The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-02-25
%NETHERSOLE, lANG1RY AND ELSIE De WOLFE DISCUSS "STAGE MORAlS"|

Ca!"ty Thea'er. London. the world va,
startled bv the murder OF Nr. Maybr,ck-
the conviction Of Mrs. AIsybriCk for the
murder II her husband by the very method
Indicated in tho play. II WAS proved IN the
evidence tina Mrs. Maybrick attended tina,
matinee al the Gaiety Th.atcr."
. Miss De Wolfe: How very Interesting"
Referee: Mis- Nethersole. can you ,er
me an Instance OF q play that you considered
distinctly in.Eloral?'
Miss Nettersolo: Not OF hand. Goklnrly)
You might say that Red Ridlng HOOD was
an immoral play. Tho wolf Is certainly a
most immoral Tcrsou; absolutely immoral.
But I do not think any immoral play he's
ever been successful. l do not believe il is
possible Tor an Immoral play to DO success
ful."
Referee: y think We are 4 Et;le n: vari-
aA'" In our definition Of morality. 1t 81. not
to DC restricted 70 aaNua! immortality"
Aiiss Aeth"rsolo, II you viii allow me 20
Interrupt yDJ. The meaning IL the woYI
morality has hccn often distorted Morality
consists ~ a know edge Of rght and wrong
"'i Il desire 10 DO Justice - one. fellow
:reu."
Mrs. ~LaHEtry: II o..e holds % Tie view,
that the stage should bc "A teacher nr NOR
ais. some OF the very plays that ere attacl-I
ar" VIA ones that should be mos. hight.
praised naen we sh3w good triuInuta-
"'c- oyN. - not that the very es--rr. ~
the moral lesson II good ;r~r..lI-s ,-ql-r
ga. r.-s. = . person whu-a ~at- have l.,.
"F'' j. ''iar-al Dry Ea-l influence. can ,Ha
.'-~.a 20 De drawn from s.: ha gthe-w.--
-..u 30 I'll. IN. conflict between good and
eva is ;h~ Oldest conflict IE the world II
,ha -'-ro ia 10 reflect lie. can i; avoid show
Ina HG.- -EH
represent d 2lur.G"gJipu Of evil, the triyraua
"i Ti'k.da.ss. hat " Gl1 be another ma
Icy. Then 81 would Pc falls. alike 20 '-::n
ana % morality. But II only immaculaf.'y
S""f! persons were represented on tn. sta,e
"'at Lesson could De- drawn firm tfa' O.
'rpt That there were only good persons in
Tie world, which. unfortunately. IS far from
the truth? ! think -" ar-7luIeu. that the
play should teach morality : the best arc7.-
inenf Ia favor or the play which shows the
= 'lii!rt Of good and evil, providing they are
shown In their true relations"
Referee: i think of a distlrctiveIv i'm
moral play which was and IS a tremendous
success. II has been a successful! play for
twenty years. l. has been one Of tn. great
est Of meiOdramatic successes. Tina, rlf,
teaches that IL IS profitable To- murGer; that
II Is profitable 10 submit t. al the dictates
of revenge. OF jealousy. OF Illicit rassian:
that Il is profitable TO steal; that Il is
lEoHiao4e 10 90 everything In connection
with the commission OF these crimes. That
play IS Monte Cristu.' It's hero IS a man
who goes through the whole calendar OF
crime"
Miss N-ttersOle: And comes out. 7 SUD-
pose happy and smiling. We'll. your Illus
tration holds good unless such g play be SO
abslrd-so unDatural-that people do not 60
to see IT."
Referee: The people who 20 70 go you
now do not, but those same people who go
TO see you now would have gone fifteen Q.
twenty years ago TO see this play"
MISS Nethersole: "a play Ike that p-o-
duced to-day would do TO harm al all, be-
cause It would not succeed"
Miss De Wolfe: But how IL u possible
70 say that 'Sapho.' which you say shows
that the wages OF SIN is death illustrates
punishment when she does not der
Miss Nethersole: PRECISELY The Illus
tration ~ complete because she had q Nv
Ing punishment To the ordinary mind
Death is the wages Of sin-I mean physical
death. But others who think perhaps a
little more deeply know that It IL harder 20
i've than to die l hold that fSapho' and
Zaza' are the only two plays tina, have
established this fact on the stage by TIE
truthful REPRESENTATION Of the terrible re-
suits OF such lives a. ZzZa and Sapho lived.