The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-04-25

Heres and shakespeares OF the past, havs
| reached the audiences Of their time and
| country widely and permanently. and can
show the modern evidence OF that success
! In wealth and power and prestige. To
reverse this test, however. and apply 1t to
English and American conditions Is 10
reduce II to the absurd. II Is useless to
waste time over a critical test that would
assign any place In the history OF the
drama to Charles Klein or rob John Gals
worthy Of any share Of his emnence by
reason Of his limited success upon the
stage. The explanation Of the apparent
paradox OF this state Of affairs Ii to be
found In that lstorical alienation Of the
| English audience from the theatre. Of
which have spoken. and OF the consc-
quent loss OF all standards touching the
drama as a fine art. The audiences of
Paris. of Vienna, Of Weimar, have a Sec
ular tradition and training in regard to
the theatre, the heterogeneous audiences
Of London and New York have none
Hence | am sorry to see several OF our
American universities striving TO turn out
dramatists who shall he able to graphic
with the degrading conditions which popu.
lar success demands to-day. Does not the
truer function Of our academic dealing
with the drama lie In the formation OF an
audience which. by It's homogeneous spir.
itual culture. by Its fine sense Of values
will help to Danish the scenic display and
tho melodrana to their proper place, aud
give the Galsworthys of tho present and
the future that hearing which Scandinavia,
and Germany. Austria and France have
given to the great playwrights OF their
modern theatre
So we find that his greatest praise
for the French theatres is divided be-
tween FRANCOIS de Curel and Georges
Porto Richie, who have been so far
highly enough appreciated in their
own country but have not yet become
known In their own medium across
the frontier. Their plays are to he
read but they have not been acted
Nor II the genius of Lavedan and
Hervieu well known on other Con-
tincntal stages than that of their own
land, although two authors who are
not mentioned by Mr.. Lewisohn have
done more than any others except
Henry Bernstein To restore the fame
of France as a source of drama suited
to other countries These are the
late Robert de Flers and Amman de
caillavct, who have recent. sent half
a dozen sentimental and engaging
dramas about the civilized world.
They wrote more in the manner of
McilhaC and Halcvy than any of
their predecessors. But Mr.. Lewisohn
does not honor this famous pair with
mention in his book.
OF course there Is to he seen in his
essay on the playwrights Of France
the natural admiration of the literary
man for the drama of ideas and psy-
chology. Of character and life seen as
the author ana not as the playwright
views them. Mr.. Lewiston writes of
pays a. If he had read them rather
than seen them. He is not looking
over the footlights. hut at the book.
II is not to he thrown M 10 the
critic who sees the plays rather In
their proper milicu that he is hone
lessly reactionary and tied to the
chariot wheels of the determined old
Francisquc Sarccy. II is merely that
men of the theatre judge the value
of play by the effectiveness it pos
sesscs In the place for which ii was
intended No intelligent man is going
to sigh for the convention of the we'll
made play. They are more or less "A
thing of the past But the theatre
has its art. il is moreover when one
departs too far from the rules Of that
art that the other qualities of a play
wright must inevitably disappear. 1t
Is the recognition of The rules Of his
meter by the dramatist that enables
HIM 10 add force TO every virtue he
may bring to his work
II is equally true that tho DEPART
ure of the playwright from the So
called well made" play of Sardou
has made the drama Of France barren
so far as the theatre in England and
the United States is concerned We
are still uncultured enough to demand
the elements Of dramatic strength
r.at some recognition Of the rules OF
his meter necessarily imposes on the
playwright.
Mr.. wisohn. although his judg-
ments are academic rather than prac-
teal, writes with wide authority and
S"lf-control. There is no better OK.
ample OF his hhcrility than his treat
mcnt Of lbsen The wonderful in
hucncc # the playwright on tn" mod
eru theatre which no affected chicny
as TO choice of theme and the intro
duCtion Of the more subjective
method of tho dramati~t. Of the pres
ent day, Mr.. I.cwlsom freely admits.
Then he adds these DISCRIMINATING
words The initial impulse of Ihscn's
mature work was an impulse nf pro-
test AGAINST the social and spiritual
conditions in his native country. There
arises from these plays the picture 81
q small and Isolated society in a state
e cruel Internal competition. Men
struggle moanly for mean advantages
the minutest differences in wealth and
station are emphasized with all the hit
terness Of insecurity. the whole social
structure j. based upon a rigid crtho-
d Ny in morals and religion which
maintains itself with the stealthN fe-
roCty that belongs to growing impo-
toncr and smouldcrinG panic. Pros
Porous persons uphold q cast iron re-
Spectah!lity that Is often at yari-
anCr with their own past, Nowhere a
breath Of larGoncss or generous
thought or free sincerity; so that even
una shamod lawlcssrcSS would have
cleared the spiritual atmosphere made
heavy and murky by thNsc paroChial
potcntates and their time servers"
John shaw billings. Arm, Doctor
aud Librarian.
The memoir of John ShdW RHiHUS
by Or. i'IEI.DING n. GARRISON put
nams) is largely autohioGraphical. for
the memoiriSt makes extensive uSa