The New York herald., 1921-09-21
MANN the Making
No Advertisement
for College Course
Little Learned on the Campus
But Deviltry, According to
Mr.. Elliott's First Play.

Indications from THE Man in the
Making" as diagrammed painstakingly
at the Hudson Theatre last night. were
that the horrors OF war are as nothing
compared to the horrors OF college edu-
cation. And the fraternity system
wasn't to be mentioned in the same
breath with the Ku Klux Klan. Ac-
cording to this play. at institutions or
the higher learning the sheepslSin is sub
ordinate TO the cocktail.
John Meehan, who fledged his wings
as a manager with this venture. had
not only stage managed George NJ
Cohan's production OF THE Tavern.
but he had even followed Arnold DAILY
in the leading role OF the mi dly lunatic
Vd0nbond, which may have explained
why he was attracted 10 this work by
james w. Elliott. for at its climax a
young man attempts to set the world
right as mild lunatic should.
rhe son of a manufacturer tells his
father a few home truths, while SEEM
ingly deranged mentally, and gives
modern education a good talking to.
You see, the young man had been edu-
Gated till /. hurt. His father, having
fought his own way in the world and
made his fortune without formal scholar
ship, had the not unnatural determine
and packs him off to a university to
study the classics and possibly learn to
run fathers factory.
Son falls in with wild set at college,
and when, sevcn months after gradua-
ton he is stil worthless and continues
to carouse with old classmates father
In the parlance of the garages, let's him
have plenty of free air." Gradually
Jimmy CarstoeH drifts down in the world
until he becomes the comrade OF forgers
and other crooks. and then, presto. just
when one expects scene in an opium
den. this cousin of THE Man Who Came
Back" turns up at his fathers home with
clean collar and the kampus kut clothes
of success
He Is a pr1odigal son with nobby
overcoat but minus the husks and swine
The explanation of how he attained this
prosperity came too late TO catch TINS
edition. At ary rate. he decides to feign
insanity in order to shake Few IDEAS
into his obstinate father. ana then you
know you are In for it. You are.
Jintn,y rips into education, the Amer
lean business man. fathers in general,
sons. grafters--anything From this
sample the undertaking era has at last
hit the stage. twenty years late. But
every one has been preaching at every
one else so sedulously throughout pre-
ceding acts that the auditor doesn't even
feel annoyed-his powers of resistance
are numb. It has taken Jimmy three
acts and a prologue-which could have
been dispensed with--to become aroused
to the r,oint where he could become ex-
cited over anything, even to the pitch or
telling his hard-working father that
what the world needed more was the
gospel of work
Most Of the time In his Western home
IN San Francisco hotel he has been
sitting passively while advice is poured
into his ears. so that when he breaks
out at last one suspects sympathetically
that so many homilies have finally
driven him to dope. But not Is only
oratory.
The author has raised some interest
ing points about modern education and
the need OF supervision by father, but
In laying the youths waywardness TO
the distance OF college from home he
makes morality a matter OF mileage.
Little has been made known about FL
lott except that he Is n business man
who never wrote n play before, but he
appears so almighty mad all through
about college that he might very well
have been busted out of a university
~ his freshman year. The play Is too
prrsy and would be improved by Co
h2us frolicsome touch. especially in the
prologue. when as much pother is made
over the boys departure for college as
though he were going TO Sing Sing.
Donald Gailaher gave some genuine
ness 70 the role of the youth, but Miss
Kathleen Comegys brought little resili-
ency and appeal to the part OF a high
spirited but hard hearted sweetheart.
Francis Byrne could do little but strug-
gle as her brother. and Paul Everton as
the father went after his part like a
bulldog. Raymond Hackett revealed
that one who looked like a collar ad
could still be amusing.
One imagines that despite all these
four acts the higher education will go
on and students will cut their classes
Is zealously as ever
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