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EVENING TUBLIC LEDGER PHILADELPHIA, SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 1921
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Jr PLAYGOER'S
WEEKLY TALK
BEN WELCH, tho well-known come
dian, ana one of the featured play,
cfb i. , the musical co.iiriiy
. '- Rlnit'Tt Monilny "
nlng, went blind recently while "Jim
Nile" wa plnvlne In WmhlnRio" '
ha Insisted on continuing ttf plav his
part ever since, however, and .will ap
pear In Philadelphia. Mr. Welch man
ages to do so without Klvlng any Indica
tion of his amictlon. He lost his sight
When he left the train upon his arrival
In Washington, and eye specialists tell
aim mat ins optic nerves are uenu.
A apccliii rug has been provided foi
him to work upon, tho edgen of which
warn him when he approaches too close
to the ootllghts. He In led from his
Cresting room to the stage, hut from th
time li linvp tlin wines needs no as-
'alstance. except that of tho voices of
tnose airout him on mo singe. .MJwum
that he did In the show previously has
had to he omitted, and ho nines. JQkes
and dances Just as ho always has done,
without Its being In tho least apparent
that he cannot see
TpUANCES STAlllt told the Playgoer
she Is frequently naked what the In
fluence upon her n.ituro mnv be of mr
various parts she nssumrs In the plays
In which Mr Jlelnsco has presented her
Miss Starr's answer Is that It has been
RUKgested that a woman of the singe
endanfiers her moral nature by Inter
preting moments of moral crisis In
woirvn of tho singe There, nre alwnvs
questionable women, glorified In somo
artistic pulse, but no matter how becom
ing this mnsquerade, the woman of this
type Is rnther an ugly, useless, undesir
able association.
An actress can depict with perfect un
derstanding n woman's ch-vrneer w'th
out being Impressed favorably by it
herself. Miss Starr holds. She mav glvt
a verv fine performance of n most un
desirable character, but that does not
mean that she herself Is In sympathv
with It. Of course there enters In'o
uch performances the quaMtv of
abandon which Is so Important In
drama Hut It Is an abandon always kept
In perfect control, Just as the palmer
controls the brush wltn which he colors
his sympathy for the scene ho Is paint
In?. Acting Is something like thnt. There
Is a subconscious duality of percep
tion, for while the actress Is playlnc
a part, she Is never unconscious of the
tact that she Is acting There Is not
uch a thing n complete abandonment
of one's mind, one's soul, one's morals.
In tho theatre. The women of the
theatre, like other women of the world,
have their own moral responsibilities,
their own obligations, their private
standards, which thy do not surrender
because they are tmporarlly cast In
tormy epiotlonal roles.
There Is, o course. In acting, a great
deal to be said about personality M.uu
of our favorite actors and actresses have
enjoyed their fame through thin appeal.
fTSTIF! f nt tlnia tHrantlnn nntl tiro. !
.. .... . . ..... ...
duclng Is one that enn only be re
quired throuch leng years of practinil
experience The majority of atage direc
tors are not actors, but they have the
gtft of visualizing a scene and can also
show tho actor or actress how to rend
a line bo as to give the audience the
Impression desired One of the mont
Important factors In stage direction Is
to nrrange the movement of the play
ers so that their arlous exits and en
trances shall be natural and. aboe all
to put Into a play those various bits
f "business" that give It a human
touch.
There are a few actors, however, who
have this ability One who Is really
noted as a stage director, as well as a.
leading comedy star. Is William Col
lier. Not only can he dlr-ct but he Is
elso a playwright. Tnere have been few
plays In which Mr Collier has starred
that his creative work has not played an
Important part.
In "The Hottentot" the star has In
troduced quantities of new material
which arouse roars of laughter. Mr. '
Collier personally staged and directed I
"The Hottentot" as co-author of the j
piece with Victor Mapes, During the
luur wecKS 01 rcnearafun. ti. rcwiuif
several of the scenes, studied his own
role and worked out the situations for
the. other players.
TN VERY few enterprises does the ele-
ment of chance prevail to such ex
tent as In the vocation of theatrical
mnnager or play-producer.
On the other hand the emoluments
from a really successful play arc so
great that managers never lose ambi
tion to play for the winning stnke.
An Instance In polnl Is the remarkable
success of "Krminle." believed bv Ju
kobowskl. the composer, and Harrv
Paulton. the librettist, to be a posltlvn
revelation Willie Kdouln nml Frank
Sanger purchased the American rlghu
. after the first London performance, ami
Ttudolph Aronson director of the Vow
Tork Casino, ventured nil he possetsed
en Its production The hit It made Is a
matter of hlstor Profits ran Into fie
millions.
The running expenses of the Cilnn
were considered heavv for thn davs
and a weekly average of I4S00 was
neceesarv to mnke ends meet, while at
least 17000 weekly had to be reached to
assure a substantial profit all around.
An Inspection of the figures of todav
affords a startling contrast. Oeorge C.
