New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-12-20
RACK FROM JERUSALEM"
French Play Supplies Fresh FueI for
Anti-Semitic Controversy.
Paris. December S.

,.;s-," produced last week al the Gymnase
r-nsar-e supplies fresh fuel for anti-Semitic
controversy, and is considered by a noisy clique
- Tev-halting Nationalists sort OF curtain
-sise- 70 tie reopening OF the Dreyfus affair.
z-scr night the performance is troubled by angry
,oIfticaI comments and yells OF derision, followed
~ shouts OF appreciation. On Sunday, for in
,rsnoe. well known Israelite tradesman sat
- his wife in the front row OF the balcony.
A. rne Of the characters OF the play concluded
s-astic denunciatiOn OF certain racial instincts
attributed 20 the Jews the tradesmau pulled
- whistle from his pocket and made such q
oies as 10 interrupt the performance. The audi
snce bristled with indignation. Women turned
their backs upon the stage and pelted the ire
--essible spectator with sugar pIums and pieces
=. chocolate. A policeman appeared. Put him
mt quickly or we viii DO it OurselvesG" were
he shouts addressed 10 the constable. who forth
with took the tradesman by the arm and led
him into The street N. Dummy. one OF the
sctors ent-eated the public 10 listen 10 the
rs-f0rmance which was soon resumed, but
s-srric applause. mingled with strident Kisses.
made things very uncomfortable for the play
ers as well as for that portion OF the public
thar came 10 the theatre for amusement and
not Tor politics. Indeed, since the production in
the early days OF the Third Republic at the
vaudeville Theatre OF Sardous "Rabagas,"
wherein one OF the actors was made up 10 re-
ssmbLe Gambetts. no play has elected such VIC
lent outbursts Of disorder venom and passion
IS A. Maurice Donnay's Return from Jerusa-
lem"
t. new play purports 10 present impartially
TIE salient traits and faults OF Christians and of
Jews Eloquent declamatory speeches are put
ln-o the mouths OF the actors that one might
expect TO hear at some electiOneering gathering
Or perhaps from sectarian pulpits in church or
Ersgogue. The tremendous success OF lie Re-
tour &c Jerusalem depends largely uDon the sud-
deu revival Of the Jewish question in view OF the
Tehearlng OF the Dreyfus case. The play, judged
strictly on its dramatic qualities. is inferior 70
several comedies already produced by n Mau-
rice D0unay. lie Retour de Jerusalem" lacks
The logicaI action Of 'L'AUtre Danger" wherein
mother sacrifices her lover 70 maternal devo-
ton 10 her daughter; il contains no strongly
moulded characters. such as one finds IN lie
Torrent" nor does IL give such incisive glimpses
into humanity as are presented IN '.Amants." NJ
Maurice Donnay first came 10 notice a a Mont
mar1re poet He was a disciple Of Rudolph Sails
Al the ever memorable Chat Noir" His low,
musical voice reCired verses that charmed Pari-
sian selsuaIty Delightfully."- written passages in
his rlays contain peryerse sentiments yelled in
beautiful. fascinating language NJ Maurice Don
ray is essentially q feministe. lie is the idol
secret OF causing 10 vlbTste in harmony with the
music OF MS gracefully pure Athenian phrase
co-g Esz is "a sort Of literary Don Juan and a
very dangerous one at that He is q close OBJ
server bur none Of his plays contain evidence
o. theatrical intuition such as abounds in the
works Of Scribe Dumas or Sardou. NJ Maurice
Doznays plays are TOO literary: they lack
movement and action. but they are the quintes-
fence o. Parisianism. the aroma OF which van
a. D0nHsy IS man OF letters, but NOT a
dramstis-, and this is why one prefers to read
| bis brilliantly written comedies by the dreside
rather than TO see them acted.
Il IN ne Retour de Jerusalem" n Maurice Don
/ ray has pe-sonided and pitted against each
other Two s0u-s-that Of the Jew and that OF the
| Christian. Michel Aubier, the Catholic French
Il country gentleman Of refined culture and illus
II tr5us birth, deserts his humdrum. pOt-au-feu
wife and has children TO follow Judith. who also
| ahaad0us her husband, French Catholic no
| beman, for whose title she became a Christian
4 convert. As Henri " thought Paris worth
/ mass, so did Judith. now FicOmtesse Henriette
/ De Chouzay, md that in Partisan society Of to-
1 day cor1net was well worth conversion OF
faith Judith Is the type OF the intellectual,
cerebral Jevess. who has taken her degrees IN
| literature and philosophy al the Sorbonne She
/ Is nervous. hyste~icaI and practical Michel
I Aut-er IS the bright witty, wen bred French
man. Impressions bic and unambitOus- Around
this central couple fit MicheTs frivolous sister
and her hlppy-gC-Iucky husband. whose mar
RED life finds closer union IN their mutual i'm
morality. Michel and Judith have fallen in love
win each other. or, more strictly speaking.
mink they have done SO. Suzanne Michels
Il Pie accidentally discovers e letter revealing
II l-- husbands .-fatuarion for Judith. The rela-
L Ions Of the two are GO far merely platOnic-
A-lsl tries 10 convince his wife that this IS the
4 l@s7. Circuustar--aI evidence is. however too
4 t1o-g Michel has told Judith that notwfth-
Sanding his love Tor her. he could not go SO far
/ Is 10 abandon his wife and children. and al
1o1gh he tells this TO his wife the irascible
Shame caases him from the room with the
| ~ Oh so away to your sbominable Jewess:'
Il Inc next act re find Judith and Michel living
4 aee-her as man wife. They have returned
| FaTs from their honeymoon "trip TO Jerusalem
.-'lA whose faith in the religion Of her child
/ a"e has been exalted by her sojourn il the
4 -9y city. becomes an aVenger Of her race-a
II VT q messiah in petticOats She surrounds
1 -fssH with cO-religioulsts. Jew and Gentle
-'e animated discussions. One Of Judiths
tlests Is made UP 10 look like Dr. Max Nordau,
1 lt Semitic writer, whose book French de-
4 Sasace caused no little resentment IN Partisan
Aasy circles some years ago. The Semitic
&c the auJl-Semitic briefs are ably and elo-
ssaly Ergaed. One phase Of the play ressnl-
-@ Students conference al the sorbonne
amer Than q scene at & boulevard theatre
1ss for instance, is the definition Of patrie, Of
-lsE.and, OF ones native country. as enunci-
sS By the Jew. Woveaberg. and by the Chris
IL AlcheI:
heYenberg-Oh, ones native country