W. A, have chosen an_ excellent! medium for the entertainment of hois their friends. After all, "'the play's the thing" and Douglas Murray has provided one that leaves a good taste in the mouth—a wholesome lesson from the Book of Life.
Naturally, the chief Interest centres upon, Edward Graham—Uncle Ned—whose experience of the world endows him with the alchemy] to transform a easerhardened_ cap-fain of industry "into a" loving father, once more mindful of his duty to his children. Mr. Langley was altogether satisfactory in this part, despite a tendency to forget his lines at odd moments.
'Or almost equal interest in Sir Robert Graham, in business and domestic lite. Hughes' reading of the character, at first puzzling because of its startling likeness to that of Simon Legree in "Uncle Tom's Cabin,' came more and more plause the" action "developed" and. was entirely convincing. at the end. "At the oataet, his natural' desire to produce the clipped speech and gral tone expected of the tyrant caused the lence to lose some of the author's brightest lines Mrs. Buckstore gave a conacientfous rendering of the confidential secretary, Miss Manning." She is especially to be complimented on the clearness of her diction—a faculty that others of the cast might" profitably imitate, There are. times when) her work suiters from a certain hardness of vocal intonation. She "succeeded, how ever, in. conveying. the atmosph of the woman of the world who is the confidant of an ogre, As Helen Burke, Mrs. HI. Collar was charming and. demonstrated hat she fea natural actress. Svs Vaughan Craddock, too, was excellent as Gypsy Graham, the irrepressible ingenue.
Clearness of diction and long forensic experience, naturally put Mr. Kenneth Newman entirely ease. He made the most possible of the part of Dawkins, the butler. Miss Hinds did what was required of her. very well indeed. There must, of course, always be minor parts in.a play." Yet they inevitably Biford the' participants an. oppor. tunity to: show what they can do, In this category fall the oles of Henderson Burke and Mr. Mears, the Inquiry Agent. Both were well interpreted by Mr. H. J. Collar and Mr. Henry Jory, respectively, Of the three performances given by this Dramatic Section which the critic has been "privileged to se, this is by far the best. A certain naturalness which characterised last tevening's performance, will. doubt: fees have worn off by this evening. For a frst performance "it really went off remarkably well. The ction did "not drag nor did occasional lapse in the fines in any Sense mar enjoyment." The staging mechanical effects are good and Mrs. Jory is once more to be com plimented on her ability as a pro-Gucer. The harp solo in the second sct—suppoced to be the playing of Helen Brker and which Swat rendered by Bes; Lavers—was well received.
Oson more Marshal. Sun. Chuanfang has issued.an onder' forbidding! the assembly. on amectings. of "pers sons without permission first having been obtained from the authorities.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.