Tyler. In association with William Far
num, the screen star, haa spent, or
rather Invested, approximately JSO.nOO
In the current production of "Brmlnle,"
as against a probable $::.5fm for Its
first showing The salary and expense
sheet of the present production headed
by Francis Wilson and Tie. Wolf Hop
per, totals n trlllo over J12.Eno weekly.
3o taking all th" figures of today Into
consideration It is necessarv to convert
the H8IW of the first "Krminle" into
some M 8.000 a week for the preient
"Ermlnlc," If a Just and due profit Is
to be made
niA.NCY an exceedingly attractive
young wom.-vi arraying herself in
super-modish gowns every night, and
then posing as a "horrible example '
The "horrible example" In question
Is Miss Teresa Maxwell Ponover. who
plays the part of a very much sonhls
tlcated mother-in-law In 2Slmhallt
musical comedy, "Honevdew," a rr'
that culls for her to net a tlpiv sren
whlch sb enacts w'th so much clever
neis that she conveys the pplrlf- of
"Illumination" with naturalness, minus
offenslveness.
Realism In her acting Is made nil the
more rea, in the corktalls provided bv
.Toe Weber for her They look so much
like the real article thev seem to have
been hut recently caressed bv the patron
saint of gin, who not bo very lone ago
stood behind a shrlno of shining ma
hogany attired In the most Immaculate
of wnlte coatK
With all this atmosphere attending the
scene It reerns almost like taking 'In
romance out of life to be told by Mls.s
Conover that what she really drinks is
nothing more than cold tea
"I tried almost everything." says Miss
Conover, 'everything from ginger ale.
which made me 111. to sarHaarllla which
too much resembled grenadine to sug
gest a martini Then finally came the
nappy compromise 'f cold tea. Genius
and nutnorv of English tustoms fur
nished the clue "
MEW brides of the spring season, hero
' Is a wedding veil hint for you hee
that your bridal drapertes ale arranged
as Mis Cowl wears hers In "Smllln'
Through" at the Lyric, and If you are
us pleuslng to the eye as this brldo of
the sixties you'll have nothing to regret
modlshly
Wide widths of tullo are placed over
Miss Cowl's head, perfectly smooth In
cap style, then tho fabric Is divided in
ho canter to form two side drapes fall
ing to the frock hem, which In this In
stance Just sweeps the ground. Tho
crowning glory If. a simple wreath of
orange blosKnns that tits around the
head, falling low at the napo of tho
neck. As Miss Cowl describes it. "I
carry n nlll little bunch of (lowers
wrapped up in a lace-trimmed paper
napkin " This absurd nosegay Is at
tached to a wide piece of white satin
ribbon which hangs from n wrist
brace'et. Nothing could be lovelier or
more alluring than this wedding gown
nt the daj gome by Walt until von see
Jane Cowl In It If jou already haven't,
and If you nre tho veriest con
firmed bachelor-ma Id jou'll change vour
Wind Immediately and bay "yes" to him
AFTER Beverul years of being a fea-
tured dancer In musical comedy,
Kitty Doner, for several reasons one of
the principal supports of Al JoUon In
the Winter Garden shows. Is to niako
her Initial bow In vaudeville In her own
production CAlled "A League of Daiice
Hteps.'' Sho Is supported by her sister
Rose, and her brother, Ted Doner, tho
Guide to Photoplays
for the Week to Come
New rimtoplays
STANLEY "Earthbound" took a year
to make, but It In declared to be Gold
wyn's best picture. It shows how Basil
King's powerful story of the unseen,
spiritual world and tho conflict of
earthly things can ba depleted In an
understandable ' manner. T Hayes
Hunter directed It The principal
creeu or tne tnree men invoiveu in
"No God. No Sin, No Aftr Life."
Mahlon Hamilton, Wundhnm Stand
ing, Lnwson Hull. Naomi Chllders.
Flora Ilovaltes. lllllle Cotton. Alec R.
1'rancls, and Csar. a dog, aro In the
cast. Striking examples of double
exposure photography Is disclosed.
Henri Scott Is tho soloist for the
wetlt.
STANTON "The Passionate Pilgrim"
was directed by Robert O. Vlgnola
from a story by Samuel Merwln, Matt
Monro and Ruby ileRemer have the
principal roles In a talo dealing with
n young author, who to protect his
motlicr-ln-law from tho consequences
of an Involuntary crime Is himself
sent to prison for a term.
I'ALACi: "Nomad.t of tho North" Is a
James Oliver Curwood story of that
far away region where the people are
rugged and the country wild. Lon
Chnnc, recalled for his woik ns the
legless man In "Tho Penalty," Is In
tho oast, as Is Lewis Stone, as an of
ficer of tho law
ARCUHA "Beau Revel" Is by Louis
Joseph Vance and tells of tho ultra
fashionable set In Now York and one
of its members who delights In
stealing the love of beautiful women
Florence Vldor, Lloyd Hughes. Kath
leen Klryham and Lewis Stone ure In
the cast. John O. Wrny directed.
