THE SUNDAY OREGON AN, PORTLAND, DE(5E3IBER 8. 1912.
DOUBLE THEATRICAL PRODUCTION IN COURT
STAGED BY BELASCO TO REFUTE THEFT CHARGE
British Melodrama at Metropolitan Opera-House Said to Been Magnificent Scale Edith Wynne Matthison Has Been Engaged for Leading Part in
"The Spy," Which "Will Be Her First Appearance Under Frohman Management Since 1903 Juvenile Play Declared Success.
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BY LI.OYD F. LONERGAN.
NEW YORK, Dec. 7. (Special.) The
theatrical event of the season was
David Belasco'g double bill, "The
Woman" and "Tainted Fhilanthrophy."
William C. De Mille is the author of
the former, which has met with treat
success here and on the road, and
Abraham Goldknopf. a, serious looking
young East Side barber, wrote the lat
ter play. He asserted ttlat David Be
lasco, to whom it was suomitted, stole
the idea and presented it as "The
Woman." A suit for many thousand
dollars' damages is now pending in the
United States courts, and Belasco, as
part of his evidence, put on the bar
ber's play to show that he did not
steal the idea.
The three acts of "Tainted Philan
throphy," according to the stage di
rectors and the Belasco production all
take place tn Mrs. Dalton's drawing
room in New York on some Fourth of
July. It was necessary to open the play
r- Independence day because John
Watts is mussed up by an exploding
firecracker as he is passing the apartment-house
where Mrs. Dalton lives.
All grimy, he is carried into the house
by three Bellevue internes, the Infer
ence being that the ambulance was
taking a day otT. The new arrivals in
terrupted a conversation between Mrs.
Dalton and her daughter Grace, who
have been trying to decide which of
them should save the family fortunes
by making, a loveless marriage with a
millionaire. For several minutes the
three Bellevue Internes bandage up the
bleeding John Watts and discuss sur
gical matters In general. The daugh
ter of the house. Miss Grace, one took
a. course in first aid,-however, sojuyon
. . I m iV'iciV: 7m v
the exit u the three Internes the
daughter announces that if the patient
and the various members of Grace's
family will be patient she will go to
her room, change to her nurse's uni
form and return and do the bandaging
all over properly.
The mussed up John Watts, Mrs.
Dalton. her son, Harold, who, as his
name suggests, is a great college ath
lete, and others who happened to have
wandered in. stand or sit around the
stage in respectful silence while Grace
goes to her dressing-room to put on
her Red Cross uniform. Throughout
this wait the only sound heard in the
theater came wholly from the audi
ence. When daughter returns and. begins
bandaging, there is an additional in
terruption when Theodore Thompson
enters. Once he had been a successful
broker, but the villain who has not yet
appeared upon the stage has ruined
him in a copper deal so life looks dark
for Theodore, and in addition his con
dition is what the boys call "stewed."
His appearance is so unprepossessing
that Grace asks Watts, now covered
with bandages, and whom she has
neyer seen before, - "Can nothing be
done to stop Theodore from drinking?"
At this remark Theodore pulls a sil
ver flask from his pocket and takes
another "drink, and Watts says, "Well,
well, well," and there you are. A num
ber of neighbors have dropped in. There
wag a long debate on the subject of
taxation. As no one seems able to
agree, the capitalist villain in the piece.
Jack Bird, Is asked by telephone to
come right up to the house and meet
the rest of the cast. It turns out that
Watts, the fireworks vicim, is the vil-
5
Iain's secretary, and he presents the
rich and heartless John Bird to Mrs.
Dalton, -her daughter, Grace, and the
rest of the cast, except the Bellevue
Internes who have departed some time
before.
"Glad to meet you, Grace," the rich
stranger says, gallantly. "I say, John,"
remarks the caller to the wounded
Watts, "get me a cigar. I know it ain't
polite, Grace, to smoke In front of
ladies, but I'm a very passionate
smoker." (Prolonged applause.)
"Ah, I cannot renew the mortgage,"
breathes Mrs. Dalton, sadly, the no
hai. havfni. in u t j-iini c intn her mind.
