remained almost unscathed.

The army, of course, has not been neglected. Half the Lotharios of
modern drama belong to the destructive profession, and the peppery or
tedious colonel is an old stock friend; whilst the "Dobbin" type is
handled very frequently, and the V.C. has been bestowed more often by
dramatists than by royalty. The modern officer of the good type, the man
with an honest, energetic interest in his profession, is rarely
presented.

What about the navy? There was _The Flag-Lieutenant_ and also _Captain
Drew on Leave_, the latter a somewhat unpleasant picture, fortunately
exhibiting no trace of the sailor's spirit or style of thought. One
cannot complain nowadays of a lack of parsons or Nonconformist
ministers, though it is irksome to see that the latter, as a rule, are
presented in an odious light, by way, probably, of a mean little revenge
for the hostility of the Nonconformist to the theatre--a hostility which
could hardly surprise any dispassionate person who considers the present
state of the stage.

The architect, save in _The Master Builder_, is almost unknown; the
engineer, unspecialised as a rule, figures vaguely sometimes.

Perhaps one ought to write guardedly concerning the journalist. Still,
at least, facts may be stated. As a rule he appears as reporter or
interviewer, and is treated comically. In _The Perfect Lover_ Mr Sutro
handles him seriously, and that play contains an elaborate picture of a
weak-minded journalist as well as a wicked solicitor. Of the existence
of thousands of men, highly educated and many of them possessing
brilliant degrees, connected with the enormous newspaper interest of
this country, the stage takes no cognizance. A dramatic critic
occasionally is exhibited--as a rule in connexion with the
champagne-and-chicken theory.

The vast army devoted to science is almost ignored, though sometimes the
inventor has a kind of "innings": in _The Middleman_ Mr Henry Arthur
Jones made a striking figure of him. Financiers, business men, merchants
and the like have little justice done to them. To the dramatist the
fraudulent is the only interesting financier. He certainly is very fond
of working on the _Mercadet_ basis. He commonly confounds the
stockbroker with the bucket-shop keeper, and invariably assumes that the
company promoter is a thief. The merchant or manufacturer tends to
replace the French uncle from America, and his wealth rather than
himself is employed by the pl