ItKGKNT "Are All Men AllkeT" shows
May Allison finding that every man
wants to spoon with her. Arthur
Stringer wrote the story which A. P.
Younger adapted. In the support nre
Wallace MacDonald. John Elliott and
Ruth Stouehousc. P. E. Rosen di
rected. CAJitT0T' "Thc Stealers" Is a William
Christy Cnbanne production with
I''na nnlU", color titles. William
H Tookcr. Ruth Dwyer and Norma
Shearer are in the oast.
VICTORIA "Thc Prlco of Rcdemp
Hon has Ilert Lytell in the adapta
tion of I A. R. Wyle's story. "The
Temple of Dawn." presenting a pic
ture of llfo nmong the villages and
army garrison of India. Thc star
plays four parts. D. Fltrgerald di
rected. Itevlcwcd Heretofore
COLONIAL Chaplin. In "The Kid."
first half of tho week. Norma Tal
madge In "Thc Hranded Woman,"
last half.
MARKET ST. ChapUn, In "The Kid."
first half. Narlmova, In "Ullllons."
last half.
.17.,I.V.l "Thc Rookie's Return."
with Douglas MacLean. first half.
Lon Chaney, In "Tho Penally," last
nair
li'l'J;5l'ibJX!'!Z'r- GREAT NORTtl.
&&' !iT,nAD.'"ut R'YOLt "The
Kid.' with Chnrles Chaplin.
CEn'i'L -"Midsummer Madness" Mon.
and Tues. : Fatty Arbucklc, "The Life
of the Party." Wed. and Thurs :
Douglas MacLean, in "The Rookie's
Return." Prl. and Snt.
LKA HER "Heliotrope" f)rt half. "Con-
-nr'firV'irSil"'t "LW? Youth" last half.
LOUlihUM "Midsummer Madness"
.Mon and Tues "Red Foam" Wed.;
Idols of Clay" Thurs. and PH.; Con
way Tcarle, In "Marooned Hearts,"
BJiH?;'r -2"'!. LOCUST "Forbidden
t rult." a Cecil De Mlllc play.
latter being well known to the devotees
nL.vnu.t,cv"l-' , .T1,e-V Wl,l orrcr thdr
new act at Keith's next week.
i. i. 11lcredi'y hns anything to do with
n-r. t?nl" na,ural expect tho Do
a?,H ,ue, c:tPert dancers. Their parents
ana their grandpa rents were also
?! icf"',nnil her mother was at tho very
top in her day, Just as Kitty Is at
'fnSfu"1-! Mot onc member of tho Doner
m iln ,hrr.e Kenerallono has followed
any other calling.
Kitty Doner la really a genius of
terpslchore. Not only does she
originate ideas In dancing, but executes
them. "A League of Danco Steps" Is
a distinctive novelty that Is a creation
of her own brain.
QUY BATES POST tho man and tho
..T.-.arllst,'7T,ar.e dosely associated, nnd If
vnio s ho Is a guide to character
and career, wo may believe that on the
stage as the artist Mr. Post reflects the
love of the man for his art.
"The art of pleasing people." Mr. Post
declares. "Is an art sufficient to tempt
any man s ambition. It Is big enough
w .. V.U1U1 wane wiinoui nnv tnought
of doing more than brightening the
playtime of the world. It Is a large con
tract to fill and It cannot be done bv one
man alone It must be accomplished by
unity Team work ' everybody con
nected with nn organization whether It
he u theatrical company, a bank, a
newspaper, anything everybody work
ing together Is what wins."
TVTR POST'S success at the Walnut
T'5!,!!,,n, ,,n,s American star as
one of Philadelphia's favorites. It H to
be lioped his next American tour will be
jo arranged that his appearance will not
be delayed In this city until the fifth
year of his new play whatever It may
be whether "Hnmlet" or a play fash
ioned along more modern lines. Mr
Post has several plays under consldera
tlon. and three welVknown American
authors havo read him their latest
efforts during the last week. It la al
most settled In Mr Post's mind to give
Hamlet a "ti y" before closing definite
contracts for his next production.
GOLDWYN'S CAUTION
Warns LetjUlators Against Endan
gering U. S. Movie Lead
Samuel Ooldwyn, president of the
rioldwvn Pictures Corporation, sailed for
Europe on til Aqult.inla, last week.
Mr Goldwyn's parting message was a
warning to American legislators not to
sacrifice the leadership of tho United
States In photoplay production.
