The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-11-13
Tho Bad Books and the Worse Playa.

The Sad Books and the Worse Playss
Montreal Witness: The Nation, Of
New York, says the number of bad
books issued nowadays Is greater
than it has even been in the worlds
history, and that the epidemic of bad
ness has affected men of considerable
talent. The Nation, Of London, a pa
per Of like worthy tone. says we are
now witnessing a competitive strug-
gle in the theatre tending towards the
survival of the nasttest. The recent
awakened interest in what is now
euphemistically called the white slave
traffic and the current frank discus
sion Of eugenics, both most needful to-
the well being of the race, seem to
have offered the opportunity for plays
"abominable in their theme and still
more abominable in their Intention.
They are IAN extension of the white
slave traffic into the realm of ideas.
One cannot imagine a. man with q
trace Of right feeling acknowledging
their authorship without shame". 1t
is to some minds desirable that art
should reveal that which Is revolving
with a view to it's cure, and it GER
talnly is possible so to treat 1t as to
make it revolving and hateful. There
have been men who have counted it
their mission to upset the present so
cial order. and have sought to shock
it out of it's ~Complacency. But The
New York Nation finds no such apollo
gy available in the current pornogra-
ply of the stage. 1t is simply vile and
planned to attract by its vileness. 1T
is neither satire, as with Bernard
Shaw, nor exhortation, as with. BrieuS,
nor is it wild wrath, as with Gorky,"
nor the profound sense of the pity anu
terror of life, as with F1aubert. 1t Isl
Just q trafficking in filth. I
The answer of the writer's and pro-
ducers Of such plays would probably
be: Why should we be ashamed or
our work. Does it not draw more
people than my other kind Of work?
Let those who determine what shall
appear on the stage be ashamed. 1t
is for us to give the public that the
public wants. The moment it shall be
found that something else will pay
better, tina is what the public will
get. This is true. 1t Is the people in
the boxes who should hush. This Is
the serious feature Of the case. A
man nay have the worthy purpose
Of raising the general sentiment and
moral level of society by the books
he writes, by the newspaper he pub
fishes, by the plays he puts upon the
stage. He may be governed exclusive
ly by such considerations, but If he
public wants he. will find himself
swept aside. He carries On his good
work at his own cost so long as he
is able to do so, and reaches with 1t
those who are like minded. The profit
goes to him who gives the public
what the public wants. 1t ts they
who reach the masses. 1t is by them
the public taste Is formed and the
public mind guided. .~
So long as the great teachers Of the
people are dependent on the dollars
and cents they can earn, and SO long
as the competition between them
drives the less popular to the wall. we
can hardly look for much uplift from
them. Yet we do think that too
gloomy a view can be taken from the
picture thus drawn from the two IA
selves that makes for righteousness"
Such was Matthew Arnold's defini-
ton of God. There is a leaven work
ing in society that makes for right
~eousness. There is in the soul Of man
q witness that says this is right and
that is wrong, this Is lovable and that
. Is hateful and ugly; n that leaven
is forever at work. If there are more
bad books published today than evel
, good books, and If their sphere is mar
., rover. it is more potential. II the
> stage Is at times flooded from q breach
= in the cesspool, it also a occasionally
: dramas Of the most e~levating nature
and may hope to have more as the
l soul of the age revolts from material
ism and filth and finds again the need
| Of God and goodness. There Is ont
institution among us that is not alto
gether commercialized. That Is the
church. From 1t flows q comparative
! ly pure and purifying river Of the
. water Of life, which will yet broaden
and deepen. It Is to this source thai
! we must now look for the redemption
r of humanity. Let 1t not also be com
5 mercialized and materialized. But lei
5 1t know the signs of he times and
adapt its united energies to the peo-
III rIn,aS uaada 80 sEEaSs