The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-05-30
HISS ADAMS TO PLAY JOAN
AUDIENCE or TEN THOUSAND.
70 SEE SCHILLERS' DRAMA.

An Unoemmon. Perfprmapee ma II to
No GiJensin tho Harvard stAdium
"A 1lsusapd Undergraduate WIN
Appear In tho Hig Battle Scene.
Though the theatrical season Is 50
near it's end its largest audience 10 still
to assemble. 1t will gather 10 the Harvard
stadium late next month to see Maude
| Adams as Joan OF Are. Preparations for
this performance have been for some
time under way. The play OF course
| will be Schiller's 1The Maid OF Orleans
and II Is expected that 10000 persons
will be present to Bee an American actress
impersonate a French heroine In q play
written by a German. The performance
10 to be given for the benefit Of the Ger
manic department Of Harvard Univer-
atty, and while the audience will be the
largest OF the season the company en-
gagged in the representation will also
break records. since 1t Is promised that
not less than i,0oo Harvard undergrad
yates win appear In the battle scene in
the last act. 1t goes without saying
that the costumes and trappings will be
both elaborate and historically correct.
while the acoustic properties OF the
stadium are 80 excellent that the speeches
will be audible throughout.
The Schiller play clearly depends a
great deal upon expert stage manage
ment for it's effectiveness. for several
Of its most important scenes involve
the appearance and lively disposal Of
large bodies soldiers. citizens. ~rustics,
courtiers and so on. Further. the drama
takes many liberties with history. The
facts Of the famous Moid's life. 80 far as
they have been established. appear
suooinotly to be these:
She was born in the little village Of
Domremy in 14lI She met her cruel
death twenty years later and the e~xtraor-
binary deeds with which history chiefly
concerns itself were performed in the
last three years Of her life. She was the
daughter OF reasonably humble parents,
though she never suffered the incon-
venienoes Of poverty. As a young girl
she helped her parents at household
Tasks. did much fne needlework and on
occasion tended her fathers hocks. From
the first she was pious. silent. timid and
reserved. When she was about II the
English had extended their dominion
pretty we'll over all Of France north OF
the river Loire. partly by the aid Of the
rebellious Philip Of Burgundy and partly
through tho Vaccinations Of Queen Isa-
bella. mother Of the Dauphin Charles.
whom for private reasons she hated and
disinherited In favor OF Henry V. OF Eng
land. her son-in-law. to whose French
! preteneions the infant Henry vi. sue
ceeded.
II vas at this time. when the English
Earl OF Salisbury was besieging the city
Of Orleans, the military key to the south
Of France. that Joan began to make
history. Local tradition had long pub
lishcd the prediction Of Merlin, the sor-
ccrer. that as by a woman's perfdy
(Isabella's) France should be conquered
80 by q virgins valor France should be
freed. The same tradition had 1t. that
from Domremy the virgin should come.
Joan must have been familiar with the
tradition and upon it she probably built
her faith in herself as the deliverer Of
her country. At all events she went to
the Governor Of V~aucouleurs, a neighbor-
ing town. and persuaded him to present
her to Charles. Him she won to Q belief
in her mission and on April 70. 1l2s. with
her at their head. clad In mail and bearing
a white banner on which was inscribed a
representation OF the Annunciation. the
French actually succeeded in raising the
siege Of Orleans. Other victories fol-
lowed. At Patay. Talbot. the English
General, was taken prisoner. and at Rheims
on July II Charles was crowned King
In the Cathedral. while Joan stood at his
side. At Compiegne she was taken pris-
oner by Burgundy and was subsequently
delivered to the English. BY them she
was tried as q hereto and a sorcerer. but
at the scafold she made her submission
and was pardoned. Subsequently she
resumed the masculine attire she had
discarded. This her captor chose 10
regard as evidence OF a relapse into heresy
and she was burned at the stake in Rouen
on May 80. 1881.
These are the generally accepted facts
| Of Joan's life, but Schiller pays scant
heed to them. In his play the Mold wins
the confidence OF Charles by revealing to
him two things that he had secretly
d rayed for. From that time on victory
and honor are hers, until in battle she
m66to ~ E61ku8u AuiBu uAAuCl A<tOtct'
At sight OF him she loves him. Her power
vanishes With the birth OF earthly love:
What ] permit q human form
To haunt my bosom's sacred cent
And there. where heavenly radiance shone,
Doth earthly love presume to dwelI'
The savior OF my country. I.
The warrior OF God most high.
Burn for my couutry's foemsn' Dare I name
Heavens holy light. nor feel Overwhelmed with
shame'
The playwright reserves for Joan's
public humiliation a scene outside the
cathedral in which the coronation isheld.
Here she is denounced by her " father,
somewhat unoonvincingly, must he ad-
mitted. who declares hat she has sold
her soul to the devil for earthly glory,
adding:
Now. In the name OF the blekt Trinity.
Beloneest thou 10 the pure and holy ones,
The Maid refuses to deny the accusa-
ton. The guilt OF earthly love 10 heavy
on her soul. She has lost her faith In her
self. Several peals OF thunder arc heard.
That settles it.. Promptly the King. his
court and all who but now had venerated
her turn their backs upon her. She Is
banished and captured by the English.
Right here Schiller. the poet. a high
brow Of his time. administers an opiate
to his intellectual conscience and goes
in for the happy ending. For some reason