The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-10

atg Sea times " ne n laeha ifaaioH and,
shavs an pefsaaai sad ladividaHl espfrsslun,
Hosh In M EafH N 49, tad M 'hs past ~ ~"
arls Wv fsH I 80 help rfirn ss~tHe Salv
ssggsetlsss . here s9hsFs n~islnfaln fhHi fhSrs
afs eNdufiEs isvs " sesnfs Nv rs ~ n no
ntssiia ssfHs ~ snftrfHY HHe mff hefr'r
hstlsHa Fsfs 80 nfasilrf N ~ ses IN shtnh
thay e4Hts iftu IeiHa fffHff Than ~ int NJ
ne maafef consequently u sitn assHts ~
mo fhst = sfesi fHfHv " eif metefH srltipfs
mser = vltsl miHFHs Nv eoHsiHuius ~ ssfH
pvsa hsfeir hsiiaiif Nv rlsr ant Hsfhis ta fhras
dfvs ~ hazel tHaaiu FHf nafHiNi tHd ne
Ehrni I rfstefHsni nritsf ihusr feiirss hHi
NO rnufHsH ~ FHrtfFf 4 friir arrasinHatif
me sffhHeHttfs hes Impressed me- mars fus
hethsf me aHfi1ua afeHteutufs me- ~ 10
sesHdsHfs srresi ~ ms ~ nfieh ~ ne ug'hir
avis
fotW moofha Isfaf he took A astuaNhat
different vlsw NJ Tho arhleet Ne haw tells
nidynson that 'lhs heauty n me antiune
sulpsufr be-prtes MFRS and rNofe svidsnt
w me- ~ yon pfctiictrd In ynuf lettef that N
would 1he ~tefreptlon n n eofnep IN
flashes hut sirh ~ 1-eaaionai Fash eaafa
lts Hptt aver yaat afeaa no you feuniubcr
Tho frseic Nusn ehich sssnds In The
fpofn ou,slde M tho fatnnda In ina VatlcanI
No status that I have zee s~sn IN italy has
taueht mo On mtch - thia verify bel'evs
that n has revealed ~ M what 0Fesh tfaas
edy waa That inde~cfIbably afeat, nobia.
calm 10y In the esprvpsloh n the fare. that
richly wrea,hed head. which has somrthina
systematically exuhefant and haouhantlo
about n, thoas syra that look inward, and
vet through and far beyond The outward
object they ara fiSed sich was Greek
tragedy tbpsn adds that the statue ~
De~mosthenes In tho iateran. the faun In the
villa BorRheae and the faun tPra titeles's)
In Tho Vatican have also given me q deep In
sight into Greek life and character. and
have. moreover, helped mn 20 understand
what the imperishable element In beauty
rennv IL. Would that I could bring this
understanding 70 bear upon my wi work
The first edition Of Peer Gynt, written
In Italy. was published In Copenhagen.
November u, 1897, and the second edition
only n fortnight later. Bjornson reviewed.
the book in a letter from Copenhage TO the
Norsk Folkebldd, and a week later 10 was
reviewed by Clemens Peterson, who declared
that IL was not real poetry becauss "in
lie transportation from reality to art IL
neither completely fulfls the requirements
Of art nor those Of reality Against this
judgment Ibsen protested In n letter adj
dressed to Bjornson In December. 1897
my book 10 poetry he writes. 'and. II II
Ia not, then IL will be. The conception OF
poetry in our country, in Norway, shall DO
made to conform to the book. There IL no
stability In the world Of ideals. The Scan
dina vial ms Of this century are not Creeks.
. Tell me now, is Peer Gynt himself
not q personality, complete and individual
I know that he Is. And the mother, In she
not7"
Bjornson was always an enemy OF orders
and decorations. Ibsen, on the contrary.
accepted several. He explains his view Of
the matter in a letter written from Rome:
MY sincere conviction obliges me to disa-
gree entirely with you In what you write on
the subject OF 'deoorations.' We live under
a monarchy and not under q republic. I,
for my part, am not partial to a republic.
From the Government Of the day We aooept
money; royalty gives us. also, q decoration
because it respects a popular feeling Of
which IL Acknowledges the existence. Why
reject the one when we have not rejected
the other form of expression for the same
thingp Let us examine ourselves carefully.
Is it our intention henoeforth to be a~soetio2
Do we intend to decline every kindly meant
I0bIlNlty OucI0Qh U.s. ONSiy Nohopt ~
not, then Of what avail IL the rejection of
this one particular thingf'
In June, 1890, Ibsen told his publisher
that he was going to embark on a long
planned work about the Emperor Julian.
Two years later he informs Hegel that he
is still hard at work on the same work.
Not until August, 1872, is he able TO an
nounoe that he has finished the second part
of the trilogy. Part first, Julian and the
Philosopher a play in three acts, will come
to about a hundred printed pages; part
second, Of which / IN now making a fair
copy, 'Julian's Apostasy,' q play in three
acts, Is about the same length. The third
play, Julian on the Imperial Throne will
be In five acts. I have done, so much in
preparation for 1t that I shall be able to
write It much faster than the others"
The author goes on TO note that what is
already finished 1.-THE first two partsl forms
a complete work in itself. and could we'll be
published separately; but for the sake OF
the general impression l think it advisable
that all three plays should appear at the
same time" As finally remodelled and
completed In 1871, what Ibsen then looked
upon as his masterpiece was entitled EN-
peror and Galilean: a World-Drama In
Two Parts part first being "Cesar's Apos-
tasy, a play In FIVE acts, U7o pages), while
part second is Emperor Julian" a play
in five acts (252 pages). The drama, or
rather dramas, he records, had been a her
c,lean labor-not the writing Of 1t, which
had been easy, but because Of the trouble
1t cost the author to revivify In bis W mind
an age so remote from our own and 80 little
akin to it. He tells one Of his o%orrespon-
dents that sin the character OF Julian, as in
most OF what I have written In my ripper
years, there IL much more Of my own inner
life than I care to acknowledge to the pub
lie. But, at the same time, the work is an
entirely realistic one. I have seen the
characters before my eyes in the light OF
their age, and I hope that my readers will
do the same"
or the plays that were to attract most
attention to Ibsen outside Of Scandinavia,
THE Pillars Of Society appeared In 1877,
and this assault upon existing society was
prosecuted with implaoable consistency
during the next four years In "A Dolls
House" and Ghosts The moro conserva-
tive OF his fellow oountrymen now turned
all the moral indignation at their command
upon what they termed his goddess, vicious