The sun., 1908-09-13

30 = hohBCi W out ahO ~c
senue Of the discipline Of respect;
hardness and msterialism, eraggeration
and boastfulness; dfalse smart
ness, a false audaoity, want Of soul and
delioacy, = It is not admirable; and 1t cAn-
not, to the thoughtful. who are not blessed
with Kokomo as birthplace, bring pleas
ure unalloyed. Certainly In Daniel Voor-
hees Pike there was q plentiful lack Of
the discipline Of respect" there was 'ex-
aggeration and boastfulness,' there was
"smartness" and "audacity" perilously
near false. II he were held up to our view
as type to be studied there could be no
complaint. But the authors were very far
from any such intention or effect. They
held him up as hero to be admired, as
o type 10 be emulated, and thoug gh they
sought for the harmless fun In the dra-
mahc contrast between his demo-
cratic ideals and vocabulary and the ideals
and speech Of European nobility, they
very plainly showed that they consid-
cred all he did and said quite rs admir-
able as 1t was amusing.
Well. no doubt one Of Natures gentle
men, from Kokomo. Ind. would act
exactly like Daniel VOORHEES, Pike, under
similar circumstances df actual life
could ever swing such circumstances
abouD. But Broadway cannot bring
itself 90 unreservedly to admire him.
Daniel is not for us the hero he was at
home. Perish the thought that this
implies Broadway is without it's faults!
Hardness and materialism' 1t has, "ex-
aggeration and boastfuinees.' II only
Of it's own cosmopolitan character. And
"a want of soul and delicaoy' may surely
be laid against 1t at times. Nor will
those wise in political lore tell US that
New York is the best possible example
OF democracy triumphant. But II there
is something still provincial In cos
mopolitanism that boasts. 1t yet implies
acquaintance with the larger view. and
a certain urbanity with the stranger
may pass at least for culture. Faith
in ones own country. ones own institu-
tions, ones self. need not necessarily lead
one into blatant rudeness. and though
one may happen to think that Prince
Is no better than he-or not SO good-he
is not therefore inevitably bound to
tell the Prince SO. After all. a good
many millions OF believers in Princes
would not agree. and they are entitled
to their opinions. There Is good deal
Of the Puritan left in Daniel Voorhees,
Pike and tho type Of American he rep
resents. OF the Puritan who hewed
down wilderness in the cause Of religious
liberty-and banished the Quakers! The
love Of liberty with its attendant honesty
and hatred OF sham Is still fine, may still
thrill us. make us regret perhaps that
more OF it is not exempiifed in the heroes
Of our stage. 1t gives to 'The Man from
Home very genuine appeal, here as
elsewhere. But the other side OF Puri-
tanism. the dogmatic assertiveness Of 1t,
the lack of tolerance, the inability to see
that some things are not sham merely
because they are counter TO its beliefs,
the chip on the shoulder attitude in the
presence Of all things new or foreign.
the rigid application Of the standards
OF Kokomo in Mayfair or Sorrento. is
not thrilling nor lovely nor exactly sane.
And something OF this the Broadway
audiences at The Man From Home
have apparently recognized. They have
refused TO give wholehearted sympathy
to Daniel Voorhees, Pike. reserviug some
of II for his opponents. and that Is a
fatal attitude for a hero in his audience.
II Daniel does not seem here in the East
exactly an archaic type Of American,
at least he does not seem a wholly pleas
ant one. Apologies have to be made for
him by all save his most ardent admirers.
His morals are all right but his manners
are restricted. He has not had -the dis
cipline OF respect He is unfinished
very unfinished. And admiration for the
unfinished is not the highest ideal. even
in a democracy.
Perhaps 1t is taking -The Man From
Home rather too seriously to make 80
much OF it, Perhaps the little comedy has
fulfilled its destiny merely by showing that
the broadway verdict on play need not
mean everything, that other parts OF the
country may enjoy their own stage ex-
preston without diotation from the Broad
way managers offices. More is to be
gained that way than by submitting
everything to the single judgment Of
New York, where the best Is by no means
always detected nor enjoyed Indiana
has right to its plays. But Daniel
VOORHEES, Pike has been held up in certain
quarters as a type Of American hero to
be admired, as well as type Of 1ndianan
to be studied. And type OF American
hero to be admired he is not. Matthew
Arnold said OF Emerson: -To us he shows
for guidance his lucid freedom, his cheer
fulness and hope; to you his dignity,
delicacy. serenity. elevation Dignity.
delicacy. serenity. elevation are not
characteristics Of Daniel Voorhees, Pike.
They are just the qualities he lacks.
Qualities that seemed to the great English
critic generation ago desirable for the
American to acquire are no less desirable
now; nor can we well accept as a national
hero an American who does not possess
them. Consciously or not. 1t is that
fact which in the East will qualify our
for .The Man From Home
WALTER p. EATcN.