The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-28

nouement that audisnce slowly struggled
home saying things Of Ibsen. which shows
! that Morse deesrtion OF her homo and
children IL not generally regarded - the
| action Of a normal mother. She should
have-so the public believes-stsyed on
| In her wretched home. taken TO the consola-
tons Of gin and continued 10 worship that
Incompatible ass. her husband. lhsen
hints that she may return anyhow. and IL
was Walter Besant who wrote sequel to
| the play on this idea
Mrs. Fiske Is interested in 'Hedda Cab
ler' just now-possibly she may give us
her reading Of the character ~ some
matinees
There is a novel called 'Judas lscariot"
'iuen by a Scandinavian; II has been
| translated into German. II treats the be-
| trayer sympathetically. Fault has been
| found with the Judas of Tyrone Power
In Mary of Magdala" because the audi
| ence sympathizes with him. This is a
| hypercri icism of the religious variety.
We like Judas because Mr. Power presents
him with all the dignity and potency Of
| his art, and for no other reason.
Let US turn to a hslf-forgotten essay OF
| Thomas De Quncey's. 1t Is entitled Judas
Iscariot." and Is included in the e'says on
Christianity. Paganism and Superstition.
Now. d, Quincy wac ever a lover Of para
dox He saw the possibility OF murder as
| fine art -wherein Robert Louis Steven
son went for the germ of his Suicide Club
| and he wrote masterpiece with dream
| fugue for theme Naturally. Judas Iscar-
| lot would attract this scholar of the curious.
| ain, nj ha. IF tho altman ha
him by mankind. De Quincy does not
| seek to attenuate the sin; he tries to ex-
| plain it. In a word he would create psy-
chology Of Judas and, being orthodox.
| avoids discussion of historical evidences.
First. he thinks that Judas imagined
| himself solitary among the disciples in the
belief that he underst God Christ's ideals
! He supposed himself executing the very
| innermost purposes OF Christ. but with an
energy which il was the characteristic in
| trinity of Christ to want. He fancied
| that by his vigor of action were fulfill ID
| those gr at political changes which Christ
approved. but wanted audacity to realize.
| His hope was that when at length act ually
arrested by the Jewish authorities Christ
would no longer vacilate: he would be
forced into giving the signal to the p opulaoe
| of Jer,is alem, who would then rise unani-
mously for the double purpose of placing
! Christ at the head OF an -insurrectionary
movement and Of throwing Of the Roman
| yoke
Paul Heyse has used very much the
same idea, apparently agreeing with D.
| Quincy that the motive for the betrayal OF
| Christ could not have been money. I'm
the greatest and most memorable Of earthly
tragedies Judas is prominent figure. So
long as the earth revolves he cannot be for
gotten Thus d, Quincy. whose study
is most diverting and full Of those strokes
Of scholarship and imaginative guessing
that render him alike the delight and despair
of his commentators.
In the second English edition. Caxton
(i4s3), f.ls4, yer. so, q the -Legenda Aurea"
Of Jacobus de Voragin. there occurs shor,
description of the Magdalen. MARY Mag.
dalene had her surname Of magdalo, q
olstell'-so il runs in sweet, faded Eng
fish: "and was borne OF right noble lynage
and parentes: which were descended Of
the lynage Of Kynges: and her fader wal
named Sirius and her moder Eucharye.
And 90 on telling the details Of her -suster
Martha and her -broder' LAzare.
In medi0ral times Mary was a favorits
with the mummers. History was mi ed
chronolog.es shattered. 70 as to bring upor
the stage all sorts Of characters; kings
courtesans. beggars and priests appeared
In the Mosques Of those days. often dis.
porting themselves in a strange manner
Mr.. Vance Thompson. the playwright
wrote a mystery play five or six years ago
which he called THE Chatelaine of Mag
dalo." 1t begins with a pagan feast, il
the great hall of Magdalo. superb,
tapestried with leather Of Cordova" Mar,
the Chatelaine IL attended by her lover
the worldly wicked Bishop Of st. Ives
But her heart is not in this whirling pa
geant of sin and brilliant festivity.
She goes abroad in the evening, wher
the air il soft in Magdalo She is ATTENDED
by her lords. who walk proudly at ease be
side her litter. They listen to the must,
on the balconies and watch the purplinl
sunset. Then they see the shepherd
tending their hocks. Among them stoot
man In white linen. This was Jesus"
For Mary Magdalene he shone like tn,
first star. He approached very slowly
under the branches where the little bird
J trilled their evening prayers; he caresset
the lambs; 80 slowly he approached. Pail
and beautiful. he walked among the trees
his naked feet stunning the daisies. Fo
Mary the grove where Jesus walked be
came q cloister the troubled leaves SAM
litanies. All her blood fed 10 her heart
J she was winter than marble. For Mar,
1t WIS as though Jesus himself offic ate,
at Mass, all respondent sill with the mys
tic splendour Of the Host. He BILE, ~,
Ike the Bishop. but without jewels on hi
fingers and without the pomp Of tn
chasuble royal with orfrays. For Mar
,, the shepherds were the levites and tn
sheep q procession Of the saved souls O
men and women
'Jesus drew near the gentlemen. The
were silent. But Mary cried aloud, for o.
the ivory brow Of Jesus she saw drop
. Of blood, as II the thorns had hsen boun,
!, again upon the head Of the sweet Prophes.
Jesus disappeared In the grey nigh,
t among the hawthorn trees. all grey
Slowly they returned to Masdalo. An
3 that night Mary sobbed in her scented bed
? but in her heart there was a tender JOY
t wonderful