The Indianapolis journal., 1899-10-23
ZANGWILL FIGHTS BACK
INTERESTING AND BITTER WAR IN
THE THEATRICAL WORLD.
Charged that some dramatic Critics
Palms Have Been Crossed with
Gold-IsraeI to Clement.

the great Jewish writer; his play, Cnli-
dren of the Ghetto;' his managers, Liebler
& Co., and New York newspaper men not
named. Mr.. Zangwill refers to these critics
as being so tame they feed out of man
ayers hands," L.iebler & Co. have engaged
Willard Hocomb, for a number of years
dramatic critic for the Washington Post, TO
do their press work and Mr.. HolcomD Is
industriously sending out over the coun-
try letters charging the dramatic critics
who have so bitterly sneered at Mr.. Zang-
will and his play with prejudice inspired
by money received from managers of COM
petitors OF the Zangwil play, as 1t is called.
Mr.. Holcomb points out that the play was
enthusiastically received in Washington,
Baltimore and Philadelphia and Is now do
ing capacity business in New York.
Clement Scott, the English critic, who re-
Gently came to this country to take charge
of the dramatic work for the New York
Herald. has seemed distressed over the de-
fects in the Zangwill play. Mr.. Zangwill
has addressed an open letter to Mr.. Scott,
which is of lively interest, and which is, in
part, as follows:
In writing this letter to you L am break
ing the habit of a lifetime. i have never
in my life replied TO critic. have never
contradicted the countless fictiOnS about
popular some years ago. that my Christian
name was Isaac. But during the whole of
yesterday, friends-from whom L kept pray
ing to be Sayed-have insisted that since L
am compelled to leave America on Saturday
for the English production, L ought not to
leave my reputation quite at the mercy OF
my many enemies. The appraisement of my
work, however, is no concern OF mine; am
interested only in questions OF art and life.
But while, hitherto, the success or failure
of my literary work has been my own al.
fair-the production of book being mex
pensive-in the case of my play an enor-
nous amount of capital has been expended
would be serious blow to the prospects
of art in New York and would be hailed
with delight by those who would fain con-
troll all theatrical art-or rather business.
L have, therefore, not the right to refuse
to say any word that might help the coura-
geOus company which has experimental
in a new kind of play with kind of
unhappy ending" moreover, in my silence
under criticism, hitherto. l have imagined
criticism. Everybody has the right not to
like my work. But the attitude of sec
tion of the New York press has destroyed
fairly all round. Ever since L lectured on
the Drama as Fine Art / have been told
that all the world of insect life, seen
squirming in the sun when the old moss
grown stone was rolled over. was waiting
for my blood; But | refused TO believe 1T: IT:
own high canons-but not unjustly. When,
however, i'm spite of Mr. Herne having gone
the stage, both on the first night in
Washington and the first night in New
my play. 1 found one New York notice COM
mencing, Mr.. Herne's play founded on Mr..
of a dramatization written by Israel Zang,
will and rewritten by James A. Herne."
felt that from some sections of the New
pected as from the press of Paris. l have,
therefore, instructed my solicitors to COM
mence libel actions against all who shall
0 I'm rf1V a
Herne has in any way rewritten my play.
The point is more than personal one. The
libel not only damages me as playwright
and insinuates that am rogue who has
put his name to another mans work. 1t
does more. Dramatic art has been retarded
for many years in England and America
Graded behind the footlights could create
plays, and that a reputation won in other
fcation. Mr. Herne is even more grieved
about this malicious libel than l am.
To you, however, dear Mr.. Scott. these
preliminary reflections do not apply, and /
merely use your important personality as
the instrument of my defense. You are a
fellow-countryman. We have often met and
suspect you of unfriendiness; nay. did you
not say in your review of the only other
play Of mine which you have honored with
licious that the English players could not
interpret, it; that 1t needed the art of a
Bernhardt. Rejane. CoQuelin? You will
founding you with the breed Of critics who
are so tame that they feed out of the hands
rival, and the reasons that prompted you TO
shake off the dust of the English stage;
how you were flying from the tainted at
mosphere of degenerate and brainless plays
into the land of artistic purity and freedom,
i rejoiced. / said to myself In this world.
which have been warned is full of enemies,
Is sending ms frePa Sa to Osnp nS
'.Zaza" and THE Rounders'' in this home
of purity, he will be corsoled when he sees
of 1HS noble love and spiritual sacrifice. He,
the Roman Catholic, will be interested. in
the survival of the most ancient mother
church of all: in this clash of the primitive
Orient with the prose of the nineteenth CEN
tury; IN 'Reb" Shemuel. who stands like
rock for the literal Liter world OF S Sinai; frsar IN
more skeptical spirit of the man who has
wandered beyond the Ghetto: In Hannah.
who. despite all her intellectual disagree
ments with her father. cannot break his
heart by leaving her home i'm defiance of his
religious ideas. After a course OF plays In
which love runs In seihsn riot, uncneGked rs,t,S
Clement Scott, the austere preacher of
morality to the London stage, Will welcome
Hannah's abnegation so characteristicaliy
| Jewish. so typical of the sacrifices made
every day around us by Jewish girls and
Jewish young men out or reverence Tor
their parents faith ana TOT the sdncC'y Vi
| the home.
This sir. is what fondly imagined until
/ I read YOUR first criticism after your drri-
| val on these shores-untii i saw your rap,
| lures over "Zaza'' and THE Rounders.
| But my shock at finding that you were not 9
| as nothing 10 my shock at finding that you
were shocked by Children of the Ghetto :,
| And why were you shocked? Because OF
/ comic illusions TO the Messiah. the
| sir a man of your intelligence should have
| known that these words in Jewish play
| have none of the associations with which
Christianity has invested them To jewish
| thought the expected Messiah Is merely a
| man. the Paschal lamb merely a shadowy
survival OF the ritual Offering of the ma
tional assembage at Jerusalem on the PasS-
| over And these words. moreover. are III
my play put into the mouths OF the ATHEISTS.
who are stricken TO shamed silence by
"Reb" Shemuel Often on the most sacred
| fast of the Jewish year-the day OF Atone
ment-the freethinkers and the Socialists
| Of the London Ghetto outrage their ortho-
| dox neighbors by feasting-and on pig. And
| IL was this double current I'm the life OF the
| Ghetto that ] tried TO represent, this
! jangling note of unfaith and such sharp
| rigidity that wrecks his daughters life and
Davids. Instead of "frittering away the
best part of the play with episodical mat
ter" these episodes are of the essence OF
| my theme. as you would have seen had you
read my prologue
I do not sir, accept your restrictions OF
| the dramatists sphere III | choose TO ex-
| press the essence of the Ghetto life through
| a play who shall say me nay? Moreover,
when made people go 10 and
| fro from the synagogue il. was not
| snapshot of Jewish life. but because | had
to represent the peace and JOY of the pass
over falling upon the sordid Ghetto. again
in sharp dramatic contrast TO Hannah :