"America has gained a world's mar
ket in motion pictures and. If wo are
not careful wo will lose It in a short
time " he said
"The proposed legislative limitations
on the motion pictures will have a
serious financial effect on this big In
dustry which, solely through the aggres
nlvenees of American producers, has es
tablished the United States ns the load
trig nation In this new art
"Foreiffii film producern are Increas
ing their output with startling rapidity
' (Tlijtetionable themes In motion pie.
lures are bound to be eliminated
!-alH lousness Is doomed not only be.
eau.se it is not artistic, but because It Is
not profitable "
Mr Ooldwyn will visit England and
continental Europa to study cinema con
ditions Ruth Draper In Character Sketches
r,unWV , "J, Uuth draper's recitals In
Philadelphia are successfully In the
background Mio romplctely captivated
her audlenoes on both of her uppiar
unces in the Ai ademv foyer Alone on a
stage (ontalnlng only a screen and a
chair, rolylng upon no disguises of any
kind, her power of suggestion was so
Kiem mai aii i-onjureu uerore her au
dience whole retinues of creatures of her
own vivid Imagination
Mists Draper makes her last appear
ance In Philadelphia on Wednesday at
3 o'clock, when she presents tho follow
ing program. A Hoard of Managers'
Meeting A Dalmatian Peasant In the
Hall of a Hospital. An Advanced
Course Introduction An English House
Party n the Porch in a Maine Coat
Town A Scotch Immigrant.
Folles Bertjere Favorite In "Whirl"
Mile miii Codee, comedienne In the
"Folles IWgere," Paris, arrived In New
York last week aboard the Rochambeau
She will play the leading feminine role
In ttie century Promenade production.
'The Whirl of the Town." a new revue
which will open Its Philadelphia engage
ment at tho Chestnut, Monday evening,
Miireh LI Mile Codeo Is a Jleljrian
bv hlrth, and has made a great success
In continental muhic halls
Elaine Hammersteln's Latest
"Handcuffs and Kisses ' will he the
title of the noxt picture starring Elaine
Hammersleln. Miss Hammerstoln ex
pects to begin active work on the pro.
ductlon the latter part of the month.
The story was written by Thomas Edge
low and pluturlzed by fowls Allen
Browne.lGeorgo Archaltibaud will direct
Uio proarucuuu.
THE CRITIC TALKS
TO MUSIC LOVERS
"MOTHINO has more amply vindicated
' the wisdom and foresight of the
directors of tho Philadelphia Orchestra
Association In raising Its endowment
fund while the "getting" vvm not only
good but possible than tho position In
which some or tho unendowed orchestras
of the country now find themselves. Thc
forced amalgamation of the National
Symphony (Dodansky) Orchestra with
tho Philharmonic In New York Is a
caso In point, whllo from both Seattle
and St. Louis come talcs of such finan
cial distress as mnke subsequent sea
sons uncertntn
When It was proposed In Philadelphia
to raise tho endowment fund so soon
after tho war and at a time when
"drives" nnd "campaigns" were as plen
tiful as berries In July, there was con
siderable doubt, both silent nnd ex
pressed, In many quarters as to whether
It would not be better to wait a while
until things became more settled. It Is
fortunate for tho fund that this view
did not prevail.
Hut whoever It was decided to hold
the endowment fund drive while the
people through several years of con
stant practice had become proficient In
thc nrt of digging down Into their
pockets and coming across with almost
the whole contents thereof, acted wisely
or fortunately, as the case may be, be
cause It Is practically certain that If
tho movement had been put off a year
the fund would not hav been raised
without n far greater effort
IN THE case of tho amalgamation
rf 4t,. VThllH.I .. T1llll. .. I..
ft ii,7 nnuuiini llliu x lllllllll IIIUHlii
Orchestras both thc management of the
former and tho musicians themselves
were the cause. In Its eagerness to no
qulro n fine organization Immediately
the National whooped salaries up to a
point where a huge deficit was certain
beforo tho orchestra hod held even a
single rehearsal. Not that a tlno
musician Is not worth all that can bo
reasonably paid him. for the orchestra
player has only about thirty weeks out
of the fifty-two In which he receives pay,
but the salary limit after all must be
Judged by the nblllty of thc organisation
to keep within a reasonable deficit.
The bnlt was most tempting, and
many fine orchestral players swallowed
It eagerly, among them several from the
Philadelphia Orchestra. What will be
come of these players under the amaV
gamatlon Is not yet known, but If thc
best players of both organizations are
to bo retained It Is safe to say httt
most of tho ex-Phll.idclphla Orchestra
men will be among them.
In anv case, with the formation of
the National Symphony It was ccrUIn
that one of tho permanent New York
orchestras must go under. Including
the eight concerts of the Philadelphia
Orchestra, the Boston Orchcstru series,
pecas onal concerts by tho Detroit.
Cleveland. Chicago, La Scala and other
organizations. New York had an aver
age of about one orchestra concert a
day. including Sundays, during thc en
tiro season, which was manifestly more
than the traffic would bear. The amal
gamation was probably the best solu
t on certainly the best as far na the
Philharmonic was concerned, us It gives
that organization an exceptional oppor-
JUlly t0. !!lcct u "ally ,rroat orchestra
personnel for next season.
