. The literary digest. sition as an actor andan actor-manager whichwhole years of appear-ance in such pieces asAn American Citizencould not have broughtabout. Of the play itself,The Chap Book pro-ceeds to speak withhearty but discriminat-ing praise: The play is the bestthing Mr. Fitch has donesince Beau earliest. At no timesince then has he comeso near to pleasing criticsand public alike — theplay has been an unmis-takable popular Hale has un-questionable faults. Itis not the heroic play onemight have hoped for ; itis frankly melodramaticcomedy. Yet, on thewhole, it
. The literary digest. sition as an actor andan actor-manager whichwhole years of appear-ance in such pieces asAn American Citizencould not have broughtabout. Of the play itself,The Chap Book pro-ceeds to speak withhearty but discriminat-ing praise: The play is the bestthing Mr. Fitch has donesince Beau earliest. At no timesince then has he comeso near to pleasing criticsand public alike — theplay has been an unmis-takable popular Hale has un-questionable faults. Itis not the heroic play onemight have hoped for ; itis frankly melodramaticcomedy. Yet, on thewhole, it is the mostsatisfactory Americanhistorical play we havehad yet. The DevilsDisciple, Mr. BernardShaws curious, satiricalrevolutionary play, is,perhaps, more interest,ing to the few, but forthe public it is onlybaffling and tantalizing. Mr. Fitchs effects are broad and, fortunately, never character in our national romance has had more charm or interest for the mass of people than Nathan Hale, and, basing his. NAT GOODWIN AS NATHAN HALE. Vol. XVI., No. 15] THE LITERARY DIGEST. 431 story on the few facts known in his life, Mr. Fitch has built upan exciting plot. He has added a love-story which becomes themain feature of his play, and which—in the stage version—is thereal cause of Hales capture. Alice Adams is at first one ofHales pupils in the school he taught after his graduation fromYale—afterward she is his sweetheart. The first act, which is a mere prologue, shows their love-making in the schoolroom in a very pretty, light vein of Act H., when every one else refuses to be a spy, Hale offers toaid Washington at this crisis by undertaking to penetrate theBritish lines and learn the plans for the attack on New , in a moment of enthusiasm, he had promised Alice neverto risk his life unnecessarily. Hidden behind curtains, she hasheard his offer, and she comes out of her concealment to holdhim to his pledge. You could not love a coward, says H
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