The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903, 1899-01-07

canvas, and the miniature painter who
handles only small pieces Of ivory, has
adapted himself and his mannerisms 10
those rigid, rectangular panels. The
stage is much such an austere back
ground. and the dramatist who can OK.
prese himself most perfectly within
those rigid limitations Ia the best crafts
man. lbsen has mastered the art Of
presenting dramatic theme in dra-
matte way. He realized that In every
family. in every group OF human beings
closely related together, there 10 mo
ment OF awakening, Of exposition. That
events inevitably bring about house.
hold climax when the members Of the
family or community are driven to
speech and "have it out" with each
other, when they voice secrets long
locked up, protest against indignities
long endured, epeak Of hopes or pas
sions long concealed. In short. the ro-
mantle revolt occurs every day In the
unit Of society, the family. And 1t is
this dramatic revelation Of life that
Ibsen seizes and makes the cardinal
force in his plays.
In speaking of lifelikeness in plays,
Mr.. Zangwill said that this does not
mean that the characters OF q drama
must he real people, but that they must
be true Types. No two lovers ever spoke
as Romeo and Juliet, yet they express
the feelings Ut all lovers. The nearer
you approach to life the further you de-
part from art. When I wish to particu.
larry please my servant maid, get her
tickets to some performance whore she
can see real fire engine or real snow
storm on the stage. She can see either
presented very much more realistically
on the street any day, but we are all
very fond Of the real thing in the wrong
place. In fiction everything is true ex.
cept the names and dates; in history
nothing II true except the names and
dates. That play which depends for its
interest on some surprise at the end is
poor play. Surprise is not art emotion.
You can only be surprised once. but q
thing Of beauty is joy forever. People
are not fond Of seeing their own kind Of
realism on the stage. The man who
beats his wife at home, Is the man who
loudly applauds the virtuous hero in q
melodrama. One Of the evils Of modern
English dramatic construction is tho 60.
called "comic element" which is dragged
in with no logical sequence and at the
cost OF the serious motif OF the play.
Suppose that half OF the canvas OF a
picture representing the death Of Lin.
coin were employed to depict the court.
ship Of cook. The plays Of Bulwer
Lytton appear very meritorious. to an
uncultivated mind. just 40 fine feath.
ers appear fashionable to a chamber
maid.
Under the head Of spiritual stimula-
ton. Mr.. Zsngwill said that a play
might lack both the former qualities
named and still, through this element
alone. be great play, but without this
it could not live. Many Of Shakspere's
strongest plays utterly lack unity. He
simply followed the rambling plots Of
the old novels he appropriated. They
were only possible on stage without
changes OF scenery and elaborate sp.
pointments. They are practicable now
only because they are not acted as they
were written, and we're practicable then
only because they we're not acted at all.
They owe their perennial youth chiefly
to this quality Of spiritual stimulation.