this kind Of play might
be attributed to the Incidence of the
iramatists is the docility with which
IN other cases they follow the line
OF least resistance. william Hurlbut
wrote "Lillies OF the Field" which was
acted at the Klaw Theatre the other
night. The play Is a study Of the
life In the unclassified circles Of So
ciety which have interested play
wrights ever since Avery Hopwood
found such enduring prosperity with
The Gold Diggers." Mr.. Hurlbut has
added some amusing characters to the
list of his predecessors.
Perhaps none of these Is more
laughable than the grande dan,s as It
were Of the gutter who recalls with
such sentimental emotions the gen.
erosity of the fathers of the young
men Of the day. The play seems to
have been through some such drastic
processes Of condensation or change
that It is certainly not at present
what Its author set out to make It.
The abrupt ending for instance is in
all probability the result OF so much
alteration that the playwright lost all
perspective But It is not Lilies of
the Field" that Is so much a subject
of interest as its kind.
Fannie Hurst's sBack Pay.-
Fanny Hurst wrote Back Pay"
which is TO the writer a much more
Interesting essay In the same field
since II has more sincerity and filled
one act OF the four with the chatter
of the gold diggers. which does not
IN this particular play last into the
other acts. There are one or two other
dramas impending In which the same
material is used. II cannot be that
the public Is Just as much interested
In this passing manifestation OF the
demi-rep as II may be In the charac-
teristic tales OF rural life.
Is II. then. that the authors are too
lacking In enterprise to break new
roads? DO they follow the line of least
resistance In warming over the ia
miliar material? Are they lacking In
ambition or imagination that they are
satisfied to offer the alienation of
country play and bedroom farce, of
chorus girl chatter and small town
ascents to fortune7
II Is always enough TO reply that
giving the public what Il wants is a
business that the managers under
stand better than their critics. Some-
times we wonder. Certainly the ap-
pearance OF the theatres on these
autunn nights would not indicate that