TEMPTATIONS OF A GREAT CITY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 107, 13 January 1912, Page 4

TEMPTATIONS OF A GREAT CITY

AT THE EMPIRE THEATRE. The patrons t,o-night will be treated to a change of programme, the principal item of which will be "The Temptations of a Great City." It is a Nordisk drama of 2650 feet. A young man, the son of a wealthy -widow, and living beyond his allowance, becomes infatuated with an actress. Through buying her costly gifts and suppers he becomes hopelessly entangjed in debt. He appeals to his mother, but she will not advance him any more, as she already paid numerous debts for him. As a last resource he goes to a financier and obtains a loan. There he meets the daughter of the financier, but takes very little notice of her; later, finding that he has left his gloves behind, he returns and sees her tofing with them. It is then a case of love at first sight. Some time later, taking his faithful valet into his confidence, he gets him to arrange a quiet little supper in his rooms, and then invites the new-found sweetheart to dine with him. While they are engrossed with each other his mother knocks at the door. Not wishing to compromise the girls he hides her in an adjoining room. The mother suspects something, not taking her son's answer as sufficient, and looks for herself. She finds the girl, and orders her son out of the house. Taking his sweetheart with him they quietly settle in a home of their own. The money-lender presses the husband to meet the bill, which is due, and in a fit of desperation he forges his mother's name for a longer period on the bill, which is taken with satisfaction by the girl's father. Things go from bad to worse, until the girl persuades him to make a clean breast of the whole affair to his mother. He promises to do so. but on reaching the house, instead of going to his mother he decides (being utterly desperate)' to burgle his mother's house and get the money to meet the bill. The old butler, seeing someone stealthily entering, informs the police. Meanwhile the son has wrenched open the bureau and taken a banknote, but his better self prevails and he returns it to the drawer just as the police and his mother enter. She, taking,the situation in at a glance, convinces the officer that everything is right; but it is a great blow to her to know that her son has surik so low. He confesses all to her, and is frfeely forgiven. Meanwhile his wife, anxious at his non-return, decides to go to her father and see if he has been there. She implores her father to give her the bill, but he refuses to part with it, even to his daughter. So she snatches it from him and burns it in the grate. The father, in a fury, strikes her, and think he has injured her fatally, dies of shock; The mother and son now now arrive, and recognising her daugh-ter-in-law's worth, the mother receives her and her son back home.

There will also be a fine programme of other new films.