Bronson Howard In Detroit

Last Saturday evening, Bronson JBoward, the dramatist who is makiog his home temporarily in Ann Arbor, gave a lecture and readings from his comedy, "Henrietta," before the Detroit club. Very much of the intelligence of Detroit society occupied the parlors of the club, and it was an audience to cali out the best powers of a man like Mr. HowErd. He told of his study of Wall Street dealings in his preparation to write Henrietta. "These money transactione," he said, "these speculations in life and death, form the text of Henrietta. With us the desire to grow immensely and suddenly rich, causes crime, misery and paupeiism. These furnish proper themes for the dramatist. In Europe, the prevalent vice is that of weakh acquired. Here it is incident to the acquiring of weath. Here, then, is the dramatist's materia', which of course he must treat in tbe line of satire." The Detroit Free Prew, in ita report of the lecture says : "The analyses and the dicta laid down is this preliminary difcourse were given with grace and ease that gave them added f orce and clearness. But the partial production of the comedy - for the dramatic reading and charactenzation by Mr. Howard virtually made it such - had a chstm aside from its chaDges from mirth to sadness that set up its author as master over the feelings of those present. The comedy tells the story of Nicholas Vanalstyne, a Wall gtreet operator worth $35,000,000, who bas formed the Henrietta Mining Company, obtained free government grants ol 6,000,000 acres of land for his enterprise and placed its stock on the Exchange. Hig son, Nicholas, Jr., is cstensibly working for the success ot tbe scheme, but gecretly 'beais' its stock, until the father is brought to financial ruiD. The Vanalstynes' pastor, the Rev. Dr. Hilton, is interested in the schemes, but by his amours with an adventuresome vvidow, whom Vanalstyne, Sr, desires to wed, incurs the latter's anger. The situation brought about by tbis state of affaire, and the comedy elements introduced by young Bertie Vanalstyne, and hig fiancee, Lady Mary Trelawney, nee Vanalstyne, give play to all the sentiment between revenge and ridicule. Vanalstyne, Jr.'s, plot to ruin his father for his own gain is finally overthrown by an investment of the patrimony given to Bertie. The unnatural son dies from the shock. The father is made wealthy and rnarries the widow. "In reading the play, the sordid old Vanalstyne, crushing all who stood in his way to financial gain, giving orders to buy up legislatures alternately with railroad?, was pictured by Mr. Howard with a vivid realism, and in the lighter ve:ns he was quite as happy." When Mr. Howard read the part in which the clergyman is introduced, he said that no aspersión on religión was intended. "The greed for raoney is to-day the greatest evil in this country," said Mr. Howard. "There are plenty of sermons delivered against other inordinate affections, but never against this love of money. There are sermons against stealing? Yes, but not against 6tealing railroads ; on bearing false witness? y e?, but not on niaking the books of a great company bear false witnes3; ou taking the name of God in vain ? Yes, but not on millionaires swear ing to false accounts. I feel that a positive crime has been done in thia way by the pulpit. Ithas left this to the journalist, the novelist and the drematist. And opposite the name of Dr. Hilton on the prcgramme is placed, by way of explanation, the passage from Vanity Fair, 'It was to combat and exposé such as these, no doubt, that laughter was made.' And the last words of young Vanalgtyne, as his pastor vainly endeavorg to console him, are, 'You teacb a man how to die. Have you ever shown a man how to live?' "