The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-09-02

he declares II to be an insult
to the English people. Just as
taudry American plays brought
to London reflect upon the Gull
tural status and morals of Ameri-
cans. An exchange of such plays,
Swaffer opposes - he mentions
Silence" and Lawful Larceny"
as two American plays which
lead BritisheFs to believe that
/all Americans are like Harry K.
Thaw or Leopold or Loeb.
Though a close associate OF
Basil Dean, who Is co-producer of
THE Vortex" in America, and
also of Noel Coward, Swaffer
says:
Now. my friend, Noel Coward,
seems to know a small set of
people in London, who, to judge
II ON the stage characters he por-
trays in most of his plays, are
vicious, soulless. flabby, footing,
fatuous, and composed OF phut.
He tells me he knows people like
this every time l ask him about
it. / don't, but, then, on the
other hand, I shouldn't. The con.
sequences is that Coward's work,
'sent abroad, utterly misrepresents
English life and English char
acter.
"The truth about England is
that we are ell a little slack.
The establishment Of peace has
made us wonder whether It is all
worth while. The old appeals Of
empire, flag, God. Save the
King" and the Albert Memorial
no longer make our hearts throb,
as they did.
"Our best families are bank.
rupt. The French still
charge us rent for our war
graves, just as in the war, they
charged our troops for water and
rent for the trenches in which
they died.
1--WE seem, sometimes q rather
sorry, hopeless kind OF people.
Nov, this play "The Vortex
will give you an Idea
that we are q deCadent people,
engaged, ali of us, i'm asintnities
which, believe me, seldom come
my way: and i live in the Same
sort Of world that Noel Coward
does. / see him nearly every
day at lunch, and. sometimes, at
supper, several times a week.
Yet I see an England, which,
however bIunderingly, IS doing
It's Job. He sees an England
which was not worthy OF being
saved, q damnable, terrible thing;
and he Is going to show It 20
II hope you will laugh, for his
sake. I hope you won't believe
it. for mine and that of all or
the rest Of us.
His hero is a decadent who
blames it on his mama 'Hush-a-
by.baby.' Then he takes DOPE
or did, or will, or thinks no
should leave off, or something:
Now, dope in England IS almost
unknown. / challenge Mr.. Cow
ard to deny that. :.
Canadians brought here snow,
as they called it, in the first
months of the war, and so little
was dope known then, that what
a few Canadians did shocked US.
"No, The Vortex is not the
sort Of play which I, as an Eng.
Iand-loving Englishman, would
like to see played anywhere.
American films have long since
given millions of people all over
the world the idea that Ameri'
cans are all dope fiends, or wife
beating drunkards. or blackmail-
ers. or crooks, or grafters, a thing
which ! know is not true. Plays
like The Vortex will give you an
utterly wrong opinion about us.
The characters in 1t would bore
me TO tears, IL I met them In
real life. In fact, under my
whitening sarcasm, they would
All remain silent until had
gone home. So why, If they
would bore me to tears if they
really lived, should intelligent
people like myself have to en-