The Irish standard., 1914-02-28
GENERAL JOHN REGAIN"
The Play of Rev. Cannon Hannay
Resented
Irish Audience does not take Kindly
to Caricature
Author Defends his Production in
Lecture at Glasgow

Canon Hannay George A. Berming.
ham) was entertained to dinner by the
Council of the Glasgow Literary Club
recently. The author of General
John Regan" afterwards addressed q
large gathering of the members Of
the club. held under the presidency
OF Mr.. r. K. Risk, Convener of the
Council.
Canon Hannay, in the course of a
most interesting address, said, regard.
ing what he termed the primitive meth.
cd of censure adopted by the dramatic
critics Of Westport, that he counselled
his hearers not to take these things
too seriously. Ebullitions of feelings
were not uncommon in Ireland, but
they were by no means the grave dis.
orders they seemed to those who were
unacquainted with the country. Once
before his literary work had touched
the people Of Westport to wrath. They
had threatened him with all manner
of vengeance and throughout the sea-
son Of excitement every one in the
town had been most kind and cour-
teous to him. There had, however.
been an epidemic of meetings of pro-
test Qaughter), and the indignant
orators usually prefaced their inyec.
tive with this declaratory clause, eve
have not read this book and we
won't" Qaughter). It should be re-
membered that an attitude of mind
similar to this had inspired the OPP
position to Mr.. Yeats Countess Cath
leen." In a postscript to letter in
which he condemned the play, a car
dinal admitted he had not read it
Qaughter). And as water is to wine
was the hostility shown to General
John Regan" compared with the an.
tagonism aroused by that mastery
study. "The Playboy of the Western
World" The people of Westport, it
had been suggested, might have been
offended by the fact that one of the
characters in General John Regain"
was a Roman Catholic priest, but the
play was conceived in a spirit. not of
satire, but Of broad Comedy, and no
sensible person could possibly take ex.
ception to the character in question.
A Possible Argument.
There wass however, the possible
argument that the sanctity of the
priestly office forbade dramatist to
depict clerical characters. That was
a contention whose validity he could
not recognize (applause). He could
not admit the existence of literary
taboo (applause.) He held no class
OF man sacrasanct (applause). That
the play was not offensive to Roman
Catholic orthodoxy was clear from the
fact that he (Canon Hannay) had re.
ceived from the Principal of Jesuit
Seminary in the United States a re-
quest to allow the students of the col.
lege to stage it under the supervision
OF their spiritual instructors on St..
Patrick's Day in aid of the building
OF a Roman Catholic church. He re-
GREETED the sufferings of their actors
who had been ill-treated, he was sor-
ry for the people whose windows we're
Observation-Disclosures he was unaffected
by the outbreak (applause). These
organized attacks we're generally en-.
gineered by a small section of com.
munity who, disappearing of a play,
sought thus to Danish it from the
stage. In reality these enemies were
the best friends Of play (hear, hear).
Their hostility did more to, commend
1t to the public than furlongs of press
advertisements (laughter). If he felt
sure he could number among his
friends any person fanatically devot-
ed to his interests he would be in.
ciined to attribute the Westport dis
turbance to the strategy of that astute
well-wisher daughter and applause).
On the motion of Mr.. A. H. Char.
teris, LII. B., a cordial vote of thanks
was accorded Canon Hannay.
The famous author preached in St.
Mary's Episcopal Cathedral, Glasgow.
at the forenoon and evening services
today, at each of which there was O