PREFATORY NOTE



comedy, "Glad of It ", and he now waked up to
the fact that it would be necessary for him to
write something strong and something different,
in order to hold attention and to bring his public
back to him. It was this which prompted him
in the creation of his melodramatic "The Woman
in the Case." The morning after the opening of
the play, when the papers were unanimous in
praising him for the dramatic effectiveness of the
one big scene, he wrote: "It is what I told you
I knew I must do! And I have done it, and oh,
I cannot tell you the relief' The strain before
I saw the papers was almost more than I could
stand. "
  The stage history of "The City ", as it pertains
to Mr. Fitch, is an incomplete record; for, when
he left on his final trip to Europe in June, I909,
while the manuscript was practically completed,
he had reserved the finishing touches until re-
hearsals were well under way. Undoubtedly the
play was prompted by two dominant desires on
the part of the dramatist: first, to prove to his
public his capability of creating character and
situations that were strictly masculine in their
attitude and strength; and secondly, the quiet life
lived by Mr. Fitch at "The Other House ", in
Katonah, brought into sharp contrast the de-
mands and strains of the city upon individual



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