Evening star., 1896-09-12
w. r. Speare,
Undertaken Sc ErnFpsTr7ar
IN SEARCH OF HAPPINESS
Talk with Prof Timayepts. Wb,
TRANSLATED ID Into GreeI

produced In Athens. and in my opinion Mr.
downing has secured the greatest r,av of
the century. Mind my words. ;llis I.lay-n-ill
| pr,ng. as the poet Longfellow said FAM. and
fortune 10 the man giving it life, and il the
success of the play in Athens means any
.iIiiie, IL means triumph for Mr. Downing
On Monday next
The above words were spoken 10 a Star.
REPORTER by Prof. T. T. TiInayen,s the am,
tnor of "A History of Greece From m.
Earliest Times 10 the Present" Gree I'm
the Times of Homer" The Language of
the Greeks and many other well-known
WORKS, which have achieved a remarkable
success in this ccunIry. and which have
won for the professor the reputation of he
ing one OF the foremost classical scholars
In this country.
But does the fact that this play achieved
a great success abroad warrant this pre-
ulction Tor It's same success herey' sup-
eestei the reporter
By all means it does. Bear in mind that
EdwGrd Dousard wrote In search of Ham,
pincss originally in the English language
iie wrote IL TO Please an American au iience
he wrote IL Tor an American actor lie
never intended IL for the Athenians NV at
tention was first called 10 the plaN ly the
late Steele MacKaye, and 4 was 30 nni-h i'm
pressed by IL that / translated IN into tie
Greek language, and | am, therefore in
clined to believe that success in Athens
means, III anything, a greater degree of sue
cess mere, because, as L said before the
play was originally written for an Amerf-
can audience and for an American actor"
What are the salient features which this
play contains ard which hav. won for IL
such a remarkable success?" asked the re-
porter.
The features are many. In the first
place the two great characters in the play,
which viii, of course, be acted by Mr.
Downing and Eugenie Blair whc as an
emotional actress is one OF the best that [
nave ever seen upon any stage. represent
two great distinct features which in M,
CDiIlOn lVD; in in, -
play. The hero represents the idea! and the
heroine the real. The ideal is streistn.ne
tE the omntpotent force OF religion as IL
becomes manifest from the action that
Ldkes pace IN the sacred grove of the
Druds. The real, exempliiied IN the
chara cter Of the principal female role
springs from the womans heart. Ii repre-
sents not what consider The ideal wo-
man, character which exists only in
Imagination in poetry and novels. but he
real woman as she has been, as she is and
as She shall always be. Edward Dousard
mas depicted. anaIyzed and shown woman
in a mastery way, in manner never be-
lore attempted upon any stage.
Another remarkable feature of this play
is the fact that the author has found the
secret to touch at the same time the heart
ard the head the intellect Of his audi-
c1cc. As the poet Longfellow happily re-
marked, In Search OF Happiness Dossess-
es strength. beauty and tenderness. These
three qualities, to wit. strength. beauty
and tenderness, constitute a great play
and, in fact, constitute the success of the
play. There remains another feature to lie
told-the fact that this play possesses ac-
tion, action that never drass, and which
causes every succeeding act TO lie greater
than the one preceding il. Briefly told
these are the features that have won for
this play the claim of being the greatest
Grama of the century. claim which L
think honestly and deservedly won"
But who is Edward Dousard, the author
of the play
He is Greek by birth and education,
hut an American citizen. If I may venture
Z prophecy, Edward I.ousard's name will
become famous on Morday evening next
and ne will be looked upon as perhaps the
81 eatest living dramatist."
NSw, professor. tell me. has the play lost
any of Its original strength and beauty in
the Greek TT; nslation?"
No, the translation work of love,
il l may so express myself, with me
Again. the Greek, like the English IS a
strong and animated language, eminently
adapted to express the literary excellence.
the picturesqueness of effect and the strong
human interest in which In Search of
Happiness ahounds.''
"Ycur translation. professor. was in mod
ern Greek, does the modern Greek language
possess the advantages of the classic
Creek"
There is less difference existing between
the Greek language. as spoken by the edu-
Gated Greek today, than there is between
the English of Chaucer and the English of
today. My translation was made in pure
Attic Greek. and / think that il carried out
the literary excellence of the original"
This talk about the new play with which
Mr.. Robert Downing will open the Ma
toBal Theater Monday night shows that
educated men have taken an interest in the
matter and hope for the production OF a
play drawn upon classical lines. of high
literary excellence. filled with dramatic
action and containing that human interest
which shall hold the attention OF a mod
ern audience. 1t is understood that Mr.
Downing has spared no expense in the
production of this play. and that II will he
given with elaborate scenery and costumes
and with a cast competent to properly in
terpret the characters