Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-09-05
nancaster 9ntrlIigenrcr.
EVENING. SEPT. 8. 1889.
EUROPE Hungry for American Genius.

Europe Hungry for American Genius.
That a prophet Is not without honor
save In his own country is being demon-
strated by o young American who is now
rcaping laurels by the cartload 10 Berlin.
This young man Is known here as play
wright. His name, which yet fingers IN
big type at some Of the country cross
roads and along the moss grown fences, is
BARLEY Campbell. Probably no young
man ever fought the fight Of life more des.
perately OF more vainly than did he for
years He produced plays with the fecun-
dity Of Lope do Vega, and for the most
part they were American plays, dealing
with the life about bim--not always with
finesse, but generally with bravery and
strength--and through most of them there
ran rough strain Of elemental poetry
But the manager laughed him TO scorn,
the critic sneered at his homespuu mate
rial and the public were inclined to look
upon him as rather overseeing iail-
ure.
But he kept on writing. Neither scorn
nor neglect could iptermit the stream OF
plays, Failing to obtain a manager he
became his own manager, aud thus got
before the people. This put him on his
legs, so to speak, and he began To make
money. But he never succeeded in break
ing through the literary barrier and OBJ
tanning recognition as dTamatist. An
impregnable prejudice against American
drama pursued him everywhere. Mr.
Bouccicault had risen 10 the altitude OF
genius on the stolen debris of tho French
stage. Every theatre Ia the country was
open to him, and every manager stood hat
in hand begging him to exert his genius
and purloin something for that house. But
the oiiginal stuff-they would none of 1t.
Then Que day, after tea or fifteen years
Of struggle tor recognition, MIR. BARLEY
Campbell rose up, shook the dust OF Union
Square from his feet and started for Ger
many. 1t was a bold thing for this barn
stormiug American playwright to do-to
throw himself into that sea Of profound
dramatic culture, where every minnow is
a critic and every sardine dramatist. A
broad ripple of commiseratiug laughter ex
tended fIom Printing House square To
Peoria when it was known. What did the
author of the Galley Slave" " and 60 My
Partner propose to do in the land OF
Goethe and Sbiller and Kotzebue ? There
was great deal OF pity felt for Campbell
iu anticipation Of the mingled horror and
amaz, meDt that his American rubbish
would excite in the later LeSsings of that
traDscendental domain.
The result is a curious one. The Ger
mans have hailed Mr.. Campbell as a dra
matist of genius. They positively like his
American rubbish. Those very elements
which were deprecated here as rude and
vulgar and shallow are there pronounced
to be natural, fresh and vigorous. He il
called the "Bret Harte OF the drama, y
1.-The most successful dramatic author o
America" "the young genius of the
Western stage" Philosophy is at his
feet the profound German intellect takes
its hat off to him. The populace crowd t.
see his plays aud the press comedies to
him a place of honor among the great
playwiights of the era.
This II suit is so pronounced and SO un-
expected that it opens wide field Of spec
ulative thought. Why after all may not
the recognition rr of genius be only ques.
tion OF locality, aud why may not hun
dreds of other struggling and neglected
men Of brains 10 America tind recognition
and honor by changing their basis Why,
for example, would it not be a judicious
move for Mr.. Chas. Gayler, another
American playwright, to go to Greece, and
once on Attic soil, amid the traditions of
Kschylus and Euripides, secure that
honor which is impossible in his own
country? It is just possible that the
critics of Paris would hail with specia
delight such fresh aud simple geniuses al
are the authors of the " Farmers Daugh
ter " aud Her Atouemeut," and Mr.
Augustin DAILY himself might reverse th
verdict of mankind by moving frou
Broad way to the Latin Quarter