The Columbia evening Missourian., 1921-08-04
DISTINGUISHED
FRESHMAN NOT
TOCOME HERE
Success Of Lord Dunsany's Lat
est Play Keeps Author
With His English
Friends.
AN AMATEUR" GENIUS
Play Presents Old Question of
ACCESSIBILITY of Chang
ing Past Life if
Possible.
AN AMATEUR" GENIUS

LONDON. thy MALL Lord Dunsany.
the gifted Irish author, has given up his
idea Of coming TO the United States
and asking to be relieved of his English
citizenship. 1t is all because of a little
play that is being produced at the Am
bassadors Thea,er in london.
For some years Lord Dunsany's chief
fame has been in the United States.
His compairiots, and particularly the
members Of the British aristocracy, of
which he is a member. have refused to
take his work seriously. They have even
smiled at his claim that he is the fore.
most amateur genius.
'sIf," the little word that is loaded
with such importance everywhere has
changed all this. 'If'' is the name Of
Lord Dunss4y's latest play. Its uninier-
rupted run clear through the hot wealth.
er Of the present season is without par
allel in the theatrical annals and for this
reason the author Of the peculiar little
piece is now receiving the acclaim and
fame that he once considered leaving
his home for Henry Ainley and Gladys
Cooper, two Of London's most popular
stars, are in the cast. This explains part
Of its popularity bu, for most of If We
look TO the play itself.
II you could change anyr.ing in your
past would you do it? If somebody
gave you an Oriental crystal which had
the power TO transport You back 10 any
point of your life, with the ability to
Iectify one incident therein, and live
the assurance that you could come back
and take up your present life just where
you left it. would you go back and recti-
fy? On the whole. you would conclude.
probably not But isn't there one little
incident? Didn't you once miss train
you would like TO go back and caich..
isn't there just some little thing you
would like to have done otherwise?
John Beal did miss a train once. just
once-the BIS he took every morning
10 the city. That is where the action be-
gins. Two railroad poriers are at work
on the platform. One Of them has been
@on the carpet" for not closing the gate
before the train starts. He's never GO
ing to let them through again. The gate
! is going 10 be closed when tie train is
signalied The signal sounds. John ap-
pears. The gate is slammed and after
the customary arguments with the gate
keeper John is most aggravatingly
pushed away, as he says. by the face.
That was in 1908. Ten years later We
are introduced into his little suburban
home, Acacia Villa. where he lives most
happily with his little suburban wife, a
plush drawing room suite. picture OF
Aunt Martha, and unsatisfed ambitions
only half consciously expressed by such
wonderihgs as whether there isn't some
sort Of foreign tree called an acacia thai
he could plant in the yard. Into this
peaceful family scene comes lanky
oriental wearing fez. John has shown
him great kindness in a business way
The oriental wants 10 thank him. IL
wants 10 present him a crystal which j.
the property Of his oriental god and ha:
the power aforesaid. Mrs. John doesn'
like il. She doesn't hold with tampering
with the past. II it was the future, now
ii would be different. The orienta
leaves them TO suburban romantic
quarrel over the crystal. with more max
ing up in il than quarreling. The onl,
thing she would have liked different IL
the past ic a green plush suite instead o
red, but she doesn't want to tax,
chances for thing like that. and ne
sides, John wanted i, red. The crysta
burns Johns pocket. He can't keep ii
hands off it. But she has scared him b
suggesting that if he changes anyihin
in the past he might not get her. Then
after a long silence. he recalled missin
the 8:l5 and being pushed away fron
The gate by his face. A little thing. br
il still rankles. He would like 10 cato
that train. He would like to get the be
Ter OF that porter. Bui the train migf
be wrecked. she objects He laugh
That particular 8:l5 got in quite safel
len years ago, he reminds her. He take
the crystal in his hand. wishes hard /
catch tina, train and be back by suppe
time. and
We are back at the beginning Of II
first scene. porters at work, conversatio
over again, train signalled-BUT-Joh
appears precisely on the signal an
walks tfiumphanily through the gat