At this first abrupt mention of the
papers in tne plot came aiso u.m
thought of an ambulance call out in
the house. Throughout the theater
many were softly weeping, but bravely
trying to calm themselves. Later
mother forgets her troubles concerning
the mortgage, and when her fond son
tells her how beautiful she is looking
she answers gayly. "Oh, you kid!"
Theodore hangs around the drawing
room set during most of the action get
ting more soused every minute. In the
second act he Is still off the water
wagon, and the villain Is going to
marry Grace. Bird, the villain, orders
one. of the neighbors to go out and
get some wine "to celebrate the en
gagement." Grace's mother says there
is wine right out in the kitchen, but
the magnate will have none of it. "I
want no ordinary stuff,"" he cries.
"Send out for some good stuff."
In the last act Grace is all decked
out for a wedding, but Bhe still loves
the intoxicated ' Theodore and decides
to commit suicide with a large bread
knife. Then the ruined Theodore comes
in so lit up that he slides to the foot
lights and clasps Grace to his bosom
and throws away the bread knife. Jo
seph Kilgour, who plays the villain,
rushes on to claim his bride, and Theo
dore shoots himself and yells for help,
bringing in some more Bellevue in
ternes, and the bride goes crazy, the
Bellevue, Internes put her into a
straight-jacket, which they carry with
them as a part of their uniform, ap
parently, and John Watts, who has re
covered from his fireworks accident,
says sadly, "Nasty world," and the cur
tain falls.
Why don't they put this show on for
a run at a Broadway house? Every
body wants to see it. '
-
"The Whip," produced by William A.
Brady and Comstock & Gest at the
Manhattan Opera-House, brings good
old Drury Lane to West Thirty-fourth
sfreet. It is a long time since New
York has seen a British melodrama
stated on a scale of such magnitude.
and its scenic and comedy effects com
bine to make it one of the season's
genuine successes. -
That the first two acts did not move
as quickly as they should was a good
deal more the fault of the actors than
it was of either the authors or the
scenery. The author had supplied
plenty of situations, no end of horses
and dogs, and even an automobile which
strayed from the primrose path and
threw its titled occupant over the cliff.
All the cast 'played in the most ap
proved Belgravian drawing-room man
ner and were much more haughty and
unemotional than either the blooded
horses or the pedigreed hounds. All ex
i,Ti. Marie Illinsrton. that is. She
began to lay her pipes like a wise
plumberess as soon as the curtain rose.
With the aid of these same pipes so
artfully laid she was able as soon as
her first real opportunity came to thaw
out her audience completely. It was
In the scene in the Chamber of Horrors
at Madam Tussaud's. in which the man
sho really loved, in order to escape
from her reproaches, which were his
due disguised himself as Dr. Chippen
in the murderer's box, that the play
really blossomed out into a melodrama
which is really a good deal above the
ordinary effort of the sort. From this
scene on "The Whip" no longer needed
spurs. It won in a canter and came
in triumphant under wraps.
The railroad wreck In which "The
Whip" was saved from an unwatery
grave aroused the huge audience to
great enthusiasm. The villain was
hissed until he must have felt that a
flock of geese were using magaphones
to fracture his "sang froid." But when
in taking his curtain call he stepped
out In the center of the stage and
calmly relighted .his cigarette, he was
greeted by one. of the biggest out
bursts of laughter of the night.
It was Marie Illlngton who really
scored the hit of the play. She remind
ed you of the late Mrs. John Wood at
one moment and of Fanny Brough the
"next.
.
Charles Frohman has engaged Edith
Wynne Matthison, formerly of the New
Theater, for the chief part in Henry
Kistemaecker's remarkable play, "The
Spy." This will be Miss Matthlson's
first return to Mr. Frohman's manag-i
ment since 1903, when she and her hus
band, C. Rann Kennedy, were first
brought to America by Mr. Frohman
for the first New York, performance of
the morality play, "Everyman."
Winthrop Ames, whose fairy play,
"Snow White.' now playing at the Lit
tle Theater, has attracted so much at
tention from the little folks even more
than the grown-ups. believes that the
children of New York need a theater.
He thinks that there should be some
(iiaLO (......j. i.i.. . r . -
dren, where plays full of the sweetness
and the imagination oi umu wuuiu
hold the stage.
