The evening world. Newspaper, April 23, 1921, Page 7

TURNING ON THE SPOTLIGHT Going to Heaven With Little Eva Now Has Its Handicaps in the Theatre —Pointing the Way of “Liliom”. Is Difficult but More Sensible. BY CHARLES DARNTON Ever since Little Eva went to Heaven by means of a rope, pausing only jong enough to flutter a pink farewel 1 to @ red-eyed audience, playwrights have been striving desperately to part the curtain between us and the Hereafter. From the aperture at times has come hiasing steam—strangely alluring on a bitter night in winter—and with it red lights, as though the march to another world had something in common with a torchlight parade. But even the stage changes with time, This week it has shown us Purgatory as something remote, yet in spirit, if not in practice, the appeal ble. still suburban, and to the commuter 1 of this suggestion must be irresisti- In “Lillom,” flowering at the Gar- rick somewhat rankly, Franz Molnar {s as suburban as Ibsen, He seems to take a delight in uprooting the weeds of humanity and exposing their roots, He plucks them from the out- skirts of Budapest, All are mean weeds with the possibility of srowing into a better state. Apparently this iy the hope, if not the accomplish- ment, of Molnar, He takes mud in his hands and throws it into the fire. What form will it assume? He doesn’t attempt to shape it; he merely makes it responsible for its acts. “Kill yourself if you like,” he # in so many words, “but you'll have to pay for the time you've stolen when the final reckoning comes. ‘This isn't a matter of religion, it's one of common sense. No man is bigger than the scheme of life and so he cannot take uis own life when he is tired of it without being called} upon to settle the score against him i the next world, Whether you like or dislike the game, it's up to you to play it out. It is this idea that is likely to hit you—and hit you hard— at the Garrick. But as anmusement must always be part of the theatre, “Lillon” ls quite is funny as @ merry-go-round, The barker of an amuse park, who killa himself instead of the man he Intended to murder and rob, Is truly a victim of circumstances when he finds that he can't “stay dead.” He is ordered to move along much like the poor little ‘London urchin of Dickens in “Bleak House.” But he Joes it with amusing defiance even when he is told: “Until you are quite forgotten, my son, you will not be done with this earth, even though you) dead." Now this ts disturbing, you must admit, But i's so far out of the or- iinary, as plays go, that it holds your ittention, You say to yourself that the theatre, though proverbially slow 1 ideas, is at last Catching up with ne times, A simple thought may be fired over the footlights without be- ing either shocking or fatal, When the Beyond Is reached Liliom finds himself still in the police court —the Division for Suicides. It has something of the ghostly jauntiness that attracted visitors to the window display of corpses in Paria when the morgue was a spectacular feature of the gay capital. A well-dressed man rises and gives his name, He describes himself as a doctor, forty-two, married, Lutheran, ‘The heavenly Magistrate interrupts him with: Religion doesn't interest us here, Why did you kill yourself?" “On account of my debts,” ts the answer. “What good did you do on earth?" “| was a lawyer.” The Magistrate merely coughs. But the culprit still wants to kiss his son, and so he is given the privilege of going back to earth for that purpose. Humanity is the Kingdom of Mol- nar, just as humanity is the soul of the theatre. We go to it for the thing we might find, though not rec- », at home, nt to sleep,” says the H the Magistrate, “Your obstinacy won't help you,” he is told. “You cruelly deserted your wife and child, You were a bad husband and a bad father This much Liliom admits, but he is brave enough to declare that he regrets nothing. He took life as he found it and made a bad job of nothing more. The ordinary play makes a gond job of life by smoothing off the corners till they ft into the conventional groove. An easy conscience goes with a good bank account But the man with a mind above figures knows this to be worth little to him. A woman and a child are greater elements in his life, Molnar pla the responsibility where it belongs, He does it curi- ously, yet