The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-04-11

managers are after all mere mere,
requiring their daily bread just
like ordinary folks they hastily
but firmly requested that every
star in their armament should
bring forth the slap-stick, dance,
shout, sing, ply the cap and bells,
anything to puzzle thought on the
other side OF the footlights.
Occasionally spirit bolder than
the rest, thinking the time right
for an uplitt would venture an ex-
hibition bout with the willy Henrik
only to be frowned down by the
people who pay.
Paper patrons there were aplenty
and vlvisectionists, bent on analyz
ing the angle of the stars left eye
brow at the close of the second act.
But the vast majority those who
| fill the Golfers of Thespias with
yellow gold studiously avoided the
play that smacked of forbidden
color.
The Ibsen drama teaches by
antithesis. Social evils, cheerfully
ignored in rarlor or drawing room
glow in all their pruriency. The
orchestra circle and the boxes were
properly shocked at Ibsen; they
stood aghast-and stole back
the following night for another
thrill.
Subsequently, critic with an
undue amount OF temerity and an
equal quantity of perverseness gave
1t out that lbsen was the one Won
der Of his age, that his writings
overtopped the intellects of the
vulgar and so went a'begging. Only
a few had attained the lofty plane
where scampered about in solitary
glee the great Norwegian.
Instantly every one proclaimed
himself one of the few. II there
were any stray slices of intellect
being doled out there would be a
heavy Line for the hand-out. Ibsen
was great. grand, sublime. 1t took
Il real mind TO appreciate Ibsen.
iHt DOh olIiCe llldll uTOWSlHb III
"A remote corner over accounts OF
the $. II. q. sign regularly employ
ed at the vaudeville across the
way, suddenly heard loud noise
in the lobby and rushed out to
help G xtlnguish the fire. When 10!
1t wasn't a fire at all, only that
dear vacillating public eager to
register among the intellectual for
the price OF a seat Once again
the box office man made the ac-
quaintance of five dollar bill, q
thing that had cut him dead now
for many long moons. He hired an
assistant, two OF them. and was
threatened with paralysis of the
right forearm from raking in the
cash of ambitious low-brows,
anxious to Identify themselves with
the hlghDrows.
SO lDsen was made on this side.
In his own land and lands OF a
strictly cosmopolitan timber he has
never been doubted or reviled for
an instant 1t is charged against
HlH ludt ne btHuS us from llle
theatre In state of depression
when in truth we are only serious.
Haven't we had surfeit of this
"and they lived happily ever after
business? Why not a small portion
of real life, unpleasant though II
be, Just TO break the monotony.
The stsge should be great
teacher 1t is great teacher. II
now and then we are disciplined,
given glimpse OF sin and its
consequent evils. 1t is by way of
being warning against similar
pitfalls, that we may keep in the
path which is right and straight
and marrow. Social sores can not be
eradicated by Guessing over, there
must be realization that >they are
there. virulent, insistent, corroding
the whole fabric OF society.
lbsen then, teaches us to know.
The flame OF histronic genius helps
us to realize. So why shouldn't we
forgo the show girls for one even
ing at least, thereby setting our
think factories agog.