Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-01-14

when he hears the Angelus. Dull, insensato.
spouse OF the worm and brother OF the
clay" applies TO one as well as to the
other Types are chosen, or rather, ideals,
and no very good reason exists why the
glamour OF romance should not be thrown
around some Of the figures who loom 50
large in those western states that are now
holding the attention of the world by the
stories Of grain and other foodstuffs they
send out each year to provide for hungry
mankind.
OF the bucolic drama we have q great
plenty. Rural dramas have held the boards
for many years, but 1t Is not Of them wo
are talking now. What is wanted IL the
real drama in which the Farmer shall be
shown In his truly heroic proportions.
Comedy laughs at him In the form OF a
'Rube' and in the mushy plays he either
wears whiskers and talks through his nose
or he dresses in overalls and torn straw
hat and regrets that he is not ''as fine as
them city fellers." In reality, he is a clean
minded. hard-headed man, not infrequently
university bred. but always well educated.
with the fear Of God in his heart and an
abiding faith in woman's goodness. respect
ing her because she is his mother and his
sister. his wife and the mother of his chill
dren. He doesn't lead charges on battle
fields, nor save the old flag in time OF dan
ger; he rarely attends a lynching bee.
doesn't risk his life to prevent a dynamite
explosion, and his engineering operations
are nowadays confined almost exclusively
to working out his poll tax on the country
lanes and keeping In repair the fences and
bridges on his own place. But every day OF
his life is a practical hymn of thanksgiving
to a great God for the manifold blessings
man enjoys in living. and his mind and
muscle work alike to the end that humanity
is that much better of each time the sun
goes down because the Farmer lived that
day. Let us have a drama of purpose with
a real farmer in II. Between the Aileghenies
and the Rockies stretches a sweep of coun-
try more than 1000 miles in each direction
and somewhere in that wonderful expanse
is hero worthy of the most serious at
tention of the brightest Of our writer's and
the most talented Of our actors Who will
give him to the public in his proper form?
%
Dear old Willie Winter returns to the
attack with all the arduous vigor OF youth,
and the conviction OF his accumulated ex-
perience, and sails into the dirt drama
after this fashion:
DISCUSSION OF putr1d plays 1s neither
sought nor desired bv any rational writer
on dramatic subjects but II has been forced
upon such reviewers of the acted drama
as are conscious not only of the claim
of actors to recognition but of the re-
sponsibility OF writer's to the public, for
it is the duty Of intellectual men to oppose
materialism and plebeian supremacy and
the dominance Of spiritual aspiration in
at least fourteen Of these dirty plays have
been shunted on the local public, and
within the last ten years the aggregate
stuff has been in the thousands. Persons
who really believe that any "lesson" can
be taught by such plays must proceed on
community is in need of enlightenment
as 60 the difference between right and
alike to morality and intelligence. Has
anybody ever met with dipsomaniac who
was kept from S drinking spirits by the play
Mr.. .Tanaueray-deiiberate selected a
his mind ind on seeing the play Of "The Second
Mrs Tsnaueray?" Has a prospect OF Re
beliious Susan" ever kept a man from
his wife win revenge herself BY committing
the same crime? Or has 1t ever made
wife who takes s that method Of retaliation
result is desirabieF Has sapho' prevented
dis s ties With courtesansY = Has
''Zaza" or ''Magda" ever contributed to
secure more tolerant recognition of
women who have chosen life Of shame?
Every miserable sinner is to be pitied, and,
IL possible, to be helped. but is that a
reason why oecent people should be ex-
pected to accord the same respect to ig-
nominy that they do to virtue and honor?
Has not the play of "Camille"-by present.
ceptional case-tended to lessen the OBJ
servance of moral law, by exciting pity
for a transgressor, and by practically de-
claring that she is quite as good as any
good woman, and quite as worthy to be-
come a wife and mother? All that these
teachers really have to say is that 1.-The
way of the transgressor is hard" and