PHILADELPHIA has eomo unlquo
iiiiuiui ursniiiianonj, nut few of
which stand practically alone In the
country In Its own field as doeH tho
I'alestrlna Choir which Is under the
directorship of Nicola A Montanl. Un
like the Muslcnl Art Society of New
lork. for Instance, which was a profes
s onal chorus In the sense that Its
singers received compensation, the
Palestrlna Choir Is the only community
chorus In America which devotes Itself
to the study and pcr'ormanco of thc
highest typo of unaccompanied church
music, such as the works of Palestrlna.
v Ittorla, dl Lasso and others.
For about hevon years tho members
of tho I'alestrlna Choir, which was
formed by the present conductor, have
faithfully attended rehearsals In alt
kinds of weather, and have been at
tracted thereto solely by tho power of
this, one of tho purest styles of vocal
music. Entirely apart from the artistic
alms of the Paletitrlna Choir, one of tho
objects of tho members and the conduc
tor Is to give Philadelphia an organiza
tion as distinctive and as unique au that
which Bethlehem possesses In Its famous
Bach Choir.
As In the case of the Bach Choir, the
conductor of tho Palestrlna Choir has
made a life-long study of his subject,
und today Mr, Montanl stands aa u
recognized authority In the field of Cath
olio sacred music, especially that of the
earliest composers, which for popular
purposes haa now largely gone out of
style.
TvTEVERTHELKSS. this ancient music
much of It composed In a day when
a display of contrapuntal skill was one
of the first requirements of composition,
still has enormous vitality and power If
rendered correctly. Like the tnuslc of
Bach, and for that matter all sacred
munle ' thc highest type. It does not
nccommodnto ItBelf readily to thc atmos
phere of tho concert hall. It requires
the physical surroundings of the church,
as well as an attitude of devotion on the
part of both the members of thc choir
and tho conductor. As a general rule,
tho sacred muzlc which sounds well In
tho concert hall loses, or at least does
not gain In power, when sung In a
church.
This ancient music goes almost to the
verv heg'nnlngs of composition a nav
when music was tho handmaiden of the
church and the greatest compuneis wiole
almost exclusively In tho sacred forma
Yet, notwithstanding Its severity of out
line and the strictness of the counter
point, there is still considerable emo
tional feeling In It, although in that
day emotionalism was not considered
a necebsarv part of either church or
secular music.
Tho Palestrlna Choir does not devote
Itself exclusively to church music nnd
on every program appear some of the
secular motets of the old church com
posers, which, however, are In tho same
general style as the sacred music. While
the absence, n a modern sense, of tho
emotion to which wo have become
aecuKtomed In music makes some of It
sound "old fashioned" tho dignity of
the compositions makes hem well worth
reviving and hearing.
rpHE composition of great religious
works seems to have become u "lost
art" among tho beat comjiosers of later
yenrs Formerly all composers wrote
voluminously for the church, tho Prot
estHnts composing oratorios and the
Catholics writing masses or other forms
of their own church service. But this
seems to have changed, and of tho com
posers born during the last seventy
five years U Is difficult to find many
really fine religious works.
Probably the attitude of the public
Is more largely responsible for this than
the feelings of tho composers. With the
demand for shorter, lighter and more
emotional church music, the writing of
works In tho larger forms has naturally
become less, and the oratorio has been
succeeded largely by the religious can
tata, not. however, the cantata In the
manner of Bach.
Modern insistence upon exactitude of
performance may also have had some
thing to do with the lessened number
of great religious works. With the pass
ing of the a cappella form of religious
music, and beginning about the time
of llach, tho orchestra was used In vir
tually all tho larger compositions. This
Is or course, an Impossibility for churcn
uses, except on exceptional occasions,
and the organ, an undeniably great In
strument, Is by no means an adequate
substitute for tho orchestra. And now
adays, when a. work Is written for
orchestral nccompanlment, the concert
goers want to hoar it so played.
Mask and Wig Club Production
"Somebody's Lion" Is the title of the
thirtv -third annual production by the
Mask and Wig Club, of tho University
of Pennsylvania, which will, as usual, be
at the Forrest Theatre for Easter week.
Rehearsals ure going along swimmingly.
"Somebody's Lion" has been written
by E M Ijvvtno. with lyrics and music
by Charles Gilpin. The piece Is described
ns a "nautical tall In two knots " The
first sceno la laid on hoard tho private
yaeht Fishtails, on a cruise around the
world, and the second act soene Is pic
tured on n beach of an Isolated Island
in the South Seas.
All the muflc ban been written for this
v ear's production by Charles Gilpin, and
It is said to be In his most melodic vein.
Among the many numbers ure song and
chorus, "Oh, Iand You Look Good to
Me." A rattling song "I'm a Whaler of
a Sailor." "Hand Andy" and a duet.
"Zula, My Little Zula " Tho production
will bo staged and illreCtfd by Charles
8. Morgan. Jr.. who ilias rlei-'-.d nd Is
xeheorulng tnauy novf 1 numbtra, , . . .
