Evening star., 1924-02-24

NN was observed by the
theaters only to the ex-
tent of special matinee.
1t cannot be said that any particular
effort was made to provide attrac-
tions in keeping with the occasion.
Certainly the gentlemanly agents
who pass among the prospective au-
diences distributing information for
the reading public have not been
deeply impressive for a reverence
OF the strict love of truth attributed
TO the Father of His Country. Ex-
travagant assertions in the way OF
compliment are SO freely distributed
through all the avenues Of print that
the question OF responsibility is a
matter OF minor consideration. Half
the fun of many show lies in the
hopeful expectation aroused by its
literary preface. The cheering pos
sibility presents itself that the SEN
sational stories of shocking char
acter, so freely offered for the sake
of sheer publicity, are no less ex-
aggerated 4than the manufactured
praises.
The biographers of Washington
have not represented him as one
who found much entertainment in
the theater. His favorite play was
said to be one entitled "The Poor
Soldier" drama whose fame today
rests entirely on this circumstance.
In his time the theater was not the
thoroughly accepted institution that
1t has since become; indeed, its
economic value to any community
was gravely doubted by many who
regarded entertainment as some
thing calculated to interfere with
the thrift and industry upon which
the future OF the republic must de-
pend. One who assumed to be an
artist had to be an artist, indeed, to
escape the suspicion that he was
only an idler; and he must also have
a message calculated to inspire a
lofty thought, or, if the theme was
comedy, a we'll directed social criti-
cism. The dance which now pre-
dominates was then considered an
unchurchly frivolity.
x x X *
Those who have a fancy for con-
templating the theater as a sort of
barometer by which civilizations
record moral and emotional depres-
sions or elevations must regard the
recent attractions as indicating an
atmosphere of intellectual rarihca-
tion. If George Washington could
have returned he would have found
much to astonish him, though per-
called The President would have at
tracted his attention by the dignity
of its title. and as one most likely
to give him play of serious inter
est. Sure enough he would have
found a play about a soldier; not
about Poor Soldier; rather about
a good soldier who was made to
look like poor fish.
x I: .. t
The President Theater absolutely
refuses to be governed by the rules
which ordinarily apply to plays. 1t
will have a very good play and at
tract comparatively small audiences
then it will have a play condemned
by unanimous critical expression and
test the capacity of the auditorium
for several weeks. When Simon
Called Peter" went .on for its first
presentation, by nervous company
of players, it looked as if it would do
very well to last till the 10 o'clock re-
llearsal next morning. Its record for
big business has been extraordinary.
One of the solaces about discussing
a play in terms of disapproval lies in
the knowledge that harsh words will
not of themselves suffice to spoil
business. "Abie's Irish Rose" ran
for months, and now "The Bat" pre-
pares, after all these seasons, to set
tie down for long run. Both Able
and 1.-THE Bat" enjoyed the distinc-
tion of scornful denunciation as
~hokum!"
Just what "hokum'' is has, never
been accurately explained. 1t ap-
pears to express a state of mind on
the part of its user, rather than any
clearly defined objective condition.
We are inclined to resent things that
are familiar to as, and if we recog-
nize old materials or methods we