The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-28
DRAMA GOING TO THE DoGs.
Israel ZnngwiII's First Lecture scores
the Stage.
New York Herald.

New York Herald.
AT the Lyceum Theater yesterday after
noon Mr. Israel zangwill made his first APP
pearance here as a lecturer with an adj
dress on THE Drama as a Fine Art"
Mr.. Zangwill was evidently i'll at ease
as he proceeded At his best. however his
manner is against him. His features are
impressive; his voice is a monotonous drawl.
merely passes his singularly well-shaped
hands across his chin, or over his eyebrows
or arranges his tie with them, or thrusts
them desperately into his trousers pockets.
His lecture began with a succinct review
OF the origin of the drama and its develops
ment up to the present time This was
saved from the boredom of the encyclo-
paedic method by continuous splutter and
sparkle of epigrams, some very good and
the manner Of all lecture audiences APP
plauded in inverse ratio to their merit.
Tnen Followed an ingenious and at times
brilliant, If somewhat paradoxica disserta-
ton upon the actual condition of the drama,
described deplorabe, and a hint as to
It's future possibilities, which were painted
The drama. 1t was pointed out. was
rounded on religion, yet religion had fire.
the devil had alternately struggled for its
mastery, and the devil was at present atop,
at least among English-speaking people.
The Greek and the Hebrew genius had
shaped ii in its infancy. The former wor-
SHIPPED the holiness Of beauty, the latter the
beauty of holiness The former gave dra-
form to drama.
After pointing out how Christianity had
first opposed the drama, then adopted 1t IN
the monkish mystery plays and then OPP
posed 1t again, the lecturer considered its
proper field. This. he epigrammatically
summed UP stimulation, stimulation ard
concentration, or. in other words, as the
mimicry OF life the vitalization OF episode,
and the focusing of scattered elements at
the proper crisis. Then he passed on 10 the
drama it exists at present.
This subject he considered under seven
heads-the conditions of production, the au-
dience the scenery, the manager. the actor.
the critic and the author. AS TO the first,
the limited number Of theaters places a
limit on the number of plays that can be
accepted at any one time. Hundreds OF
novels. on the other hand can be published
simultaneously. Two thousand purchasers
of a novel more than pay for its publication,
but many times two thousand spectators
do not recoup the cost of producing a play.
1t must reach the low level not the high
level, OF the national life, unless, indeed, the
mob be an -, artistic mob, like the
and the Partisan mob Of the present.
Scenery that appeals to the mob is a
necessity In the great old days two boards
and a passion sufficed to make a drama
To-day it needs two sticks and a wardrobe.
when want to give pleasure TO my maid
i buy her seat at some realistic play.
where she can see a tram car or fire. en-
CINE. To be sure, she see these things
any day in the streets, but Il gives her an
As to the manager, he Is necessarily a
shopkeeper. We have no right to demand
that he should be anything but q business
man. The trouble is that he is a very bad
business man. He usually comes from the
riff-raff of the populace. He cannot tell
good from bad. He cannot interpret in adj
vance the inarticulate desires OF the public.
Irvings regard for TennysOn is unique in
the history of the stage-and of Irving.
The trouble with the actor is that ne does
not understand the mathematics of his pro-
fession: He believes that the part Is greater
than the whole. A study of all the foies
and vanities of actors would need a new
Swift in a world of Lilputians.
The critic Is a hopelessly illogical person.
He is a sort of faster between the manager
and the public. He knows too much OF stage
tricks TO know how they affect the less in
structed public. He knows that the hero Is
not always young. nor the heroine always
beautiful, nor the villain wicked rs either
OF them he represents the public only as
baby he kisses.
That schoolboy builded better than ne
knew who defined a plagiarist as a writer OF
plays. The latter steals his literature from
the French and leaves out the literature.
He protects the morals OF his audience by
legitimatizing the bastards of French crea-
ton. and elevateS the stage by translating
the Indecent into the uninteligible. Authors
who do not adapt from foreign authors are
mere hacks. Comedy is not all drivel nor
tragedy all SWIVEL: yet these hacks imagine
that a combination of drivel and. snivci con-
stitutes drama Even the literary artists.
the noveists, who are now beginning to
turn their own works into dramas, surren-
der to the supposed popular demand instead
permitted in oratorio. Elijah can, only make
his appearance i'm evening dress. Ihe stage
is divorced from life.
Yet life at present Is as dramatic as hi the
Elizabethan age Africa and China are
opening up new worlds for exploration and
settlement. Deweys victory has lastencd
the dsintegratiOn of the corrIpt forces OF
European madiaevalism. The Jews are
looking forward 10 the establishment OF q
new Zion. The Socialists are preaching a
new gospel of human rights. Royalty Is
trembling before anarchy. he bloody. selfish
murderer OF the past masquerading in a new
dress OF pretended, unseGrhness lola
throws down the gauntlet 10 whole nation.
The Car proclaims new solution OF the
war problem Tolstoi at his cObbler's
bench, shows how a man may give up the
world to save his soul. Cecil Rhodes gives
up his soul TO gain the whole world Ter the
drama once more return to life. and IL Will
find themes enough in the actual world
around us.