Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-11-22

agreed to finance the project. Accord
 ing to the most reliable authorities,
 Mir. Conrled is to be appointed director
 of the theater, which will be named the
 American National theater.
 A site has already been chosen in
 New York for the building, and $3,0O0,-
 900 has been pledged by the men MT.
 Conried mentions.
 Regarding the project Mir. Conried
 says:
 "0ur schools are supported by pub
 lie taxation, our universities by the
 munificence and philanthropy of high finance. Our libraries we owe partly to bequests of whole estates and large ly to the liDerality of the multimillion- aire. Our churches are generously pro vided for by myriads of open handed believers. But our dramatic art less fortunate, has had to struggle against fearful odds and has been abandoned to commercial enterprise
 'How can this anomaly be remedled? . How can we reform a state of things which allows one and perhaps the most popular of the arts to languish in neg lect? By the foundation of a national theater
 Education Is matter of public in- terest and should therefore not be left to the mercy of commercial enterprise. For good or evil the stage is a great public force At it's best it Is as sure ly public educator as the pulpit or the school.
 Before the stage can take It's right place in this country before it can hope to fulfill its mission as a refining and an educating influence. the civic con sciousness of the American people must be awakened to It's power and useful ness.
 "A theater compelled by financial considerations to present the same play night after night for weeks or months cannot be regarded seriously as an educator. A changing repertory is ab- solutely essential to the educational mission of the stage. Give us a nation 1 al theater and we shall be able to play upon the whole register of human pas sion. to lash all conceivable follies and | to kindle all emotions that make for the | ennobling of the collective soul of the people.
 The American Shakespeare who is to raise dramatic monuments to our na- | tional heroes is still unborn, or. if liv- ing. lives in obscurity, barred from the | stage. which either cannot or will not recognize him. Give us national the ater and soon or late we shall have our American Shakespeare.
 Through the continual presentation of the standard plays of all nations in as nearly perfect a manner as possible a national theater would raise public taste: lt would encourage the cuitiva. ton of higher Ideals: 1t would lift the art of acting in this country 10 a posi- tion of excellence and. in ali proba- bility. lead to the creation of an Amer lean dramatic literature.
 A national theater with a constantly changing repertory cannot be estab- lished in one year To do what the Theatre FraneaIs of Paris and the Of Vienna do-that is. to change not less thsn three tines week-ve need not less than six years. After six years the repertory would in- rlude not only the worlds classics. but llso plays by the best modern authors
 American authors would have q gen erous hearing in the national play house. The objection that native su- thors would prefer the long runs and large proHtS offered hy the ordinary heaters to the short run necessarily given each play by q national thsstsr s not sound. for t would becoue q matter of pride with American suthors To have the plays produced st ths American National theater. as in Eu- rope ls the case with autborx vho have .hesr plays performed at ths Burr