The Washington times., 1902-12-14

of her husband because she found that
their marital life was built upon a lie.
and their old relations from then on to
her poor. bewiIdered spirit seemed only
iraught with Intellectual and moral de-
generation How could She cried the
good. soft-natured woman. leave her
children" And how could she?' echoed
/ the servants OF the church in four lands,
think Of breaking a union that the true
word Of God has made holy and inyio-
lable?'
Good and well,' answered Ibsen. and
I viii show you what may be the result
for the child Of this fine theory OF yours
and what under different circumsts7sz---
might be the result for the woman.
/ The fact Of the matter is. therefore
! that while Ibsen had use for the sad the
+ ory Of inheritance. which is as well
I founded today. and as ably defended in
/ scientific circles as it ever was. he by no
means built his tragedy on that problem.
+ The environment might in nine cases out
/ Of ten be able to counteract inheritance
/ yet Ibsen's argument is valid as long as
. it cannot be disproved that cases may
exist when the evil stain in the blood
+ viii crop out.
/ "Ibsen never was foolish enough to
show up hlth and depravity for the mere
disquieting pleasure Of the thing. Ike
some adherents OF the naturaIisfc
school. or 10 fight against the iron laws
I OF nature But he has through long
/ lifetime waged a relentless war against
the foolish inventions Of men and such
social and moral codes as needlessly
I contribute 10 swell the sea Of misery
/ and misfortune around us. And as the
stanch champion Of woman and her
rights that he more than once has
proved himself to be. he here in this
particular play puts his finger on one Of
those Inventions, the notion that mar
riages are knit in heaven and that under
no circumstance whatever should thev
be broken on earth.
AS TO the notion that the stage is not
the place to show up moral filth or bu-
man misery. II may be pertinent to ask
why people do not then hasten to de-
throne Shakespeare. Is it not conceded
that one OF his most powerful and ad-
mirable plays is that Hamlet whose
mother and steDfathar 49, -, ryss5ra nIs
brutes and mUrderers and who was him
self tainted with some OF the most
genuine marks Of hereditary degenera-
cy? And are not the leading Characters
Of that stirring soul picture. Macbeth
as fine specimens OF moral hIth as anv.
body VIII wish to see?
THE truth Of the matter is thai
I healthy pessimism and realism are re-
sponsible for most Of the artistic efforts
Of mankind that ever reached or VIII
reach anything like permanent value
And when this play OF Ibsen achieved
an unexpected success Wednesday II was
to a great extent owing 10 the excellent
playing. but yet primarily to the grand
creative genius that conceived eharac-
ters already brlstling with a genuine
palpiyating lie that gave the imagina-
tion OF the able actors something to feed
on.
AS for Miss Mary Shaw. she was cer-
tainiy as competent as any actress
have ever seen in Europe. But the
Oswald Of Mr.. Lewis. although promising
TO a high degree. fell far behind the =
markable EFFORT Of the famous Swedish
( actor. August Lindberg. who, I believe
was the first TO impersonate the role in
I europe JUL DIESERUD."