The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-07-30


who naS v on not only popular success, but
/ the highest artistic res 9ect on both sides Of
! the Atlantic. The difference IN the tone of
| the two communications quoted emphasizes
the distinction, which have always found
| to exist between work worth read
peruse. The former is the result of
/ deep study, niue amendment and
many reyisioas, while the latter IS the men-
/ tai mushroom that grows in night, dies in a
/ day, and is due to the imperative pressure
of a passing Inspiration" In word, it is
/ safe to assert that the greater the genius the
| quicker it is TO suspect its inperfecUionS and
| the reader it is To undo and redo in order
! to realize the perfection it so ardently
/ aspires to achieve.
/ Good heavensi What nonsense! How
! absurd!
1t takes five years to write good play!
RidculouSl
! l agree with you.
| A good play has often been written in
| five days.
But mark this
Honest study of dramatic art-months
| of evolution and revolution of pIot-con-
! stanJ subjective association wi h the char
ac,ers of the play, during which each has
! lived, spoken and acted with intense reality
| All this must precede and prepare the mind
| for the comparatively trivial work of the
| hand.
/ The longer the dramatist walks eats
sleeps and lives with his ch racters, the
more readily they will spring from his pen
| and live i'll his wo k.
Think what good play implies.
knowledge of human nature, experience
| of life and art III general AID the stage in
particular.
Philcsophic insight, mechanical Instinct.
! poetic fancy, sensitive sympathies, passion
ate fervor and vivid imagination; thorough
| ness In preparation industry in elaboration,
| conscience IN revision, courage in exc sion,
and dominating all this, that breadth of
mind which breeds humility, and that
| depth of heart whose und as andlng love
! goes out III charity to all mankind.
How rarely we ever Sc, a play
1t IS generally supposed that the stage is
| devoted to the production of plays.
How laughable!
Another general supposition gone as
tray.
The stage presents about 100 pieces to one
play.
A piece is no more like a play than man.
aki is like a man.
A play i a creation resulting from that
succession OF processes b. which nature
converts conception into organization, and
tdrou9a the pangs Of labor accomplishes Il
| Dir b.
piece is a cOntrivance concocted b. the
more or less clever conjunction of amusing,
but generally irrelevant parts.
Plays, like lives, are evolved. Pi ces, like
| TOYS, are manufactured.
play Is the natural growth of q ratio al
| theme into dramatic form, daveiopipg stu
! atiOns that are the consistent c seque ace
of the contact of certain legitimate types of
characters. with manifestly possible turns
Of circumstances. t
A piece is the artificial t'putting together
] nj n irlt.
eIce to reason or probability
Tine aim of piece Is t. tiCilate and
astonish the generaf e lorance Of the
| mass. etHlo'
The purpose of play is to iIlustr lte
| human life i'll snch TnGfnur as TO charm.
touch, ellighten aud enlarge hu nan
hear s. N5eh
Pieces amuse idle brains plays delight
active ones. brs-
Pieces divert the puerile mind; plays en-
rich the manly mind ?. sH
No play can possess TIE Fundamental re
qui,iteS Of unit coherefca aaol ,Itsi~tency
! unless it has some 0Aa distinct and foca!
purpose. This focal purpose about which
all The q, ner elements OII:u play must adj
just themselves with dNe regard for their
respe tive IMP lance, IlnaY be either the
PIE entatloA OF Som3 ace taG9l from life
or lteraCare. or the NlltStrat.on Of some
typical re sonality, whose characteristics
are OF Snp9em Inpor5alGH. or the Demon
stratipn OF some pdiloal4hie idea, III, trut !
OF which 1t Is tie ann oi every action to ex-
pose. Is nJ-ce Ha-
Given a great event, the work of the
dranatist is then todseleqb sucl type o.
character, and such ,sH6lEaiaaLe incident
as may most firmly hold -tae attention OF
the audience, and mos naturally lead up
to the crcwn!ng s.tuat on, presenting the
event that was the plima! cause OF his en-
or.
When a personality becomes the rompt-
ing impulse of a play, the authors chef
co cern is then to invent story that will
supply Incidents consistent VITA his char
ac-ers, a4d tiording the best opportunity
OF develop ng aud displaying the typical
traits Of TIE ind iduality that gives + ca
interests to his work
a play W oSe conception is due to an
idea, demands Of its author a succession OF
incidents VIII n are the natural consequen-
ces OF the rotations of his Characte s and
hlch, by Gaelr unfolding, emphasize with
cumulative for e, + @ ia iOnaty and ethical
value oil the theue which is the gernlnat-
lAg motive of his crea ton.
The play of Incident makes its chief
demand upon the mind Of the mechanic.
The play Of character calls forth TIE
faculty Of the philosopher.
The play of ideas implies in more o.
les degree the sublimating Imagination of
the poet, and the illuminating intuition o.
u seer.
The master playwright combines the
construc i've facultv Of thu mechanic
and the analytical mind of a philosopher
with the esthetic instinct of poet aid
the ethical ardor of an apo tie.
Inis marvellous combination is most
potentiv revealed IN the iInu0 rial plays OF
William Shake peare, the poet-phlnsopher
who won from learned, but crusty Ber
JonSon, the lie Of "Gentle Will.n How
thoroughly such a title won from such a
cVnIc suggests the unconscious grace anG
unpretentlouS humility OF a noble mind.
Imagine this great one, whose few re
naming MSS. reveal s. many revisiong
and rewritings, prating about the danger
of study TO genius With all his grald
natural endowment he sought the society
OF the q bleSjand most enlightened OF his day,
and drank in the wondrous culture of his
time with that insata 10 thirst which the
eager eyes of real genius always possess for
light.
The least we lesser gifted ones can do is
to cultivate his reverence for learning, his
love for labor, and thu severity of self
censnre he brought to the revision IF mis-
work
AS Browning so nobly reco mends, lei
us see all, trust God, nor be raid."
Let usgo unbiased and unaha hei from thu
sanctuary of The saint TO the der of tn,
sinner