accurately. Liliom may save ‘his skin and his sweate:—-vi- dently made of asbestos—but he can- not save his conscience Accordingly, the ptay of the week is a play of conscience, so take it home with you and glyve it the aid of your Sunday prayers LOS ANGELES ASKS, DURANT MOTOR CO. TO LOCATE THERE corporation Now Plans to Build a Coast Factory at Oakland, Calif. fapecial to The Evening World.) LOS ANGELES, April 28—Lor} ‘angeles enthusiastically greeted } York Philharmonic Orchestra at its here. ew | nitial programme The con- ‘ducting of Stransky was an tllumi-| nating surprise, even to his warmest) admirers. F. J. Godsol of New York was the guest of honor at a brilliant dinner | here given by Mr, and Mrs, Abraham | Lehr, Several literary notables were present. ‘The Los Angeles film world is pre- paring to welcome home from New York “Buster” Keaton and bride, due next week for a Southern California | honeymoon, VIVIANI'S THANKS SENT TO AMERICA IVRADIO FAREWELL French Envoy, in Long Mes- sage, Says Friendship Bond Is Indissoluble. Rene Viviani, who left here last Wednesday for France at the termi nation of his special “mission of courtesy” from the French Govern ment to President Harding, has sent a wireless farewell “to the American which was made public here night by Marcel Knecht, who acted as his secretary while in the United States, “Only a few hours from the shores of America,” said the message, “TI cannot resist the impulse to express the heartfelt gratitude and farewell emotions which I feel toward the people of your noble country for the ‘second splendid welcome and demon tration of hospitality and symputhy extended to me during my visit now terminated. I particularly thank the press of America, which has been kind and generous in communicating New Yorkers stopping at leading |t the most distant parts of the whole y country the sentiments that I have hotels here to-day include at thee savored to convey," Alexandria; D, Cecil Kelin, James B. Moore, A. A. Furth, W. G. Clafk, Mr. and Mrs. Adolph Hirsch, R, A. Pouch, William B. Stuart. At the Clark: B. M. Schullman, John W. Byrne industrial An- Business and Los geles begin on Monday to bombard W. C. Durant of the Durant Motors to establish coast factory the company here instead of in Oak- the of land, as at present contemplated, A} confercace at No, 1780 Broadway 's expected to settle the question, Peter Schneider, former Yankee, has started to be the Babe Ruth of the Par West by smashing ofl # to- tal of three home runs already tn coast league season. Mr. and Mrs. Francis Day. of New York on Wednesday next at Her- ghey Arms apartments will give an auction bridge for New York friends also wintering here. Mr. and Mrs. Harold Hoerpkrohn of New York were guests of honor at he former French Premier also thanked President Harding for his cordial reception, and praised hin highly for his coinage of the phrase|ing what he heard himself at the “covenant of conscience’ with refer-| meetings of the great leaders, His ence to relations between the Unitea| own functions at Versailles he de- States and France. scribes as follows: Le en ee continued; ‘i “{ acted as interpreter * * ® In] States has left in my mind and heart | Pearly all th ar re GIACuaR! the deep conviction that there exists | at Versa while there Jan indissoluble bond of friendship be-| “The part I played was, therefore tween the two republics : very subordinate, and, tf dimicult,, | “In the name of France that is| 4) aan ee mply, asking justice and {i cver| rather mechanical, But my know! cady in peace as in war to fulfil all| edge of this debate and decisions (as| her obligations toward other peoples,| of nearly all interallied discussions) }T again salute America NW Ameri- F sression acquired b: ldarone and (ndivisinie, and tender| “ee Zot a Impression acquire? By) her my gratitude for the sympathy | hearsay or aga casual hearer; it was Jand friendship she has manifested| an impression stamped into me by # toward my country, And France—! process drastic and multiple in itself | ‘All France'—Is one and indivisible ee A affirming thankfulness that she and arduous and exhausting to m« eternally feel toward America,| and giving me a knowledge of it And, in conclusion, T could not eay | minute, complete and profound.” LT tits been sald by your! Having introduced Capt. Wright, 1 tho rent’ people be represents, when| Will summarize his remarkable nar he invoked the ‘covenant of con-|rative of how jealousies, blundering science’ In truth, the American con-|and Intrigue caused a defeat vhat science and the French conscience are made of a metal so pure and enduring 4 dinner dance given by Mr, and Mrs Frank L. Browne at the Dagmar apartments on Wednesday evening, ‘ jthat history will write upon them an unperishable record of our eternal friendship, me "THE AN IMPRESSION OF, BETTY BLYTHE AS SHEBA "QUEEN OF SHEBA“ PAULINE STARKE » AS TH LAYS FAIRE” WM.V. MONG AS MERLIN = ACONNECTICOT YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT + Capt. Wright Accuses Made Public CopyHeht, 1921, by the Prom Mubtishing Oo. iNew York Evening World) LONDON, April 23.—No books written about the war have pro- duced a greater sensation, though some may be more lasting in their values, than the work just tssued, called “At the Supreme War Coun- cil,” by Capt. Peter B. Wright of the British Army, who had been Assist- ant Secretary of the Supreme War) Council from the beginning until | just before the yreat German offen- sive in March, 1918, | The work was made a subject of | eatended questioning of Lloyd George in the House of Commons April 17, The Prime Minister's vee plies indicated the Government's be-| hep an the auiheniiviiy Capt. Wright's documents, although it dis-| of associates itself with any of the! charges, The Evening World herewith pre sents a carefully prepared digest of the work written by J. L. Balderston, | a well known American newspuper | man, now editor of the London Out- | look. His article follows: | By John Lloyd Balderston. | (Copyrient, 1921.) Tt is charged that: First—The great Allied defeat March three years ago, which brought the Germans within a few miles of victory, was due to a personal in-| trigue between Haig and Petain, the) British and French Commanders in Chief. Second—Field Marshal Sir William sbertson, at that time Chief of the \tish Imperial General Staff, inst!- ted the betrayal to the enemy of the Allled plan of campaten for 1918 wfter It had been adopted by the Su- preme War Council at Versailles by | moans of publicity, In order to vent it from being carried Into off These two most astounding allega- tions are made in the most sensa- | tional war book, Just published, called | “At the Supreme War Council.” The | Wright of | in| sre- author !# Capt. Peter E the British Army, who was Assistant cretary of the Supreme War Coun- cil from its formation, tn Ne 1917, until just before the Marc! fensive, Capt. Wright claims to be quoting from the official records of the Su- preme Council when he ts not repeat- Foch was ready to avert with a final | strength, BRITISH-FRENCH PLOT AGAINST FOCH CHARGED IN RECENT BOOK BY SUPREME COUNCIL OFFICER, Haig, Robertson and Petain And Says Allied Plans Were in London. documents to prove that the Al until late in 1917 had seven men on the western front to four Germans, and double the enemy's material. 3cill thelr offensives failed, and when Rus- | sia practically went out of the war in 1917 and American help was seen to be many months off, dismay seized the Entente leaders, The Allies found that Ludendorff was bringing his divisions from Russia, so that in the early part of 1918, before America made herself felt, he would be almost equal in Capt. Wright says, and re- fers “the historian" to G, H. Q. Sum- mary of Intelligence No. 446, March , 1918, that the enemy was “equal in rifle strength but perhaps still in- ferior In guns. To meet the coming danger the Supreme W: Council wags constituted at Kapaiio, early in No- vember, “as a central directing polit!- cal body for the whole alliance.” Foch, Sir Henry Wilson and Lloyd George “imposed” on all the other leaders “a single organ of command” after the council was organized at Versailles. “The Commanders in Chief were to be undisturbed, but an Executive War Board, with Foch as Chalrman, was given power to take from each army a proportionate number of di- visions, totalling one-seventh of the Allied strength, as a general reserve. “Foch In effect sald to the Execu- tive War Board (1 heard him say It, and saw him mark the places with his blue pencil on the map): ‘Ludendorif must kwunch his mass victory weeks before American blood ihad been shed to any extent in France. | ~ He