The sun., 1915-12-19
SOME NEW BOOKS.
Jhr AmrrtcHU 4 1Drn sua.

Like Russian history. the American
drama II still largely u thing of the
future. to he built up ~ earnest
hopes and patient strivings. So in
treating the subject of the American
drama seriously and at length In The
Casc Of The American Drama. by
THOMAS H. DICKINSON Iioughton
MiTlin). Prof Dickinson has done no
small service to our contemporary
stage: and in thus focusing both
achievements and hopes he has Of
fered, as it were. place and opportunity
fo- collective intelligent effort. No
one can love life without equally low
!n-- the drama. most delicate Of the
arts nfe's finest and truest. II "a.
.hctically evanescent. representative.
and t'rof Dickinson has performed
toward 1t a thrcefold office: for the
past. he has shown what has actually
been accomplished during the last
two or three hundred years: for the
present. he has presented the most
salient features Of our own contem-
porary American drama: and for the
future. he points out the best and
most likely dramatic way. and pic
lures the necessary outcome of our
divergent and heterogeneous life.
tor We are the American people more
~ courtesy than In fact. a collection.
9St a blending: a multitude. rather
than a nationality. The dramatic out
come therefore ought to be all the
richer and more effective. For when
the true horn American Of the future
expresses in drama the fulness Of his
Inheritance from 40 many Of earth's
peoples. this drama in holding the
mirror up to nature ought to he corre-
spondingly complex yet unified. 1t is
then one of the most hopeful promises
for the fu.ure that such hook as
this should come forth. It's thought
II as clear and definite az its reason
ing In convincing. and to those who
care for the drama without having
deeply pondered upon 1t this book
should serve as a friend and guide.
And to those lovers of the play who,
like Charles Lamb. love nothing better
than "a kind hearted. mellow old play
book" saving and excepting. that is.
than to see the mellow old play well
acted. Prof. Dickinson's work should
be particularly interesting. Here Is
the good wine that needs no bush.
In passing. the author admirably
explains and defends the New Thea
tre." its aim. experiment and partial
success. and shows how. II a failure.
Il was such that We may draw from
Il inspiration and ultimate victory
What between the movies" poor
dumb shows. on the one hand and the
commercialized play. mostly clothes
~ hn ~ nf
were beginning to despair Of the noble
art Of acting. To he sure the movies
are at least teaching players some
thing as to the necessity Of intelligent
gesture and facial expression, and
this indeed il something. The story
n told of Garrick that he once thrust
his head between two curtains. and.
without word or gesture. to the mar
vel Of the spectators facially gave the
whole gamut Of human emotion. But
there was hut one Garrick. And Henri
Herr. the famous musician. is said to
have made his pupils practise upon
dummy pianos. flexible keys, hut
soundless, so that the unfortuna.es
might acquire the proper finger tech
nique. to which drudgery wordless
drama bears some analogy.
But after all. half the plays charm
is the spoken word which. through
the right use of voice and emphasis,
Is even more effective than gesture.
Even among many Of our best actors
to render blank verse is well nigh
lost art. For thanks to the present
fad for what Is called the natural
method'-heaven save the mark
the poor actors contrive to travesty
Nature most deplorably. So an older
generation. in whose ear fingers n
charmed echo and memory of Booths
exquisite phrasing. writhes in misery
when 1t attends the play and is per-
force subjected to this modern. ignor-
ant. all too natural clipped speech
or mnithing. SO Prof. Dickinson re-
stores the balance again. and per-
suades us once more to hope. He
In OF the elect seven thousand who
have neither bowed the knee to the
movie nor to the Commercialized
patchwork that is made to do duty
as play. And he lays as kindly
"a unerring finger on the cause,
or arrest. of the dra~ Ia. both in Eng
land and with us. during the past
thirty or forty years.
Tn the loss Of the old we'll placed
stock companies and the substitution
of the cruder travelling" variety
the stage and acting suffered greatly.
Then the unnaturally 'long runs"
however good for the pocket. are
necessarily sadly detrimental to art:
and Prof. Dickinson shows MS just
hOw and why. Man not being