The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-05-17

to love him. They had also learned that
TO expect solutions of riddles from the
great questioner,' who once said of him
self that he insisted on doubling every
thing but his own right to doubling, and
who, on another occasion, wrote in a
rhymed letter: rs there real greatness
in the great?''
Ell was received with fiatteringg atten-
tons by his conntrymen in 1874, and the
Christiania theatre gave a special per
Torrance in his honor, the play selected
for the occasion being, THE League Of
Youth"
Ghosts" appeared in 1881. II set the
world by the ears at once One half de-
clared the author TO be crazy, while
the other half found him unpardonabiy
immoral. The reviewers cried out against
the introduction OF the stage of the
clinic and the insane asylum with all
their horrors
Thirteen years passed between the first
and second editions of the book. The
principal Scandinavian theatres refused
for two years TO have anything TO do
with the play. They said they feared
popular outbreak if they put it on the
stage.
August Linberg. a Swedish actor, had
the audacity in 1883 10 organize a COM
pany of its own for the express pur-
pose of presenting the interdicted play.
His tour through the three Scandinavian
countries was a tremendous artistic and
financial success.
At Christiania he could get nothing
better than a dinGy, barn-like vaude-
vile theatre in one of the suburbs. There
gathered night after night all that was
prominent in Norwegian art and letters
The students not satisfied with applaud
ing the play, made hostile demonstrations
in front of the National theatre, and
finally broke all the windows in the di-
rector's house.
Once more popular opinion had veered
around to where Isben stood. But while
the day was won at home. the battle
continued to rage with increasing fierce
ness in other countries.
Ghosts was not performed in Ger
many until 1899. Antonio staged IL at
his Theatre Libre in $780, Sareey. who
was present the first night. threw up
his hands in despair and cried:
Il must be bewitched; 1 don't under
stand a single word of the whole affair"
Sarcey was mild in comparison with
other French. German and English crit
les. Since then the exquisite art that
found expression in the Ghosts" has
come to be compared with that of Sophie
cles. Otto Brahms, the German critic.
wrote in 1898: The gates TO the most
modern German drama were opened when
Ghosts first appeared on German
stage"
Isben showed how deeply he felt the
public's failure TO understand and APP
preciate Ghosts by writing AN Enemy
of the people" his next play, where the
hero is stoned for trying to speak the
truth and for trying to save the people
against their will from the dire results
of their own blindness and folly. The
play ends with these words, spoken by
Dr. Stockman:
THAT man is strongest who stands
most alone"
Those words. however. were not the re
suit of a momentary disappointment on
the part of Isben. They were an ex-
preston of his philosophy Of life. Twelve
years earlier he had written in private
letter TO George Brandes the Danish lit
erary critic:
Friends constitute an expensive lux
ury. The man who has invested his cap
ital for life in a calling and a mission
cannot afford to keep friends. The ex-
pense of keeping them does not lie 50
much in what one does for them as in
what one admits doing for their sake.
Isben returned to Christiania in 1891,
''just for brief STAY" and was received
like a triumphant hero. He has never
left his native country again.
In 1892 he published 1.-The Master Build
err and the world was troubled once
more. Some critics FASTENED to declare
that Isben had gone bankrupt at last.
They all recanted when John Gabriel
Borkman" appeared two years later.
This play won general approval at once.
Many are inclined to think that it ought
TO be regarded as Isben's greatest Gre
alton. Then came When We Dead
Awaken" which the author himself call
ed a dramatic epilogue,'' and which
viii probably be his last work.
Isben has said of himself that his task
was to question not 10 answer. The world
has charged him with being a pessimist.
a cynic. and one who tears down without
building up anything new. This view rs
contradicted by several utterances of his
own. Thus he said at Upsala IN 1871
when he received the doctors degree con-
ferred on him by Sweden's principal uni
versity:
TT has been asserted on various occa-
sions that am a pessimist. So am to
this extent. that do not believe human
ideals to be eternal. But I am also an
ontinnist. for I believe firmly in the power
of those ideals TO propagate and to de-
velop."
Then again he said in an interview: at
should be the endeavor OF every dra-
matist to improve the prevailing order
of the world through his work"
ALL WATCHES coMPAssEs.
\ friend points out that in describing
the mode OF using a watch as compass
in your issue Of March :. there was an
inportant omission. In your issue OK
March p, your intelligent correspondent.
Coahoma. kindly responded to my request
and explained the rationale OF the pro
cess but the omission seems to have es-
caped his notice My friend sends me
the following clipped from London Truth
several years ago, from which il appears
that up to noon the distance between the
hour hand and twelve must be counted
forward. but after noon the count must
be backward.
a few days ago I was standing by an
American gentleman when expressed
wish to know which point was north He
at once pulled out his watch. looked at
il and pointed 10 the north, I asked him