THE VERITABLE QUEEN
OF ENGLISH FICTION
Soine Personal Aspects of Jane Austen Set Forth With a Little
Too Much Zeal by a Kinstvoman
By FELIX K. fiCIIHLUNa
Professor of Kntllnh Literature In
rpHIH is n somewhat nnlvc little book
After, the many works which the
fnmc of .Tnne Austen lias attracted,
books of criticism and appraisement, of
collection nml biography, nftcr thc
publication long since of unfinished
frognynts, some of them never Intended
by the author for publication, and of
such letters as a kind of prudery on the
part of her sister, Cassandra, in par
ticular, lind not succeeded In destroy
ing, we may certainly feci that vvc have
harvested nnd gleaned up nil on this
subject that there wn left for uh to
know. And it can ns certainly not be
sold tliat Miss Austen-Leigh's volume
hns moro than n few corroboratory
crumbs to offer. And yet if thc render
happens to be of that choice and de
voted brother nnd sisterhood who feel,
perhaps rather than know, that Jane
Austen Is, without question and com
pare, the veritable queen of English fic
tion, It is a Joy to finger over these
little personal things that once were
hers, be they no more than ft reproduc
tion of thc pleaslug and well-known
Zoffny portrait, penciled drawings of
Stcventon nnd Chswton. "accounts"
from her father's Parish Register in
her exquisite handwriting and chnrodPB
we should call them riddles with
which these cheerful, gentlefolk of a
simpler age beguiled the' tedium of the
long winter evenings when ways were
foul and social life beyond tho family
circle impossible.
IT IS fair to say, however, that Miss
Austen-Leigh 1ms been urged to thc
pleasant task of compiling her little
book, less to preserve such mementoes
as these than to protest against n
tendency in critical writings about her
great kinswoman of lato to appraise
Jane Austen somewhat narrowly and
in the direction of negation rather than
bv wny of a reconstruction of what we
have. Miss Austen-Leigh repel" the
accusation that Jane Austen did not
love children, I should say, both suc
cessfully and conclusively. Aud taking
n position, which I am sure most lovers
of thc delicate and consummate art of
Jnne Austen would think altogether
unnecessary. Miss Austen-Leigh nrgues
in onc of her chapters for a certain
serious intent which she finds In Jane h
emphasis of repentance nB a motive in
most of her stories. The mornllty of
thc arts Is always n dnngerons sub
ject ; and there is a type of mind which
remains unsatisfied with the play which
does not preach and the novel which
does not moralize. Jane Austen wrote
no such improving books for thc young
nml others ns did her distinguished nnd
forgotten contemporary, Hnnnnh Moore,
for eznmplc. Hut does Jnne Austen
need justification along these lines, with
her eye for truth, her power of anal
ysis in a flash, her delicious wit and
her nound heart? When Miss Austen
Leigh. In n chapter sngely ifntlol
"Morality." quotes Jane ns writing I
urn very fond of Sherlock'B Sermons
nnd prefer them to almost ony, vvc
wonder if sho mentally added scr
mons." Jane was quite capable of
such on equivoke. The salt of ft rcadj,
wholesome wit was in her.
IT SKKMS that Jane Austen ban been
the subject of late of n dissertation.
"Sa vie et son ocuvre" have been scru
tinized "par Leonle Vlllard. Agrcgec do
I'L'niversitc. Doctour cs lcttrcs, und
the doctorate has been bestowed by the
Sorbnrnne. One wonders how Jane
would hnvc received the news of so
unheard-of a wonder. A woman doctor,
too. at that. Now n doctor h disser
tation is ft grave matter, to the doc
teur" nnd to others and the reac
tion" as the psychologists have taught
us to say thc reaction of a young
French woman studying nt Paris iu
lDir. on thc novels of a young English
woman of a century ngo, whose subject
was her own contemporary life in what
is. after all, almost wholly the provinces,
is decidedly intcrestiug. I have unhup
pi!y not been able to see Mile, Villard a
thesis; but. of course, as Miss Austen
Leigh Informs us. Mile, thinks "Mees
Austen" of a hundred years ago narrow,
parochial and wanting in religious feel
ing. She cites "authorities" to show
thnt the Church of England was. iu
Miss Austen's day, "destitute of re
ligious fervor," "a thing mode up of
traditional rites." wherefore no one of
Miss AuHten's novels deals with thc sal
vation of a soul, wo may Mippose; nnd
many other important tilings unknown
to Jnne nnd to her world arc wanting.
It is a prevalent doctorinl temptation to
judge a thing meticulously for what It
is not and never could be; and this
method of judgment is not confined to
the doctorial thesis. Jane Austen did
not travel; she ought to have traveled.
