"THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE"

Mr. Carb's "The Voice of the People" differs from most recent plays on the subject of boss-rule in that its realism is not a mere sham. The ordinary political drama shows a boss whose wickedness is monstrous, in conflict with a young reformer whose intelligence and altruism are superhuman. Mr. Carb has bravely faced the truth that the problem is never quite so simple. His young heroine begins as a worshipper of her uncle, the boss Dan Magee, who seems so strong and generous; and only gradually she comes to suspect that the system he personifies is corrupt. Nor does she gain an easy victory over him; indeed, at the end of the play, she herself realizes that to overturn a power rooted in the craven nature of the people, is a work of incalculable slowness. Magee, too, is a complex character, in whom sincerity and trickery are mingled in a very natural manner. The story of the struggle between these two, quite apart from its political significance, is interesting. The third act is somewhat slow and preachy, but the others hold the attention by the richness and variety of their incidents.

The very fact that the play is not superficial in thought nor meagre in its incidents, makes it a hard one for amateurs to perform creditably. Two of the parts proved, indeed, too difficult,--that of the lover, and that of Magee's wife. But the others were well performed, and showed the effects of good coaching. Mr. Pichel, Mr. Clark, and Mr. Donovan, commendably filled the roles of three well differentiated minor characters. Mr. S. J. Hume, as Magee, was forceful yet restrained, and made both the good and bad traits of the boss stand out very clearly. Miss Jessie MacDonald, in the most difficult part, that of the heroine, did much to carry the play.

The players and the author deserve the encouragement of a large attendance at the remaining performances.