The Washington times., 1902-12-14

Nt tlLI. IlNl q iaN~t. alIa an -II-lh on an
institution which every uplifting re-
lgion and every decent government has
Invariably inlorscd. Ghosts" happens
% express the purpose which Mr.. Diese-
rud advances. It was certainly written
as a sequel 90 "A Dolls House" But
The author has overshot his mark. In
stead OF preaching the disaster OF the
unhappy marriage exploited I'm "A Dolls
House" he tcacbcs-at least 10 nine per
sons out Of tCn-a sort OF fatalistic
hcredity 1t IS even advertised as
'Ibson's Wonderful Tragedy Of Heredi-
ty."
Arguing from its text. the misery por-
trayed could only have been prevented
by a dissolution OF the marriage Yet 90
might have been a thousand times bet
Ter prevented before the marriage oc-
CURED. Mr.. Ibsen stands I'm his own
light. He would have preached 20 better
effect if he had never written either
/ "A Dolls House" or Ghosts ' and had
iuvcighed against wrong marriages.
| How likely is il that this thought. mani
I Fest as 81 is to the mature mind, would
even occur to a girl in a seminary.
or a boy 10 his first year in the high
school?
I An old familiar answer will come from
a thousand sources: These plays are
not intended for children. Let those in
charge OF your young girls and half
grown boys keep them away Adults
/ have some claim OF their own But
young people viii not be kept away.
They never can be kept away from plays
patronized by their elders. No one in
/ apparent authority at the theators can
/ prevent them from attending. The the
ater is public, and its managers are
bound TO admit those OF the public who
/ hold tickets. Those I'm charge OF som
/ inaries might accomplish some reform.
I But they have not done so. and the like
/ lihood Is their hands arc tied by blanket
/ permissions sent their pupils by par
/ ents. My daughter is to see the best
/ actors and hear the best operas. 90
writes the students guardian. L be-
/ lieve it to be part OF every education"
Such certificates leave the school au-
/ thorities precious little discretion.
/ Even adults are not exempt from this
/ confusion Of purposes and principles. No
stage device is too raw TO create an IT,
I lusion in the mind Of the average god.
/ II Ghosts" were to be generally pre-
I sented. how many Of its gallery patrons
could see that even granting the plays
whole contention. all the misery depicted
might still have been better prevented? q?
. But the gallery is not alone in this. no
. one who saw Sudernann's The Joy os
Living could doubt that 10 had tempo
rarily attacked in nine minds out OF ton
the reverence for marital fidelity. The
answer 10 the Sudermann problem IS as
obvious as that OF the problem presented
IN Ghosts al the woe and despair in
which playwrights. actors. and audience
+ seemed 20 find such delight might have
/ been completely avoided if human ma
turc had risen superior TO temptation
instead Of yielding 10 it BEt this was
not tho lcssou taught. Sudermann con-
ceivcd. and Mrs. Campbell and her com
pany presented. a plea that the young
v.re suffered unfairly and that Justice
would permit her to f3rsakc her husband
for a life with her lover
So much space has been given this
question Of effect on the audience be-
f cause e. is In substance the whole mat
ter az issue. Tho other tests suggested
are substantially subdivisions OF this
. larger contention Who that has seen any
tvo problem plays presented iH The past
Eve years. can think they DO not couple
vice Win attraction That they are
clean and pure in their efcctg That they
are hcal;bful and uplifting That the
retrIhl'ioa fog The wr0ngd0ing portray
eI is ret often completely Ignored by rne
piaygoers2 These things are manifest.
"Bl, mercy for fallen women. tho cry
ing injustice OF thc double moral
f standard surely these are things which
/ the stage can teach legiumatcly" How
often is that answer urged as a com
.pl-te reply 10 every objection against
. the problem play, The reclamation Of
F iallea women iz not 10 be affected by
the enactment Cf plays like "Sapho"
or The Second Mrs Tanqueray." because
most fallen women belong m an entirely
different class. The woman Of evil life
sins usually because she wants to sin.
' This sympathy for her is dearly rur-
chased. moreover. 81 BE- means the oduca-
. tlgn SO ihc nations whole body OF young
. people .u the vice OF which such a y,o-
Uau .s guilty. The world is better. ua-
. ..uLtIlIe trnr g.. DanrIa know. gha