Tricks and Farces 295 J. Hartley Manners's Peg o' My Heart (Cort Theatre, 20 De- cember, 1912), are typical; wMe Elmer Reizenstein's On Trial (31 August, 1914), with its "cut back" scenes, showed the direct influence of moving-picture technique on dramatic writ- ing. There are hosts of American farces, true to type, racy with American foibles, like Rupert Hughes's Excuse Me (Gaiety Theatre, 13 February, 191 1), Roi Cooper Megrue's It Pays to Advertise (Cohan Theatre, 8 September, 1914), Augustin Mc- Hugh's Officer 666 (Gaiety Theatre, 12 August, 1912), Avery Hopwood and Mary Roberts Rinehart's Seven Days (Astor Theatre, 10 November, 1909). One may point to Rachel Crothers's The Three oj Us (17 October, 1906) and^ Man's World (8 February, 1910) and say she is example of how a woman, anxious to show unity of pur- pose in her work, has been forced later into catering to popular demand. One may deplore that Margaret Mayo's cleverness of technique was used for the creation of such an advertising catch-piece as Twin Beds — which failed even to win the soldiers in cantonment or afield during the past war. ' One may applaud the theatre atmosphere of James Forbes's The Chorus Lady (i September, 1906), and yet see his limitations in the blind way he, like his contemporaries, gropes about for some external novelty. The unfortunate thing is that the American drama has had ' It is too early to state what effect the entertainment of the soldier will have on the future theatre. When the Govemment mobilized men in cantonments it established a Liberty Theatre at each military centre. To this, entertainments were sent by an organized committee which drew upon the commercial theatre as well as upon the amateur. The draft army itself was so full of dramatic talent, so many writers and musicians found themselves in uniform, that in addition to pro- fessional entertainment sent to the camp, the soldiers created an army drama, rich in humour and local colour. Community interest centred itself in aiding the Govemment, whose sole desire was, both at home and abroad, to maintain the morale of men suddenly drawn by the draft from normal life and occupation. Community houses were established in towns nearest cantonments and embarka- tion points, and these community centres may give impulse to the community theatre. Certain it is that the Govemment has found amusement a "war neces- sity," and has determined, in peace times, to maintain Govemment theatres at military posts. If in war time the theatre has made itself necessary, does it not follow that some day the Govemment, regarding the theatre as a necessary social institution for the American people, will give it Congressional support in its ar- tistic maintenance, and recognize its importance by having it represented in the Presidential Cabinet by a Secretary of Fine Arts? This might do much to give direction and purpose to future American playwriting.
