The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-04-28

4-I+Slo N- l4lt El4kuulOS edN4tiAd4cc are brought togetherfna manner similar to that Of Balzae's "Comedie Humane" or Zola's Rougon- -Macquart series. Balzac aimed to portray and to analyze all classes Of society, and It might be said that his "COmedie Humasne" is a panorama of types, manners and GUS toms Of the period. which. taken tegeth- CT, constitute society. Zola's idea is somewhat more sociological; he propOs- es to portray the manner in which the sons are called upon to expiate the sins Of the fathers. Dumas, the cider, also produced a similar literature. But the novels of Galdos have more resemblance to those Of Erekmann-C -Chatrian than to those of Balzac or Zola. There are to be found in the two principal series Of the 'Episodios Nacionales'' more than five hundred characters. These series of historical novels have been received so favorably by the Spanish public that they have had numerous imitators in South American countries.
 In. addition to the 'Episodios Nacion- ales" and the novels. Galdos has writ ten eleven dramas, of which the last three have had the most pronounced success. They are Electra" first pro- duced in 1901; Alma y Vida in 1902, and finally, "Mariucha." in 19OS
 As regards the Spanish theatre. it cannot be said that any dramatic au- thor has had the wonderful success of Edmond Rostand in France, especially the latters "Cyrano de Bergerac." Nevertheless, there have appeared seve- ral dramas by famous authors, some of which have been translated and pro- duced outside of Spain. Of the eleven plays of Galdos, that which has attract ed the most attention, from the point of view of literary merit, is 'Dona Perfec-
 ta, based upon the novel of the same
 name. But the one which caused the greatest sensation was Electra" first
 produced in El Teatro Espanol on Jan
 nary 30, 1901. and since then throughout
 Spain, the audience nnanifesting their enthusiasm by singing the MarseilIaise and the Riego hymn. Within a few months twenty-five thousand copies of
 the play had been sold, Q remarkable record for Spain. Like the dramatic
 adaptation of "Dona Perfeeta,'' the
 play of Electra treats a social pro-
 blem. that is. the struggle between the ancient and the modern. The piece
 ends with the word ''resucita" ('.she re-
 vives"), and the general motive is that |of proving that the Spain of today is |liberating herself from the prejrdiees of the past, and is entering upon new
 epoch-the epoch of modern life When the play first appeared there were many
 circumstances in the popular mind
 which contributed to its success, and it
 was for this same reason that the cele-
 brated actress, Maria Guerrero, declined
 to take any part in the play, asserting that art is too sacred to be employed for
 religious or political purposes. In 1902
 Galdos produced the symbolical drama,
 Alma y Vida a work containing some
 beautiful scenes, and which has been very well received. The latest play of
 this author is the comedy. Mariucha "
 presented last year in the EEdorado Theatre, at Barcelona. And to form an adequate idea of the remarkable litera- ry fecundity of Galdos, it must be re- membered that his "Episodios Nacion- ales'' have appeared without interrup-
 ton while the author has been also at
 work upon his dramas.
 The illustrious Echegray, at the age of over seventy-one years, is still writ
 ing comedies which appear from time to time on the Spanish stage. Occasional fly he writes in verse, but the greater
 part of his dramas are in prose. The four latest are"El Loco Dios, 'sMalas Herencias" La Escalinata de un Tre- mo-" and La Desequilihrada. It may be permissible to observe that these
 productions are of less value than the authors masterpieces, "El Gran Galeo- to- and 70 Locura O Santidad' of ear llier date. These two plays, like others
 by the same author, have been transla- ted and produced in several languages, and in 1900 "El Gran Galeoto'' was pre-
 sented in English at the Fremont Thea tre in Boston. among the so-ealled six plays of the XIX, century.
 It is my belief that Echegaray is the
 most eminent Spanish dramatist now living. He has written sixty-four plays, anl in all of them there is a cer- tain uniformity, a certain resemblance, by which it is easy to recognize the au- thor. Like Victor Hugo, Echegaray de- lights in comparisons and contrasts He nearly always presents a struggle between two persons or two ideas; in short, he is an apt pupil of the roman tic school, Like Hugo, also, Echegaray is not of a jocose temperament, and as
 a rule his works are serious, and, often
 enough, even sombre. Tn some of them
 there are over-long passages, like some of Cornelle and of Racine For the taste of to-day, they are a little tedious. ! Nevertheless, his dramas are well con- structed, and as rule they satisfy their audiences.
 The latest drama of Jose Echegaray,
 La Desequilibrada" (4'The Unbalanced
 Girl was presented in Fl Teatro Espa- mol at Madrid, in December last. The piece is less serious than the greater part of Echegaray's dramas, and there are even some scenes which are genu- inely amusing. On the whole, it should l be considered high comedy rather than drama. The play has to do with d young girl, Teresina, the heroine, who is the unbalanced girl.' This young lady, as the name indicates, does the
 most extravagant things. She has two suitors, Roberto and Mauricio. She prefers Mauricio. Like most tenthusias- tic lovers-especially Spanish lovers the two rivals place honor before every thing. Even life itself is worth nothing,
 compared with honor Teresina's fath- ,,rt,