The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-02-05

Those students of dramatic litera-
ture who point scornfully (and not
entirely without justificatiOn) at the
weakness of the subjects treated in
serious American plays in comparison
with the strength of the best drama of
the continent, might pause to consider
one point-a great national evil makes
matter for great national literature.
In our political happiness and peace
AS the American situation may be re-
garded broadiy-hes to some extent
the placidity of our consequential dra-
mas. If Tolstoi- and Cork had not
been born with the great evils of Rus
STA crying upon their doorstepS, these
masters of influential fiction might
have been mere ethical powers; and to
the pitiful condition of the peasantry
in some parts of the German empire,
and to the despotism of the army
throughout it, may be traced some
thing of the commanding sweep of the
tragedies of Sudermann and his con-
temporaries. These thoughts are
called into words by the production
for practically the first time on the
-English-speaking stage OF America-of
Hermann Sudermann's Die Ehre-"
This great drama holds d foremost
position in Germany. and in this land
II is in the repertoire of every German
company. Yet only. a SlipShOd prOduc-
ton, ten years ago. quickly abandoned
and almost as soon forgotten, ante
coded last weeks single performance.
Franklin Sargent. who performs the
double duty of exhibiting pupils of his
admirable school of acting and giving
| the intelligent public opportunities TO
! see the best In continental drama. add
ed a translation called Honor 20 his
already long list of notable presenta-
! lions. And in this performance a
! good reason was shown why our man
| ayers have passed this drama by, and,
at the same time. proof positive was
/ brought forth that it is a great play.
/ If you are one of the many who
/ have read Die Ehre," you know that
/ il is one of those studies of class dis
4 tinctions that Americans can view only
/ in perspective. 1t interests us, but il
/ does not thrill by personal appeal a
! peasant had been badly MANNED by an
| aristocrats carriage at a festival. and
| as compensation the rich man has had
| the poor ones son finely educated, and
/ in later years. prOsperOuSly placed in
| his shipping business. This is the sit
! uatiOn when the play starts. 1t is as
! a well-to-dO business man that we first
| see the youth, and distress begins i'm
| mediately in the great gulf that edu-
| cation has made between him and his
, family But graver matters press up
! on him. One of his siSters-shamefully
| aided by the mercenary other-has be-
come the mistress of his employers
/ son. A vital issue so far, you say. and
/ universal. Yes, but presently the Ger
man view swamps all else. The self
| made boy demands satisfaction of the
| idle profiigate, but the intervention of
| rank makes the thought of a duel inn
! possible. a duel!-and at this point
our interest ceases to be the distress
! for miserable brothers and sisters, and
/ becomes the engrOssed scrutiny Of the
/ intellectual observer The second act
/ resolves itself into a discussion of hon
or, of rank and of German class dis
! tinctions. It seems hardly an eXag
/ geration to say that no play has ever
| set forth a more diversified and clearly
drawn set of characters Each theory
! is persOnified in q being that either IL
! Illustrates or promulgates a point of
/ view. One feels, at the conclusion of
/ this act. that the matter has been
/ absolutely threshed out. The only
point is that Americans-by the Gus
/ toms OF our land-never recognize the
| existence OF such a matter to be
A reversal to more universal drama
occurs in the third act. Scenes of
/ thrilling conflict of character THAT hui
| man drama that knows neither hero
| nor Villain) eliminate in an outburSt
of hysterical despair when the peas
! ant son looks upon family so de-
! graded that they praise the rich as
/ generous for having paid so hand
| SOmely in cash for the ruin of their
| daughter. The son dashes from their
| presence, revolver i'm hand, to kill the
! seducer Of his sister Here ensues an
| act that is either tremendous or hope
! lessly dull. according to ones theory
| of drama. Nothing occurs. Discussion
/ holds the stage. The subject of honor,
! seemingly squeezed dry before is fur
| Their argued Ii is not a repetition, eX-
/ cept in the conclusion- Again the Ger
man philosopher arrives-after much
! ado-at the place that America started
F, from. die Ehre" is like great argu-
! incentive drama written for a blind asy-
| lum and protesting that black is black
| Impressive as such a play might be in
the blind asylum, it would undeniably
lose much of its power played before