New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-09-13

MR.. MANSFIELD IN THE SCARLET LETTER"

house. and he impersonaed the character OF Arthur
Dimmcsdae, In iOur-act drama. by Mr. joseph Hat
ton made on the basis OF Nathaniel Hawthornes famous
romance of "The Scarlet Letter. The theatre was
crowded. and the brilliant and popular actor was
welcomed with the energetic pauds OF sincere public
delight. All persons are glad TO see Mr. Mansfield
who honor the element OF MIND. who respect nigh
purpose and noble ambition. and who exult IN the
achievements OF genius. The lovers OF novelty, like
wise are captured by his approach. and they find
pleasure in his presence. All things consplred to
make the occasion OF his remittance imposing With
mental effort and brilliant with social Interest. lie
made Indeed, this instance. rather fruitcss e1
pendlture of his fine powers upon a frail sombrc
monotonous and inconclusive play and upon weak
part but he did this with the same sincerity ana
SKILL the same artistic authority and personal force
that have invariably characterized his public pro-
ceedinCs and his achievement. therefore, commanded
respect and viii stimulate reflection. Arthur Dilnmes
! Gale Is not good acting part, and the actor VINO
derives so much effect from It as Mr.. Mansfield did
must surely be accredited with extraordinary indi-
viduality and charm.
The message Of "Thc Scarlet Letter" Is an abortve
and useless message Of misery. The story depicts the
| misery OF a woman whom love has brought TO public
| shame: the misery OF a clergyman who-until he be
comes morbund-s not brave enough TO cease 10 DC
a hypocrite and who suffers and slowly dies beneath
the pressure of renorse; and, finally. the misery OF
repudiated husband-deormcd In person. old, crafty,
malgnant-whO his idolizcd wife an adui'ercsS'
and who pursues the most hideous and awful scheme
OF revenge upon her lover that colossal hatred can
prompt OF the utmost refinement OF intellect accom-
| pllsh And nothing comes Of II. IL a vital drama
could he derived fron that classical epiome Of 70
mantle sin and sorrow the audience would 10 doubt be
edited By that exploit for, rs an historic pcture INC
romance IS Instructive, while a weird ana shDuo
ANALYSIS of human 1t is impressive To the nagl
nation and the style OF IT is very beautiful In inc
narrative form Il has reached and moved many readers
| will a
SCOPE of DRAMA however, Is wider than that OF mar
rative and the porIuurc and emotion OF this work
might be carried much further than they nave ever
been carried il ii could be turned into powerful
| play. The great multitude would thch learn Hore
than it has known or likely TO know, Of the genius
Of Hawthorne. But the dramatic elenent-thht Is 10
say the element of dong-is not conspicuous In "Ihe
scarlet Letter. and that element cannot rghully Dc
wrought into It's texture. The principal persons VINO
are implicated In the fiction Inert persons lhey
watch each other md they suffer- but they 90 ECU
| move Mr.. Joseph IlattOn has done everything tha'
oonld be done. With the materials AT his comhand'
The play is an excellent SYNOPSIS OF the story INC
structural incidents OF the original are included. Inc
characters are reproduced The situation that Hawthorne
invented is duly displayed. The catastrophe mat DC
cnrs in the book Is represented on the S"Se' HNoi'
spectator who had read the romance coud loho" 'he
line OF the drama. The exposure OF hesuer upon "o
| n,uorv Chilliucworth's discovery Of DlmmcNdale 3
last the confession and death OF the minister are III
wrought into the fabric OF the piece and, WITHOUT ais
credit to It's gloomy austery, certain sprigh''ess
has been impaired TO II by an adfoit eiucuau"' VI
Mistress Hbbns the captain OF the BilS'oi SNIP anu
| those iIon.visaged old danes whom lh"tnorho d.
