New-York tribune., 1911-01-18
THE DRAMA
"The ScareCroW,' by Percy Mac
Kaye, at the GarriCk Theatre.

/ Poeuc spHlo' he mas placed befc-e metro
po"tSh audience a work Of which the
American stage NAV well be proud.
| Mr.. MacKaye mas gone 10 Nathaniel
Hawthorne for his first idea but he has
! borrowed scarcely ANYTHING from that
source ana certainly he lras not dramatized
/ 1a"'hornes 'Moralized Legend. with its
tale OF the scarecrow Feathertop anC pretty
foHy Gookin. He has enlarged upon the
'dea' ana has regarded it from an entirely
ulHerent standpoint. Where Hawthorne
was ironic MacKaye is sympathetic. In
eNitably then the development and conclu-
/ sion OF the plays story must differ from
the tale In Moses from an Old Mansc'
which inspired the dramatist with his idea
MT. MacHaye describes his play The
! Scarecrow,' as "a tragedy OF the ludi-
| crous'' and he substitutes the element Of
| human sympathy for that Of irony. as
/ criterion OF the common absurdity Of man
A'hd Thus, where Hawthorue's scare
/ crow Feathertop, is ridiculous, the en-
D'eh OF superficial fop." Machaye's
scaTecroW. "Ravensbane," is "pitifuI as the
emblem Of human bathos"
Appropriately enough there may be quoted
mere passage from the preface 20 the
printed edition Of Mr. MacKayes play:
compared with our own ideas ~ human
perfection, what human rubbish we are,
OF what incongruous elements are ve CON
/ structed by time and inheritance where
with "a realize the reasona bleness. the
power, the altruism OF our dreams What
| absurdity is our highest consummatlon'
J ct tho sense OF our common deficiency IS.
after all our salvation. There is one reality
which is a basic hope for the realization
or those dreams This sense is human
/ sympathy. which is. II would seem. a more
searching critic o. human frailty than
satire. II is the growth % this sense which
dowers with dignity and reality the hol-
/ lowest and most ludicrous or mankind, and
becomes In such n Fundamental grace Of
character"
The tragedy Of RavensDane is a tragedy
/ or the ludicrous. or the incongruous. The
scarecrow. built IN Goody Rickby's smithy
so that II may outstand all the nor -'easters
! that blow, is by a whin and arts OF the
Devil given the form and semblance OF
man and all Of mans attributes except
soul. Goody Rickby otherwise blacksmith
Eess leans TO the Devils notion that this
stuffed automaton, which walks and talks
and is fair counterfeit man. should steal
the daughter OF Justice Merton a. Merton
| himself stole Bess twenty odd years earlier.
And so the scarecrow, introduced 70 the
social lights OF a New England town
IN 16oJ as LORD Rsvensbane vooes
Rachel Merton and wins her love.
, Innocent OF his own counterfeiting
believing himself 10 be what others think
him. ne loves Rachel and is ennoblel by
his love and her companonship. Then sud-
denly HIS heaven crashes about his ears.
. The Devil and a witch's mirror reveal TO
MIN that he is but a pumpknhead g thing
o. straw and wood and rags to scare
birds witnal He can keep ND the counter
I feiting, though, II he viii consent 60 his
! Devil guardians plan and wed the girl.
/ But he knows that Rachel'S lot with him
would be utter wretchedness, and awak-
/ aning 10 a sense Of his own power. he de-
stroys the spell that binds him to his
creator-satan-knowin that this rebellion
will cost him his life. But the sacrifice
/ gains him his soul He IS born then Just
a. he dies
This, Of course. Is but brief bald out
line OF the fantastic romance Tho dram
atis-. however, tells ir wit. imaeination.
power and grim wit. The actors tell &
variOuslv-Mr. Frank Reicher for instance.
as the ScaroCrOw. tells Il with so fine and
great talent that II seems almost kin 20
genius IN these barren DAYS. Mr. Edmund
Breese, as Dickon, "a Yankee improvisa-
tion OF the Prince OF Darkness" tells il
with an old-fsshioned melodramatic yea
that seems overdone; Miss Alice Fischer.
as Bess, tells il like the artist she is with
4 90
tiOnal appearance and business OK the
stage witch Of Puritan Massachusetts:
Miss La Toilette tells her part Of I, in
piguant. modern way; Mr.. Royce. as the
Justice. does not tell X a. all. Alr Browne
tells it no better. hut some other minor
characters tell II very well indeed. Mr.
Relcher's work-snd work indeed It isis
acting Of a very high and finished order
All New York should see II II New York
cares a. muct about acting as ir pretends
20 care. The chances arc. though. that II
cares very little for the acting Of its plays
when the acting 10 exceptionally fine and
ima ginative. What Il chiefly likes or dis
likes. is the story OF a play and the move
ment OF the story. The story OF The
scareCrOw' IS not Broadwayized. Broad
way, though. is said to know a thing or
two about His Majesty DiCkOn, even to
know him by another name Broadway
does not believe in a hairy Devil with
medieval tail But Puritan New England
f. the seventeenth century did believe In
that kind Of Old Nick Mr.. Mackayes
Devil is no gentleman. Massachusetts IN
the Witch days had no place in its fancy
for Mephistopheles but II thought a good
deal about the furry fellow with the barhed
tail
The Scarecrow viii give rise 20 abun-
dant discussion II will be praised il will
be condemned. People Will. FOR the most
part, see in Il what they bring 20 il. II an
absence OF humor IL complained OF the
dramaust may reasonably ask where hu-
NOR was 10 be found in Puritan New Eng
land two hundred and twenty years ago II
YOU quarrel with Mr. MacKaye's symbol
ism. why then you must. But others viii
not be so disposed Any one who cares 10
have his Intellect as we'll as his emotions
appealed 20 In the theatre will not visit the
Garrick Theatre IN vain while The Scare
crow Is there. u is not often that a critic
IS moved 70 thank q manager for producing
"a play. hut Mr.. Henry b. Harris IL entitled
10 a good deal Of credit for putting this
plav before the public II is not play
iikeIy 10 appeal 70 commercial managers"
Siy managers indeed had rejected IT, but
somehow II did appeal to Mr.. Harris, and
no has had the courage 20 stage IL and 10
s,age Il we'll II deserves success. il was
f,vorably received by the attentive audi
o,ca of TUESDAY night Mr. Reicher's act
inc should draw the down. A. w