"Snow White." which is one of
Grimm's fairy tales, was dramatized
by Mr. Ames. The child that has
missed the reading of this wonderful
story of the fairyland explorer has lost
part or its me. .air. .me mea is w
k4t.o thcu fn n tn Rlfn before the chil
dren of Naw York and keep them
alive.
FRENCH CHAUFFEURS RUDE
Taxi Drivers Show Xo Regard for
Persons Xop Clothes.
PARIS. Dec. 7. (Special.) The tra
ditions of Parisian politeness are hard
ly safe in the hands of the Parisian
chauffeurs. Of course, there is always
this to be said, that these gentlemen
are 'mainly recruited from the prov
inces. Still, there It is. Their man
ners, whatever the places of their re
spective births, are not of. the best.
Much better was, and, thank heaven is,
the still rubicund and flourishing
cocher." True, on fine days, he could
respond to your signal only when you
were going- his way, and on wet days
you might wave him an unfurled um
brella and all in vain; but at least he
did not add insults to his injuries. He
dismissed you with a wave of the hand
or a genial, if condescending, grin.
Not so the chautreur, tnougn ne ai
wavs seems to be in a mighty haste to
go somewhere else, he has time to turn
round and spreaaeagie nis ringers iu
his nose. This Is no metaphor, but a
literal fact. There is one thing to be
said for these high-handed gentlemen,
and that is that they have no respect
of persons nor of clothes.
Quite lately a gentleman, richly, if
soberly, attired, was waiting in the
rain outside the rank in the Avenue
Trudaine. Taxis were everywhere in
dripping rows, but not a chauffeur to
be seen. Finally the gentleman plucked
un couraee to ask the keeper of the
chauffeurs' shelter the reason why the
taxis were thus left desolate. He was
answered that "ces messieurs" were at
lunch. It was 15 minutes later, at 2:30,
when the first of "these gentlemen"
emerged from the shelter, cigar in
mouth, and consented, with a grunt of
repletion, to set his motor in motion.
He did not know that he had kept an
"immortal," M. Eugene Brieux, waiting
in the torrential rain for half an hour,
and very little would he have cared if
he had.
UNIQUE SERMON IS FOUND
i
Microscopic Is Handwriting Penned
by Jeremiah Rich. '
LONDON. Dec. 7. (Special.) From
"Notes and Queries" it is learned that
the contents, in very microscopic hand
writing, of a tiny book described in the
catalogue of the Bodleian Library as
"The Smallest MS. In the Library," have
at last been deciphered. The book has
been in the library for more than two
centuries and a half. Its pages measure
three-quarters of an Inch in length and
three-quarters of an inch in breadth.
It is bound in black leather, with sil
ver corners, and it is attached to a
chain and kept In a red leather dox.
The pages are covered with very minute
shorthand.
An enthusiastic stenographic expert
has identified it as a sermon tran
scribed by a famous 17th century prac
titioner of the art, Jeremiah Rich, who.
boasted that he "could write so small
that his pen could scarcely be seen to
move." . These feats were more com
mon in those days than in our own. It
appears that the same penman pre
sented Charles II with another speci
men of his skill a copy of the same
sermon, written on fine paper, bound
in crimson, "with silver clasps and
corners," the book and its covers being
"less than the nail of his little finger."
The whereabouts of this curiosity is
unknown. It is one of those books
that are not intended to be read, but
it may have been preserved.
BOOTH'S GRAVE IS MECCA
Visitors Gather Daily From All Parts
of the World.
LONDON, Dec. 7. (Special.) General
Booth's grave in Abney Park Cemetery
continues to be visited by people from
ill parts of the world. "Each day we
set many inquiries for the General's
'rave," said the gatekeeper the other
Jay. "People from Germany, France,
India and America have already been;
in fact, they come from all over- the
world. Sometimes we have as many as
50 visitors to that grave alone in one
Jay. All classes of people come."
The other day while on a motor-bus
an Indian student who had lately ar
rived in London asked a Salvationist
;he nearest way to Abney Park Ceme-
ery. He said he had attended the
General's meetings in India, and wanted
o pay homage to the memory of one
who had done so much for his country.
WILD DISTRICT OF LANE
VISITED BY SUPERVISOR
Section 100 Miles From County Seat Without School or Church and Roads
. Are Often Impassable.
xLm is
BY ALFRED POWERS.
