of the play] was the New York City
Library system, and since I live
there half the year, I have a card.
Again, this proved futile.
I then explored the theatrical licensing companies, and Samuel
French had this 1912 play listed
in their archives. Happily, I ordered a copy, and waited. And
waited. Since these plays are old
enough to be royalty-free, French
does not keep them on the shelf.
After a year, I called French to ask
what happened to “Within the
Law,” only to be told that they
didn’t have it, which seemed odd
since the year before they had it
listed. I tried again a few months
later, and this time, the woman
answering the phone was not so
dismissive. She was curious why
the script had been listed in 2011,
but was not in 2012. In a few
weeks, she found it, and mailed
me a copy. When I read it – finally
– I was struck by the still relevant
themes of social inequality, the
pursuit of a living wage, and a legal system that favors those who
have enough money to hire the
best council. As the lawyer in the
play states, “Nowadays, we don’t
call them ‘courts of justice.’ We
call them ‘courts of law.’”
The play is often seen as a story
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