The Washington herald., 1909-02-09
THE BELAsCo.
..The Goddesa of Reason

drama, "a Goddess Of Reason" one OF
the strongest vehicles for the exposition
Of her art that she has had during a
long. varied. and successful career.
To make blank verse successful on any
stage. and especially on the modern
stage. II is. above all, necessary 10 find
players with nigh intelligence, enough
emotional feeling and power 20 express
II. together with education and under
standing 10 lend the lines their value.
And II one bears this in mind il VII
be easier TO realize that IN The Goddess
Of Reason" Miss Julia MsrIowe has dis
tinctively come into her own. For in
this poetic play. fun OF fine passages Of
lofty beauty. Of delicate imagery, of
splendid grandeur and tense force, we
get wondrous echoes OF her juliet. her
Rosalind. her Pauline, her Constance,
her Viola, her Imogen. her Beatrice. and
/ her Portia-the long lire OF honorable
parts she has essayed and played so well
/ And you viii come 20 realize. TOO, that Il
/ is from her ine training in these parts
/ from out the deeps OF her wealth Of
/ emotional experience that she IS able %
/ call Up the marvellous power. the deep
! pathos. the vocal music the rhythm, the
high, intelligent comprehension which
! forces conviction out beyond the footIights
I into the very souls OF her auditors.
I The Goddess Of Reason IS a play that
! probably no American actress save julia
MaTlowe would have dared 20 put upon
! the modern stage. given up, apparently
as Il has been lately. 10 so much mere
+ frivolity. Not that there IS anything aev
/ IN this drama; II has al been done
I before, both in literature and on tbs
stage. but hardly ever on the stage has
l the picture been drawn with such Carlyle
1 Ike fidelity, not 10 say brutality, as
Miss Mary Johnston has drawn il.
II Is in the year I791 and the pot OF the
/ French Revolution has been pus on 20 boil
/ The play opens at the Chateau Of MoTbec
on the coast OF Brittany The lords OF
, NoTbec have been like tTe rest Of Jhe
( tyTarnical mobiles Of the tine and have
rrOInd the faces Of TIE peasants into
I the dust But there comes & rev lord
I - Morbec. Reme-AmaUrF d Vardss Who
/ has sympathy for the poor. and yet the
peasants, led by Yvetfe. tho coWheId
| giri. rise 6gainst him. aud vouli burn his
/ chateau. They are driven or. Next day
/ taey are captured. bat the Baron de Nor
I bee pardons them, and meets Yyet1e-s a
/ cousin OF his by the left hzui. though
{ he knows it not-and falls IL 1--we with
/ her
/ The next act is at the Convent OF the
/ Visitation. al Nantes. year later. Baron
I Morbec has sent Tvette there for refuge
and IN her solitude and amid the atmos-
/ phere Of kindness. she has learned tc
/ love him well But he IS a great noble
she but a peasant girl; and II seems bot
natural 20 her-though L Is hard, too
that he should love madame the MarQuiss
de BlanchefOret Anc so he passes from
/ her. and she. in her desperation. sings
the ca ira. and goes cut into the streets
The third act IS In 1924 The Revolution
/ Is al its height in Nantes DQBarry has
I gone 20 the block: God Is dethroned: the
! Goddess Of Reason IS the deity OF ths
mob And IN the fatal square the Baron
OF MOrbec, with the Msrouise, are bese'
/ by the mob. who hunger for the sristo-
e7s+sc blood Morbec Is able 10 conceal
| the MarQuise behind a tTiooiOr al q
/ church door. when Yvette. one OF tht
leading spirits OF the Revolution. comes
in-the Goddess OF Reason
/ The man the mob would murder is the
54iE 4Nfr~tlaE man MAagaAA
I loves another, the Msrquise. And SC
she pleads with the mob-this IS not ar
| eu1igre: this is the noble who gave the
/ peasants bread; she reminds them OF the
sea az Brittany. and Of the green fields
OF home, And 50 they agree 10 LET
/ him 90. But then comes the supreu1
moment Of the play. for Morbec ventures
10 plead also for the Marquise. and in a
moment, as she sees the dainty noble
woman. Tvetts's generosity vanishes, and
JEALOUS anger. hate, and bitterness pos
sess her, and she turns and condemns the
man that q moment before she had saved:
De ysrdeN De vsrdes. he name oDnss % th'
blast
Up from the zlf where lie The throues of kings
! Battle, oppression. tyranny. and sroaS
1Iirsmsnd Blanchcfoset on sea winds n they acat
/ Prom that din Talacs where thst lost Ahes
Down 70 Der emerald windows beckous nan
/ And SPREADS the bridal bed IN Sunksn Ys
b al the vrouz
| That both their houses through the zees long
Have wrought u By the blood hat they have she'd
The tears ths grosns the sweat the seTT1ie knees
he bitter brad they gave Us. and The oy
( ErUn lonely gTzEes o. anguish ard o. wrath
/ b az the hunger ard the freezing cod
/ By ali the toll sud 81 the bO2eloSSng5
/ The snitteu cheek the tEu1f. the burning heart.
/ b al the Rights q al the Lords q Wro1S-
/ By Carvee and GabeTs and GibisT
I Quutzines Aiilois. Bsn dAosr. ard Bo7deiaze,
/ I DO denclncs these two AriStoTsts:
/ Ia Fo-re's p-isoner and the emizrse.
] IA belle hfsrquise. the HusssT q the King.
Cisoyea Tzrdss Citovenns Blancheforstl
/ The words in cold type can convey only
/ in the most pueriIe and imp0tent way the
enormous tragic force. the power, the
lmagnifcenee with which they were de-
Iivered. This Is the great acting oppor-
tunity Of the play: Il is the supremesi
test that Julia MarlOwe has ever faced
and her triumph in il Is simply over
whelming. Never before has she riser
! to such heights Of emotion, OF elocu-
tionary force, Of feeling IN this scath-
/ ing denunciation il is not only her voice
/ that thundeTs-that voice that can be SC
tender and appealing and gentie-the ef-
( feet is not gained alone by the voice that
I screams and h,sses forth the fatal words;
the whole body OF the actress seems tc
/ take part; the flashing eye. the trembling
limbs. the heaving bosomi It seemed
Indeed. scarce a woman who stood there
but a demon; typi3ed Jealousy; a fury
: incaraste-that sort of fury that was in
the poets mind when he Csc,1-cd that
hell hath no fury Ike a woman scorned.
The fourth act shows the prisoners il
! a church in Nantes From now on the
play sinks 10 the conventional There
/ IS the usual bravery and insolence OF the
mobiles as they are called for death, and
/ Yvette, repenting, tries in vain 10 save
the man she loves. At a great price-sC
great q price that no man could accep.
the cffering-she has bought freedom fol
him. but he puts & by. Then in the fftf
n9 FOR