FLORENCE, Or.. Deo. 7. (Special.)
Along a little creek that flows into the
ocean in the northwestern part of Lane
Pmintv in th vard of. a one-roomed
cabin several children were playing.
They stopped their play, looked up the
creek and scampered Into the nouse in
considerable agitation. It was not a
bear or a panther that had caused their
alarm, but something more unusual
two women riding down the trail.
The horses stopped In front of the
house and the children noticed from
thutc varinna vnnh?A noints that the
small, young woman upon the gray
pony was dismounting ana coming
towards the door. Their alarm, how
ever, was not increased; rather it was
calmed, for there was a smile on the
' -. .. 1 V. amila wna 1 1 n -
WUlIlttli B 1I;C ttliu mo omiiu "
commonly large and out of all propor
tion to tile aize ui mo wuw.m.
CV,. ohnnV YianHa With thfir mottlfir
and, funnier still, insisted on shaking
hands witn tnem. n ihibiil uo o.u
that, from the woman's viewpoint, this
was also the funniest of all, for it was
clearly to them a perplexing procedure
and one, were it not for their mother'B
example, they would have had mis
givings about being a party to.
District I Kxtenslve.
This little woman was Goldle Van
Bibber, school supervisor of the coast
district of Lane County, and she was
now 100 miles from Eugene, the county-seat.
In School District No. 147, the
most remote district in the county. She
remained in this district several days.
Sue learned that in four years there
had not been three weeks of school.
Church, she found, had never been
held in the district. In the whole com
munity she found nor an organ, violin,
phonograph, accordion or musical in
strument of any sort. There was
scarcely monthly mail, no books, no
pictures. In one home, and only one,
she noticed a pathetic attempt at in
terior adornment. Wall paper samples
had been pasted upon the door.
One woman had lived several years
in the district and had been to town
three times, twice to Waldport and
once- to Florence. Miss Van Bibber
left the district with a sober feeling
in her heart, but the soberness was
temporarily routed by the incidents of
her trip home.
Obstacles Are Bneountered.
Miss Van Bibber and Mrs. Peterson,
her companion, had come to the district
by way of the forest trail from the
upper north fork of the Siuslaw. They
decided to return by way of the beach.
Proceeding down the creek, they
found a log across the trail, which
was r.ot ouite high enough for their
ponies to go un3er and too high for
them to jump' over, while passage be
low or above the tree was stopped by
the steepness of the. banks. It was a
sort of needles' eye proposition, but
unfortunately their ponies had not been
taught to kneel like dromedaries. Their
ponies were of about the same size,
and after being unsaddled lacked about
six inches of being aole to go under.
. , Van Tlhbr 1r vain of
iHW, 11- A10 . . --
anything, it is of her resource. Reach
ing up, she encircle the log with her
arms, and swinging back and forth she
kicked out from under the log witn
the toes of her high boots a six-Inch
layer of dirt. And so her resource
saved the day. but scarcely 20 yards
farther on she met her Waterloo.
Water Cause Discomfiture.
Across the path was a puddle of
water not over 12 feet across and only
about knee deep. But enter it the
ponies would not. Miss Van Bibber
waded out into the water and tried to
lead them, but in vain; and equally un
availing were her and her companion s
efiorts to drive them across. The oh
siiuacy of the horses was complete;
thev would not be ridden, led, or d-H-Mi
across. All means were exhausted. As
li the case of the log, there was no
way round. There was no gainsaying
tl.at this time Miss Van Bibber was
decidedly up a stump.
Leaving the obdurate horses in
charge ' of Mrs. Peterson, she went to
a ranger's station near by, and, luckily
finding the ranger at home, explained
her trouble. The ranger, taking the
reins, waded into the water, and to
Miss Van Bibber's astonishment and a
little bit to her chagrin, the ponies un
protestingly followed him across. The
man . explained that probably a bear
had wallowed in the pool.
Escort In Found.
When they came out upon the beach
a young man mounted his horse at a
house close by and joined them. He
explained that he was going down the
beach a - little way after a cow and
thought he would go along while he
had company. They went a good dis
tance and the cow did not appear.
