Evening star., 1908-01-26
POIand's Versatile Genius
Dies at Age of Thirty-Eight
ecial Correspondence of The Star.

WARSAW. January S. 1908.
IN EATH has just laid its hand upon a
II remarkable man whom competent
critics have declared to be the
most versatile genius Poland has pro-
duced in century. He died at the age OF
thirty-eight before his work was half
done. Poet, painter, dramatist and sculp-
tor. Stanislas Wyspianski painted a mas
terpiece at twenty y-five, wrote another at
twenty-sx and gave more literature TO
the world in the last decade of his life
than the author of Quo Vadls' in life
time
HIS life story is strange as his talents
were great and varied Born i'll the old
world town Of Cracow, where Poands
history is written every stone and
italian architects have laid their mark on
every house, he grew up among traditions
and things beautiful. The son of
sculptor, he began to work with his chisel.
But he worked with his brain AS well as
his hands. and the thought of the foreign
yoke under which his people groaned
we ghed heavily upon him. This melan-
choly is common to Polish and Russian
youth. They drown it-or try to drown it
in dissipation. Wyspian XII did likewise
and toiled like the proverbal negro as
well.
His health began to fail him Then in
Cracow began movement among the
Bohemians to get away from the hNs-
terical women of their cass. Artists.
poets and sculptors married peasant
women-healthy. neryeless ignorant The
new race which sprang from these unions
they bel eve are destined TO llberate Po-
land. Wyspianski WAS sufficiently at
tracted by the movement to have ms
peasant woman. Her coarse ideas and
shreWish tongue grated against his deli
cate nature, but before he was twenty
five she bore him a son. Other children
followed and finally he married her.
fatal disease, his enemies say the re-
suit of dissipation, now made its appear
ance. The doctors said he could not 1--we
long. especially as his lungs were also
attacked. He said he had much TO do
before he died and began to write his
first masterpiece. a play called The War
saw Woman" He was very poor and
painted pictures, glass windows ma
donnas pasfels. affairs and restored me-
dieval work as few people nowadays
know how for a more p.ttance. But III
1901 his three-act drama. The. Wedding.
placed him high in publ esteem and
caused him TO be acknowledged tho
greatest writer of Poland during the past
century. Beauty of language, DanteIau
strength. immense dramatic effect, por-
II MI of the events of everyday life,
W
natural are worked into d play which
only a master hand could save from
melodrama, and, in saving it. produce an
effect that keeps It's audi 4nce spellbound
and breathless. Many other pieces fol-
lowed this Wedding" including Dc
liverance" "Bolesias the Bold Cast
mir the Great" ''Lelewel," The Rock
and several plays and poems built after
the Greek model.
Many times he was at the point Of
death and many times his strong sp rlt.
which said he must work. triumphed over
the pain wrecked. diseased body. His
gra:tt grief. some months b fore his death.
was that he lost the power over the
fingers of his right hand and could no
longer paint. But he made the doctor
fix a pencil TO his bandages and wrote.
The proofs of his last drama. Judges.
We're corrected in this way for publica-
ton in book form a couple of weeks be-
fore his death. There IS little doubt that
had he lived his work, which improved
steadily every year, would have won for
him world wide recognition. He was
fervent Roman Cathol { and, though SUIT
fering agonies and conscious to the last
moment died with that calmness that
only great souls can show when crossing
the gulf.