The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-31
By1llIant Lecture Pyeeuted To
 U0me1'S CLubs Of Bnmingham

1 strength and eapability of her cast i she said q will not surround myself
 with any but actors of talent. I can i not play if the support is poor. since i it affects my own work too much, and i I regard it as unfair both to myself and my audience. There are a number of stars who first became known in my company. There was dear Mrs. Gilbert, who, if you will recall, became a star after she was S0 Mrs. LeMoyne. too, and poor Clara Bloodgood. and Orrin Johnson, all supported me. Ethel Bar rymare was another who was in my company before she achieved fame And 6 number of others were men tioned whose names in such a connec- tion were quite surprising.
 Do you care especially for your present role?" was my next question.
 Yes, I do,' she replied. T think 1t
 fine and strong. It is quite witty, too. Don't you think so?" But compared with that of Puck" I suggested. "Oh. l" she said emphatically, Of course we all prefer Shakespeare"
 There was little else.
 The lights in the theatre were fast going out and the doors had been closed. I would not detain her longer as she was to leave early next morn ing and seemed quite tired, but there remains the memory of firm pressure from strong, slim hand and a direct, sweet glance from a pair of warm, brown eyes IS she uttered the gracious little wish for a future meeting when she comes again to Birmingham.
 MT. Charles A. Browns address de- livered before the Twentieth Century and Study clubs Friday afternoon was brilliant treatise on the subject of the Meaning of the Inferno" The divine comedy of Dante has been an absorbing subject this winter with several of the clubs that have under taken its study in preparation for the course of lectures to be given by Dr. Edward Howard Griggs in April. Each year the teachers in the Birmingham public schools follow some chosen course of study. This year 1t has been the Divine Comedy. Thus many of the cultured organizations have followed throughout the winter the same line of thought and Mr. Browns superb paper will be read with interest and appreciation by many. As it is im- possible to reproduce it in full, ex- cerpts have been chosen.
 Hamilton Mabie says; "It is character istic of a mind of the first order that its relations to life are never at any mo- ment completely discerned, that with every turn of events a new light shines from it. and for every generation 1t has a fresh word. For this reason the great est books are always contemporary; they are in vital contact with the life that is while they conserve and illustrate the life that was" How profoundly true is this characterization of the divine comedy of Dante Alighieri "a Florentine by birth, but not by habitsr' As with all master pieces this great poem gives a vital inter- pretation of life.
 The inferno, part of the comedy, is a view of man In relation to his deeds. here and hereafter, when he chooses to live life of sin, and the marvel Is that it satisfied the conception of hell of the medieval church, and gives wonderful force to the interpretation of our modern views. Truly, Dante Is universal, is for all countries and for all times"
 In a letter to his friend and patron. Can Grande Dante writes: 'It is to be remarked that the sense of this work is not simple, but on the contrary one may say manifold. For one sense is that which is derived from the letter and an- other is that which is derived from the things signified by the letter. The first is called literal, the second allegorical or moral The subject, then, of the whole work, taken literally, is the condition of souls after death, simply considered. For on this and around this, the whole ac- tion of the work turns. But if the work be taken allegorically, the subject Is man how by actions of merit or demerit through freedom of will. he justly de- serves reward or punishment" He says that his object in presenting this picture Is to remove those who live in the world from state of misery to a state of glad ness; 1t Is most practical poem, be says, dwelling purely in the ethical reg ions, and in presenting it he seeks in every way possible to forward the prac- tical fulfllment of the divine idea on earth and in the lives of men, This divine idea is of a perfect harmony of all life
 In his Monarchia he tells us that man Is not completely man till he is 9 good citizen, and this citizenship demands rec ognition of himself and of other men as units of great whole composed of parts and gathered under one head the ideal Emperor who, just and disinterested. makes peace and justice flourish on earth
 In the Comedy we have the call to men to see, admire and seek after the perfect harmony of life in it's relations to man. to family to state and church and to God, and to bring life to the fulfllnent Of It's highest office in mutual service and perfect oneness to the will of God.
 The mate liberty of the soul. Dante says, has been studied by the deep req soners who have set up certain moral and ethical principles for winch thev claim validity. The endowments of na ture are so of necessity, and hence man is not responsible for them. But the power of governing them is in each of us, says Dante. No matter what the gift. to man-be they good or evil-no matter what the environment may be, man is an independent being, has a seIfhood apart from his environment He is. there- fore, accountable for what he himself does with these gifts and his environ ments. In other words, mans reaction is his own.
 Since man is a two-fold creature he can attain happiness as a citizen of this world by obeying reason and practicing the four cardinal virtues-prudence jus tice, temperance and fortitude For the spiritual nature man by practicing the theological vfrtues-faith. hope, charity, becomes a partaker of the divine nature and enters Into eternal blessedness par tially In this world and perfectly, accord ing to his capacity, in the celestial para disc. But man being human is subject to error and misses the true way. He wants happiness but love for objects which seem good is implanted in the soul even as the zeal in the bee for honev and man tastes the inferior good and is led on toward evil However, this passion for. the lower pleasures is no ex- cuse, for man should bring his desires to the reason which winnows the good from the evil, when by the power of will he can restrain the baser passions By per- | hitting the reason to slumber he loses the way of happiness and wanders into paths of misery fearful vtqiOn of balf