New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-02-17

surr1!ees in the French tonEue) or not. his
thso~y certainly goes dumfound or. as ne
20 IL one must conclude thar such productions az
eranrr's pror"erhels Unbound" Byron
cain" and many other Unactable p-aylike
poems are waste O. means. and. u MS own
words. may boz read just as. faure de mieuN.
shoe leather may Be- used as an article q diet
His view would seem 70 Re based on an a.
sumption Thar fr no Circumstance must an ar
borrow the methods of ueighb0r art YET H
-re~- is rr. thing -eaErgT 10 The vitality of any
AFT it ie the freedom ~ the worker therein from
the restraint Cf EGch scientific reasoning rs
would lay down this law. freedom from 'le
rationale ~ every development that De ADOPTS
The artistic spirit is at-sott0m a spirit or ca
price. and 3d. some Of its finest productions IN
the past if could have given no clear reason
why they were PUN iu ihis or that pafI. .'1l
mould and not fr some more obvious one. ANA
~ 90 could he proved that .G The DynaStS
Horhirr il gained but much lost 10y IT'S form.
that attempt would sim have been legitimate.
NeyeTtheless. II your reviewers statement lil-t
the stage form i7 Inherently an unnatural on l''
strictly accurate. ] would concede TO MN ',e
eEpeliaucy. though not The obligation. ~ aNo.A-
iug it iu "a book Bot why, one asks IS II haH
for reading. Because. understand MN. d.
answer u was invented for the stage. He might
as well assert that bitter ale is bad drinking
FOR England because it was invented for India
His critical hand u.s. indeed. suh5uei TO what Do
works ln when Ee pens sE'h a theory ll s1I--S
ought TO have occurred 60 him that TINS play
shape Is essentially i not quite literally. ar one
with the Instructive. primitive. naTTailNe snap
II legends and old ballads. in the telIIuE of IAN
OUro true tale" by country folks on winter
nights over a. diving fire. the place and time are
briefly indicated ar tie beginning in almost All
cases. and then the body Of the story follows as
what he said and what she said. the action be
Ing often suggested hy the speeches alone This
likeness between the order Of natural recital ana
the order of theatrical utility may De- accidental
but there it is. ana 70 write Scene so-anl-S''
Time So-and-so. instead 81 once upon q time.
At such "a place. is t-Lliug variation that
makes no difference 20 the mental images raised.
Cf half a dozen people 1 have spoken 10 about
Ta EaV a
the enactment ir read play better than ln a
read novel or epic poem. u is a matter OF ialo-
syucrasy.
The methods 81 book and the methods OF a
play which BE says are so different are funaa-
mentally similar. Il must De remembered that
ne printed story is not "a representation, hut'
Ike the printed play. means OF producing "a
representation. which is done lu the one case 10y
sheer iuaE.uatIvaucss. ir the other my imagi-
Why, then, should not "a somewhat idealized
ser1blance 81 the latte means De used In The
For a rather q aggressive reason your reviewer
Grags iu the art Of architecture. IN mercy 20 his
own argument he should have left architecture
alone. Like those ot 60 play for reading, ITS fe3l-
ur7s are continually determined by no meChaui-
cal. material or methodic necessities (Which are
confused together 10y your crItiCl- As for me-
chauical necessities. that uurest relic Of Greek
architecture the p7rthenor. is convention
allied representation ~ the necessities Of q tim
stone. such as the limitations of wood rafter
ends beam ends and ceiling 5osts- As for
purpose. medieval architects con-
st-uCtel church TaIapets with the enbrasures
~ those ~ "a fortress. and ou the Continent
planned the eastern ends u their gathelrals IN
resemblance Of "a Roman hal Of justice Ia re-
speCt Of necessities Of method. that art through
out fits history, has cap-iciously subdued 10 IFS
service. iD sheer wayHa rGDesS the necessities or
other arts that one can find iu u very
ma gaziue OF examples 81 my own procedure II
'The DvnaSfs' Capitals, coruices bosses ana
scores o. other details instead OF combining their
shapes 20 those strictly demanded by their office,
borrow from tEa art OF sculpture without scruri-
and without reason Scllrture4 human figures
are boldly taken and ny the name Of caryttlds.
1re used columns. Il sculpture trerlf Ne find
the raiu+ar'F necessity" borrowed suTertiuios
and used for hass-rellefs even though shapes
are mlsrep-eseuted uy so doing AND II We turn
10 poetry we ind that rhythm and rhyme are "a
-or-rer-sei-ous ureeer-a-lrn Of language under
conditions that in stricruess appertain only 90
music.
But auaIcrfes between the arts ara apt 10 he
misleading and having said thus much ~ de-
fence n -ha form chosen. even supunSiUE am
other 70 have been available, ] have Io room
was available rD such other form that would
readily allow n the necessary compression or
space and time. I believe that any one who
should sit down and consider az leisure how 20
compass would decide that this was, broadly
speaking. the only way.
Before concluding T should like 10 correct a
misrepresentation Of your critics, and Of others.
that 7 have "hankeriuEs after actual perform
arce" % The DEUaSfs.' AIv hfnkeTiuEs -
any. do not lie that way. Eu- 7 fancy his do.
means Of performing Il plainly net-ay that he IS
diving 10 see the show. which IS fatteriuE. But
z he VIII look gain mt the last paragraph of the
preface be win perceive that my remarks on per
Torrance refer go old Eu-lish dramas only.
Your ohe5iaut servant.
THOMAS HARDY.
Max Gate. Dorset. Feb p