The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-27
A SOCIALIST SPEECH.DUAMA.
PROGRESSIVE STAGE SOCIETY
STRUGGLES WITH BJORNSON.


and Is a Hummer for speeehmaking
one whole Cast Fled Before IT,.
The Progressive Stage Society made
stagger yesterday at the second part OF
Biornstjerne Bj0mson's Beyond Human
power The p. s. s. u composed Of those
uho wish TO elevate the stage from the
orcbestral side OF tho footlights. They
believe that Instruction and Progress, not
Pleasure, should be the end and aim OF
the drama. And as the bugs which dwell
in the human brain are social creatures,
and rarely dwell in Uranium unacoom-
rspied by other bugs, il follows that the
audience in the Murray Hill Theatre yes
terday afternoon appeared like a joint
rna-s meeting Of the Manhattan Liberal
Club. the two Socialist parties and half a
dozen other organizations which have
their faces toward the dawn.
Il is probably this socislistio tinge in
tho society which led them toward this
second part Of Bjornson's Beyond Human
Power" The first and second parts OF
Bayond Human Power" are as distinct
and separate az an original and it's sequel,
The first part Il standard play Of the
scandinavian stage. It Ia a little Flemish
picture Of Norwegian peasant life. The
rurpose is moral-the struggle between the
cid faith and the more enlightened faith
hut the moral does not obscure the art,
Mr. Patrick Campbell carried an English
version in her repertoire for several seasons.
The second part, which is hitched to the
first hy several common characters, was
written in the authors age. when he had
become more or less Of a Socialist. II IL
almost without art-a collection Of wordy
speeches and political orations, tied up
hv a slender thread Of action. II il almost
unrelieved by comedy; the atmosphere
is all gloom, 1t wanders along in this
fashion for nearly three scts; then out
Of II flashes a big melodramstic climax
vhich'should end the play. But the author
goes on with political diatribes for another
act
The society in London which corresponds
70 the Progressive Stage Society thought
Of presenting it once; but they lacked the
courage. The enlightened of New York
had the necessary nerve. There we're
conservative souls Of mistaken economic
views in yesterdays audience who main
tanned that the nerve Of il was i;s chief
merit.
For the Progressive Stage Society had
rs troubles with this production. Every
thing was going we'll when. in the middle
Of last week, the whole cast quit, They
had TO get new actors and get them quick
They raised them from everywhere, in
Guiding the German theatre, and thew
the piece on without a stage rehearsal.
II went as well as mi ght be expected. Some
times the actors knew their lines; some
times they whispered them 70 each other in
voices, audible in the boxes. and some
times they gagged. But the Socialist
orations which sprinkle the piece saved il.
They gavethe audience something 10 cheer
about. There we're three Of these formal
orations in the first act, and in the third.
nine.
Stripped Of its orations, this is about
what happens.
There is a strike on in the factory village,
which the vorldngmen call Hell. As the
curtain rises, procession Of strikers passes
with the bodies Of one Norm and her two
children. She has killed herself and her
children In a madness brought about by
hunger. She has refused food from the
dying breath she calls on them not 10 be
afraid 70 die. The workmen are des-
perate and ready for almost anything
Elias an agitator and strike leader is
introduced. He has given up wealth 10
get down to the people and help the cause.
M1rin's suicide has got on his brain In
-pte Of the duplication Of his cOmrade,
Brat. the strike leader. he determines
on recourse to force. The rest Of this act
Is all orations, in which the social contract
is threshed out in cart tail style. The mob
Of strikers was played by members OF the
society Their acting was realistic.
The second act introduces Holger, the
hard uncompromising owner of the factory.
There is a sub-plot treating OF his daughters
two children and their goveTness, who In
sister II Elias but IL has nothing TO do with
the main story. A committee Of the strikers
calls on Holger. He refuses to make any
concessions and gals them by throwing
out Of the conference old, blind Andreds
HOel father Of Norm, who has killed herself
and her children. lrntated by his attitude,
a striker reproaches him and his kind with
destroying the virtue OF their working
women Holger retorts that the easy virtue
Of their women is an index to their own
morality. The strikers attack him and
are thrown out by the servants. The act
closes as Brat reveals 10 the governess that
her brother Elias has gone out TO stir up
open violence among the strikers.
The third act, which he gins like a morality
and ends like a real drama, shows a con-
ference 81 factory owners in the citadel
n a castle owned by Holgor They make
grafton one after the other, for half an
llbuI bl lIlt WdLCus IL Il NINH IllhAl "
form a coalition Of employers embracing
not only Norway but the whole world,
which IS quite a daredevil scheme for
a small Norwe gian town. The members
unloose blood curdling denunciations
against the working classes, TO a chorus
n Kisses from the audience. One en-
poyer alone speaks for the people, He IL
toked down. Angry, he tries TO leave.
He returns in a moment 70 cay that he
cannot get out Of the citadel. Every exit
Is barred from without, the servants are
gone, the police have left. Holger sum-
mons his footman, the only remaining ser
want IL u Elias.
The passages under this castle are filed
With dynamite and wiredl' cries Elds.
l have the quarterback nowl' Johann
Sverd, the most bigoted Of the employers,
draws a revolver and shoots him.
! am not the only onel' cries Elios as
he dies. you will all die with me. The
mine will explode In three minutesl'
The employers are praying, all but
Sverd who has been an advocate Of shoot
ing down the strikers. He cannot pray;
he will die like a soldier.
Pray at least for our women and chill
dren, cries Holoer.
God save the women and children,
says the old soldier, as the mine is sprung
and the citadel goes up.
That is the citadel IL supposed 10 60 up.
u does In the manuscript. As presented