refers to official (but still secret) ‘ EVENING WORLD, SATURDAY, APRIL 28 Impressionistic Sketches of Some Characters In Plays Now Being Presented in New York attack elther westward or south- ward, either toward the British side of the angle in the Cambral region, or toward the French side of the angle and the Rheima region, But If he is successful and drives oue or other of these lines back, he himsolf presents an unguarded and open flank; and the more successful he Is, and the more he enlarges the angle, the longer and, therefore, the more open and unguarded his fank will be. “‘'r will, therefo: divide my gen. ral reserve into three portions, of different sizes, The smallest portion I will place in Dauphinee, close to the best crossing Into Italy; the largest 1 will concentrate round Paris; the third portion 1 will place round Amie! rom the concentration of German troops the attack must come in the Rheims or Cambrai region; therefore the bulk of the G@qneral reserve round Paris is best situated to come to the help of either region. “The Amiens portivn stands behind the British Fifth Army, the weakest point of the line, and ready to sup- port it, ‘The Dauphine portion 1 situated so ag to be able to go to the | help of the Swiss or the Italians, in the unlikely event of thelr being a tacked, or to rejoin the rest of the general reserve, The Supreme War Council had cre- ated the Executive War Board with the two Commanders in Chief in at- tendance, and without even a protest 1 their part. In any event, even it y had protested, it was an order 8 order they determined to dinr tu gard and fight the battle according to the method they preferred, as separate commanders of separate Armies instead of as one army, be- cause one army meant an authority above their own. Sir Douglas Haig “kept back his repudiation until March 8—that is to y, Uli the fighting was about to be- and it would be impossible to re- place him." ‘The agreement between the two Generals (Document No. 6476 of the Third Rureau_ in the French staff archives) * © © is dated March 6, and reached Versailles much later, “delayed Capt Wright state: Foch * * & ment, which Petain did’ not want know of this agree- troyed the scheme "So far as Foch was concerne], the agreem & secret. agreement, and he was, therefore, the victim of an intrigue, a most humiliating jnurigue, Th: Haig-Petain agreement, Capr Wright says, exist in writing (Pile iiies Registry), and whichever \As Different Items in Different Papers A. of the two | tors — , 1921 is attacked agrees to help the other, | but_by extending his own ling only, “Further, Petaln naturally did not want to be called wpon to take over portions of the line on which a bat- tle was actually proceeding, Go he stipulated—and the stipulation Is ox- pressed in the plainest terms—that only bound to extend his ex- » left if we were attacked at a on of our line other than our extremo right.” In other words, If Capt. Wright Is correct, Sir Dougias agreed not earli- er than Feb. 2% in a document dated March 6, to fight the Germans alono If Ludendorft attacked, where he did attack, on the right of the British line. Capt. Wright brings his grave charge that Sir Willlam Robertson Inspired the bertayal of one of the most Important secrets of the war as follows: “Who gave Repington the informa- tion about our military plans which he disclosed to the public and there- fore to the enemy in his Morning Post article of Feb. 117 “Repington has given an explana- tion In hia Diaries. An account, of the debate and decisions of the Su- reme War Council was given to fim so he declares, by Clemenceau Feb. 3. “No doubdt an interview took place with Clemenceau and some parts of Repington’s explanation look real, but ag a whole the account can hardly be accepted as quite genuine, for two reason: “First—The views put (n the mouth of Clemenceau and the views ex- pressed in the Morning Post article are not the views of M, Clemenceau “Socondly—“The {tems of informa tion put in the mouth of M. Clemen- ceau, and sti!) more the items of in- formation divulged by Repington in the Morning Post, could not be ob tained from M. Clemenceaa, but only from records of the Supreme War Council, which were not then in the hands of M, Clemenceau. “But the views attributed to M. Clemenceau and the views expressed fn the Morning Post were the