The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-04-15

~ glish literature. Ihere ~ no
one else 40 interesting unless
Il be Bernard Shaw, and certainly there
IN no one so misguided. for George Moore
is n writer who has completely mistaken
his vocation. Nature made him a critic
not n great critic, for he lacks the open
rnindedness, the liberality. the justice,
which great critic must possess, but
nevertheless he Is a piquant stirring, fas-
cinating one. He is fiery. pretudiced,
headlong but always absorbing In his
critical quality. However, he chose to
make Of himself novelist and dramatist
1t IL only by comparing his critical work
with his creative work that we see how
right Nature WAS. and how wrong Mr..
Moore Is. For. whereas he never wrote
a line OF criticism that was not winged
and buoyant SO also he never wrote
line OF fiction that was not leaden and
Iifelese His novels have been talked
about, certainly. but not for any Of the
legitimate reasons that serve to keep the
name OF book In the mouths Of men.
There IL In them no beauty. no art, no
likeness TO life. They are sodden, heavy,
hopeless pieces OF handiwork. and It is
almost Incredible that the man who wrote
be the man who wrote Impressions and
Opinions" and Modern Painting" so
full of style and charm are the latter
books.
To come down to his very latest per
Torrance. THE Bending OF the Bough,"
II seems almost incredible that 'he same
man can have written the preface and
the play.
Formerly, as regards his creative work.
a realist OF the realists, to whom nothing
that was not hideous bore the stamp of
actually, Mr.. Moore has now become
symbolIst of the symbolists. Maeterlinck
Is now to him what Balzac once was. and
he has Joined hands In practical partner
ship with the leaders OF the Celtic
Renascence. THE Bending OF the
Bough'' Ia the play which Mr.. Moore re-
Gently produced In Dublin instead, as IL
the custom Of English piaywrights. In
London. because Il seems London liz un-
worthy. He tells us In his altogether de-
lightful preface that Mr.. Martyr. Mr.
Yeats and himself bring out their plays
In Dublin because London is too old. too
large and too wealthy to permit of any
new artistic movement.
1.-THE essence of our experience OF Lon
don theatrical conditions is our appreci-
alton OF the Importance OF the fact that
whereas Ibsen and Maeterlinck, the great
dramatic poets of modern time. have
failed completely on the London stage,
yet the ordinary dramatic writer, by the
aid of scenery. dresses and little dia-
Iosue, provides an entertainment which
pleases every one. The constant failure
Fail ton
o, him whom we regard as the greatest
dramatic writer since Shakespeare. and
Of all writer's whose work rises above tho
commonplace. signifies to us that London
has ceased TO be a place where the work
of poet Ia appreciated on the stage.
ut IN impossible to write plays In
England except for money, and all that
f. done for money is mediocre. To
dramatic writing we must look to discover
tho depths to which an art can sink when
II 10 written and produced at the mutual
dictation of tho gallery boy. who for a
shilling demands oblivion OF his days
work, and tho stock broker, who for ten
shillngs sixpence demands such Rmuse-
ment as will enable him TO safely digest
his dinner
This is much more piquant writing than
anything contained In Mr. Moores play
itself The trouble seems TO be that he
10 an imprcasionRblo gentleman who Is
always setting out TO make a work OF art
on theory. When he wrote Evelyn
lnnes" two or three years ago he held
the theory Expressed at about the same
time In that much regretted periodical
Cosmopoli-) that the great work OF art
must be panoramic Ia its quality, and the
more II gives " tho details and triviau-
ties % ordinary nfc. the drcary march
past OF the commonplace hours. the
greater q will he TITS present theory.
the one upon which The bending 81 tho
noush" Is written. will be found In an
article BY him iu tho North American
Review for Aprn. whore hc says.
THE certain sign hy which We may dis
tinguish tho great from tho small la 1T
era,ure Is by askins ourselves u story
Is symeolic. u IL he a symbol. that is To
say, n it be the outward sign - a moral
idea 80
In his own mind. We take it. Mr.. Moore
goes further and says, The groat play
u,n.t be symbolic. therefore tho symbolic
inlay must he ggeat have written a
symhaIic play you can see for yourselves
whether OF not It h great
.srha gcnding % the Rough u certainly
.vnbolic Certainly. also it ~ not syrat
finder the form Of the commercial rcls-
tons OF two towns Northaycu ana
sauthayen, q gives hcturc of the
Anxlo-Irtsh difficulties. The town eoun-
IN az Northaven. whose s9useelcs occupy
the stage most of the time. symeoliEs the
Irish leaders. and doubtless were the
reader thoroughly posted 30 Irish politics,
na might pick out the individuals The
i.aaar who arises TO unite Ncrthaven
ars,nst her enemy, southa'sn. withdrsNs
because he is engaged &c a sou'haven
cir, Whose income will be endangered II
Nerthavon sets its rights, wsereupon
,,,ana reproachcs him thus
Miss Fell is the temptation that
son,hayen sent you, and she sends TO
.aeh some insidious temptation south
.y.n Is always beside as to tempt Hs in
onr moments OF weakness. No sooner DO
We become united behind any man than
she comes to him with her hands ~" OK
bribes." -, q, t,t..
.,..,,.r sxn,holic play 10 DUNN .