The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-02

Maupassanl. Daude,, Macterlincli, Tols'oy
and Dost iew-ky IL" lGs tsoTl,d much:
while he eNid.u rly knows tie trtish Clas-
sizes. Some Of his dramatic iiruc- seem
70 have stepped GU, Of John We, steer or
John Ford's pages, - Intense, 20
passion breathing ar" they THAI Dan
nuuzio has chosen 10 IrviCt decad' ~
men and women. and all bri-'ling with
II Is chicfc,t defect il an Glrolre lacl;
Of himor. and this, coupled with the
compelling power n; his art causes "A certain
monot ony-w We breathe d,rsc, trop-
lea atmospNere Lii" h"Ccm,s weary
enigma which the dramatis, refuses 20
PROFOUND. But D'Annunzio is ~ III young.
he has had "A brilliant psst. and the put"u-
tialties Of a brilliant future are his.
OF the criticism Of masterpieces there -
no end. Take sudermann's, The JOY of
Living as an example tWhv such an
Iheen-lkc title for -Es Iabe d1s InbenF'
Why no. Michael and Hs Lost Angel.
with apologies ~ Mr. Jones } Ob-essnd by
subject and subject matter only, many Of
~ turn a blind side to the real qualities
that make up a great play. Now, this
harpinG on the theme Of drama whether
pleasant. unpleasant, dull. brilliant or
,rithful-.is eninently amsteur'sh. II -
rather the function OF ihe manager; Il
affects ms box office, and, az he is not in
business for art. ho ch"rishe- tnat brave
little place abov" all elsa. But a critic il
supposed To wear an open mind, 10 accept
q subject without looking ia" sit rot ia
the mouth. and also 90 judge how near the
dranlatist reaches tn" goal of LiS own
tieal-noi the critics. That We 10 not do
So il TO be- pitisd. Il is because OF this
that ~ many wonderful plays never SEQ
the light, or els" are hotched AT their birth.
This persistent avoidance Of the drama
fists Viewpoint, this refusal 20 enter into
sympathetiC complici'y with lin. leads 10
sad conclusions " YOU decide violently
tina, play has no rigE' to exist IscGuse
II eNhihi'> a situation or character alb
horreut 20 your bottoms, IN what a pre-
diCdm, ~ il N. drnmai ist' II recalls the
s'ory told by George SainIsEury about the
man who was shown tlimeng's beautiful
etching Of Heriel as, ~ VIM he Gnil ar -"
But | don'i like tahN.. SAID III" man.
unconscou-lv Illustrating unoa'loliti'y in
cri icisn. The sublscf did not APPEAL to
him, therefore il. delicate art could go
hang.
The tenth play Of Hermann Sudermann
Chat Is counting his trilDgy rs onel, rs
Lobe das L.len,' was so III hculvly pre-
sem d by Mrs Patrick tamptell'- company
al the Garden Theatre that its rncy essence
quito evaporat.d. Mrs. Edith Wharton's
translation left intact the bere tones of
the play: atmosphere. u = N charHc-
terization and thc color 81 Sudcrmann's
prose were lacling However, Judgment
must be- ever tempered by mercy in speak
ing of translation. II l. a difficult and
rarely successful art, vi through the
rather bl. ak version shone The genus ct
the German playwright. Too great an
artist 10 preach a moral-hc leaves the
preaching 10 his Cii'ios.-h" nevertheless
bes,ovs the justice dc Tnnd' by dCs'inv
upon 80 luchl. - Beutd Co ntess { Michdd
ron ksiH, Ghr sen. The play l., technically
one of sud-, rrnan ms hisgce' fchieN W II. MS
To the sensitiv" ear the sinister march Of
fate sounds from The outset, growing in
volume ss the drama uuroll@, beating ou'
at the close most mufil, d, poignant, most
human music.
To present such a tri,e theme with new
harnOni - l. "A triumph. II" tragir quality
Of the piece in an aimC~phere bNICieIiI q
on the ar.stocratic cpmmpnplace Is not
the least OF il eNcei,cnces. W" know
that life is daily, that great art L.
"a bore. that tho average sensual man
prefers variety show 10 a problem
play; vet We are not abashed or dow u
cast The cant that clusters about cults,
,heatriC OF artistic. \, uld not close our
ears to the psychologist beauty and the
m.ssage-if you wilt have the wcrd-of
this Sudermann play. II his Bedtd -
D'innunzio has Bedtd, too In his la
! if she felt too much, thought too much-one
| suspects her Of porting over Met lsche 5
Is you'd Good and Evil ana hearing much
Wagner. witness that alll!sion 10 Hdns
Sdctss quotation from Irisl an '-is she net
! "A IaS, mating sOuls Are there 10 be no
-eui-toneS in character Must women be
paragons and men perfect for inclusion in
play! If this be so, thrI, AL the art Of the
kl!labethanS Is false: their magnificent
freedom muck; their Wit a beacon ii warn
ing to pure-mlndcd playv ri'crs' AID
pray,out Of what material elall the dramatiat
, weave Ibis pattern Ci good and evil
But had SudelnduH trans. u' II his Be1'd
10 the fourteenth century; HAD he lowered
| her with medieval speech aud III" name
of Beatrice. had he surrounded her with
lovers In tinplate arnor, our shrinking
natures might not have hied TO cover.
, The pa'hoS of distance would hay. soiten"d
: tho ugly truths vi the modem dra
! room, The Jov Of Living" i great
play. seen darklv through the mi-'s
| Of ,ransat ion. darkened also bv being
played in a hopelesslv coclnev kew through
| out Mrs Campbell. dlahulicallv clever
| rs she IL, only half Illuminated a o. that
demands Il Drise. The -ma' part Of W Z or,
| the theological studoni turned ,ocial-Jcmo-
| character of kroos,dd N "A Dolls hous".
| That tiresom. s1horter. Count Tr1si, IN SUI
| dermsnn- Honor IL luckily not duplicated
in The Joy Of Living" And We doub,
| not that the absence Of cSp,icNtoTy COM
ment by the author H. dlSheartening to Il
| public. which likes all the questions raised
| answered al the close, after tho mfrn"r
| OF a Mother Goose morality Neither ID hn-
! unzip nor Sudermlnn IL q preacher As IL.
| the ghastlv illumination Of a lightning 1asn
| souls hallucinated by love. terror pitv
| despair are seen struggling IN the black
| gull OF nigh;. And hen al becomes abvsmal
| darkness There are the eI1al vctitics
the inevitable compenea' ions in this play
| The applicai ion of the moral u left To th,
listener. who s given tho choice Of ochoine
| or not echoing tho immortal exclamation
| Of Mr. Saint -bury'- unknown:
But I don't like babies"
JAMES HCNEKEE