The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-03-29

OF our brothers, whatever our heads may
do, because our emotions are not fired by
the ethical purposes Of the world, because
we do not care or do not dare not TO apply,
but merely 10 sec applied, the simple test
Of Christian conduot--How would Christ
have acted here'"
For, Sfter all. II Christianity has survived
Ito many colored shells Of creeds and
dogmas. il il has spread beyond churches
and professions Of faith, that simple test
Of conduct has been the persistent element
that could not be lost. UnitaTianS and
Liberal Jews and Socialists, men who enter
no church portals and the robed priest
before the high altar and the Gross can
apply Il. Il asks for no faith save faith
In the best instincts Of the human heart.
Aud Mr.. Kennedy in his play evokes no
dogmas; rather does he bury them In that
drain below the church. He holds no
brief for any theology, he neither ofends
nor fatters any sect. He merely evokes
the spirit and the humanity Of the historic
Christ. giving Him bodily form, Al he need
must do for purposes Of his ~alegory, and
let's us see how, a. he suppoeeS, the Christ
would work out the problems Of = concrete
household. how the Christ spirit would
differ from and put 30 shame the life Of
to-day. II was a bold attempt, and only
to b justified by a hne achievement, But
the achievement is fine. Through the
devious ways Of modern dramatic tech
nique Mr.. Kennedy has reached the sim
plicity Of q morality play and speaks to
his generation Of higher things in q voice
that his generation can yet understand.
And does his Morality mean socialism,
Or does II mean that he would tear down
all the churches that are built over the
drains and Wondering o~esspools Of lies
and deceit? The Drain Mon graspe hands
with the Servant when he learns the latter
Ia a socialist, crying 'ThstIs what ] am,
too But his socialism, 20 the larger view
Of the Servant, lie a belief in fighting with
his class against all the other classes
With a quiet, kindly, almost amused GEES
ture the Servant banishes such socialism,
the kind the Legislatures might decree,
but how far from the sort He means! The
! Morality Ia indeed thus almost a rebuke
Of the socialism nov rampant in print and
on platform: IL goes deeper than that.
Socialism for Hin means something roluH-
tdry, a distinction that 10 surely just nov
hardly over insisted on. The socialists
themselves are the ones most likely 10
| object TO the drift Of Mr.. kennedy's drama
here,
And as for his scathing satire on con-
ventional religion, his bitter smelling allie
CORY OF the church built over a fostering
tomb only 70 be cleaned up by a common
laborer proud Of his station and a vicar who
throws away his cassock, doubtless Mr..
Kennedy will be glad TO let you think what
you like. Martineau Cstill TO test this play
by the loftiest %standards) said from his
pulpit that our worship has become a
commemOrdtion, telling what once He wss
to happier spirits Of our race. and how
grateful we are for the dear old messages
I that family reach our ear, how we will
cherish the last remnant Of that precious
and only sure memorabilia fragile and
consecrated link between His sphere and
ours. Or, if we direct our face
the other way . . we fall into the
insincerity Of coming before God by way OF
keeping ourselves in practise and turning
our religion into a rehedrsdl.' In other
words, our religion is not a thing OF here
and now, but ever OF the future or the
past. That is all these dead bodies beneath
the church in the play need TO mean.
But II you are q man saddened by the
sight OF churches filed Sunday after Sun
day with old women and little girls, If you
are a mar wearied by pulpit discourses
that do not meet your needs or that even
violate your reason and experience, II the
chickering's Of sects, the claims and counter
claims Of creeds and dogmas disgust you,
Mr.. Kennedy will not much care II you
meet his allegory more than half way.
and start tearing down flying buttresses.
For in one Of the most eloquently written
speeches Of the play, and q speech elo-
ouently delivered by Walter Hampden
with beauty Of voice, nobility and dignity
OF utterance and a sincerity that stamps
him as an artist and a man Of feeling, Mr..
Kennedy builds another church, the Church
Universal. where all may worship together.
The D llars Of Il 20 up like the briWny trnks Of
heroes, the sweet human nesh OF men and women
is moulded about It's bulwarks strong lmpregnsble
the isces Oi G,ie childTos Laugh o., from every
the terrible spans and arches OF II are
the Joined hands OF comrades, and up 10 the heights
and spaces there are Inscribed the numberless
musings Of all The cleaners Of the world. II Is
set building building and built upon. sometimes
the work goes forward In deep darkness, some.
times In binding light; now beneath the burden
OF unutterable anguish. now 10 the tune Of = great
t..-kgr- 49, hSr1tg ahpfNtNuNN III tina HFg nj
thunder. Sometimes, In the silence Of the night
time. one may hear the tiny hammshngs Of the
comrades al work up IN the domestic comrades
that have climbed ahead.
The numberless musings OF all the
dreamers Of the world One Of these
dreamers is Mr.. Kennedy; one Of these
musings is The Servant in the House
The Celtic Imagination Of Walter Hampden
for he beans in reality a Celtic name, il
his homo Ia Brooklyn and his training
Englsh-plays with the dream and loves it
and makes II very real and very reverent
and deep and sweet. He is aided by a
company, especially by Tyrone Power,
who have caught the fire Of lite purpose
and know how TO utter II In terms Of human
feeling, who can win tears for q fathers
grief or a daughters longing as we'll as
point the allegory.
So the play delivers its message at the
Savoy Theatre, In Thirty-fourth street,
Just Of Broadway. IL is not fippantly
10 be dismissed; it is not lightly to be dis
cussed; it is not 10 be discussed at all in
the set terms Of criticism, for this or that
flaw in technique in construction, this or
that failure 10 measnre up 70 rule. sink