The Irish standard., 1911-10-28

~OOSS--S
little imagined the tempest they would
stir up says the Boston Post.
What are the lines that are objected
to?
What are the scenes objected to?
What are the objections, and what
are the defences advanced?
They produced three plays. among
others. in their first week "Birth-
right" by II. c. Murray, "Hyacinth
FIalvey" by Lady Gregory, and '"The
Shadow of the Glen" by J. NJ. Synge.
These three plays aroused some of
Boston's prominent playgoers to a.
height of indignation, where they felt
that withdrawal should be Immediate
ly demanded. They felt that the plays
gave distorted views of Irish life;
that in many cases the people pictured
had no existence; that the characters
were either abnormal, vicious, immor-
al, deceitful, cowardly or blasphem-
Gus.
DR.. GaiIaghers Letter.
The discussion began through a let
ter written to The Post by DIR. James
#. Gallagher. He was visitor at the
Plymouth Theater, and saw these
plays. He thereupon wrote the let
ter, in which he condemned the plays
in the strongest terms, and demanded
that something be done about it,
One of the pieces he especially de-
nounced was the play "Birthright," by
T. c. Murray. The story is that of an
Irish farmer, who. loving his younger
son more than the elder, attempts to
deprive him of his right of inhcri-
lance. The two sons quarrel. and
they finally come to blows, and the
younger strangles the elder in a fierce
combat.
Mr.. Gallagher denounces this play
as most vicious. saying:
BY DR.. J. F. Gallagher.
Editor of the Sunday Post:
Sir-I have neither the time, inclin-
alton or space to follow in words the
misty river of Mr.. Yeats thoughts as
it wound itself through the columns
of Wednesdays Post. His words We're
misty and they missed the point. In
the pagan legends which he loves so
we'll it is related that when the Druids
would confound their enemies they
created Il mist. Yesterday Mr. Yeats
waved the Druidic wand, but the con-
founding mists failed to materialze
In all kindness to Mr. Yeats let me
say that the chaotic mind revealed in
his efflsion is more to be pitied than
enjoyed. said nothing OF payanism
in my letter But long before Mr.
Yeats was born great Irishmen and
great poets gloritied the heroes OF
Legendary ireland without blame. But
he alone devotes them to the power
of pelf.
charges. In fact he admits they are
all true and he admits much more. l
said the people in the plays We're un-
natural. Mr.. Yeats admits it. Mr..
Synge did not know the Irish people.
He simply absorbed or stole the OBJ
scene and decadent literature of the
French artists, brought it to Ireland
and creates a peasantry to people the
landscape of his morbid dreams, which
he called plays. Mr.. Yeats admits all
this in yesterdays Post. Let me quote
him:
All these accusations seem to he
based upon a single misunderstanding
as to the nature OF literature. Synge
was not photographng life. He was
representing it as an artist. His ac-
cusers seem to believe that the char
acters in Il Work of art must be typ-
zeal representatives of the people OF
the place where the scene is laid"
MT. Yeats told us the characters in
his plays were exact photographs of
the Irish peasants, and the PLAYS the
exact expression of the Irish mind of
today. Now he says they were the
creations Of an artist. Exactly my
position. Again Mr. Yeats says:
only the fool takes them for viii
layers. He may have observed some
thing like them, but he has so ex
banded and intensified that he has
transformed what his eyes have seen
out of all recognition"
So the Boston audiences are fools,
taking the people OF the plays for real
people. So we are paying our money
to see the creatures Of Il morbid man
AND the highbrows of Boston are
burning the midnight oil trying to
prove how real and natural they are.
H Falsifers have short memories. When
Mr.. Yeats arrived here he said: "The
priests of Ireland often visited the