The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1913-11-06
Literary Work of
Local Man Was
Highly Approved
CHARLTON ANDREWS BOOK
"DRAMA OF TODAY" RATED As
ONE OF THE BEST PUB.
LISHED THIS YEAR,

Naturally Valley City citizens take
pardonable pride in the work accom-
plished along literary lines by her
citizens but the following from The
Minneapolis Tribune goes to show
that the work of Prof. Charlton An
drews is receiving praises and atten-
ton wherever his splendid book is re-
cieved.
The tireless activities of that host
of clever business men who are sell
tishly engaged in the show business
for revenue only bring them so PROM
inently to the forefront of newspaper
and magazine publicity that the Amer
| lean public content to believe only
what is forced upon its thoughtless at
tention knows little or nothing of the
modest efforts of more serious and
dignitied men to counterfeit the inl1ll
ence of money-mad producing man
ayers by creating a public sentiment
in favor of real American drama. The
chief weakness of these serious writ
ers lies in the fact that their good
taste and gentlemanly breeding pre-
vents them from meeting, upon COM
mon ground, that capable army Of
gold-lustful creatures who dominate
the theatrical field, and whose policy,
briefly expressed, is dramatic litera-
ture and the public be damned; we
want the public's money, at whatever
cost in national morals or dramatic
development"
The important part now being play.
ed by the Northwest in that rapidly
increasing influence which sooner or
later must result in better type OF
American drama has recently been it,
lustrated by notable literary produc-
tons from the pens of three North
western writer's. Two of these are
members of the faculty of the Univer-
sity of Minnesota and the third mem
Der Of the faculty Of the Normal
school at Valley City, N. d. Richard
Burton, head of the English depart
ment of the Minnesota university, is
the author of book entitled THE
New American Drama" just published
by the Thomas Y. Crowell company of
New York. From the learned pen of
Oscar w. Firkins, also of the Mime
sofa university faculty, comes mas"
terful estimation of Southern and
Marlowe," appearing in the October
number of The Theater. and the ]. B.
Lippincott company has recently pub
lished adelightful book, "The Drama
Today" by Charlton Andrews, head
of the English department OF the Nor.
NAL school in Valley City, N. D. Such
publications cannot be without right
full influence in counteracting the la
mentable theatrical tendencies of the
day and every citizen of Minneapolis
and the Northwest should feel a pa
triotic pride in the fact that this
triune stream of wholesome ideas
finds it's common source in the North
west and flows, with combined power,
toward the East, from whence comes
the counter-stream of modern stage
productions.
Charlton Andrews divides his new
book, "The Drama Today" into six
chapters under the captions "Defini-
tions," Realism and the Literary
Drama" "The Americans" "The
British" "The Continentals" and
Prospective" His book, like DR..
Burton's, is interesting, vital and mod
ern in viewpoint from cover 70 cover,
and delightfully."- fulflls the purpose an
nounced in the preface in the follow
ing words: Interest in the drama as
a distinct art has never been greater
than at the present time, and the de-
sire to study it seriously and intelli-
gently has never before been so wide
spread. In spite of this fact, however
there exists no brief separate treat
ment in convenient form, of the au-
thors and plays with which the active
theater now concerns itself. There are
collected discussions Of certain groups
of playwrights, volumes dealing with
the drama of individual nations Of
movements, and in the periodicals in
Vulnerable fugitive articles, biograph-
ical and critical. But there is no brief
compendium of the drama today, as it
is practiced, not only in England and
America, but also upon the continent.
It is to supply the need for such
manual that the present treatise has
been written. Little effort has been
made to shed new light upon the top
les discussed; the attempt has been
rather to present in small compass &C
curate general information as to the
leaders of the modern stage and their
work, and to OFFER in passing, some
oninions &C to the nrosnects and ten