The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-29

by money grubbing. 1t Is our own ohaste'
superior selves, and the quicker we stop
blaming some one else the better for our
| own souls,
or the magnitude Of the public that can
be relied on to support really artistic drama
there can be no question. BY tradition
and instinct our people are still puritanical
less than 40 per cent. Of the well to do,
it has been estimated, have the habit OF
the theatre. And those who resist the shows
OF Broadway arc .the more solid and sub
stantial element II is they who prefer
historical monograph to the historical
novel, who prefer Henry James to G. p r.,
who fcck 10 the standard Of Ben Greet and
Bernard Shaw. Many Of them are found
even among the fortunate in wealth and
the socially chosen. All they need ia to be
hidden forth to something good, and they
will come.
The task OF organizing them in an efficient
body Is Of course not easy. The necessary
subscriptions can be commanded only
in the name OF body Of men whom they
respect both as merchants and as artists,
and the best artistic manager would be
powerless without the recognition and the
problem of which is to come first, the hen
or the egg. but OF all tough problems this is
the one that natural evolution ia aptest in
solving.
One Of the things chiefly to be desired
il that we should cease to make believe
that the cause of art and that Of the man
ayers are hostile. and it is here that one
doubts most the wisdom Of Safeguarding
the powers that be. Wisely conducted,
an artistic theatre would play into the
hands Of the syndicate and the syndicate
would play into its hands II would enlarge
the playgoing public-the market for the
drama 1t would be the safest and, to the
managers, the least expensive means oil
trying out literary plays OF doubtful drama
tic appeal To take only two recent eX-
amples. Little Mary and Ulysses would
probably have been successful If produced
arti-tically and presented TO an audience
OF the more intelligent sort; and having
the hall mark Of such SUCCESS they would
doubtless have proved available for com
mercial purposes in that uncertain but
lucrative region so heedful OF metropolitan
verdicts-the road. In the drama OF all
countries and times there are plays, album
dance Of plays. a knowledge of which IL
an essential part of good education
and which are. besides. delight to witness
To see them good people would spend
their money quite as freely as, for example,
to buy the Century Dictionary or the In
cyclopedia Britannica.
If the commercial managers were good
business men. in short, they would stand,
sincerely and Loyalty. by the cause OF
dramatic art Acknowledging their own
incompetency to judge of such things, az
they have so long frankly, if tacitly, done,
they would invite the intelligent public
to organize itself and supply them with
the necessary money and direction Under
a practical man of the theatre, elected to
office by committee of representative
artists men Of letters and patrons OF the
arts, an artistic theatre might flourish as
flourshes the opera.
The easiest and directest means TO this
generally desirable end is at the call Of the
managers 1t Is for their commercial good
to take advantage of it-and TO take ad-
vantage of it quickly. For ten years now
there has been growing revolt on the part
Of the intelligent public against the gross
acknowledgement of the business they mo
nopolize. single man with a single
million, il he uses it wisely. is able to preempt
forever the lucrative field they are neglect
! ing JOHN CoRBIN.