The sun., 1900-04-22
IRISH LITERARY THEATRE.
MOyEMENT FOR A PURELY ARTISTIC
DRAMA ~ DUBLIN.
A Literary Enterprise Under tho Guidance OF
Three Men. MARTIN. Yeatrs ana Moore
Their Plays -IbsenesIue Features In the
Treatment Of the Themes-irtsh Ideals.

Treatment Of the Themrs-lrtsh Ideals. |
The production Of Mr.. Edward Martyrs some !
what lbsenesque drama The Heather Field" |
at the Carnegie Hall recently calls attention 10
an interesting literary movement which has hardly
received IT., due need Of notice The Heather |
Field" IL the irst OF the series o plays dealing
with Irish subjects written by Irishmen expressly
for production In Dublin under the auspices OF
what Is known as the Irish Literary Theatre
Many porsons regard the Irish Literary Theatre
as the most important literary movement now
in progress in the Erglish-spcaking world Its
nature is similar 10 that Of the Theatre llbre
in Paris the Independent Theatre in London.
and a somewhat grotesqus conception started
in New York about two years ago. All these
are now defunct for the same reason-lack OF ap-
probation and support nor Is this surprising Tor
their object was the production o' wha, the pro-
motors considered the highest class of aT'iEue
drama Irrespective Of mercantile CONSIDERATIONS
and Of the tast' Of tho public
| The primary aim Of he Irish Literary Theatre
was the somewhat hackneyed one Of the redemp-
ton Of the drama from It's presen, alleged condition
| Of degeneration. Dublin was chosen as the scene
| Of the efor, because, in the opinion Of the pro-
motsrs. England is arustically worn OH, and given
: over IN the cares Of the Empire and money grub
| bing, while in Ireland virgin soil lies ready TO
! receive the seeds Of art
| The chief engineers OF the new movement are
! threw William Butler Yeates, Edward Martyr
| and George Moore Mr. Ieates has recently
! come before the general public by reason o'
! somewhat violent letter To the newspapers in which
! he besought oil true Irishmen 10 refrain from
/ welcoming Queen Victoria - Ireland He Is
! feryent supporter and admrer of Miss Maudc
! Come SO ierveGt indeed, that so ne years
! ago it was commonly said in Dublin that he
was an agpirant to her hand Politics ASIDE
! however he is typical Irish bard. Tall and thn
with the true nquiline Milesan features ana
| long wavy coe-hlacl hair, he is familiar figure
! in Dublin as he moves along the streets obivious
Of mundane things, banging AGAINST the passers-
/ hv on the sidewalks and wandering out onto ths
! causeways TO become hopelessly en,angled
! in the traffic
MIR Martyn is another type Unlike his col
J leagues who spend most Of their lime smong the
, neshpots of London, he dwells In on ancient
! castle lar away In the vds Of Conaaught His
companions are the fairies, the sheogurs, and the
! phoocas Of the legcnds and the western peasants
whose brogues are scarcely les. melodious than
| his own None the less he Keeps pace with the
world Of ART His collection Of pictures Is ono
Of the finest in Ireland, while he is an accom-.
pished musician and especially well rersed Ia tho
ancient music Of the Celt Geoirs Moore, well
known as an art critic, and the author OF Esther
| Waters is Of commonplace tyre, but sufficiently
: impractical 10 advocate unucrahve art
The Irish literary Theatre started out in the
spring Of 1909, when tv9, drama, were given
The Heather Field and The Countess Kathleen
by Nr leateS Both are di'lincuvely lnsh IN
faeling but the first is pitched in modern tines
and shows clearly n. innenfe Of p6sm Is'rn h,p
: drama as now understood II Ia in blank verso
and the subject ia legendary. The scene is laid
in the west Of Ireland during 'he si,,eenth century
Tamin. broodS over the lard and the people are
dying by scores To them In their misery come
two demons in the sui.e of merchants, who oner
dsraught with starvation, accept ,he oIer IN
hundreds The good geniu. Of the piace !. ne
Countess h:hs.. WI" ro.T, Sn str TrSt h", ~. !.
