The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-09

detached from bis Illuminating Essay
on Comedy and the Uses d the Comic
Spirit
'AiHqmdnt is an admirable, almost
. lovable, heroine It IL . pieco q
genius in a writer to make . wOmans
manner Of speech portray her, You feel
aensibls Of her presence In every line ct her
speaking The stipulations with her lover
in view Of marriage, her fine lady's delicacy
and fne lady's easy evasion Of indelicacy,
the coquettish airs and playing with ir-
resolution, which in a common maid would
be bashfulness, until she submits TO dwindle
into a wife as she says form a picture
that lives in the frame, and Is in harmony
with AirdbeFs description Of her; Here
abe comes, T. faith, fun sail, with her fan
spread and her streamers out, and q shOal
Of fools for tenders And, after an inter
view: Think Of you'll To think Of whirl-
wind. though 'twerO In a whhlwind. were
a case Of more steady contemplation. q
very tranquility Of mind and mansion
There Is picturesqueness, ~ Of MdI0TdAf
and no other, in her voice when abe Is
encouraged TO take Airabel by Ara FGtHdu
who 30 sure she has q mind to him
and the hoTrid man looks as he thought
90 too, &C.
sOne hears the tones, and sees the sketch
and color Of the whole scene In reading
Il. Moneres CtHmtns IL behind AIlo-
sadnt In vividness. An air Of bVwitching
whindoality hovers over the Eracea Of
this comic heroine Like the lively oon-
vsrsationa play Of beautiful mouth:
Small wonder that THE Way Of thew orld'
failed. and has never commandeda place
on the English stagei Small wonder too
that lie failure discouraged its Huth~
at the age Of 80 from all further ehortS -
q dramatiSt.
A ConRrsve's heroine Flrpasses MoiATe's
in the blush Of lhelikensss, Shsridan's
surpassos her in brilliancy and point
sZoundsl madam thunders Sir Peter,
enraFsd by her extravagant airs OF the tne
lady Of the town, you had no tasto when
YOU married mel Lady TedEle SEES her
opening In a fash, and rejoins, the whole
soma buoyancy Of the country girl giving
balm 10 the tart OF city wit; That's very
trus, indeed, Sir Peteri and after having
married YOU l ahould never pTOteDd 10
tasts aEain, allowl' In the some IN which
SIR Peter brealB IN on the scandalmongeB
he adds q touch Of honest austerity, not
unworthy Of comparison with The mood
Of. Mohere's AlcsSts; and the Wit flashes
with a brilliAncy which hohATO never
achieved-and which, In fact, h 20 much
EiVen 10 epigTam and the rest Of tho ex-
plosives Of q pyrotechnio display ~ TO be
net above question on the SOoro Of dramatic
propristy.
LADY SneerVeu-You are = cruel creature,
Sir Peter; too pblsGmatio yourself for q
jest and too peevish to allow Wit in othsrs.
Sir Pstsr-Ah, madam, true Wit Il moFO
naaTly allied 10 good nature than your
ladyship s aware Of.
LADY Tedtle-Trus, Sir Peer; beEeve
that they are 30 mar Of kin that they can
never be united.
Sir Benjamin Bdokbils-or ratheT suppose
them man and wife, heoauss one seldom
see them together.
In Moli6re the talk is everywhsre guided
by reason. Sometimes he Comes near 10
justifying Dryden's gibe at The French
drAmatists whose characters speak by
the hourglass, like our parsons.' When
be strays into the bypaths Of wit and humor
Il n only 10 throw an inward light upon
come phase Of character necessary 10 tbe
comedy IN hand. 5heridRn's dialogue 10
ths thrust and party Of braves adept IT the
play Of the flashing napier. The source
Of bis talent and SUCCESS, according 30
Tsins, h "a piquant style, and perfSct
machinery; pungency In all the words
and animation In all the scenes; super
abundance Of wit and mArveh Of ingenuity;
over ell this q true physical activity and
TIE secret pleasure Of depicting and justify
ing onsseif-of public glorihcation.' The
great French critic has no Illusions a. 10
the simplicity Of TIE techniqus Of the
worlds great master Of comedy. The
farce writer Of to-day Sees that the cataS-
trophs Of Mohere's plays h ridioulousi
nay, many Of them can produce elects
better than MOHAre; In the long run they
sucCsed In stripping the theatre Of aWk-
Wardnsas and oirCumlocutlon.'
What gives Aoliere his title Of supremacy
IL his masterhood Of the comic spirit in its
utmost purity-Sthe intellectual manipula-
tion and transmutation into art, as Henly
has defined II. of what is spiritually ridic-
ulous In manners and society To realize
all II means one must read Meredith's
essay-svery golden word OF ton the
first born Of common sense, the vigilant