The San Francisco call., 1903-09-27


horescence of Greece directly to its cli-
mate and confguration'
'Taine put ii that talent was as much
a product Of a belt as an orange" 1 re-
called.
Cousin says-you remember the map of
Greece2
Il don't remember when saw It last"
I laughed, and the professor strobe to
the bookcase and made me feel a small
girl again by pointing out those numer-
Gus seas and CULTS that took such a long
time to draw
You see, the sea everywhere invites to
commerce, to adventure" the neo-Greek
said. THE mountains may be easily
climbed, the climate is gracious every
thug indeed inspires man to trust in him
self, to do things, to go ahead. Greece
was therefore the natural home Of art,
just as Central Asia, with its frowning
mountains suggesting the impotence and
httleness Of human effort, was the ma
tural cradle Of the great religions"
You have recently been in Greece-is
1t really very like Californian
'-Singularly like" the professor con-
f1rmed. The contour of the bare, brown
hills-the Greek mountains are, however,
much larger than our foothills here-the
atmosphere, the general coloring the cli-
mate, are all curiously similar Then,
too, there is the striking fact that Greece,
Ike California, has and had for staple
products, wine, oil. figs and olives"
Remains only how long to produce a
SOphocles?' I laughed.
'Ah, that I don't know" the professor
laughed in turn. "But-curiously again
have never had better pupils, more deep
ly interesting in the Greek thing, than 1
have had here. Our high schools, unfor-
tunately-this reminds me-hardly give
the facilities for the study of Greek that
they should"
Still, new Greece should not be old
Greece"
There is not the smallest danger Of the
young people Of California becoming
imitatorsH exclaimed the professor He
looked quizzically reminiscent Of con-
hict % with the willful, native original
ity. But you get your best art by build
ing upon the art Of the ancients, by an
enlightened use Of their knowledge"
Now as to the special bearing of the
new theater?''
Il should like first to correct the use
OF the term 'amphitheater,' that has been
so freely applied to our theater," the pro-
fessor said, something Of the pedagogic
slipping into his manner. 1T is in no
sense an amphitheater, that is, of course.
a completely circled auditorium The
amphitheater was a Roman innovation.
Tor entertainments in which it was not
essential for the actors to face the audi
ence, as in the drama. Ours is almost a
pure Greek building. modelled largely. by
the way, on the theater of Epidaurus-
E-p-i-d-a-u-r-u-s.
Thank you,' I laughed.
'Epidaurus came to be a dramatic CEN
ter naturally enough" the professor went
on 1T was health resort, where the
best people went to get the advice of
Aesculapius-A, E"
Il think remember" laughed.
Then Professor Clapp laughed and anoI-
ogized; Il had a reporter here a little
while ago, and spelled everything for
him but Ithaca'-and he got that
Wrongw
The poor omniscientw 1 sighed for the
man who must know everything from
the .Sapphic odes to the argot Of the
Barbary Coast But Epidaurus was a
particular center of light and learning?"
Yes, and its theater particularly beau
uful, the professor replied, ''as 1 think
ours IS"
But marbIe7'
But marble"
Have you been in the theater of
Dionysus at Athens? I am curious about
its wonderful acoustics"
Yes, and have stood in the orchestra
Of one even larger-said to have held
10000 people-and made my voice heard to
It's furthest limit" the professor re-
calleo, ana that without any very siren
uous effort You know the old idea of
there being a sort Of megaphonic arrange
ment in the Greek actors mask is now
exploded, the theories of the sound Jars,
wires and so on
There was no necessity for them?''
No; the acoustics of the theaters
themselves were all so marvelously good.
Then again the Greek actor was chosen
chiefly for the power and beauty of his
voice"
And the Greek audience was almost as
fastidiousiy exacting about his diction as
the late Alfred Ayres about the modern
thespians?"
Rightly so, too, for the stage should
be the model for the art of pure speech"
the professor put it. THAT is not the
least Of its functions. But you will see
how vitality necessary clear diction was
in the old Greek days with audiences OF
10000 people. The actor, wearing a mask.
could not depend for his effects on facial
expression. Neither was the art of ges-
ture as We know it among the players
tools. There was left to him then little
but his voice to interpret the great dra-
mas-and yet that seems to have been
magnidcently sufficient If only we had
a photographic record of their voicesi'
The modern note came oddly.
You viii be surprised to find the per-