The sun., 1905-09-24

only few odd volumes Of the plays in stock.
1t is only since the Candida" madness
blow up that he has reached the height
even of his literary vogue. And what
has happened here has happened also in
Germany The Teutonic mind Is not given
TO fads but the best plays, pleasant ana
unpleasant, arc already familiar to Cen
tinental patrons Of the best modern drama.
The provinciaity OF the American dramat-
list, 80 conspicuously exhibited in what
Mr. Thomas says, have frequently had
occasion to deplore Far be il from any
one to uIge that our playwrights initiate
the manner of lbsen His grim and re-
morseless austerity is the very antithesis
of all that is characteristical American.
Even Shaw with his Celtic irresponsibility
appeals TO no deep and permanent instinct.
Our ga,ety and verve have bed rock Of
the very kind Of sincerity that sits like an
incubus on Mr. Thomas's chest. 1t is the
backwardness Of the development Of what
Is genuinely native that draws forth these
tears.
Even here, 1t has seemed, there are many
signs Of better things. The author Of
Tho Other Girl himself was discovered
in the fact Of cropping for larger and more
comprehensive utterance Of the life he secs
about him. But there are none 30 blind as
those who will not see. Mr.. Thomas, the
critic, Is a doubling Thomas. The cock
crows, and he denies bis master. This La
about as discouraging as anything could
we'll be.
Not discouraging, hasten to add, about
the future OF our drama. Where there
are so manifestly audiences and actors
for better things the better things are sure
TO come. 1t is for Mr. Thomas alone
that these present tears are shed. Young
as he still is, he is apparently too old dtolearn,
even to wish to learn.
Meanwhile let us take note that the
success Of Man and Superman' is all
that we predicted on the occasion Of the
first performance. A large proportion
of the people to whom Shaw particularly
appeals are still out OF town. and will be
for fortnight or more; but the Hudson
Theater OF the largest. by the way,
in the city--is crowded nightly to the doors
and to the tip Of the top gallery, with audi
ences that catch every line as 1t Is uttered
except when It is drowned out by the bursts
of laughter at the preceding line.
Not the least interesting element In the
audience is modicum Of people who. like
Mr.. Thomas, root for virtue and good old
fashioned sincerity. .There is nothing like
love-" exclaims Octatius; there is moth
ing else but love; without it the world would
be a dream Of sordid horror!" Stray hands
OF melodraplatic applause sound out cou-
rageously. Last Tuesday night refined
and earnest looking man Of middle age ex-
claimed: Here's our chance to stand for
the real thing" and batted his soft palms to-
gether But Tanner had already given the
answering line And this-this from man
who asks me to give him the hand OF my
ward" The audience, with the memory Of
Ann, the boaconstrictor OF maternity, in
mind, overwhelmed the rooter for virtuous
ideals with roar OF comic delight.
1t was not mere audience Of bunoons.
The whole play is little more tEsD talk;
many of the speeches are sheer Gt-quisi-
tion Of the various kinds which Mr. Thomas
Jumps as psychological. some Of them
occupying almost page Of close type; but
even when one Of these is under way the
audience sits spellbound, following every
phrase. Such a phenomenon has sell
dom or never been seen on the English
speaking stage. In Paris You will find
the patron Of the Theatre Francais rapt,
obliterated for the moment, in following
the delivery Of the Trades with which the
French classical drama abounds At the
end Of the TRADE the audience will signify
it's approval-sometimes its disapproval-
and 90 forth between the acts to discuss
the reading and compare 1t with that OF
the great actors OF the past. This sort of
thing, people of Mr.. Thomas's way OF
thinking will tell you, ia impossible on the
American stage; and they say 1t in tone
indicating that they are glad OF It. Let
them go to the Hudson Theater and use
their eyes. They will find that our audi
ences are not only capable Of understand
ing what Mr. Thomas calls psychology,
but are starved and eager for il.
CLYDE Fitch writes to explain that
Botes the English brewer, in Her Great
Match" whose eagerness for a trumpery
title in the kingdom of Eastphaia seemed
to me so absurd, is not really an English
man, but "a German by birth, who came
from Eastphaia to England and estab-
lished the brewery in his youth, but was
never naturalized." All this, it seems, was
explained in the original version, played
the first night, but was cut out to shorten
and quicken the frat act. Mr.. Fitch admits
that he is convinced that the cut was un-
wise, and has restored the passage. Oh,
wonder Of wonders, when critic and author
agree in an adverse criticism, even though
the appeal is only from Philip drunk to
Philip sober!
In answer to sksptcal question as to
whether crown prince in real life ever
Q bdicated to marry an American girl, Mr.
Fitch pleads that Rudolph. the son Of the
present Austrian Emperor, had persstently
legged to he allowed to marry the girl,
commoner, with whom he slbsequ emily
committed suicide, or was murdered;
ard that one Of his uncles, an Austrian
Grand Duke did give up his du kedom, his
fortune and his nationality about five years
ago, to marry Swiss girl, with whom he
now lives in Switzerland This Mr.. Fitch
regards as sufficiently similar incident
to serve a. precedent for the dem on ement
of such n pley Harmony again' This !