The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-11-10

abed lady starts down 10 her 20 the sound
OF musician tho odor OF flowers. with cheer
fulhess and brightness all about. You may
garry the symbol a. far 40 you K Into the
lives OS saoh member Of the family; always
health. In Mrs. Patrick health Of oonscienCo,
Of apirita. Of point of Visw--is ~oontending
with sickness and carrying the day. When
all 10 won. the siOk GbSd lady comes down
stairs.
To say that this 10 not an imaginative
~cunceptiUn. to dsOry the play az mere
photography 10 " utter foolish words.
And hsnOe tho bittsr disappointment OF
ali the acts but ths first. For Mas CrOtherS
was unable 70 live up 20 her 1--WE ConOep-
ton, she wna unahaS TO keep her symbols
solution Of fact, she wal Unabls 20 main
tain har rsallsm u character and incident.
IL was . sins qUG non. n her conception
was 90 DO carried TO n successful issue.
that no departure should be made from
thB mood Of utter rsalism treated In the
nrut act. that ovUry incident and every
character should ring true 70 life. that
che story shOuld be untheatric and it's
development rcmOrseleazly straight n
logical. Mics Crothers has q truly feminine
sharpness Of vislon for fsllcitOus domestic
"details 10 help along her narrative. and
a feminine ssnaitivsnsss 20 the emotional
sfrsCts Of Sicknsaa. Of gloomy rooms. Of
domestic disruption. But her sense for
masculine character 10 ~ yst dormant, or
ahs 10 not able 20 make IL effective m tho
stage. And hsr feeling for tho truth. n0t
only Of masculine character but u dramatic
situations. 10 a yot uncertain. Even her
taste may sometimes be Questioned. 10
in the sosne when Mrs. PutTick plies BiNy
with liQuor-& rather striking but quite
unfeicttous and Unnecessary ~sxpedient.
instead Of striking out boldly and in
venting q plot for her play. a human story
60 carry her symbols. that shOuld he simple.
slnosrs. truthful. oven as ths zymbols are.
she has Olumsily laid hands on the old,
threadbaro devices " the hollow plays
Of untold generations, and she jerks again
the strings which cause to dance tho
scducsd Maiden. the Socially Correct
Ssduoer--that impossible puppet sven when
named StssYfoYth-the Faithful Maidser-
want. tho Hero-who-dOesn 't-knoW-tho-hero-
MISUNDERSTANDING y-slss- docs.
and finally the Prosecuted Heroine who
could ave olesrsd herself any mOmentby q
word OF explanation. Into a she'll created
of q finely imaginative symbolism Miss
Crothers has packed the stale kernel OF
q story devoid Of originality.
A young playwright sent last wesk 20
tbs writer Of this articl0 q letter In which
he complained that one week ago to-day
in This place too much emphasis was laid
form" isn't the day Of the well
made play over2' he asked. Form In
the stiff academic sense can certainly be
rA,.A snasaNmA -. - -
believe that We have not been guilty OF that
fault. Form in the larger sense OF truth
to q central conception, a mood. a symbol.
annot be too much insisted on. because
without It art ID a failure. Some OF the OBJ
vious faults Of Miss Crothers's play are
present in "A Grand Army Man." but so
great q proportion Of that play 10 truly
keyed to the central character of, Wes
BigsIov that It's effect Ia q triumphant nat
uralness. Starting with a more imagina-
tive conception, more imaginative because
symbolic. overshot with poetic meanings.
and with a realism Of tom no less exactinR
than "A Grand Army Man" Miss Crothers
lacked h grasp Of hcr subject, lacked
the sense Of form, TO subdue everything
70 the color Of her central idea, 70 create
story all Of a texture. that should hammer
its mood and meaning. sven that
should be interesting. h still laCks tho
training, perhsps the depth Of i~maginatiOns
to be q reslist. Up the road at the BiiOu
10 q drama called -The Master Builder. as
pregnant with symbols 10 tho music OF
Wagner. yet floating them all In a stream
Of fact remOrselessly true. unerringly real.
deep. quiet. significant. az unthreatriO and
as mysterious as life itself. IL points the
way whittier Miss Crothers is following
she and how many more. each IN his own
manner, with his own cOmment on life TO
IL shows. too, how far she has
yet 70 20. how feeble are all our Pickering
how stumbling and clumsy
technique. beside the visions and the
Of that grim old Viking Of the
modern theatre. WALTER p. EATON.