Evening journal., 1903-04-15
Scene from Che Darling oftke GodC''

ject for several months, when, in the :
course Of q conversation, Mr.. Belasco
| exclaimed: Now then, let's get down
20 work on that Japanese play. We
must have something mystical, tragic,
a story of feeling. you understand;
passing away of old Japan, may be.
Something like that"
How about the Samurai?"
Good; the crossword men; extinc
tion Of the chivalry of old Japan. We
have g."
That was the beginning OF The Dar-
Hing of the Gods" The idea was alb
stract almost chaotic. VIXEN the au-
thors began their labors. Mr.. Long had
lby hard experience acquired some
knowledge Of the technique Of the
drama. He learned more as he labored
with David Beasco. The building Of
the play was carried on In New York,
and the hours OF toll would have been
a shock to the walking delegate of a
lPlaywrights' Union. for when the fe-
lver of composition possessed the au-
/ thors they worked twenty hours at
time. Their meals We're sent i'm to them,
and they separated only to snatch a
little sleep. There is not a passage in
the play which was written less than
ten times by these modern eyemplars
lof David and Jonathan.
When a drama is prepared i'm coll
laboration. no man may say which is
the property Of A and which of b. one
might as well try to show TO the naked
eye the atoms Of a chemical salt and
point out which belong to the acid and
which to the base. He who beholds
this remarkable play may say that he
81 f,. Of
lasco i'm some startling bit of stage
magic or that a sonorous line is the
work of Long. "The Darling of the
Gods" will bear no such dissection.
, 1t is impossible now to say which is
! Long and which is Belasco, and how
much each contributed, for the authors
themselves do not know.
What is Atmosphere?
The great success of THE Darling of
the Gods" rests on something little un-
derstood and difficult to define. 1t is
, due to that quality which for lack of a
better name, playwrights call atmos-
lphere.
! And you ask me-" said David Be.
5 llasco. what is atmospheric"
lie picked up a file letter case and
y threw it over on a desk.
Il suppose" he continued. that IN
a that box is all that is known abou
Il Japan. Can atmosphere be taken from
81 a pasteboard box or from pile o
# books? Why. then, cannot thousand
II Of successful Japanese plays be turne
out I'm the course OF a year? Here
take a war god, a lacQuered floor,
Il man. "a false moustache, a light her
n and "a light there. / arrange them an
rearrange them. DO l get atmosphere
Atmosphere is largely a matter OF feel
ing and Of temperament. 1t is the ap
probation which the playwright has O
his theme"
In his view of atmosphere John Lu
Their Long shares the ideas Of his as
soclate The writing Of a book an
the building OF a play are dissimila
occupations. yet on the printed pag
Mr.. Long shows that appreciation
~ theme and detail which goes TO Great
atmosphere.
he IN that remarkable book "The Prime
I'M of Illusion" the persons OF the stoi
are blind child and his mother: a
I'D properties, a bed, and ray Of SUI
nd shine. Yet details are so used that Il
se story is one OF pathetic yet fascinatiI
interest. In Naughty Man." Mr.. Loi
v depleted a young woman who h,
"a many auInlitlS. itei ulflallonS we
a subject of grave concern to a you
man who felt called upon to extrica
ne her from situations in ntwhich frivoli
ew involved her. The charm of Naugh
Nan seems to be i'm it's dellcacy of se
fly timent. and in cleverness OF EXPIRE
;ht sion Yet'it is really due to the a
les mosphere Of modern life which
ir- breathes in every line
on "A story" said Mr.. Long. "appes
ed. TO the mind. The printed page is re
ere carefully and with critical eye open T
to- flaws OF diction, crudeness Of wor
ant manship. looseness of style. WI
ate passes very well for Dathos on {
me stage would often be reduced TO bath
a i'm book. The spoken words do j
err appeal to the senses as do the print
the words, which you can turn back to a
is read again. In "a play, the idea is
lry arouse emotions in an audience not
much by the motive that prompts I
the words. The mere words themsel,
of are of secondary Importance"
SEQ The Theme Develops.
THE Darling of the Gods" was 81
low IN growing. a year and a-half pas.
IN before the play was finally complet
''er and in every minute of that 1t seen
'ns' as though il was on the minds of
authors. The dominant note was Il
tragedy which is compressed in
ub- fate Of the Samurai deprived by