The Christian.

Southland Times, Issue 14713, 4 August 1900, Page 3

The Christian.

. « To those who are not familiar with the plot of Hall Caine's great novel "The Christian," a brief resume of the plot of the drama, as it will be staged by Mr Bentley in the leoal theatre on Monday next, will be of interest. In the prologue the Rev. Joha Storm i« leaving the Isle of Man for London in company with Glory Qaayle, the one to accept a curacy amongst the poor, the other to work at a hospital nurse. In the first aot there is a board meeting at the hospital, where Storm is acting as chaplain, and one of the nurses, who has been betrayed by a member of the board, is very harshly questioned and admonished by Canon Wealthy. Storm, indignant at the Canon's unchristian behaviour, castigates him in * bitter speech, accusing him of hypoorisy and Pharisaism. Disgusted with his environment, and the hopeless wickedness of his surroundings, Storm retires to a monastic retreat, hoping to find peaoe in cutting him■elf off from the world. The restraint, however, proves too much for him, and he »aain goes into the world to searoh for Glory, whom he has learned to deeply love. He finds her an actress, and intimate with fast men about town. The blow to his love almost drivel him mad and, thinking that she is lost, be decides to kill her body to save her soul He goes to her rooms with this intention but when she greets him, his fanatical resolve sneenmbs to bis love and he olasps her te his breast. In the last act he is fatally attacked by a mob for falsely prophesying the end of the world, but ere he dies Glory appears and they are married. The dramatiaed version of the work as played by the Douglas Ancelon Company, Mr Walter Bentley taking the role of John Storm and Miss Ada Woodhill that of Glory, has been received with moob favour in the northern oities of the oolony and doublets 4/here will be great eagerness bereft* to we it.