Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-03

Johnston. Boston: Houghton, Mifilin
& Co.
A departure from the field In which she
has won popularity in order TO essay
hitherto untried literary form Is certain to
excite interest In Miss JohnstOn's romantic
play THE Goddess of Reason" This is not
the only reason. however for considering
the publication of the play noteworthy
event.
The story-of quite absorbing interests
as follows: Rene Amaury de Vardes, Baron
of MorbeC. has returned after years of alb
sence from Brittany to assume the estates
left vacant by the death of his cousin. 1t
IL on the eve Of the revolution, and the
peasants of Morbec are infected by the rev.
dictionary doctrines. His predecessors, like
all his line before him, had been of the
worst type OF the old nOblesse, and the in
heritOr finds that he has to bear the brunt
of the peasants revenge. Soon after Rene
Amaury's return an attack Is made upon
the Chateau Morbec, which is repulsed only
through the arrival of military aid. The
leader OF the peasants is a beautiful young
girl, lvette, who is descendant of the
house of Morbec. with the bar sinister.
While in her own origin she is representa-
tive of the oppression and license of the
nobility, and while she has inherited the
hate of her peasant forebears, Yvette has
yet in her complex nature the traces of
at war with itself and with it's environs.
which makes her a fit prey for the
fiicting passions OF the Reign of Terror. At
the moment when De Vardes is made ac-
Quainted with YVettes part in the raid
upon his estate he recognizes in her a
lovely vision with whom he had fallen in
love on the eve of st. John the year before,
He is deeply sympathetic with the suffer
ing of his dependents and pardons them
Moreover. he feeds them.
Yvette is placed in a convent to be shell
tered from the coming storm and to receive
the education that she has always Ionged
for There however. rurnors of the COM
Ing marriage of De Fardes with the beau
tiful Marquise de Blancheforet reached her
and in sudden revolt she escapes to rejoin
her comrades and to become a leader of
the revolutionists in Nantes. She Is ex-
allied. by reason Of her beauty and genius
to become the representative of the Goddess
of Reason. and. as such. is worshiped in
the blasphemous ceremonals of the day
Baron de Morbec. the marquise and their
friends are in danger. The Deputy Isala'n
boyhocd friend of De Vardes. made enemy
by love Of Yvette, denounces the baron
Svette, Eoaded to madness by jealousy of
the Marquise de Blancheforet. denounces
her supposed rival. The aristocrats are
thrown into prison. When Yvette wakes
measure to save both the man and the
woman. she casts in her own lot with that
OF the artstocrats. is condemned by her
former associates. and dies with De Vardes
- t4At AdNc VI uSulli llle iONSTS are hdpOy
in their union.
Technically the play is we'll constructed
1t is difficult 10 see why it would not make
p good acting drama as well as one to be
read. Each of the five acts is full of move
inent and action The sharp contrasts be
tween the courtly assemblage of the no
bles and the frenzy Of the mob are effec-
tive. Throughout the play appeals to great
emotions In respect TO the diction it may
be ssid that Miss Johnston is not vet quite
at home in the use of blank verse. Hep
lines at times lack dignity and at other
times nghtness. The rhythm Is sometimes
untustihably broken. This is seen uude-
niably in the rhapsody OF the old Count
Louis in the first act when he breaches the
gay gospel of when we were young" II
Is also difficult to understand why. where
al the characters are supposed to speak
their mother tongue, the author should SO
constantly Interlard their discourse with
ever. are but details. As an entirety THE
Goddess OF Reason makes an Impression
OF intensity of emotion and imaginative ex-
preston. -