New-York tribune., 1905-02-11
IRSEN IN 4 CORNER.

II "a notahle with respect to independent, PRO
gressive' and otherwise advanced stage socie-
ties that they customariy progress by the ex-
poitation of freaks The local Progressive stage
Society," which seeks the seclusion OF the berkeley
Lyceum has tackled Mr.. Ibsens treatise on the
rights and wrongs of the minority, called An
Enemy OF the People" This colloqual rgTnaroie
relates to case of imperfect drainage. in little
town on the south coast of Norway. Dr. STOCK
man. who resided in that town. discovered that
, certain baths which had been established tnere'
instead Of being medicinal and salutary, hao Dee
tainted by sewage and had become poisonous ana
thereupon he wrote q newspaper article on the
subject which local journalist promised TO print
DIR. Stockman's brother however, who was d
magistrate, and who had a pecuniary interest III
the baths and did not whether people were
uoisoned by them or not persuaded the journalist
not to keep his promise and Dr. Stockman's article
was therefore rejected The doctor then called a
meeting Of the townspeople, in order to read MS
essay TO them. but his opponents took possession
of the hall and ''coughed him down." and the as
sembIage broke up In a Dr. Stockman sub
sequently was discharged from his town office, and
''boycotted." IAN enemy OF the people, ana ne
resolved to open q school for ragamuffns. Mr.
Ibsen has told this enlivening tale in five acts
which have the sprightlness of the turtle and the
agility Of the
In Robertsons comedy OF school" one OF the
children being asked in what way the people re-
warded the public services of Belisarius replied
that they deprived him Of his dignities and put
his eyes out" The who tries 10 benefit society
often to grief. There is nothing new in that
An instructive essay doubtless might be written
the blunders OF the majority human selAshness and
the erroneous postulates that all persons are born
equal and that the masses Of people simply because
they are masses, therefore virtuous. wise, ana
infaHibIe in Judgment. Mr.. Ibsens mind appears 10
have been distressed that subject when he
wrote IAN Enemy Of the People" He wished to
announce that the majority has might but not right
The subject appropriate for a treatise. but not
for pay.-because. in play. there should be no
lesson moral precept or doctrine. but simply
idealized moving picture Of human life The
moral element, being a component part OF human
hature,--a rpdimentary force in the human mind
is always present In its way, and always takes
care of itself. The stage should not preach Mr..
1bsens fundamental intirmity as i drarnatst aside
from his infatuated devotion the mOnOtOnous
doctrine of heredity), is that he has set himse4-
forth as regulator; that he is forever vociferatng
that 'the world is out Of joint, and that 1t Is a
Cursed spite that he born to set IL right
It is Mr. Ibsen never will succeed in setting it
right, and he will succeed the stage until
he ceases to be dull. His nasty plays make people
sick and his pedantic ones make them sleepy.
Ghosts is type of the former class AN Enemy
Of the People is a type of the latter.
The play requires acting. Anybody who is
familiar with the stage readily satisfy the
needs of the Ibsen drama. 1t is only necessary to
walk in and out and TO talk. Mrs. Fiske has man
aged to do more acting than anybody else has
done in the illustration of the Norwegian phi
Iosopher but even Mrs. Fiske cannot redeem either
his dirt or his dulness. a recently published
ticle by that thoughtful and accomplished actress
makes the ingenious observation that 'as the prin
cipaI characters Ibsen drama were living their
lives many years before the visible presentation.
the producer of Ibsen drama must delve into the
childhood of those characters. and discover and
comprehend all that has gone before" Since. how
ever this is true of all plays and of all characters
that are worthy Of serious consideration. the ap-
pIiance Of Mr.. Ibsens colloquia fabrics
only once more to suggest Dr.. Holiness familiar
bird, who says undisputed thing in such
solemn way. w. W.