New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-16
THE DRAMA.
Inothcr Dose of TbSen-"PdlarS of
iSOciefv."

his leisure. II lg old but old
,est IS often moro apt than a new precept Most
persons presumably. are aware that in all com
,1rnities especially IN strait-aced. provincial
circles. there moral impostors; sancUmonious
hurlbugs hypocritical pretenders TO virtue and
kpectabl,ity; Dr. short, whi:ed sepulchres This Is
she very alphabet % social knowledge and every
to5v knows it--gvho knows anything Accordingly.
when such q puerile anc elementary composition
r. Ibsens pillars OF Society" IS placed public
,iev n a theatre. the observer can but wonder
whether any human being viii for a moment sup
pose 81 70 be a novelty, O., for any reason what
ever .hirk & worthy OF serious consideration.
NJ Ibsen. according TO this attenuated coyoquial
-la,itude-which zealousy and soporhcaly
recited yesterday afternoon. the Lyric Theatre.
nv that robust and f0rcible realist. Mr.. Wilton
raclyaye and his associate players.-has' made the
r-ofound discovery that. in some cases. men who
pretend be honest. and by means Of their deceit
eg gravity. md decorum. have gained a social
sscendsncy and the general respect, are. IN reality.
lnaves; and that the pillars OF society are, FOR this
reason rotten at the base. The Norwegian phi
,osorher's friend and admrer, Mr.. Hjalmar Hjorth
rovesen. stated the case foT him. with some en-
,,rasis IN book that published ten years ago.
declaring that the 1bsen mission is Ito drag moral
,-,.ness into light of day 0here being little
q, this sweet thing anywhere visible. and such n
-averous public desire and need OF seeing speci-
rnensD and that AIr. Ihsen thinks morality IS out
q plumb" she foundations OF the social fabric
are 'sacre5." and everything IS going Peu nell 10
universal smash IN ne 1li.AIS liiStt - a ~
ouacious rnerchant.-outwardy respectable. actu-
ally a lbertine and a swindler.-who allows. ana
courives that innocent relative shall be scape-
goat for his vices and crimes ana even frames a
Mot 10 drown him, in self-dcfence: going on from
ore seu~axltv TO another. till. at last. suddenly
shocked into virtue from having seemingly. sacri-
feed the he Of his son. he publicly confesses
his sins and says he is sorry FOR them That is the
NAV: aus its only parallel, for dulness, must he
sought in some other OF the prosy, fatuors col
loouies ~ the same tedious author.
There are wrongs. There are abuses There are
had mon and women. There are infrmiues IN
human nature. ('"The best OF all we 90 ana are
-ust God forgive!' cries the poet WORDSWORTH
There are hypOcrites This IS vale. as re-
marked by Mrs Camp and those who ARE born
n q vale must take the consequences OF such
salvation" But society IS not for this reason
initiated with decay. Mr. Boyesen, reluctantly
struck that nail pretty sGuareiy on the head When
he wrote that in all ar. Ibsen's attempts TO break
down the code Of traditional ethics. his method .
has been to devise a gaTinE exception in order 10
snvalidate the rule: and any competent loglcian
could apprise M. Ibsen that the method OF rea- I
soning from exceptional cases is asinine folly-a I
method identical with the Highanders astonishing
gun. mentioned by Sir Walter Scott that only re-
oui-ed stock lock and barred TO make II perfect 4
Unless there be truth IN personal and social rea-
tons" $50 wrote Mr. Bovesen. stiu Interpreting \
the Grand Panjandrum OF The Dirty Commonplace. 4
.tbev are built on sand; they cannot endure the (
shocks Of adversely" Quite IN the name OF .
the Prophet-FiEs!" Dr. Holiness vocal Insect
N-ss not moro plausiby and automatically dogmatic
and lrrefutablc Thou sayst an undisputed thing
IN such a solemn way" II there were any action /
81 tho niece any invention situation or Importance
OF story above all Il there were any dramatic I'M
partrnent OF cheering. elevating, or impressive,
OF salutary influence, there might be some
-hgnr IN Il 10 admire. Even a Moralst
sometimes refrain from being Bore Mr..
Henry Arthur Jones. enforcing the same trite
ethical lesson.-that fraad is a rotten basis
Tor the support OF character-dd succeed. with /
his play OF Judah" making and exploiting 4
a Dramatic plot and writing a genial. animated.
sparkling delightful drama. But Mr. Ibsen. as his
apostle. M Boyesen. sagaciously remarked, hxes
his gaze continually the deaths head at the /
feast: IN other words ral1es among diseases and i
deformities. and. continually alternating between
garbage and trash. IS either tainted or trivial;
usually both HIS play OF The Pillars is made /
up Of prox conversations the wretched tttle-tattle
Of provincial village embelshed with incidental 4
ethical disousition, having the general effect OF
rudimentary moral treatise. Some OF the moon /
eyed followers OF Mr. Ibsen have lately taken TO
the ridiculous practice OF yoking the Tupper OF 4
Christrana with the Bard OF Avon. Alas, poor /
Shakespeare This much Of good. however, comes /
from the hare-brained impertinence-that observers
are reminded Of the contrast and that there are /
single lines in Shakespeare worth whole hecatombs 4
Mr. Ibsen. The entire substance Of The Pillars
OF Society,"" for example. is comprised in King /
Duncans regretful exclamation:
Fe
To and the uinds construction IN the facAr
The acting OF an Ibsen play does not irnpncate /
the IMAGINATION It requires, only and merely. the /
literal expression OF literal things. II proceeds i
upon clear level Of commonplace fact. 1t pro-
ceeded on this occasion Mr.. Wilton Lackaye viii /
.mpe-sonate Consul Bernick with absolute fidelity |
10 the perfectly obvious and radically stupid origi
nal as soon as he has fully learned the part and 1
fully obtained control OF Il. IN appearance he
remhled advertising portrait on bottle OF hair |
,~1-.-
be correct. lie somewhat lacked frigidty but he /
had the requisite bland and plausible manner OF a |
selfish self-satIsned. successful hypocrite and no
expressed most effectively the trepidaton, IN
peril. OF liar who is afraid Of exposure.
There Is nothing else in the part Miss Olive Oliver 4
gave a most sprited representation OF a frank
tue straightforward woman. contemptuous OF con-
ventionality and satirical OF humbug. The female |
representatives OF the village gossps com |
ically true 70 life. Nr. A. Il Stuart. as a melan-
choy shipbulder inclined 10 oratory, appeared TO 4
please himself even more than he cid his audience
The storm missed fire. The spectators were few,
but attentive, and mostly they exhibited becom-
ing resignation ". w.
CAST OF THE PILLAR OF SOCIETY"
Coasi Be-1!ci Wilton ISegsye
Martha Hernscl .....-....... Margaret Kenman
Jo5a- ro-1s--8 -. White yvl-ittiesev |
h,sor- Il5riaad William T. Hszoitine
t.snaei iSo5s7a N;,kes
Dina Jane osker
Edmund II Teard5n
M .FoThsItsn ordon
Ks RarHasi Mssei Friday
siss Folt... Ilisn c5or6o1
Jscof - - = - = = - - = = "a 1850
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