The Washington herald., 1909-01-03
The Great Divide. "

The Great Divide"
Some critic somewhere has remarked
that The Great Divide" is not a great
play because II does not teach a great
moral lesson. No. The Great Divide" is
not great play in respect that it VIII
he Shakespearean in its longevity. but by
comparison with the majority Of its COM
peers it VIII DO, and as to the question
Of moral lesson. let US consider
Here we have a woman of education
and that refinement that comes from high
civilization. and except for purposes Of
atmosphere or consistency. il matters
not whether II be the civilization OF New
England. Southern Italy. or aristOcratic
England. Il IS the condition that comes
from generation after generation Of edu-
cation, submission 10 the law. and OBJ
servance Of the traditions Of organized
society. It is stronger in women than in
men. in that they cling 10 II more tena-
cIously and are much slower in relapsing
toward the usages Of primitiveness- They
carry II into the heart Of the wilderness
and hold 10 Il amid all the tumUlt of In
dian raid. grinding poverty and unspar-
ing hardship They climb with Il 10 the
SUBMITS Of the Alleghenies and maintain
II through bitter feuds bespattering hu-
man blood on their very thresholds. Per
haps they recognize in II their greatest
safeguard against outlaWry and rUfiian-
ism; but whatever may he the reason.
Americans should never tire Of honoring
the memory Of the pioneer women who
carried it from the villages and counties
OF the old countries 10 the Atlantic coast
settlements. then across the AppalachIans
10 the valley Of the Ohio. and then over
the plains and Rockies 10 the Pacific
slopes
On the other hand, we have a man OF
doubtful antecedeuts. for in the play it
Is not perfectly apparent what this mans
earlier life and ancestral relationships
have been: but It Is perfectly apparent
that al the period Of the story he Is on
the down grade We know this from the
company he Keeps and from his own
declaration that he does not care where
he goes nor what happens. Nov that
The two elements have been brought to-
Eether by an admittedly repuIsive cpl
scde, the first question % arise is. 70
Tsraphrase The query " Marguerite
Gould she love him or could she not2"
During our own brief and perhaps su-
peTfCialIy observing sOj0urn among hu-
man creatures We have had brought 70
cur notice too many cases Of the strange
and seemingly incongrUous bestowal OF
female affection 10 permit Us 20 answer
nay. and besides. the affirmative side OF
the argument IS boIstered up by EIeaniags
from literature. history. and the drama
Desdemoaa loved the Moor from the first.
and had not villainv accomplished her
demise would in all probability have
loved him TO the end. We have always
been prone 70 believe that some OF the
most respectable families OF Rome sprung
from the unions with TIE Sabine women.
and surely no one familiar with Ger
manic literature can fail 10 recall that
Haif legendary story Of the Nuns Tow
er" in which Gertrude falls violently IN
love with the wOUld-be des7OiIer Of har
castle and beauty and takes his part
against her relatives when they cIamor
for his blood. even 10 the exigsncy OF
seeking. in his embrace. a watery grave
in the rolling Danube There IS no shad-
ow Of doubt as 20 the possibility Ct the
thing. and the critics Of M-. Moody in
this respect were probably led into error
Icy the helief-whether superinducsd by
tnfamiliaritv with said literature. drama.
and history OF lack of correctly deduc-
tive powers Of personal observation. we
know uot-that ne was really presenting
something entirely new. when. as q mat
Ter Of fact they were witnessing . skill
ful dramatic re-dressing of a world-old
idea
The second proposition. as 10 the posi-
ble reclamation of such a man by such a
woman IS also easily proven. We know
of too many men who would not amount
20 much bur for their wives 10 attempt 10
combat IL and therefore on the whole. as
lIr Moody has stated plausible premises
and arrived al tangible conclusions. with
poetic embellishments and acting quality.
III must be- admitted without reservation
that he has brought forth good play:
and even though It may not be so uni
versal iu its application as 10 live for al
time cr constitute a landmark IN the his
tory Of the worlds literature. he stIH has
the satisfaction Of knowing that he has
produced something great in its gen
s.-.+---