element, because not
sufficiently motivated in the preceding development. It remains an
incident.

For all that the title is justifiable. Conceding that this sudden 'good'
ending looks like a concession and certainly is a constructive weakness,
yet in the inwardness of the subject it is excellently motivated by the
typically mediaeval attitude of Kolbein to salvation and the Church as
its sole bestower. Notwithstanding the ambiguity of its victory,
the Crozier _has_ won. Another power than the moribund gods and the
overstrained Teutonic conceptions of morality--the Law of the Sword--has
conquered, even if by the help of conceptions almost as crude. And this
well indicates the normal course of Christianity, which has at all times
made its way more by weight of power and influence than by conviction
and conversion.

Finally a word on the subject of the drama. Our readers are beginning
to become so accustomed to the spiced dishes of Continental Problem
drama,--reaction against which has set in there long ago,--that fears
may well be entertained that the rude simple fare of the Historic
Drama will be rejected with scorn. This would indeed be regrettable, as
tending to show that we are still far from a sober catholicity of
taste, and still in the leading-strings of the Old World, not yet having
obtained that independence and maturity of judgment which consists in
being wise enough to gather nourishment suitable to one's needs from
whatever be offered to us, even it be not labeled with the ism of the
hour.

THE NEW DRAMA

"_The play's the thing_"

THE PLAYFARER

BY HOMER H. HOWARD

THE BIJOU

As early as eighteen thirty-five a theater known as the Lion existed
where the Bijou now is. It was maintained under various names until
taken possession of by B.F. Keith. Later he decided to make a motion
picture place of this theater, and in February, 1908, it was opened for
that purpose. Soon a new policy was adopted and Mrs. Josephine Clement
was appointed manager of the Bijou Theater, with instructions to develop
an entertainment of a different type from the usual motion picture
program.

Mr. Keith did this not only from a desire to preserve the old theater,
but to see if the public would not support a higher-class cheap show.
His confidence in the sanity of the taste of the public has been fully
justified by the results of the experiment.

Mrs. Clement's first step was to improve the lecture which was a par