The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-11-25
Poets Views of the Drama

From the New York Sun.
 A tall, slender young man of boyish manner with long, narrow face, sharp features, gray tinged. coarse black hair and deep set dark eyes, is William Butler Yeats, the Irish poet, who has come to American to tell us what the stage Is and might be-" the revival of literature in Ireland. poetry in the old time and the new, and a great many other things con- corning the land of Erin.
 MT. Yeats has some ideas of his own concerning actors, authors, playrights, poets. the stage and the higher education of women. Some of these views are as striking and as picturesque as the Irish poet himself. MT Yeats is himself when discussing the stage. As he expresses 1t, "'I love Ireland first of all things, but I dislike to be interviewed on that subject. Ireland Is difficult to be handled Hers Is a passionate people. and like all passion ate people, quick to misunderstood. But of the theater I may commit as many in- discretlons of opinion as like. We don't like the modern stage in Ireland and never will.
 ''Whom do I judge the greatest English actor of today? Why, Irving, of course, and Irving, that greatest genius of the present stage has done more than any body to kill poetical drama. His infiu- ence has been felt throughout the world. Before he came there was poetical drama. He abolished 1t. He utterly ig nored the poetry of every line he spoke, thrusting aside every trace of metrical speaking. To speak blank verse as prose is like singing out of tune, and Irving Is too old to be converted. It is useless to discuss philosophy with man more than 27.
 But while wrong in principle, Irving is always in good taste. Even his absurdly elaborate scene is not hopelessy vulgar like Trees staging of Ulysses
 Acting is impossible in the modern theater," declared Mr. Yeats, one hand in his sack coat pocket, the other tightly cienched, while he walked restlessly back and forth Tt is simply Impossible. There Is an enormous stage and an enormous setting, reducing the actors to a pictur- esque group in the foreground of land- scape painting, and a very poor painting it is.
 ''Would I have scenery abolished? Not entirely. I advocate exceeding smplici- ty. A dull background such as an artist uses for a portrait. No bizarre colors and harsh contrasts, but curtains and flat masses of color. Even great master painting scenery for an impression at first glance would paint at his worst. I love the Shakesperian and Greek theaters, full of energy and delight in energy and joy. They did not substitute peep shows of humanity. The English theater is demoraizing, not because it delights in the husband, the wife and the lover, a subject which has inspired great litera- ture in most ages of the world, but be- cause the illogical thinking and insincere feeling we call bad writing makes the mind timid and the heart effeminate."
 When a question as to the greatest playwright of the day was put to him, MT. Yeats said: "Ibsen? He has great intellect, a great temperament perfectly achieved. But since he has given up TO- mances he has written about wornout people of a wornout age. He has done nothing recently that moves me like Peer Gynt and Brand. There you have joyful music. true poetry and the highest art.
 '"rhe great good that Ibsen does for nation is this-he Is perfectly sincere, per- fectly logical and fearless. After a people have understood a few of his plays, the ordinary dramatist of the theatre be- comes impossible. Some time ago there waA much discussion as to the cause of the financial depression of the stage in iSouuOn. HIS IS lft tADldndtlOn SOme- body gave: Although the people of Lon don do not like Ibsen. he has taught them to dislike everyone else"
 While discussing Ibsen, MT. Yeats is perfectly at ease. The mention of Kip ling, however brought out an unexpected hesitancy in his manner.
 "Kipling? Oh, Kipling has a soul to sell, and he sold it to the devil' Then Mir Yeats drew himself up to his full 6 feet, thrust his hands in his pockets. and paced the floor again. Ut is very difficult for one poet to criticize another.' he said. There are always so many to misunderstood our motives. Undoubtedly Kipling is a man of great genius He has done work of great beauty and of a new kind. But latterly he has turned himself into a kind of imperialist journalist in prose and verse, and with all that I have no sympathy. Ten years ago Kipling mat tered greatly to men of letters-today he matters much to journalists. His might have been a very great name indeed but he has made what Dante calls the great refusar-the refusal to be himself. It is disappointing to discuss MT. kiplng; let us talk about the theater, America or Ire land"
 Mir Yeats believes that America has 1t in her to produce the very greatest Kind of literature. America still believes it possible to discover the truth" he says. While in Europe even the youth is apt to believe that the world has found out