The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-28
A MEXICAN URSUS.
A Decentralization of "QuO Vadis" That
Seems to Be Faulty.
Washington Times.


The legitimate results of "Quo Vadis"
have begun to break out in spots, and one
of these spots Is Juarez, Mexico. Inc cltl-
zens of that town mad their imagination
badly fired by AMr. SlenkleWleSZS account
OF the combat of UrSuS ana the Dull, ana
immediately concluded that this was new
and superior kind of bull fight which they
could easily reanZe-and reallze on. 80, IN
the presence of ABOUT two thousand Specta-
tors, they trotted out their bun, ana an
Italian named komulus, and the COMBAT
began. The Italian mad nothing on but PINK
tights, and was accompanied by two pan
derilloS-a slight deviation from the spirit
of the story, Tor there were no panuerillos
in the early Christian era, but those tnlngS
always happen Wnen novel is uramatlLou.
If we ever have Quo VadlS' dramatlzed
for the American stage there Will nave 10
be more deviatIonS than that, or the ponce
will not allow it to be produced. The pull
will have to be eliminated entire, Tor one
thing, unless the audience Will be con-
tented with a make-beileVe beast, con-
structed of papier mache and actors. But
In Mexico they do not object to realism,
and so they had the combat just as nearly
like the book as they could. The athlete
with the classic name walked up 10 the
bull, and the bull came toward him. Inc
athlete tried to take the bull by the horns,
in obedience to a Well-knoWn proverb, but
failed to make connections Well-knoWn
proverbs are sometimes difficult to put III
practice. Both man and beast were trying
with all their might to solve the problem
expressed in the title of the book, of which,
1T will be remembered, the translation is,
"Whither goest thou?" This lodging and
dancing went on for about an hour, when
the bun thought he had had enough ballet
and charged at Romulus with directness
and force which admitted of no evasion.
Romulus grabbed him by the horns, ana, 1T
may be presumed, remarked Quo Vadis?"
The bull replied in pantomime, Il don't
know, but l know where you are going,
and the next thing ROmulus knew he was
clutching at the sand some fifteen feet
away. He tried to explain to his Fellow
actor that this was not according to pro-
gramme, and did his best 10 carry out the
idea of the author by vanQuiShing the bull
off-hand, but the obdurate animal had no
comprehension of the laws of the drama,
and went on playing villain with vivid
realism which was most convincing. The
would-be hero was sent careering through
space in a way most undramatic and un-
dignified. After the third or fourth tumble
the detected Romulus concluded he had had
enough, and hobbled out of the ring, leav-
ing the villain in the center of the stage
and high citation. If Mr.. Sienkiewicsz in
tended his novel to be dramatized it would
have been well for him to make that COM
bat end differently, or use some milder
animal.
This decentralization in Juarez, Mexico,
suggests weird possibilities in the American
stage When "Quo Vadis' is dramatized
see it? If they do they will be introduced
to a show the like of which some of them
never saw before. If theys swallow the
play as they did the book for the sake of
the little bit of righteousness that saves
the city. they will perform most amazing
feat. But the chances are that they will
come out of the struggle very much as
townr-hors du combat and greatly averse
to any more of ''OuO VadiS-"