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About The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1898)
& i'A- Ljj- 'r' - THE COURIER. iofroooctpooic -JS-r '1 S'SSSS'99 9IS9,( I' r 1.' ', ' it Ik If & N The Passing Show. WILLA CATHER. MMooMMMMocCMOtMoSMMMMCoooooooo90oecoooo(o J The New York papers are still re joicing over Olive May's return to the stage in "The White Heather." Now as Miss May, or, to use her married name, Mrs. Henry Guy Carlcton, hails from Beatrice, Nebr., Lincoln people ought to be proud of her success. She is an exceedingly popular woman in this part of 'the country. Even the sedate and conservative critic of Har per's Weekly expresses his pleasure in seeing her again behind the foot lights. The New York Sun remarks: ' "Miss Olive May had a part that might lnivc been written for her as saucv Lady Molly Fanshaw, who is a little bit stage struck and who thinks she Icolcs nice in bloomers, and does." While "Alan Dale," that captious critic ftuvst 'Batte'rsca Park makes its debut in the third act, with bicycles supplied bv well, why should 1 advertise the firm? In this act Mr. Francis Carlye, the dapper yet iwrtly villain, intro duces a real novelty by entering upon a bicvele, and dismounting with con siderable difficulty. Miss Olive May is also enabled to despot cunning suit of blouchc Parisian bloomers, cut rather saucv, and to deliberately pedal herself into the view of the audience. Miss Hose Coghlan star of tl.c even ing, beautiful star- is also pushed on on a tandem, with a lordly looking gentleman at tho back. Miss Olive .May. in the bloomer costume, was almost aggressively "cute." but she is ti clever little woman and it is good to welcome her back." I can well imagine Mrs. Carlcton in a bicycle play, and I can well imagine -her gaily dismounting and ringingher bell in the presence of a large and ap preciative audience. You sec Alan doesn't say she rings her bell, but I know well enough thaLshc does. How Beatrice people used to listen for the tinkle of that bell a few summers ago! And now "Greater New York" listens for it with the same eagerness. Well, no one can be more sincerely glad of Mrs. Carleton's renewed suc cess than I, and I hope "The White Heather" will deign to blossom in Pittsburg before the winter is old. "My wheel has met Mrs. Carleton's before and will be glad .to renew the ac quaintance. With the consent of 'Mrs. Carleton's wheel tbey shall take a good long spin out over the Schenley Tarfrhills1'an4!' niaybo try a scorch or two, and if Mrs. Carleton is as pretty as ever it may be wise to take one of the bicycle police along to clear the way. Well, William Gillette is in town with "Secret Service," which is called the great American war play. I am sorry that I cannot agree to that, but it does not seem a great play to me. It is, however, an almost preter-naturally clever one. Dumas said only one thing was necessary to a great play a great passion. 1 think Ibsen has extended that.detiniticn to a great passion or a great, truth. Pinero. on the other hand, claims thatonly a great problem is essential. One thing is certain, if a play is truly great, if it appeals to those higher sensibilities which arc only roused by the fsrlisimo passages of life, if it is to move one like poetry or music, it must have at least one cbaractcr'who is submerged, absorbed by and identified with same-great Ktfon or purpose. This is exactly Jt ''Secret Service" lacks.- While -yea are-seatcd in the theatre the play carriM? you with it every, moment. YjSljeel just as William Gillcttr wants JMjMjtft feel and have no chance of CapeBut you carry very little away with ycu. When you get home you wonder how you were worked"so completely. You realize that the hero was a spy, the heroine little better than a traitor, the situations as im possible as they were cflectiw. In carrying sucli a play through success fully Gillette evinces marvellous skill, but scarcely art. Art van quishes by means of the truth, skill seduces without it. Tho greatness of a great artist is his inastry of truth, which is like tl e great Bow of Odys seus, responsive only to the touch of giants. n Ceasing to lay the burdensand re quirements of a masterpiece upon 'Secret Service,"' one may regard it in its proper place, as a wonderfully clever and interesting product ion. One singular feature of the play is that the entire four acts arc supposed to occur in a single evening, which is almost getting back to the dramatic unities again. The whole thing is an evening in the life of a member of the Union secretservice. The most unusual feature of the play is that it makes no appeal to the ga Iery through cheap patriotic senti ment. The stars and stripes do not appearand there are lut two Union soldiers on the stage, and they wear gray uniforms. It is the fairest and most impartial war drama that has yet been written. 