The farmer and mechanic., 1912-06-04
THE DRAMA IN THE
UNITED STATES
some Forces Which Seem Likely to
Effect Great Improvements in
the American Drama.
BY DR. ARCHIBALD Henderson,
University OF North Carolina.

The interest now being exhibited
In the drama, especially the mooerh
Or the contemporary drama, through
out the United States at the present
time, gives promise Of effecting mo- |
mentous and far-reaching results in
the future. The public is gradua
learning the lesson for drama that
the people are now beginning to learn
in politics. Let the People Ruie!
Which means, the people have the
right to accept or reject any play that
Is produced. And to do it in so de-
cisiye and emphatic a way that TO
withstand the verdict, the play will
1ther have powerful vitality,-which
will recommend it in the long run
Or will have such financial backing
as will enable it to ignore the frankly
expressed verdict Of the people,
through properly constituted bodies,
having experts at their head.
Just now, there are four powerful
1nstrunentalities in this country
.yhich are working, with more or
lesS conscious purpose, towards the
achievement of definite end: the i'm
proyement Of standards for the
drama. The first Of these influences
Is the group Of leagues of one sort or
another, such as the Drama League
Of America, the Mcdowell League,
and others, the main purpose OF
gent supervision, in the interests Of
the public at large, Of the plays that
are presented 1t is a sort of dra-
matte referendum with the recall fea-
ture attached--a submission OF an IN
telliSent verdict on given play to
the public, and an implied suggestion
to recall that particular play IL the
verdict is hostile The plan has
strong meritS-its weakness so far
hot ito yialH ph
siye size in membership. And yet it
is only through becoming a nationally
representative body in very cOmpre-
hensive and inclusive sense that such
an organization can really WELD the
power and the influence Of critical au-
thority Indispensable to it's success.
II the second place schools Of the
teaching of the drama, especially Of
the modern and contemporary drama
are being established all over the
United States. There are now chairs
ably filed, at such great institutions
as Yale, Harvard. Columbia, Chicago,
and Minnesota. A number Of the
smaller institutions, notable among
then. being the University of North
Carolina, give courses in the modern
drama, and introduce the student to
subjects, themes and literary features
quite novel and unprecedented in his
experience hitherto.
Thirdly, we find various publica-
tIonS. Of an admirable eXactitude and
scholarship. dealing with the modern
drama from variety of aspects
Most useful, to the student Of the for
eign drama especially, Of books treat
ing of the literature clustering about
the drama, are the publications Of the
Boston Book Company. In a recent
issue of the North Carolina Review
Was IN admirable photography Of
works of modern drama and critical
literature thereon. This photography,
compiled by Or. James Finch Royster,
81 the University of North Carolina
continued the best photography Of the
sort attempted, dealing with the
American drama grouped according
tc aubJeE9 matter. Dr. Registers ls1
should prove indispensable to the
clubs of his State and of other States
| have recently received book which
il "a much more comprehensive wa,
for the number of authors treated
gives excellent bibliographical appa
ratus for the study of many phase
OF the contemporary drama. Thi
book, which / should advise all stu
dents Of the contemporary drama t
buy, is entitled Modern Drama an
Opera. compiled by Mrs. Clara tMulli
ken) Norton, Frank r. Walter, an
Fannie Elsie Marquard, and costs
believe, only one dollar. 1t is pub
lished by the Boston Book Company
Boston. Mass, and is a full readin
list on the works of DAnnunZi(
Hauptmann, lbsen. Jones, MaeteI
linck, Phillips, Pinero, Rostand, Shaw
Sudermann. in drama, and DebuSs.
Puccini and Richard Strauss in op
era. This book appeared in 1911 an
Is quite complete; although not a fe'
important articles and books prior t
that date do not find inclusion in il
pages. The latest volume of thu
splendid Dramatic Index, for 191
edited by Frederick Winthrop Faxo1
has also come to me. This publics
ton makes it unnecessary to go |
Poole or the A. l.. A. or any other i,
dex. to look up the Drama" F,
there is everything about the dram
as found in the periodicals Of En-
land and America, for the year 191
Such a work is a great achieveme
for American industry and order
ness, and cannot be rivalled, even
that home of indexes Germany. ,
one who studies the drama nevada
can dispense with Faxon's Drama1