She did not write romances, "historical
romances on the house of Coburg. as
suggested by the Prince llegcnt 8 li
brarian, ur, CiarKP; sue iiuim-uic .".
sense not to. Hut people who write
hi-torical romances arc supposed to have
a wide range of Ideas. Jane Austen was
not lcarnrd. nor a linguist, nor scien
tific, nor n poetess; ergo, she must hnve
been narrow. And valiant Miss Austen
Leigh rushes to the defense to prove
that her Jane knew a little French and
a little less Italian, that she painted
prettily, was n skillful nccdlewomnn.
wrote charades, was "thc best musician
in an unmusical family" nnd had really
traveled ns far us Until and Southamp
ton and even London.
GENIUS is not to be measured by
these trivial standards. Let us be
frank about it. The estimable provin
cial life of tho gentry of the Lngland
of Jane Austen was narrow and re
stricted. Intellectually, socially and
spiritually. And Jnne really "knew"
no other life than that In which she
had been reared. She shared in Its
limitations. I am willing to arept the
omewhat splenetic report of Miss Mlt
ford's mother that Jane was at one time
"tho prettiest, silliest, most affected,
hushand-litintlng butterfly she ever re
membered." remembering that the ob
server was herself young, perhaps not
so pretty nnd not yet married. And I
will also accept the very different re
mark of another young woman that "si
lent observation from such an observer
(us Mibs Aubten) wns rather-formidable."
This was, of course, much later.
Allowing for thc reticence in woman,
which was then regarded oh an eighth
to tho seven cardinal virtues, it is Im
possible to believe, that so rendy nnd
witty n writer was not rendy and witty
in conversation, though Jano appears
to have been woman of kind heart
and an admirable self-control. She was
doubtless very variously estimated by
those who knew her, and the gamut of
her rich personality ranged all the way
from a love of company and dancing to
thn deepest and tendcrest insight Into
character nnd emotion. The candor of
Jane Austen's young pooplo In their
love of pleasure Is delightful. Viss
Klrklsnd has recently written n witty
essay on "Victuals and Drink In .lane
Austen." I hopo that she may be
prevailed on to write another on "Hus
band Hunting in Jane Austen." Why
not accent thc world as It is? It is be-
cause Jane Austen does precisely this,
the UntterMIr ef rennnjlrnnl
because she is interested in the trifles
that go to make up daily life nnd char
acter, because sho is absolutely clear
sighted and n great artist In her power
to transfer nil this to her pages, that
she Is the Inimitable novelist that she
Is. The measure of art is ever qualita
tive. Leave quantitative analysis to
science. The subject Is nothing; It Is
the degree to which tho thing under
taken approaches perfection that counts.
With the approach to perfection as our
criterion, the degree of achievement in
tire thing undertaken; Jane Austen
stands almost alone.
TKnBONAti A8J'ECT8 OF" JANE AU8TEJJ.
Uy Murv A. Auatcn-Ltlrh. New York: 12,
I. Dutton t Co. 14.
Red Cross Work
Fisher Ames, Jr., who was nn notlvo
participant In thc work, writes of
"American Ited Cross Work Among the
French People." The scope of the book
is the relief work among the civilian
population, the extent and variety of
which Is hardly appreciated nmong the
American people who financed the vast
enterprise.
Mr. Ames undertakes to show the
fruitful way in which the dollars of
America were spent. His volume con
cludes the series of books Issued under
Iltd Cross nuspiees to give the Amer
ican people an adequate idea of thc
tremendous activities of the lied Cross
organization and an account of a stew
ardship worthily carried out.
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CALL Mil. FOIVrUNE. Dy II. C. Dallty.
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The striking story of a frte Unce rival
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rth In mlvAnturo unit chsrfcctftrltatlon.
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Htorlcs, some humorous and some mtIour,
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A utory vtllh many quaint turns and odd
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General
the rAMiminon history or Ameri
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New Tork: O, P. Putnam's Pons.
LIFE OF WHITELAW REID. Ry Royal
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nr'a Hor.-a.
EFFECTIVE PRATER. By Ituasell Con
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An li.serrMIni book, enpeclslly tlmMy In
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INVALID EUROPE. By Alfred Sellrsberg.
New York: lloni & Llverlght.
The author, an American professional
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AT THE FREE LIBRARY
Books added lo the I'reo Library, Thir
teenth and Locuit streets during the week
ending March 10:
Miscellaneous
Bemnn, I T. "Selected Articles on the
Cloeed Mhop."
IWnhurdl, Frlcdrlch von "War of tho
Future."
Ulucher, Evelyn Prlnccse "Engllih Wife
In Berlin "
Burton. Alexander "After Dinner
Speeches."
Carpenter t. U. "Inereaamg Production,
DecreaalnR Coats."
I-lKh. Ruth "Human Side of Retail
Selling."
.Mrl'alr?. a. N. "War Ratlona for Penn
aylvanlana." Msrklnloiti. H R. "Originality of tho
ChrUtlan Mensanr."
Murphy, J. J., and others "Homing
Famine."
Plgou. A. C "Economics of Welfare."
Stowell, J. S. "Near Side of the .loxlcun
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Hnaln, R, K "What and Where Is Ogd."
Fiction
Block, Alexander "Seventh Angel."
