New-York tribune., 1901-11-25
LONDON NOTES.
CAMPBELL IN THEOLOGICAL
,.xA-THn CHIGI BOETICELLI-
ruE NEW ENGLISH ART CLUB
CATHEDRAL DRAWINGS
IN THEOLOGICAL
London, Novernher z.

'a st the Royalty Theatre can hardly be
.,5ered one of Mrs, Campbelrs literary re-
.ons. While an interesting and fascinating
p,,a1ity with unique charm of her own,
-. &c always cast over the footlghts and felt
SIC audience. she Is not an intellectual force.
hos seldom succeeded In Shakespearian
s for she lacks the imagination and liter
,en,e required ior studying great parts en-
,.s br the best traditions of the stage II
~ hos tried the thankless experiment of pre-
-.,,e q gloomy religion play crammed with
.,,o,oey and concerned with faith cures and
tests. st cannot have been because she
f.rr ambition to be regarded patron of
aD-r.e,an literature. She is not an idealist,
- nractical woman who has discovered the
s~s.ttons OF her art and stage resources, and
-. che can do to the best advantage. She is
". successful as Ophelia, or Lady Macbeth. or
~ Teazle. but IN plays or temperament Of
- ,,sss of The Second Mrs, Tanqueray and
,,.r5," she has power and subtle intelligence.
~, &c also we'll adapted for Norwegian drama,
a., +s mysticism and morbid soul searching.
: .Istfle Eyolr' she had only small part
.,s. of the uncanny Rat-wite. symbolizing the
..il. soft darkness" and weird fascination OF
n...h: but she enacted 1t with great suptietF.
e,. !. equally effective as the wife Of the taith
,..ler IN Bt6rnson's Beyond Human Power.
r.,s Norwegian drama opens with a lonS
..,ooue between Pastor Sangs bedridoen WlIe
,ra her sister, In which the domestic ana re-
u,sous situations are fully set forth. Clara
Sang s,eepless for six weeks and paraIFzeo
.,om her waist down, is the wife OF gooo
,.xrnr. who is striving to carry out Iols'oS
e., of Christianity and has made a local repu-
,,non by his sincerity and personal magne'isih
:, ta;tn healer or miracle worker Between
<ha
ysypnctio influence, but the good man hiiiaseli
.-.hu-es the results as answers TO prayer.
60, he breaks into the dialogue OF the SISTERS
4k 70 explain that he purposes making
-.,,s effort to restore his wife to health. he
,.. cent for his children TO form prayer circle
..orns her bed; but when they appear 1hey
,svs los. their faith because they are conSihceu
,te- Christianity Of their fathers sort Is I'M
,assble except II him alone. AFTER pioioiieeo
.t,oosical discourse he resolves TO al'eHP' 'e
nrayer test alone, kneeling in the cnurch anu
ringing the bell until the miracle Is "TousnI-
,,., ,r. so,,nd Of the bell the pastors VIE
,.ssas inta a deep slumber, and does not awake
,lthougb there is a landslide enVelopihs tie
.bprch and there is a terrinc stofIi- Ia '
sscond act the wife i. still asleep, ana 1he nus
hand rniraculously preserved IN the chape-' !"
-, md ringing the bell Six pastors and a
bsehp hay
.o- . nrolonged discussion over the credioihty
Of miracles and the proper cierical atl'uue
mars thern. While the peasants outside are IN
-. ,S re,isious exaltation over the marVels
q .,o a.v -. cross above the bedroom door is
,,aaa,,v ill,,rnined by the setting sun, ana out
oaa tho te6ridden wife, walking with uh-
.-o.5,, feet hut with an expression OF rapture
rs 5ov on her >ace. The pastor enters Win
,n-.+rstched arms but before he can KISS her
ros .b. has fallen back dead With a heafe-
,ro,e, exclamation This was not WhaI l
he dies beside her. his faitn hopeiessy
shaken ,,ov
II Is hardly a debatable question lhal p-"'
~ trfs kind is entirely unsuitable lof a'i '1Ne
ysb theatre. whatever may be lts degree u
sdantab bility to the Norwegian nina fiaSs
., or,est Of recreation and amusement AIe ii0'
entertained by theological discussion over mo
c,ss. even when the views and Characters ot US
80. are sharply analyzed and differentiated
Is IN the co1loquy OF the bishop anu ln7 po'
-. .ts mysteries OF Christian faith and the re-
-a,-c.s ~ faith healing and prayer gauges 90
40. srppIy effective or dramatic incidents loI
-. -en,esentat.on. There IS only one mirtnln!
-,,-,s-,+ ,r the niece when OF the disputa-
.,,-s -es+ors couresses that he is hungry ana
+-.., ~ find a cupboard. and the effect OF two
hou-s Of theology, hypnotfsm and faith meaning
.. r,o-t decreasing. Mrs. Campbell has not e1-
-e-.as popularity for the drama. Tor she mas
u,suasd only three matinee performances anu
In not likely TO repeat them except possibly
under similar conditions during her american
tour Her motive "a producing II may pe easily
sr-u.sed She was conscious OF her own capac-
fsy tor making tn II subtle stuoy OF terhpefa-
,nen1 and disclosing true sense OF character:
s-1 she was right. II was strong impersorla-
ION with a quiet realism. which was most ef-
sscrye and moving. Mr.. Titheradge supported
ha With performance OF exceptional fneril
and rhs nlav was produced 81 reverent spirit
Possibly its rnlikeness 70 ordinary dramas may
be source OF interest or, at least, of curiosity
tn eccsntrdc or exceptional piaysoers, Ger
tainiy # is an effective foil for the class Of
problem piavs in which Mrs. Campbell has
achieved her only notable artistic successes.
The cy,ie1 Botticeln, which is temporarily ex-
hbted at the Colnaghi Gallery on its way to
America has been received with acclamations
BY the art critics here a masterpiece Of the
Forentfne painter, 1t is in such excellent pres
sTston that some Of the experts suspect undue
fs'cra;ion, and wonder how much of the real
h:acelh has been left The angel offering the
arec elements to the infant Christ could
hardly have been painted by any except
oottcelli. and by his hand only when he was
young, The face has even greater refinement Of
Aas and modelling than BottcellPs angels ordi-
aa'ily have. and the mother is one Of the wist-
III Eir.ish Madonnas which he was in the
aaoit Of drawing before, as Mrs. Craigie has ex-
i-a'ned, disillusion came from the discipline Of
Ie and the evolution of human experience, and
Inverted his thoughts from innocent Aphrodite
hoa idealized saints to pictures Of Dante's He'll.
1Aot is found with the architectural screen IN
lie picture and with the prominence Of the
patch OF blue sky near the edge, but this is a