Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-06-02

rouses the Ire Of even the self-appoint-
ed Ibsenites. II Is less than So years
since Edmund Gosse wrote the iirst
article on lbsen that appeared IN the
English language. In that period the
whole trend az English dramatic writ
ing has changed and lbsen has been
the directing influence II the pres
ent could accomplish 80 much the re-
Spouse Of the future 10 ibsen's mes
sage is beyond calculation.
And as the mans work IS assimilat-
ed and understood the man win be
comprehended--n that he would
have thought The latter process i'm
portent. 90 long as the world got the
meanings out OF his work.
TO me- he wrote In a letter 10 Bran.
des, 1T appears that the man wEo
stands alone Is tho strongest" In that
terse satire on the attitude OF society
toward the man who IL content TO stand
alone for the right--"An Enemy OF the
People he puts almost Identical words
into the mouth OF Or. Stockmann--
You see. the fact Is that the strongest
man upon earth is he who stands most
alone"
Il is IN Dr. stockmann. kindly bu.
uncompromlsing, loving to be loved
but loving truth more, that We like %
think We md the real lbsen. The pro-
uncial physician has discovered that
the medicinal baths. upon the patr0a-
age Of which by visitors the prosper
iiy OF the community In which he lives
depends. are contaminated. This fact
he determines 90 make known that the
ina -. a
pains is earnestly advised Ia mind his
own business. 10 consider what the ex-
posure will mean 10 the town. 10 him
self and 10 his family. 1T Is L. he re-
plies, who have the real good Of the
town al heart want 10 lay bare the
evils that sooner or later must COME
To light All You shall yet see that
love my native town"
The burgomaster interjects. You.
who, In your blind obstinacy, wish 10
cut on the towns chief source Of pros
perity!
The source is pasoned, mani" cries
the doctor, Are you mad? We live
by uafieing In nth and garbage. Tho
whole OF our developing social life Is
rooted IN a he
idle fancies-or something worse"
says the burgomaster THE man who
makes such offensive inslnuatious
against his own native place must be
an enemy OF society,"
Ihis enemy Of society persists in his
purpose, because he says: II want 10
nave the night TO look into my boys
eyes when they are grown" and when
ne sees how the frightened community
receives his disclosures IL is made
known 70 his aching heart that "all our
spiritual sources Of life are poisoned
and that our whole bourgeois society
rests upon soil teeming with the pes
thence OF lies. And he adds Yes.
| love my native town so well that |
would rather ruin II than see It -four
isning upon a lie"
such was lbsen. He could see no uge
or merit IN a social fabric that rested
upon lie. But his dogma was not
the dogma ~ destruction The "cal 10
M0rk was ever on his lip and be wrote
'Rosmersholm' 90 voice that call and
TO depict "the struggle which an 80
rlOus-minded human beings have 10
wage With themselves IN order 10 bring
their lives into harmony with their con.
victions."
so o. conduct ones life as TO realize
one'se self-this seems TO me the high- |
est attainment possible To human |
being II Is the task Of one and an OF |
us, but most OF US bungle It,"
Thus he wrote 90 Biornson. and n |
was the same message he wrote for an |
the world in plays that showed "A man |
how he might realize himself as Or |
stockman and Nora Helmer did-and
how many bungle the task-as Pastor
Manders and Hedda Gabler ala.
lie was nor morbid. nor was he a