The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-11-15

+" presents "Hotbed" by Paul Os-
born at the Klaw Theatre on 45th
Street just west of Broadway, to
take the show to Little Rock, Ar.
kansas, where an authorization law
was just passed by popular referen-
dun. From its foXtrot overture to
the closing scene, where Lila, the
daughter of the Right Reverend
Rushbrook shocks her much-sup-
pressed mother by saying, "Youi
might as well know that it hasn't
always been in the library where I
spent my evenings"-"Hotbed" is
crammed with things that, would
make the fundamentalist South set
up on its hind legs and howl. But
that's just where it would do the
most good, and not on blase Broad
way.
The Rev. Rushbrook is reformer
with capital "R," who finds him
self in college town that is, to
him, "hotbed" Of iniquity. He be-
comes quite exercised about it and
rightly wishes that the lord had
called him with his son John ano
daughter Lila to the remote mission
in China. Reformers are much more
appreciated by the imperialist bour-
geoisie when they try it on the So
called slower classes" or the alleged
backward peoples" than on the
bourgeoisie itself.
His own son is headed for perdi-
ton and frankly admits "a bimb that
turned Apollo down" and opines to
the governors face that he is a
"goddam fool" The reverend, in his
campaign to introduce religious
study in the university as his most
vital and urgent Duty" meets with
hostile rebuff from Professor Clark
of the German department and In
structor Willard of rhetoric. Small
wonder, in view of the fact that
Clark, who looks more like a boun-
GER in high-class card-room than
professor, turns out to be reason
ably fond of pre-war stuff, while
Wizards teaching of rhetoric at
tains its highest point with an 81
love you" elaborated physically in
two-hour sessions with the preach
er's own daughter.
This af's'r of blonde little, chastc
little Lila is the rock ION which is
wrecked the responsibility of prac-
tically the whole cast as we'll as the
university. Affronted by
the rebuffs of Clark and Willard,
Rev. Rushbrook brings Wizards case
before the faculty with the testi-
mony of a pedagogic stool-pigeon,
George Courtnay, also an instructor
in rhetoric who rooms across from
Willard and has snoopad enough to
see Lila's furtive visits.
The faculty hearing is rich in hui
NOR and revealing as to what occurs
in college circles in real life. Dean
Slawson is, as Clark, who bluffs his
way in to defend Willard, says, "An
ungentlemanly rattle-snake, who
strikes before it rattles, and then
rattles just for the hell of it." Pro-
fessor Kimball, the sycophant, and
Professor Station, the pedant, bow to
the deans wish that Willard be fired.
Slawson, in reply to Clark who
counted ''being alive" amount Will
lard's virtues, assures Clark that "be-
ing alive is dangerous asset to the
teaching profession" "We've gotta
helluva nerve to try to teach any
body anything" is one of Clark's re-
joinders, and he observes that he
has things on the most respectable
faculty members that "would curl
your hair"
Willard, who, in addition to his
immortality" has said that the pro-
fessors got degrees by writing theses
on the number of misplaced commas
in the translation >of Homer, is told
by Slawson that hypocrisy is of the
utmost Importance to IT, jrofes-
SION; consequently Willard is fired.
The revolt of Lila and the denous-
ment at her home we leave to those
who see the play. While it is right
in defense of the normal sex life of
youth and beauty, it obscures the
degeneration really existing among
the youth of the bourgeoisie as plen-
tifully evidenced on all hands by
suicides, thrill-murders and whole
sale debauchery. We do not worry