senble,i around Hesters scaHOld The hing mat mas
not been reproduced ard could not be reproduced Is
Uawthornes intellectual and spiritual treatment OF Ms
subject in which the chief value OF the book CONSISTS
xs,ther nv means OF IIawthorncs spirit, however, nor
by any other could this piece nave Deeh maui
| ANYTHING else than a picture. II IS mouo'e'S' 4ma
was inevitable. And II was Inevitable lur'er'no'o'
that the play should be didactc as 1t IL stationary
| Every bad deed Is succeeded, sooner or Ia,'i' :"
| It's commensurate punishment. f'na9 io -
crime IL the offence be committed against '"c '""'
of society those laws will punish the ohenoer"hen
| ,,ov roach lin II the sin be committed against inc
| .oul II IS registered in memory, ana becomes !"
| r,otr., ,o,1pr Truths of this order make the
basis Of The Scarlet Letter. and are lhcu'a'u ny
f. A portrayal Of spiritual struggles ana suffering
under weird and darky picturesque historic conulion
was the authors object when he tod mat s'orS III"
! declared those truths That portrayal In the mar
,,ive is vtallzed with grim and ghastly spccula'on
and with thousand light and subtle tonches Oh DETAIL
enhanced by fantastic play OF fancy-as "hero
| rink words growing out OF grave are denoted as
| symbols of unaclnowlcdged sins of the creature
| ,noulder,no beneath them. The reader, perceivne
| this tone and drift supplies the necessary actloi-
snpnoeiuc him 10 be interested In the subject at all!
That portrayal, In drama, on the contrary D'con's
| - ,,Lctor1,, renect,on Endurance Is silent.
| suffering does not act 1t may, Indeed talK-as j
| does In the immortal blank verse Of ." Hamlet' bnt
even so II will Le dull and heavy, unless lis accents
fall from lps that genius has inspired TO utter the
| universal language OF the heart. To prel0mlhatc
by deed to sway by means Of action, 10 reveal char
acter projecting Itself into conduct undcr 'he euS
! of impulse and circumstance-tha Is iorDlddch /"
sufferers Arthur Dimmesdalc passed seven wrc'cheh
wears in pretending 10 be holy before the world "le
| I'm secret he was all the time writing under inc
| INV Of rcmorse and wasting away with the canKer
| Of remedies grief. To think Of a miserable man,
thus weak and thus burdencd, dying silently ana ny
inches beneath the cOd, patient sealthy, Inevitable
eve Of a secret, malignant and most faiai enemy Is
IN firm an ideal Of dreadful suffering and Of deadly
peril and also 1t is O. shudder at grsly image Of
| baIcf,l dcprnvity But TO look upon the actual
| spectacle is simply to see two men In two chairs
tn concrete image dissates emotion by substituting
a bald fact for terrible Imagining
A play in order that 1t may effective, must con
Germ Itself with physics and not with mctnphsseS. III
this instance It's legitimate concern Is win INC CIT
cumsances and doings Of two lovers and their enemy
and not with The several phases OF mental perturbation
through which each one Of those persons painfully
| works a tortuOus and trcsOme passage. 1HoSe Two
lovers are a handsome and highly intellectual young
clergyman and the youthful and beautiful Vile OF an
| Unpleasant cid scholar who mad been houUit 10 w
dead Those lovers, under irresistible teinp/uoh nave
fallen into Gin and for this error they have dfeadu!
suffered The woman has been disgIaced. ana tle
man has langlishcd beneath the puissant malice oil
the reycngefu husband, who has lived with MIN as
friend and has insldously striven to torture hin 10
| madness. AT length the lovers resolve to ny away
from theil doom OF torment and dwell al peace 10
gether, but their purpose Is diScoVeed ana o"iieu
Then the minister publicly cOniesses his quit, and
worn out with angush-expircs upon the pillory The
wife and husband alIened forever, remain TO suhcr
longer That is the substance Of the pccc-and trlte
and frsil enough that substance is as material Tor
u,ay The spectator, however, like the diahatlst
! must make the most OF it-taklng comfort IN the
thought that Hawthorne great writer ana that
Ynrli-