1 can say that gladly. The scene is laid inHich monu during the siege, and half the charm of the piece is the attempt to incidentally paint the life in that royal capitol of the Old South. When you sec these liery gentlemen, with haircut like Edgar Allen Poe'sand crush collars and Byronic necktiesand frock coats of other days, it seems as though all the family portraits had come to life. Then, when the bands begin playing ''Dixie," you feel in ths atmosphere, so to speak. The first act of the play is laid In General Varney'ahome in Richmond. Captain Edward Thorn, a Union sol dier, has, by fotging papers from Jack son just after Jackson's death in the Wilderness, entered the Varney household as a wounded Confederate officer, stolen the love of General Varney's daughter and the secrets jf the Confederate war department. Rather dirty business for a hero, one mustadmit. But Captain Thorn had a conscience if only a rudimentary one, and on this particular evening he has become disgusted with his role and is preparing to leave Richmond Miss Varney, who naturally does not want him to go, has heard of his in tention and has called on Presidcut Davis and secured for him a position at the head of the Confederate tele graph department. When he calls to say gcod-byc she tells him she has a commission for him which will keep him in Richmond and he refuses to accept any commission rrliicli will de tain hiiu. They quit the scene and Mrs. Varney enters in wild excite ment, accompanied by Benton Arrcls fjrd, a discarded lover of Miss Var ney's who has entered the Confederate secret service and who has a clue to Captain Thorn's identity. He states that lie knows that Thorn is a Fed eral spy, that his brother is in Libby prison and has given papers to one of the Varney negrccs to be delivered to Thorn. The old servant is brought in and searched and the paper is found. Perhaps it never occurred to Mr. Gil lette how impossible itwculd have When you Mention tlae Jam PPJ l" SHAW, you indicate the ACME of PIANO PERFECTION. fl When other dealers offer you theirs for less money than that for which jTou can buy the SHAW. 'Remember that the lo it because the' can. Why? Simply because their pianos are poor er in quality and cost less, their statements to tie con trarr notwithstanding1. Also remember that we have other GOOD pianos that we can sell you " for less money. The very best values for the price to be hod in the m American market. We also sell the Celebrated Washburn Mandolins and Guitars. Why 2 not buy a Piano. Guitar or Mandolin for that Xmas present you are " a thinking about. And then don't forget that the place to buy anything in the musical 5 line and buy it right, is at the warerooms of 5 - V O o .... . MATTHEWS PIANO GO o o Western Representatives, 130 So 13th st. C6X6X5t8X36 s been to have seduced one of the old servants of a Richmond family to treachery. Well, after the paper is found Miss Varney is called in and she refuses to believe anything against Thorn until his brother is brought up from Libby and she has seen their recognition. She is induced to en gage Thorn in a hte-a-tete until the prisoner is brought, in other words, to allow him, almost compel him to make love to" her until the plot for his be trayal is consummated. She does so. At a given signal she leaves him alone in the parlor and watches him from behind the curtains with the rest. A corporal rushes in and tells Thorn that an escaped prisoner is in the house and to watch for him. In a few moments his brother Henry en ters. Both men know they are being watched. Thorn springs upon the escaiied prisoner and while they wres tle they exchange a few words. One of them must die; there is only room for one of them in the world. Henry asks Lis brother to shcot him. Thorn whispers, "No, me: quick!'' Henry catches his pistol and shoots himself through the temple and falls. Thorn catches the weapon from his hand; at the sound of the report the family rushes in and the lights arc turned up. Thorn is standing over the body of his brother, tiie smoking pistol in his hand; he says calmly: "Corporal, there is your prisoner." The curtain drops only to raise eight or nine limes to the thundering encores. It is an atrociously impossible situation, but it gets there. Isupposc it is only that stony Gillette calmness that sr.vcs it from the cheap madness of melo drama. You know it well, that Too-Much-Johnson-Privatc-Secrctarycalm ness. It .carries him through where the elect themselves would scarcely be saved. Xekt comes the third act, the best, as it always should be The scene is laid in the office of the Confederate war department of telegraph in the capitol at Richmond. The stage set tings arc excellent. Out of the lig windows you can see the lights of Richmond for miles and miles. In the office three telegraph instruments princess of Jales is the name of the latest style of . . . BMBRELLA A large assortment of these, as well as Gentlemen's Um brellasand Canes, are included in our stock of Holiday Goods. Ladies' Jackets made to order, and Gentlemen's Fine Tailoring . . .. wei m 1141 0 Street. J--5-