Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-11-02
Has Stage Decentralization Reached
It's Limit?

It's Limit?
If the stir of indignation that has at
tended the attempted stage production
b. George Bernard Shaw of Mrs. War
ren's Confession" shall result in re-
iuvenation and reformation of stage
performances. good in the end will
have come from one of the bOldest
moves at absolute decentralization of the
theater that has occurred in its his
tory The tendency toward degeneT-
acy in the drama has been a source of
frequent comment on the part of The
Argus. and it has been with deep re-
cret that 50 radical a departure and
the advent of such styled plays AT
Her Only Sin" Why Women Sin"
The Maynard Son" "A Wife's Sc
cret." AN Orphans PRAYER" why
Girls Leave Home etc. in the place
of the standard healthy drama of form
er days. has been viewed. II was a
ways the contention of Lawrence Bar
rett tina: the stage should be of high
mOrauzing effect. and that il should
WELD an influence quite as potent as
the pulpit only in a different way.
Such. TOO. was the conviction of the
late Henry Irving. But when there
comes along such styled productions
as have been alluded 10. It - discourag-
ing. 10 say he least To the theater-
.Oer. who loves the drama because of
its Inspiration and art. plays of this
order are abhorrent. They are degrad-
ing rather than eleyating. cOntamiuat
ing rather than beneficial. and ought
not 10 be encouraged. Just as the stu
dent Of good literature hates trash. so
the patron OF the drama should despise
rot.
Mr.. Shaw's play. Mrs Warren's
Confession" has been rotting on book
shelves these six or eight. maybe 10I
years. II was one of an early set of
seven. four OF them known as Pleasant
Plays and three known as Unpleasant
Plays. The Pleasant Plays are Arms
and the Man" Candida" You Never
Can Tell" and The Man of Destiny
The Unpleasant Plays are Mrs. War
ren's Confession. "Widowers Houses.
and The Philanderer" Most of the
seven extremely well SET up stories OF
human motives and dOiuss. These
plays have not known the applause of
many people until within the year or
two Mrs. Warrcn'S Confession has
been almost universally condemned as
a little less than a crime against dra-
matte letters. New Haven closed its
doors 10 it-ofIicially Five thousand
people wanted 10 get in for a peep a.
its iudeconcies. bur the mayor sternly
said no-and away TO New York went
Arnold DAILY and his troopers. there to
play TO a great audience. Then the
police stepped in. The papers have
Unsparingly assailed il and the society
for the Suppression of Vice has pro
claimed the preliminaries OF an unceas-
ing campaign of suppression. There
can he no word of defense for Mrs.
Confession" The worst that
can be said of il. however. does not
apply particularly TO the theme, which
is the subject of all the free advcrtis-
ing that Daily and his troopers have
received The theme is bad enough,
but the play is said to be worse. 1t is
what the amiable Louis Frederic Meth
ersole calls piiIle. II is stupid. slow,
improbable. from the
cleaner American point of view. with
out beginning or end. hopelessly I'M
If Mrs. Warren's Confess
sion" is condemned for its indecency. ii |
ought to be suppressed for its made
quacy. At that it is absolutely without
defense from any viewpoint.
But the best and most important |
note of 70 all. the chief source of salts
faction and qualification is that the |
reception accorded Mrs Warren's
Confession" may mean an awakening |
i'm the minds of the authorities. whose |
duty IL is TO safeguard public morals. |
If the people who attend the thea.ar
have become so supplied that they wei |
come rather than decry the baser pro- |
duCtiCns. then it is the duty of those |
whose office il is 10 enforce public de |
cency TO assert themselves. and forbid |
public performances which are demon
alizing. When this is done the drama |
fist will find other inspirations and the |
theatrical manager seek other ideals.