Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-03-07

ally he was not the first In the field in
his native land. Bjornsen preceded
him, and after attacking various
abuses for years In essays and fiction
wrote his great play, The DOWNFALL
which was an Illuminating discussion
of commercialism. Yet 1T was Ibsen,
standing alone in his loneliness, who
stamped the intellect of Norway. But
there are others as tall as Ibsen in
northern observation-disclosures, for ex-
ample, who appears to be entirely un-
known in the United States He is a
Swede, a colossal figure, whom lDsen
himself admitted was the greatest of
them all. His two best plays are The
Countess Julia and The Father
Strinberg, like Ibsen, is a strict in
dividualist, though perhaps not so con-
sistent. He has devoted himself large
ly to exposing the deficiencies OF the
woman suffrage movement and has at
tackled it SO bitterly that by many he
is classed as a woman hater, which he
really isn't, For long time he was
looked on as the most prominent OPP
ponent of Christianity. but in recent
years underwent a change, was re-
ceived by the pope and became q
Catholic. His frequent shifts of posi-
ton have led to the charge that he is
a weathercock but his is such ver-
satile nature that his many -sidedness
is scarcely inconsistency"
Talks of Russians
The priestess of anarchy had many
interesting "reminiscences of the now
famous company of Russian players
who visited New York some time ago.
and from whose ranks ALA Nazimova
was drafted. 1t was she, indeed, who
managed them when they first reached
this country and Says she) it was
largely through her efforts that the
money was raised to build the Bowery
theater, in which Henry Miller found
them performing and first saw Nazi-
nova, whom he persuaded to star un-
der his management.
mot one of them spoke English, so I
acted as interpreter and American
manager she explained. "Orleneff was
the great artist among them. Indeed,
he is the greatest living artist on any
stage. The most wonderful thing about
the company was it's ensemble work,
for nearly every one was of equal abll-
ity with Nazimova. Orleneff had picked
UP peasants, trained them, inspired
them with his fire, and finally turned
out finished artists. In their own coun-
try they had a tremendous influence,
especially with Checkhovs The Chosen
People, an appeal for more liberal
treatment of the Jews. In fact, 1t was
| that play which really brought them to
America as a sort of missionary cru
SADIE. All the company were hot with
the missionary spirit, which is rather
curious, considering that they were all
Gentiles except Nazimova; she Is
| Jewess."
Recollections of the Russian players
| brought her around to q consideration
of the Slavic drama.
'In Russia" she said, "the process
| spoke to you about has been little diff
| ferent The abyss between the intel
| lectual and artistic life of the people
and the governmental regime is so
great that it did not remain for the
drama to excite radical ideas. The gov
eminent did that. The drama there
at least the vital drama, for the older
plays had little to do with the life OF
| the people-is still very young and the
| interest in the notions and theories
about which it revolves are mostly ex-
| cited by Turgenev and Tolstoy, both In
| fiction and plays.
Touches on Suicide
1.-THE most famous of the modern ORA
matists was Tcheckof, who died two
| years ago of tuberculosis. His greatest
| play was The Seagull,' which was
| largely autobiographical. He had
fearfully hard life, though, unlike Cor
| ky, he was a university man and high
| ly cultured. The SeagulP deals with
| the literary prostitution to which SO
| many authors are forced by want, ana
Tcheckof finds that the solution in this
particular case is suicide. However,
| this conclusion does not produce the
| effect of pessimism, as so much OF ID
| sens work does, but Celebrates the idea
/ that it is best for certain superior ma
! terial voluntarily to go out or society
rather than to submit TO medlocre
| standards. Other plays of his Wnlcn
are greatly loved in his own country
are THE Three Sisters and Uncle Va
maya
"Gorky probably ranks next to him.
| His play The Abyss or, as 1t Is called
| in the translation, AT the Bottom, was
| not appreciated when 1t was produced
|. here because America doesn't under
stand her tramp problem. Its theme IS
lost existence-the tramp, the prostitute
and the criminal who is not congenitai
but is persuaded to crime by condi-
tions. Gorlty's most valuable plea Is
that crime is not only the effect or con-
ditions but also of the inability of the
individual to conform to conventional
standards which are Infinitely more
rigid than the statutes. He denies the
effect of heredity, or at least asserts
that it is not the most important form
alive influence, in that the soil of tho
| soul. no matter what the seeds or
heredity may be. is either fertile or
| barren.
Another great genius among the
| Russians is Andriev, whose most WIDE
| ly known play is Tine DIM DISTANCE.
| This contrasts the contending forces OF
| conservatism and radicalism as seen In
| the home. A son who has been broadly
educated returns to his home to find
the same old mediocrity operating IN
the same old rut that he knew in his
youth and outgrew in his manhood:
There is mutual love between nlmseia
and his family, but the conflict or
thought is too grinding, and he finally
goes out. seeking for hope in the dim
distance
ARCHITECTURAL SCHEMES
IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA