| Show shags play condemned by all the critics new york oct 31 press comment upon geo bernard shaws play mrs warrens profession while not denying the brilliancy of the author and the competency of the arnold daly cast is not flattering to too pi of the propriety of the play the critics say world arnold daly not only belittled fais pretentious claim of being an artist but committed a gross public breach of good taste good manners and good morals by presenting last night at the garrick theater that most unpleasant of pla s unpleasant the most designedly and uselessly prurient comedy in all contemporary democratic literature airs warrens profession fes sion mr daly did not have all the courage of his pretended convictions heretofore he has acted shaw without cutting the text lost night throughout mrs warrens fetid rehearsal of her life of professional prostitution tit ution some of the boldest of the dialogue was not spoken the cutting however was immaterial what sir daly was afraid to convey in spoken words he was willing to allow his audience to receive by intimation and it was so direct that a child could not have avoided understanding it times arnold daly has made a serious mistake airs warrens profession as an acted play bears about the same relation to the drama that the post mortem bears to the science of which it is a part mr shaw takes a subject reeking and analyzes it for those whose unhealthy tastes find satisfaction in suggestion As a play to be read by a limited number of persons capable of understanding its significance of estimating mr shaw and hia themes at their full value and of discounting them through their personal knowledge of the life he seeks to portray it undoubtedly has a place but as a play to bo acted before a miscellaneous assemblage sem blage it cannot be accepted press mr shaw has given a question to play gleis lder than the average question usually passed upon by the theatrical ic porter all that may bo done in this instance is to give a glimpse of shaw shaking hands with immoral folk and mark ou it will be only a glimpse tor most of the meal served in the garrick theater last night would smell like carrion spread upon the pages of a newspaper the simple fact is that portions of mrs wan ens profession are so foul that they cannot be put before newspaper readers this makes the issue pretty plain but what has the public to say about it sun the tedious inevitable question should the performance bo al lowed morality it is said is a geography but boundaries shift rapidly by all victorian standards the dieco is impossible yet such a play was not dreamed of in the philos ophy of the past generation certain ly there is nothing in the law as lately quoted to warrant its suppression it does not outrage any decent decency nor any humane humanity the worst thing about it is the atmosphere mo sphere of salacious expectation which the self appointed moralists mora lists have conjured out of nothing it is revolting in theme and in treatment but the use As the wood pussy remarked to the automobile to new york is already speaking terms with the unspeakable the polecat is out of the bag american mrs warrens profession Is an intellectual and unnecessary tout cold blooded discussion of a pestilential easue it is an effort to set before unthinking men and women by means of the footlights the fi callon of social life it is illuminated gangrene it is the suppuration of a plague spot it is undoubtedly a true picture but it is the sort of picture that few want to look at and that many should not be allowed to look at on the stage tribune it Is an affront to decency and a blot on tho theater that the play before a properly selected audience might be productive of other things than ill timed laughter and ribald suggestion is another question which need not be discussed hero such an audience under present conditions cannot bo assembled mr daly owes it to his profession and the public to remove the drama from the boards telegraph sunday and monday arnold daly with some assistance put in his time editing the play and it was somewhat expurgated when we saw it last night in whatever shape it is however mrs warrens profession deals with an unpleasant topic herald the lid was lifted by mr arnold daly and the limit of stage indecency reached last night in alm garrick theater in the performance of geo bernard shaws mrs warrens profession the whole story of play the atmosphere surrounding H the incidents the of the charac tera are wholly immoral and degenerate the only way successfully to expurgate mrs warrens profession is to cut the whole play out you cannot have a clean pig sty the play is an insult to decency because it defends immorality it glorifies debauchery bau chery it besmirches the nesa of a clergy mans calling EXECUTION STOPPED constantinople oct sl the preparations which were going on for the execution of Vartan lan who claims american citizenship and who was condemned to death by the criminal court at stamboul oct for the murder of apik djian an armenian was stopped suddenly yesterday on the receipt of a note from the american legation setting forth in unequivocal terms that such an act inevitable produce serious con sequences the authorities have now notified the legation that the execution of the death sentence has been pond pending the settlement if the question with the legation and of tho on hie legation anil he pone are now engaging |
