The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-21

The drama is as old as humanity-its
history is the story of the race. At all
times its history was in intellectual and
moral harmony with the people. Theo-
retically, the province of the drama is to
instruct and elevate; practically, it is an
expression of the sentiment, culture, NOR
atty Cor lack of them) of the people. AS
are the people, SO is the drama.
Acting, or the art of Stimulating, is in
herent in the human race-and is not con-
fined to human beings. The best low COM
edian | have seen was fox terrier belong
ing to member of my family. Brian Bo-
roimme brian Boru), as the dog was
called, was entirely uneducated, yet he
possessed complete knowledge of dog
lore, dog-tricks, and responsibilities. ALI
these he ed-burlesqued-in the
most comical way, but always to an audi
ence other than the family. He could
laugh or cry, and he invented quite
number of -comedies-improvisin to
suit the occasion.
Mimicry is inherent in many birds, as
well as in many animals, but the drama,
as we understand it, is human invention.
1t may be said that all beings suffering the
indignitv of repression develop acting quail
tiles. Slaves are apt actors. From the
beginning of her story woman has been an
accomplished simulator. / have seen
woman whose heart was the theater of
consuming passion address the object of
that passion in the simpering words of an
inane schoolgirl. Her pride inspired the
desire to conceal love not demanded
All men and all women simulate. All have
social manners, business manners, ext
gency manners. The real man or woman
is rarely exposed. This concealment is
natural and legitimate. The true ego is
sacred to the man, to maintain its sacred
character he acts part-sometimes har-
monious with his ego, sometimes its very
opposite. The child begins to simulate the
moment its appetites or desires develop.
So tAll the worlds a stage, and all the
men and women merely players"-hence
the universal interest in the drama. Men
as much as women love to look in the
mirror, and to all the stage drama is
mirror, il which passion and sentiment
are reflected.
The early history of the drama is OBJ
scure, but there is enough OF truth in the
story to show that the dithyrambus or
hymn, used in the early Greek worship of
Bacchus, was the germ of all subsequent
dramatic work. Thespis, an Icarian poet
(535 B. c., adopting the dithyrambus re-
cited an ode-employing a chorus to sus-
tain the recital. Eschylus, few wears
later, developed the drama as we now
understand it, but was content with a COM
pany of two-with this addition came
dialogue and the present drama in minia-
ture. Eschylus also introduced scenery.
He got rid of the Thespian bacchanal ode
with all its lewdness, and gave the Greeks
pure and elevating tragedy. Thirty years
later Sophocles increased the strength of
the dramatic company to three members.
Fifteen years later Euripides presented his
splendid works to the Greek people. With
out materially changing the status of the
company, he entirely changed the motive
OF the performance.
Eschylus, Sophocles and Euripides live
In history as the three greatest, purely
tragic poets the world has known. Each
had school of his OVID. The tragedies of
Eschylus were charged with horror-their
atmosphere, the terrible. He breathed
fire and his voice was thunder. His
dramatiS persona were demi-gods, moral
giants, impossible to humanity. Sophocles
was a dreamer and created men and
simplicity, moral perfection, were the
attributes of his creatures-but, like the
giants of Eschylus they were impossible
in Greece. and are probably still impos-
sible anywhere.
Euripides gave the Greek a picture of
himself. He presented men and women
as he found them. His school survived
all the changes of time and the method of
Euripides is practically the method of
to-day.
The Greek stage, like Greek art, was
severely classical in its arrangements. The
Greek theory was that the actors only
should fill the eye of the audience. AS
illustrating how a theory will live in oppo-
sition to fact, it will be remem bered that
Edwin Booth, all his life, maintained the
Greek idea that stage effects were opposed
to the true purpose of the drama-that the
man and his purpose were sufficient for all
dramatic representations, and that rich