The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-04-07

in book Of essays: or, If he needs
must sugar coat IL with a story. lei
HIM cNpound II in a novel. whose ap
peal will be 10 the individual mind
! Not until doctrine is old enough %
have become generally accepted is II
ripe for exploitation in the thcater,
This point is admirably illustrated by
two Of the best aud most successful
plays of recent seasons. 'The Witch
ing Hour by Mr.. Augustus Thomas,
and "The Servant in the House. by
Mr.. Charles Rann Kennedy. were both
praised by many critics for their "'nov.
elty;' but TO me one Of the most sig
nificant and instructive facts about
them is that neither Of them was. in
any real respect, novel in the least
Consider for a moment the deliberate
and careful lack of novelty IN inc IDEAS
which Mr., Thomas so skilfully set forth.
What Mr.. Thomas really did was 10
gather and arrange as many as pos
sible Of the popularly current thoughts
concerning telepathy and cognate sub
.iects, and TO tell the public what they
themselves had been wondering about
and thinking during the last few years.
The timcliness of the play lay in the
fact that it was produced late enough
IN the history of its subject 10 he Sc
lected resumptivc, and not nearly so
much In the fact that it was produced
early enough to forestall other dra-
matte presentations Of the same ma.
terals. Mr.. Thomas has himself ex-
planned, in certain semi-public conver-
sations. that he postponed the compo-
sition Of tins play-on which his mind
bad been set for many years--until the
general public had become sufficiently
accustomed 10 the ideas which he in
tended to set forth. Ten years before,
this play would have been novel. and
would undoubtedly have failed. When
II was produced. IL was not novel. but
resumptive, in its thought; ard there
fore it succeeded For ono of the sur-
est ways OF succeeding in the theatcr
IS TO sum up and present dramatically
all that the crowd has been thinking
Tor some time concerning any subject
Of importance, The dramatist should
be the catholic collector and wise in.
terpreter OF those ideas which the
crowd, IN its conservatism. feels al.
ready TO be safely true.
And II The Servant in the House"
villas | believe-outlive The Witchlng
Hour" 1t viii be mainly because IN tho
authors theme and his IDEAS. IL Is older
by many. many centuries. The theme OF
Mr.. Thomas's play, namely. that thought
Is in itself dynamic force and has the
virtue and 20 some extent the power OF
ANA4'ils los as ! nave Just h%fiAlile0, not
novel. but Is at least recent in tho his
tory OF thinking. Ii is "a theme which
dates itself as belonging 10 the present
generation. and Is likely TO lose interest
for tho next. But Nr Konnedy's theme
namely that when d!scordant human be-
ings ascend 10 meet each other IN the
spirit o! hrotheriy love. II may truly De
saic that God is resident among them
Nr. Thomas has been sklfuliv rcsumpuve
OF passing period OF popular thought
but Mr. Kennedy has been resunptiye
on larger scale. and has built his play
upon the wisdom of centuries. Paradox
teal as u may seem. the very reason why
Tire Servant IN the House" struck SO
many critics being strange and now
- that, IN its thesis ard It's thought. &;
- as old es the world.
The truth OF this poiu, seems TO me
indisputable. know that the best
European playwrights OF the present day
are striving 90 use the drama az e vehl-
Gle Tor The expression OF advanced IDEAS.
especially IN regard 10 social ethics. but
In doing this, 7 think. they ar" mistakinS
the scope of the thcater. They are striv.
ing 20 ray !u the drann wha; might be
said better IN The essay or the novel l
As the exposition of theory. Mr.. Shaw's I
Man and SupeTman' is no; nearly so