Los Angeles herald., 1909-06-27
LITERATURE FROM
PRESS AGENTS PEN

The following is the story of Sch1ll-
er's "Joan of Arc" which was given
massive historical reproduction in the
stadium of Harvard university last
Tuesday night by Miss Maude Adams
and a carefully selected company uhder
the personal supervision of Charles
Frohman. The narrative. written py
some unnamed press representative III
the Frohman offices, is here reproduced
for its sheer merit as literary express
sion of one of the tremendous events Oh
human history
''The theme of Schillers poem is the
eternal tragedy of an inspired soul Try
ing To fulfill its mission in conflict with
human ties, human needs and snort
sighted human visions. JOans appoint
ed work transcribed her time, and her
time could not understand her. 1t Is
easy to imagine the distrust and sus-
picion of her peasant father, Thlbaut
D'Arc, to whose honest and narrow
mind her visions were matters of fear
and foreboding. He could not know
that the light that illumined her lifted
face was the light of inspiration He
could not comprehend the spiritual law
bv which she knew the helmet for her
own and took it as a sign from heaven
that the time for her appointed work
had come. Ine bOIleHlOuS iiS uit VI tlic
peasant of Domremy Symbolizes the
narrowness and superstition of the age.
which had their part in defeating and
DESTROYING the Maid of France.
ITO Joan of Arc saving France
meant saving Charles VII and seating
him on his fathers throne. At the
court of Chinon Charles inadequate
and despairing, was iding his time
with troubadours. His kingdom was
+o,,, two hu civil war His naTlia-
ment had dsoWned him. His last
stronghold, Orleans, was about to fall.
His mother was in league with his enc
mics, and England claimed his crown.
Hopeless, denuded of knightly spirit,
he was about to fly from his difficulties.
Then came Joan of Arc to make him
believe in her, and, still more wonder
full, to make him believe in himself.
She lifted and inspired him. By his
own order she sent a message of de-
fiance to England and deliverance to
Orleans.
"France is up and marching, lifted
into life and power by the battle cry
of God and the Maid The enemy,
beaten back, is rallying for another
stand. Whenever the maid appears the
English fall back. The warning fac
tions of the French are reconciled. But
Joan of Arc, whose greatness has con-
dlered the enemies of France, is her.
self conquered by the weakness of her
womans heart. She encounters the
English general, Lionel. He is at her
mercy, but she cannot strike. In his
proud and beautiful face she recognizes
a spirit kindred to her own. Her heart
is broken by her realization of NOR
tai love, which she believes to be a
sin. She never falters. she never ceases
pressing forward to the accomplishment
of her inspired mission. But hence
forward the shadow of death is over
her soul.
I'm history the maid was burned as
a martyr at Rouen. But In Schiller
she fulfills her mission, sees France
victorious and dies of her wound on
the battle field.
"Such is the story of Joan of Arc
that Miss Maude Adams and her COM
pany enacted in the stadium Tuesday
night The play began with the spec
tacle of a little, lonely figure coming
over the hill at twilight to listen in the
shadow of the great tree to the voices
which speak to her spirit. 1t ended
with the maid, clad in armor, fatally
wounded, dying by the spring on the
battle field. there to be buried beneath
the shields of her caDtains"