The San Francisco call., 1897-02-07

/ gossip. There modern ideas have no foot
hold" Again, he says: "In this house rules
old-fashioned paternal authority; and it snail
rule as long as live" And this same 'pater-
nal authority" had ten years before meeting
with will as strong as his own, driven from
her home the rebellious daughter who refused
to marry at her fathers bidding.
In the discussion by the gentlemen of the
card club we are further enlightened as to the
point OF view held by these worthy people.
/ General Won Klebe is fuming at having been
! detained by the crowd-"such a crush OF
people gaping as if there were princess at
the least. And what do you suppose ii was A
singer! These are really what one may call
goings on-all this fuss about singerw He
is amazed at having seen the pastor in the
crowd. Now, 1 ask you what did he want
| there, and what good is this whole festival,
and all this so-called art-what good does 1t
doP'
Bockmann, the professor, answers with
trite commonplace, art raises the moral tone
of the people," and the general replies "I tell
you, art is a mere invention of those who are
afraid 10 be soldiers to gain an important posi-
ton for themselves"
! This is the atmosphere into which Magda
brilliant, triumphant-a queen in the realm
she had won for herself-re tn rned for the mo-
ment. No wonder all the efforts to detain her
are unavailing until the pastor she has scoffed
at-the man whom her father years before had
commanded her to marry-obtains the infu-
ence over her which springs from the un-
selfsnness OF his own motives
She resents the least suspicion of constraint
or authority. She says to him: Here was
psrched and stif1ed-it's all so far behind me.
If you only knew how far! You have sat here
day after day in the heavy, close air, while
have felt the storm breaking about my head
Pastor, If you had suspicion of what life
really isp His standards seem narrow TO her.
She doubts his sincerity, but gradually his
earnestness, his self-effacement, compel her
Wonder-almost her awe. She is persuaded to
remain for few days at least, but she chates
at her position. She says to him: "Here l
must bend my Will. I am not accustomed TO
that l must conquer. sing or live-for
both are one and the same-so that men must
will as do. 1 force them-I compel them-to
love and mourn and exult and lament as do,
and woe to him who resists. 1 sing them
down. sing and sing until they become
slaves and playthings in my hands. 1 know
I'm confused but you understand what l
mean" And the pastor answers: "To work
the Impress OF ones own personality-thaps
what you mean, isn't it, Magda?"
Eyes, -es. Oh, 1 could tell you everything.
Your heart has tendrils which twine about
other hearts and draw them out And you
don't do it sellshly. You don't know how
/
beasts, whether in love or hate But you are
a man. Just thinki Yesterday you seemed
to me SO small; but something grows out
from you and become always greater. What
shall 1 call it? Self-sacrifce-self-abne bn egatfon?
1t is something with self, or, rather the re-
verse That is what impresses me and that is
why you can do SO much with me-" And what
touch OF nature is that which makes the
pastor confess that the sight of this trium PHI
ant, dominant personality has awaked old
desires at war with self-effacement.
al have had to stifie much in my nature
My peace is the peace OF the dead. And as you
stood before me yesterday in your freshness,
your natural strength. your greatness, said
to myself, That is what you might have been
if at the right moment joy had entered into
your life'"
And when, as the consequence of the old sim
shame ana sorrow overtake this household il
is the pastor who prevails upon Magda to make
the supreme sacrifice of herself for the sake OF
her child.
"There comes hour to almost every man
when he collects the broken pieces of his life
to form them together into a new design. 1
have found it so with myself And now it is
your turn"
And when she has consented and then re-
fused because she sees that the sacrifice would
be in vain, her father is stricken by death and
Magda in her anguish begs to be allowed to
remain IN this nome she has shattered. But
the reader feels that no real solution of the
problem is here, and that the Magda Suder-
mann draws would chafe, when the sharp edge
of remorse was worn away, at the old restric-
tions Nine. Modjeska, in accenting the
womanly side of Magdas character, has given
US a very noble Interpretation of the part, and
has helped to smooth away the difficulties OF
the outlook.
fancy it is not without meaning that Su-
daryy ,er;,y 81,
And by this he may imply that, not through
the assertion of individuality, but by the sac
rifce of it. is the question answered and the
pro blem solved. GRACE S. MUssER.