Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-06-06
DELAYED SHAW DRAMA
BEST PLAY OF THE YEAR
Grace George Gives Rare Enter
tainment in Local Premier
of Major Barbara"

| In the face of Major Barbara" criticism
| is impossible Not because Shaw's drama
at the Adelphi is the best play of the sea-
! son-the best play of many seasons. in fact
| but because Of It's very fecundity. II is
| so full of that intellectual battle which is
| Shaw, that clash, not of character and char
| acter but of thought and thought, that gen.
| uine drama of ideas. 1t is the unique prod
uct or unique mind at II unique tension.
Ihe whole play Is collection of high mem
| tai moments, of mems thoughts Mt their
| hottest. mems intellectual emotions at their
| tensest and mems expression at its keenest
| Ana back of those thoughts, those emo
| tions, this expression, thrust out suddenly
ana luminously, are fine moments when the
| sense OF life wholly apart from its express
sion bites home. The result is fulness
that passes criticism. 1t barely admits of
reviewing in the higher sense Mere report
Ing does 1t the best justice.
Barring Man and Superman" at It's ter
rible completest-hel dream and al-no
play of Shaws assemblies so many of his
views of life so eloquently. There is only
one true morality for every man. but every
man has not the same morality" he says
again There are larger loves and dvner
dreams than the fireside ones" The life
Force finds itself in the professor of creek
who joins the Salvation Army to win the
Earls granddaughter. The "insplration from
within stands beside the subservience to
IAN end not your own" The profitableness
to the capitalist of "progressiyeness" of
healthy happy, contented workmen is as
keenly stated as Shaw's bitter contempt for
the tricks of the governing class and the
appalling concen of our censors-whether
self-appointed or on State boards-who
know the secret of right and wrong which |
has puzzled the ages. Shaw's neo-Unita-
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES belief in the will |
of which even cannon maker is a part |
finds It's expression A dozen more Shavan- |
isms are as easy to instance.
But of course what stands out of 'NTa |
jor Barbara" Is neither those things nor |
the dramatic mechanism of the battle of |
Andrew undershaft, Krupp of England, for
the soul of the daughter who wears the
Salvation Army's blue and red It is the
religion of the millionaire" which fills it
and incidentally a rather whimsical body
ing forth of the religion of Shaw. Two
things are necessary to salvation. They
are money and gunpowder. Money and
gunpowder; freedom and power; COM
mand of life and command of death" Pow
erty is a crime. you must acquire enough
money for a decent life and power enough
to be your own master" without them
you cannot afford those things that make
the cultured classes, in Shaw's eyes, so
much preferable to the masses-"honor
justice, truth love, mercy the
graces and luxuries of Il rich. strong and
safe life"
The money end Of salvation is easy
enough Henry Ford discovered that for
us. II Is the cannons that stick in the craw
"a Ford running a munitions factory
They stuck all the worst last night because
of the extensive cuts which Miss George
has made In the play. She has completely
and effectively removed Mr. Ford-Under-
shafts corrollary to unpowder-revolution
the destruction of mass poverty. Poverty
and slavery have stood for centuries to
your sermons and leading articles; they | 4
will not stand up 10 my machine guns
Don't preach at them; don't reason with
them. Kill them" says the cannonmaker.
killing is the final test OF conviction. the |
only level strong enough to overturn a
social system, the only way of saying
Must" And the professor of Greek Joins ,
lm, saying; 81 love the common people,
want TO arm them against the lawyer the
loctor. the priest the literary man, the pro-
lessor, the artist and the politician.
want democratic power strong '
enough - force the intellectual oligarchy I
o use its genius for the general good or a
.lse perish" '
Is this play that has meaning for to- S
for America as much as for ;
rench-gutted Europe? AS surely as 1t is an y
entertainment OF rare mirth and
arer passion. 5
Unfortunately, it happens that the lady q
esponsibe for giving us great play
ave us also poor Barbara. As New u
'ork generally agreed Miss George put a
he charm of a popular star, the arch o
rows, the melting glance fixed on the 9
aek of the balcony, the voice full of the .
u and downs of sympathy" into "A part
hat is hard with reality and fired with II
irile inspiration She has since added a "
title grateful humor. But her soft hes-
ant alterations of such sentences as ''Will %
ou let me try?" into win you-will you
I me try?" are typical of her false ap- Sc
roach to Barbara, u
One more fault may be laid against this oi
mbitious and much-accOmplishng man =
fault outside the foolish ex-
,rior settings II is the lining up of the n
ctors parallel to the foOtlights in scene II
fter scene. like some Shayian minstrel
now. II
But a good cast in general and decided II
good actors There are many things II
lat should be said of them but there is IL
ally room and time TO lay a miniature y
urel on the brows of Ernest Lawford as
le professor, and Lewis Edgard, as a =
ockney bum Provided, of course that L
ere is any left when Mr.. Shaw gets all
his X. NJ =