demons rob her NJ her wssitb and leave her poWer-
les. again., The schemes, Of the Evil One AZ
length in despair the good Countess bart'rs her
Satans plans are somewhat arbitrarily brought
to naurEt, for The powers OF good oecide ma, ms
waited 70 n.ayen Sheorues, rthGq?cas and
various Irish fairies are introduced ad ibtum and
the whole play as well as being highly impractical
is essentially Irish in its srir' y is accepted
generally as a work ~ merit, but there may be
persons who will hardly accent the diCtum of
Mr Moore tha, there have been only lTo SUCCESS,
m writer's oi drama in blank verse ShaSesneafe
and Nillism Bltler iealeS
The undertaking was a .ucccss In one sense
and failure N HT"Sc mfC[,rt ne c,n ms s,hbnn fH "S 81
paintings had iuet been held m Dubli1, almost
corcurrently with . sort Of Irish ei'tcddiod, AZ
which works Of Irish composers were performed
by Irish artists Tn.hmen were beginning 70
rccogni2e that they reed rot 70 abroad ior oil
artistic pnhuum and qualification Ih' haI at
which the plays were produced was nlled nlrhur,
The audience however enthuslasnc, Was eN'
elusive, consisting ~ the cultured fe~ who rtsu-
arv VISITED y. hGa.s , s,ry n1 nn n. m oSsr nS S.ns
w.f. indinersnt, II not actually hostile As al
w.v. happens in Ireland The rs!islou' ana po'
Moor, ard Martyn we're locked uron as not real
ln.hmeu but ari.ocrats ard uitlanders a por'
tlon Of the press was violent in lis denunclahons.
The Countess kathleen was ATTACKED win
csrecial bitterness !, contains scene where
the shrine - Tho Virgin falls upon the ground on
the entrance Of the demons ! ms epi.ooS was
denounced violently as the ranke'' blasphemy,
and tho denouncrrs cried that any true Catholc
who dared attend ~ saorleglous berfornsrce
should he e,communic.l-d hgaIn. ,ne rr,dnsS "rd,sS
peasants vas ergmauIed A. sristocrauc and un'
Irish Mh.reun was the cry, Is the Soul OF
. countess worth more Than he humhleSt rea'ant'
OF couue, the criticisms we're puerile and lTfelc.
want s-rcCAllv he latter one, 'or in port OF TACT
there is no race Of Western Europe. with NE pos.
sibr exception Of Spain, IN which the arlsi9ctsuc
spirit Is more deeply implanted, provided mat
hc aristocrat be Of Celtic race. Nevertheless,
coming Ns they did from intuennHi organs mcse
ettAck. created the inevitable ltiSh 'chl'm ana
deprived tho movement - much 80 MS lntuence.
\ couple of months ago DE experiment. was
! rereA led. ms unlc larger ul'a ,Ie "aN Ch"-cH'
ard lfc audience was perAnpSn Ui'c more numet
Gus II, character, however, was iltchansed
The few were enthusine'ic, the masses indnetfnt
The plays produced were 'Ilaelc, ~ ~ Laf
tvn and The Bending ot the l3ough by VII,
Moore "Ilaeye' f. poem hut II IL diGCult 10
see how II could he successfully sihred, MGcts
! is tie beautiful descendant Of an ancient but de
caycd line Of Irish prices. Her father Is lhe
. O'ITsyrrs, who dvcllS In an ancient caS'e, a
rich young Eng'hman comes on 'hc scene VINO VINO
falls IN love viii Mdfr and she IN obedience
| 10 her fathers wish, consents 10 marry HIM But
/ the soul Of the maiden. filed with the beauty oi
/ the Celtic Legends, revolts at the union. Her
mind is imbred with the past gloricS and beauties
! of her race and she Is even rhapsod7lng Of some
: legendary prigcc Of mythical ana diNihe beauty
whom she calls her rae love. On the nlghi Dc
fore the wCdding Qbtsu Ndcre, her ny ihicrl an
co.irc SIS, whose soul by day abd"S In The body o'
/ q popT old pea -ant aprcaTS Ia the maid ana WailS
hcraWay ~ the prince in thc land OF llrnan-oghe,
the lrqh fAiryland In The morning me hride
. e. he /, found dead ~ her window All through
/ Tire, play the real and The mythical arc blended
| u,ua beauty, and Of a peculiarly !eluc nature
The only modern touch l. g,nuy hlnied az the
T intense aversion OF thc maiden N earthly love,
I and her devotion to abstract beauty ,
( "Iho lpud.HE # the Buugh' cannot be called
! vurs II genius II Is transparent hllegory
roohy .wor;Cd out he corporauons 81 two
/ plte over a debt owed hy the later. The CORPORA,
! iuu of Northhavpn - utSunitsd u vii n0i Igd
ear Ia leCry Of one u its numbc- IS hu IS CHpAhle
: ,f leading lr'Son ly young Iup Of ms man
+ aUpcArs on the scene v no carries al before MN,
AZ, N.rihhHyeu unCidrs To rr's'u' a bold front
! t. ,uuthin,,u AID demand IT. rglis. Eut he
yuurr loader Is led asuay Ivy loNc ot young
woman Il Southhayeu and inis 70 al,end The crit
col n,.ctrg tnr lgrty IL IIsrupt'd and SOuthhAvcn