New-York tribune., 1909-12-08
THOMAS AS CRITIC
THE MELTING POT .
Disagrees Scith Walkley. of.
The London Times.


London Times. who was recently in this
city Tor the opening OF The New Theatre,
round time during his stay 10 look az some
OF the current plays. The last mail from
London brought his criticism OF The
Melting Pot" In his article and after
some rather harmless humor concerning
that play, Re asks: Was II Mr.. Taft or
Mr. Roosevelt who said not long ago that
The Melting Pot was one OF the best
plays he had ever seen? What a stupen-
dous nafvets there is IN such a statement
as that. for. after all. what is this gIorifi-
cation OF the amaIgamatsd immigrants.
this exaggerated freshness of the New
World and the saleness Of the Old this
rhspsodizing over music and crucibles and
statues of Liberty. but romantic claptrapE"
Mr.. zangvill. author of The Melting
Pot," could not. of course. be seen as he
Is in England. but the London criticism
was shown 20 Augustus Thomas. whose
opinion as a leading American dramatist
was desired.
Mr.. Thomas was seen at his home in
New Rochelle. He was in his workshop.
a desk of tumbled papers in front OF him.
a revolving bookcase with everything from
synonyme book 10 the Seven Seas in
II at his elbow. After reading Mr.. Walk
ley's criticism In The Thunderer." and
thinking over II bit. Mr.. Thomas said:
II have seen The Melting Pot and Mr.
Whitesde's performance in the play.
have also seen Mr. Rooseveits expressed
opinion that II was one OF the best plays
he had ever seen. II may be that this
indicates a stupendous naivete on the part
OF Mr.. Roosevelt-it may be that Mr..
Roosevelt is not especially informed con-
eerning plays and has not seen enough
Of them 10 speak with as much authority
upon others
i have seen great many plays Hav-
ing gone with a constant enthusiasm TO
the theatre for the last forty years. and
having been professionally associated with
the institution for twenty-five years. am
inclined to agree with Mr.. Roosevelt.
think The Melting Pot one of the best
plays I have ever seen.
''The trouble with Mr.. Walkley. as far
as I am able 10 deduce IL from this single
example of his criticism. is that he is sur
fering from the disease which has for sew
eral years afflicted section OF all art
cii cles the world over, namely. art for arts
sake"
Mr.. Thomas's Stenographer was on the
firing line during the interview. The
thor of The Witching Hour and The
Harvest Moon will not grant an inter
view unless he can see in written words
what he is saying.
The primal intention OF every work OF
art should be 10 stir the human emotion"
he continued. and any work OF art takes
rank in proportion as IL does stir some
human emotion and according to the char
acter Of the emotion that II sttrs and the
persistence OF the agitation that il in
duces. Mr. Zangwilrs 'rhapsodiziug' over
music and crucibles and statues OF Liberty
IS a very effective use OF a most potent
symbolism. and IL is justified by the char
acter OF the emotion that IL stirs in his
audience and the degree Of the agitation
that il produces.
Il have never seen men and women more
sincerely stirred than the audience that
was present on the night when I saw The
Melting Pot The emotions that were
called into activity were OF the higher
kind-that group OF emotions relating 10
the constructive growth OF character, not
20 IT'S destructive side There was GER
tainly TO appeal whatever 20 the baser
impulses. There was little appeal. II any
TO that group OF emotions which Is the
fsvorite field of the workers in the theatre.
namely. those emotions stirred by the sight
Of mutual attraction of the sexes.
The impulses awakened by the Zangwiu
play were those OF wide human sympathy.
charity and compassion; and for my own
part I would rather retire from the thea
tire. and retire from all direct or indirect
association with journalism, than write
down the employment OF these factors by
Mr. Zangwiu as mere claptrap-
"On it's technical side the play was well
dcne-quite up 70 the skill OF the majority
OF Mr. zangwiIrs colleagues in England
In his first two acts. besides charm he es-
tabIished d local color as effectively. as
swiftly and with more introduction Of
drama than Mr.. Sardou customarily does in
his construction"
When Mr.. Thomas made the statement
about Victorien Sardou he was standing by
a canvas on which he has lately been work
ing. BY the time he got 10 the next para
graph he vas standing under the trapeze
on which he takes his morning exercise.
He rehectively gripping a ten-pOund
dumbbelL Mr.. Thomas gives interviews
en- promenade. He reluctantly let go the
dumbbelI and went on.
I'm the performance the play was equally
well presented. There have been few char
acterizations in the American theatre IN
recent years that equalIed Mr.. Whitsside's
performance OF David To characterize It
as that OF a long haired fiddler is an un-
fair distortion OF facts. Mr.. Whiteside's
hair is not quite so short as the prevailing
mode. but It is the same hair that he wears
upon the street and it fails TO attract at
tention In any group OF American citizens"
Mr.. Thomas said further that he was
moved 10 say these things in response 10
the Tribune reporters inquiry. and not be-
cause he believed that The Melting Pot
needed anybOdy's defence.
This ended the praise OF Mr. ZangwflIs
famous play. Mr. Thomas would say moth
ing about The Wltchng Hour" or The
Harvest Moon and about the only infor-
nation he would impart was that Lee Shu-
bert had asked him for a play for The New
Theatre. AMI that he was seriously consid-
ering writing for that house.