The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-26
THE THEATERS.
At the Theaters To-Day.

ENGLIsH's.-"Beyond Pardon" Sis
GRAND.-vaudeville 2:15 and Sis p. m
PARK.-"The Scouts Revenge" and
EMPIRE.-Topsy Turvy Burlesquers, 2:15
and Sis p. m.
Arthur Wing Pinero's Iris" produced
this week at the Criterion Theater, New
York, by Miss Virginia Harmed and her
company, has had a heavy drubbing from
William Winter. The venerable critic, re-
turning after a long rest in California,
takes up again his review of the drama in
the Tribune with renewed vigor He long
ago took a stand against the inevitable
change of attitude of the leading thinkers
toward life and art, and. of course. he is
out of tune with the best literature now
being produced. Thoroughly conventional
though he be. he Is thoroughly fearless in
expressing his theories, and the facility
with which he writes is most admirable.
His personality is in his work.
Mr.. Winter believes that Mr.. Pinero wrote
"Iris'' because he knew IL would make
money for him. This is absurd IL Mr.
Pinero had been set money making he
would have written an adventure play or a
''pure drama of domestic life" In fact, Mr..
Pinero Is very much in earnest artistically.
MI. w inter duIIlllS hildl he IL a clever man
misusing his talents. In another place the
critic says: This professional dexterity is
not remarkable, for Mr.. Pinero was once
an actor, and he has thoroughly learned
his art. The stage owes fine things to him.
and society has recognized and rewarded
them" For the realistic movement" that
has these words
"'The Great Realities of Our Modern
Life. 1t appears, are courtesans and black
guards. sexual passions and sexual crimes,
infidelities both in the state of marriage
and out or II, and general stew of
bestiality and corruption These great
realities extend through all classes of So
ciety. dominate all worldly affairs and
overshadow and control everything. There
Is no goodness In human nature; there is
no honesty in human life; there is no vir-
tue In woman: there is no honor in man
AL places that the eye of heaven visits
reek with iniquity. Hereditary disease has
infected everybody, and the human race is
merely pestilent congregation of human
lepers. These being the facts, II is the
province of the movement by means of
the acted drama. to edify this race of
vipers with an everlasting panoramic pho-
tograph of its own depravity and flth-'to
hold as twere the mirror up to nature
cesspool, and there is nothing in the world
so virile' and true. so ecstatically de-
precept, to its inhe bitants, as a literal re.
production of that typical emblem Thus
loom the Great Realities and thus shows
the Movement, refracted through the mist
years.
Mr.. Winter concludes that: THE play. of
course. will have "A career: for experience
has amply proved that things of this bad
kind are popular, and that there is no pub-
lie opinion in America TO restrain, or even
statement has many weak points. "ir ds'
will not be popular in the sense that THE
Old Homestead" RIP Van winkle'' and
popular. or in the way that THE Little
Minister" THE Christian and other OF
the strong new" plays have been popu-
lar Mr. Pinero's 1.-THE Second Mrs. Tan
smith never have been popular i'm this
country. John Hare presented the Pinero
comedy. The Gay Lord Quex." in Amer
Improbable experiment. The general pub
lie cared no more about "Trelawney of the
Wells than II does about Walter Pater's
Public opinion Notwithstanding Mr..
Winters denial. always has been with him
IN "discouraging abuse of the stage" 1t
has not seen so far nor demanded so finely
as ne. but sentimentally he always has
fully represented IL. Mr.. LongfeIlow and
Mr.. Whittier did not better represent pub
lice opinion" than does Mr. Winter. Let
the aged critic go down into the ten
twenty,thir theaters and see the mob
applauding crude expression OF the same
theories that Mr.. Winter upholds in so
mastery manner. Ii is true that there
Is a class OF lascivious men and women that
heavily patronizes theater that purveys
nastiness. and this class I'm its Ignorance
often will feed its desires on certain scenes
OF a play the good significance of which N
cannot comprehend. but the great ma
1orfty of Americans that go TO plays and
buy books Is just Mr. Winters sort. excenf
that IL never heard OF Arthur Wing Pinero
and others OF the movement and does not
care 70 know about them. Ignorant this
majority Is. but from Mr.. Winters view
point II IL pure new-mown hay
However, IL may be that Mr.. Pfnero's
ssIrif' has no special significance, maybe
he n here merely realistic" II that be