The Washington times., 1911-10-03
With Mystic Diamond They
Make Most Wonderful
of Journeys. II
FIND BIRDS BUT
CAN'T HOLD THEM
Their Search Finally Rewarded
When They Least Ex-
pected II. ~

Mother fyI they go. and when they get
there, just outside the window, they
saw good-by to all their companions ln
human form. OF course they will see
them again, bet without the diamond
which they must give back to the fairy
they will never be able to understand
and talk 10 them. So there the
audience sees TyItyI and MyltyI fast
asleep again in their little black bed,
beneath the queer old quilt that nobody
could possibly have pieced together but
Granny TyI, long since sleeping In the
graveyard.
And then the strangest thing happena
They find the Blue Bird, Just as they
have ceased their search for II. The
wonderful bird of happiness comes to
them. The neighbcr's sick little girl
the bird has flown away out OF ths
window, everybody in the audience Is
delighted to know that the elusive,
feathered creature has been held IN
human hands even for an instant.
THE Blue Bird is a wonderful phil
osOrhy as well as most spectacular
drama. 1t yields joy to the spectator
in the respect in which he Is qualified
TO enjoy its various aspects. TO the
child in the audience II Is very pretty
fairy story, to the unsopEisticated adult
1t is at once a pretty fairy store and
wonderfully alluring picture with q
sensuOus-not senSual-appeal; to the
student of the drama, The Blue Bird
is most admirable example of
dramatic technique of bodybuilding
with the skill of a PineTo; to the
student Of life in its deepest aspects
The Blue Bird il poetic exposition
of the deepest truths of philosophy,
and he or she who can appreciate great
literature will revel in the play. II
has a most various appeal 1t will de-
light the ignorant, and the slightly
educated and the really cultured.
Those who have read the play first
will most enjoy this lovely poetica1
allegory when it is acted <or them on
the stage. Some of Maeterlinck's stage
directions are marvels Of literary skill.
AS regards the philosophy of THE
Elue Bird, II IS not easy to write about,
lest one wrong great writer of pro-
found truth by making him seem trlte.
Let US remember that platitude Is a
great truth insufficiently energfzed. It
is trite and platitudinous to say that
the story OF The Blue Bird Indicates
that the pursuit of happiness defeats
happy life: that like the blue bird.
happiness can never be captured by the
platitTdinous. nothing trite nor fiat nor
stale in the allegOrv that Eaeterlinck
has written, and which last night found
beautiful exposition in every way. pic
torially and dramatically on the stage
of the Belasco Theater.
OF course. '"The Blue Bird Is not
preachy. II it were, 1t could not be a
great work of art Yet in the course
Of the play, and inherent in integral
parts thereof. are statements Of the
most profound and metaphysical truths.
Consider the dialogue. for instance, be-
tween the children in the graveyard,
while waiting for the graves to open.
At first comes the fright Of the chill
dren. scene of genuine comedy, then
the frightened little ones observe the
wonderful transformation, the scene Of
life and beauty in what has seemingly
been a graveyard, and, marveling, the
little girl asks:
Where are tho dead?"
And Tyltyl replies:
There are no dead
JULIA MURDOCH.