Los Angeles herald., 1910-06-08

TN his celebrated "Chantecler" Ed
mond Rostand has written not
= merely a delightful drama of BARN
yard life but an allegory which VIII
rank with those of Aristophanes. This
Is apparent after reading the first act
of the English version which appears
In the June issue OF Hampton's Maya
zine, which has obtained the exclusive
English serial rights. Human nature
in its various phases, with all its weak
nesses. it's casual loves, its amusing
conceits, is expressed dramatically by
these fowls--fowls endowed with pas
slons, loves, ambitions. jealousies and
magnetized with vivid life by one or
the greatest OF French poets. Egotism,
colossal and all-absorbing, has possibly
never been so concretely expressed as
in the vainglorious cock. In his guard
Eloquent concelt he approaches the role
of Wotan in Wagner's opera.
How adroitly and masterfully Ros-
tand accomplishes the difficult task
of humanizing these fowls can be ap-
preciated only by a careful reading of
the play. One can prophesy, from
reading the first installment. that
"Chantecler' is a play to be read rather
than seen played. 1t is an intellectual
pleasure for the library. for family
reading, rather than a spectacle. For
the joy of "Chantecler" lies in Ros-
tand's marvellous lines, in his swift
biting, trenchant wit, his delightfully."-
insinuatng suggestion. The marvel of
1t is that the French master conjures
in his episodes human parallels-as, for
instance, in the scene of the garrulous
hens pecking corn one sees the vision
of bridge party of gossping women;
that he shows one. in the characters
of the various animals who are Jealous
of "Chantecler," the envious, ill-tem-
pered critics in life who always cavil
at people who do things. Usually the
translation of such matter, because of
the oddities of the French language. is
almost impossible. In the case of
"Chantecler" the publishers of Hamp-
tons were extremely fortunate in
securing Miss Gertrude Hall, who did
so excellently by "Cyrano." The trans
lation is entirely adequate and the
marvellous lines of the French by the
alchemy of a gifted pen are trans
muted into just as marvellous English.
"Chantecler' is literature-great litera-
ture Not only of this country. it is
one of the greatest allegories of the
ages.
In the first installment, which is
entitled "The Evening of the Pheasant
Hen" Chantecler, lord of the barn
yard. appears. Chantecler is the most
talked of character In the small
domain. Hens. pecking the ground.
gossip about him. He is heralded by
the excited comments of hens. ducks
and turkeys. A pigeon, who has
arrived. properly humble. longs for the
favor of seeing only his comb. The
blackbrd, who takes prominence in
the play, appears as a sort of man
about town, talks slang and supercil-
iously sneers at Chantecler. Chantecler
is admired by the dog, hated by the
cat. Chantecler is the adored of his
old foster mother. an ancient hen who
sits in a nest and, at every convenient
opportunity, pops her head from her
retreat and gives voice to the wise
adages and epigrammatic bits of
startling wisdom peculiar to sharp old
crones. Chantecler is beloved by the
hens. each of whom, man. wise, he has
led to believe is paramount in his
affections. But Chantecler, debonair
and naughty. loves none of these from