Buck. C. N. "Roof 1Tee "
Doaiowgky. Kyodar "Friend of the Fam-
Dunn. .1. A. "Man Trap."
Flemlior, Brandon "Crooked Hou."
lUmaun. Knut "(trnwih of the Holl." a v.
Harker. L. A. "Montagu Wycherly."
Ilarraden. Beatrice "Spring Shall Plant."
I." Queux William "The Intriguers.'1
M"efNan, Alexander "The Curtain,"
J'f.Ivenna, Stephen "Sixth Sense "
Mlln. I,. J. "Feaat of lanterns "
Mulder, Arnold "Sand Doctor,"
Olilmeailow. Ernest "Tho Haro."
uZZZ' iaTn,n'".".';,'U'..,h', (io1a Beloved "
Reevo. A. II. "Film Mystery."
51?,?' Mr,V.lclorr-"n""k'",s Puritan "
Matron , Mlddletnn A. "Sesirlnu."
Vv ."" 'A. "Fourth Dlmennlon "
Wallace, Edgar "Daffodil Murder"
Children'! Books
P'ston. II II. "Firelight Fnlrv nook
Fllllmore. Pb.It.f
Talen."
"Uieeno-Slovak Fairy
Lindsay. Maud "Joyous Travelers.
Richards, U E. "Joan of Arc."
Everything Desirable in Books
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SEED ofthe SUN
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AlAllBoo,tetittM
Across America
with the King
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By PIERRE GOEMAERE
The Informal frankly stated im
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royalties on their visit to America,
His shrewd comments from
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Order at anv 6oofcfora-or Jrotn
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NOTABLE BOOKS
OF THE WEEK
Life of Whitclaw Rcid
If tiny one is looking for a critical
nnd Judicial estimate of tho rarwr of
Whitclaw lttld. editor of IheNew York
Tribune and nmbansatlor to Trance, arm
Great Britain, ho will not lind it In
Hie "Life," by noyal Cortlwoz. which
the Bcrlbners havo Just published. Mr.
Oortlsw. was an employe of Mr. Ilcm
nnd he Is still on the staff of the
Tribune, which Is owned by Mr. Kcld's
heirs. Ho hns done nothing- more than
to present Mr. Held aa he would like to
be presented.
Mr. Held wag frequently urged to
write hH recollection". He knew they
nuld contain much lntcretinc nlitori.
esl mutter, but he could never bring
himself to the task. Mr Cortlsroy,
however, has had access to Mr. Re Id s
papers and has used them with Intelli
gence nnd discretion. The result lift
friendly and sympathetic Hiorjr of the
career ot a man whose activities covered
the- period from thc Civil War tilt 1012,
or two years before the great war be-
.. 1. ..IIIap nt tbn Trlhlino he WHS
firoi'mht In cotitnct with nil the groat
public men ot ms time, anu n yon
trlbuted In large part to the ranking
..f ,l.. !.!,.,, nt (Via narlrut. 'Thei lmnk
deals with affairs In Lnropo as well ns
in thn rnltetl Mintcs, tor u tens luny
of Mr. Relil's activities In Paris and In
London. The publishers havo Issued It
In two dignified volumes. The first con
tains a portrait frontispiece of Mr. Held
In his prime and the second has a pic
ture of the Amcrlcnn nnd Spanish peace
commlsalonfrs signing tho peace treaty
in I'arls. It. Is Just the kind of a hook
which thoso Interested In .public affairs
will find much more Interesting than the
latest novel.
Barbcllion's Last Book
W. N. 1. Uarbelllon, the namo under
which the late uruce tredertcK uura
mlnis concealed his Identity, was a
man who nttemptcd the impossible tnBk
of disclosing hiniBelt utterly antl com
pletely In a book. His "Journal of n
Disappointed Man" is n remarkably
frank revelation of personality. In "A
Lost Diary," Just published by George
II. Doran Co., Uarbelllon has contin
ued his revelations. He admits that he
had changed his point of view after the
Journal was published and that some
of the things he put in it were wrong.
Thc Journal whs written In anticipa
tion of death, but in the months that
he survived he did moro thinking about
hinife1f nnd nbout life, thinking which
took into account things which he hnd
ignored before. He records the results
in "rue .bast uiary."
American Literary History
The Inst two volumes of Putnam's
"Cambridge IlUtory of American Lit-t-raturo"
linvn at last appeared. Their
gniernl tone is like that of tho preceding
volumes. The editors have not tried
to make n sprightly work nor one thnt
will be startling' in thc originality of its
opinions. It Is distinctly conservative.
Some of the radical critics of the pres
ent will disagree with itn conclusions,
nnd even thc conservatives will not nl
ways And its judgments agreeable. Hut
for Its purposes It is probably as good as
could bu expected. The third volume
devotes n chapter each to Mark Twain,
to Henry James and to Lincoln. In
another chapter Hnwells is grouped with
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Realism That Is Real
Those who like to debate tho diverting
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