After the distance became incredibly
?reat for a domestic cow to wander
from home, the young man. remarked
that there was a difficult gate ahead
and he would open it for them. At the
",: 1
gate she thanked him and rode on. In
two or three minutes their companion
caught up with them. He said a neigh
bor down the beach had a whetstone
of his and he believed he would go
get it while he had company. When
they came to the house of the ne'.ghbor
they bade him good-bye cordial'y. He
made no pretense of stopping at the
house, but, remarking explanatorily
that the hill ahead wag a little bit
dangerous to cross sometimes, he
rode on.
Beyond the hill he did stop, regret
fully accepted the farewells and rode
back to District 147. where, in thought.
Miss Van Bibber also returned.
Teacher Now Sought.
This district, in the language of the
outside world, would be called God
forsaken, an Inapt term, for God in
many ways, including scenery, fertile
soil and good water, has been and is
kind to it. It is simply man-forsaken.
Lending no helping hand, the people
of the outside let the inhabitants of
such isolated sections work out their
own salvation.. Such people are with
out initiative In the matter of organ
izing schools and churches. Nobody in
District 147 knew just how to proceed
to re-establish their district and have
school. Miss Van Bibber is now look
ing for a teacher tor this district, a
difficult search. "A teacher who would
understand the denials, poverty and
queer, though kindly and hospitable
ways of these people, a teacher with,
a serious sympathy and a necessarr
sense of humor to go along with It;
only this kind of- teacher could do good
there in the measure she would hv
to do good," says Miss Van Bibber. ' -,
A young woman, who is a colleg
girl and a principal of schools, says If
a teacher is not secured before next
Spring she will teach the school. 6h
taught a year in the backwoods sec
tion of the Cumberland Mountains, in
the Kingdom Come and Lonesome
Coves that John Fox writes about. She
will therefore know how to teach ltt
District 117.
Section la Isolated.
In Bpeaking- of the district Miss VaM
Bibber saya: "The section is Isolated.
Settlement is all on one creek about
eight or nine miles long, flowing from,
the Coast Range into the ocean. This
isolation Is due to the fact that it 1
inclosed by the Coast Range on the
east and two spurs of the range that
extends on the other side of the vailey
clear down to th beach and jut out .
into the ocean in the form of high,
rocky capes.
"The ocean furnishes no outlet, for
it Is a veritable reproduction of New
England's 'stern and rockbound coast.'
No boat can go out from there and the
surrounding mountain barriers are al
most Impassable for man or beast,
without the coastructlon of roads or
even trails. It is 23 miles from the
mouth of Ten-Mile Creek to Florence
and 18 miles north to Waldport. The
nearest postofflce is just around the
steep, dangerous Cape Perpetua, seven
miles from the lowest settler on the
creek. Other settlers furtlir up on
the creek are 10, 12 and even 15 miles
from the postofflce.
Church la Unknown. .
"Ready cash is short there because
the only thing they raise that can be
taken to market is cattle.
"They raise remarkably fine pota
toes and apples there and if they could
reach the market with their produce,
they could have every advantage. But
as it is, they set wonderfully fine ta
bles on what they can raise in the way
of meat, fruit and vegetables. What
they cannot eat, they have to feed to
the hogs. They can have no social
life, because they are busy farming at
the only season of the year that roada
are not impassable. They never have
church nor Sunday school. They have
had barely two weeks of school since
June, 1908. They have absolutely no
means of culture. One family of sev
eral children, including a boy of
and one of 14 and a girl of 17, never
went to school a day. Fortunately they
are intelligent, well-meaning PeopU
and have been able to teach their chil
dren how to read. No school officer
ever visited the district until this year.
Vacation Life Ideal.
"People from the busy towns and
cities find it a delightful retreat In
which to spend their Summer vaca
tions. They are blessed with every
thing good for a vacation: Ocean scen
ery agate hunting, sea moss hunting,
abundant fish and game, mountain
climbing, worlds of fresh eggs. milk,
cream, butter, vegetables and, above
all the splendid hospitality of the peo
ple themselves-neither locks to their
doors, nor bars to their windows, but
their dwellings are open as day and
the hearts of their owners.
"But what about the hardy, hearty
pioneers who live there the dark part
of the year alone and lonely, milea
from the postofflce, shut in for day
by high water, out of reach of tele
phones out of communication with a
doctor, out of touch with each other
who is going to help them provide
roads and schools and churches?"