views of Gen, Robertson, and particular copies of the records from which alone Repington could obtain his in- formation were in the hands of Gen. Robertson, “The evidence of this contention must necessarily be elaborate and de- tailed, and can hardly be set out here. “While the session took place at Versailles, Robertson and Maurice stayed In Paria; #0 Aid Repington. ‘When Repington waa prosecuted, Maurice 1s mentioned by the press as having attended at the Police Court during the opening of the case for the Crown, ‘Therefore, as It is diMoult to ac- cept Repington's explanation that he tained his information from tho French source he mentions; as the only possible source of his informa- tion was copica of the records of the gession of the Supreme War Council in the hands of General Robertson; as he expressed tn his Morning Post 8 of Gen, Robertson; in his letter dated Feb, 26, Rob- son usea language strongly sug- gesting that the publication of the article was Intended to assist Rob- ertson in upsetting Mr. Lloyd George, and It was, in fact, so used In the House of Commons, these conmidera- tions, taken together with the pre- vious and subsequent relations exist- ing between, form a mass of circum- stantial evidence pointing with unde- viating finger at Gen, Robertson him- self as having supplied Repington with the information he published.” 'N. Y. CENTRAL CUTS SKILLED MEN’S PAY Gives Notice of 20 Per Cent, Re- duction Affecting Many Classes on May 20. The Now York Central has notificd prastiontly all ite akilled workers of 9 article the vie as working conditions on May 20, The wi cut proposed is about 20 por cent Conferences with the men concerned will be called soon, ‘This move follows the proposed 13 per cent, cut In the wages of unskilled labor announced some time ago, refused by the men and now pending before the United States Rallroad Labor Board. Those involved in the proposed May 20 cut are road and yard engineers and motormen, firemen, conductors, bag- Kagemen, passenger and freight brake- men, flagmen, yard foremen, yard and swite tenders, agents whose dut: are supervisory and not office routine, telegraphers, telephone operators, tow- ermen, tower and ‘ain block opera- y/ cut in wages and a rearrangement of | AMUSEMENTS. | AMUSEMENTS. = SO OC OOO J. Theatres Under Direction of Hago Riesenfeld' RIVOLI BROADWAY AT 49th ST, Because of Popular Demand DECEPTION The Romance of Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII, A Paramount Picture will be retained for another week at the RIVO! Broadway at 49th Street In scenes that for color and splendor have sel- dom been equaled on stage or screen — vast ensembles, brilliant pageants, stupendous settings of palace and battlement Court and Boudoir—a triumph of screen art— intimate glimpses of On Sunday, April 24th, tomorrow, the theatre will open at 12 o'clock noon. Spectal presentation by HUGO RIESENFELD CONTINUOUS, NOON TO 11.30 P. M. EVERY DAY UNTIL APRIL 30 RIVOLI BROADWAY AT 49th ST. CRITERION IALTO TIMES CONTINUOUS SQUARE Noon to 11.30 P.M. ADOLPH ZUKOR presents SIR JAMES M. BARRIE’S “Sentimental Tommy” Directed by John S. Robertron. A Paramount Picture Fifth Week of “The Seventh Wonder of the Screen World.” TIMES SQUARE N_Y. Herald. SUNDAY, 1 TO 11.30 P, M. DAILY, NOON TO 11.30 P. M. BMUINNING SUNDAY ROSCOE (Fatty) ARBUCKLE “The Traveling Salesman” CHARLES CHAPLIN REVIVAL, “The Floorwalker” Hugo it times toda: (A Paramount Picture) E FAMOUS RIALTO ORCHESTRA senfeld and Lion Vanderheim, Conducting i_ FERGUSON, cred and Profane Love” Beginning Sunday April 24th ani for seven consecutive days, more than 100 00, people are going to pay “HUSH” money at ECAPITOL THEATRE to see and know what results when millions of women tell their husbands too much. Watch tomorrow’s newspa leave an evening open next wee! “HUSH” presenting C! the very zenith ot he Beginning TOMORROW—SUNDAY, APRIL 24th 7 IF YO FOU W P he ara = R “tpn AAs re CULLIOIN SSS / Prener LIKED LOVE HIM Showing of "everygooy's Boy” DJACKIE COOGAN AS THE HAPPY ROLLICKING ECKS BAD BOY’ TITLES BY IRVIN S.C “! ee ha aig” rs and to see Kimball Young at r screen Career, at the [ITOL - 6 WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST BEAUTIFULTHEATRE EDWARD BOWES . (Broadway at Fifty-First Street) M’'n'a. Dir. —— TOMORROW (ee ae D sft7 i wee eee ee eee Sane ES a Se a