The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-11-20
GORDON, PHILLIPS
STRIKES HARD AT
BRIT AIMS STAGE
Has Fun With Puritans Too,
and Discusses Beauty
Choruses.

press the theatre and failed. his
enlightened descendant has embark
ed upon the alternative task OF con-
verting it, and for a decade or more
has been in the habit Of quietly as
Stunning his success. The measure OF
his actual failure is to be found In
such complaints as have recently
been made by General Smith-Dor-
rien,' remarks Gordon Phillips, in the
course of an article in the Man
chester (Eng.) Guardian.
"And it is not difficult" Mr.. Phil
lips continues, "to discover in those
complaints a very good reason for
the failure which they confess
swiftly stated, it is rotated in an OBJ
stinate overlooking Of the fact that
figs are not usually gathered from
thistles. The, comic stage-which is
all that General Smith-Dorrien is
attacking, and all that is under con-
sideration here's not, never was,
and never will be an expression OF
mans spiritual life. Comedy says
Dryden, presents us with the inn
PROJECTIONS of human nature and it
cannot be maintained that the type
of comedy which is represented to-
day by the review has ever, in any
cline or age, shown any noticeable
tendency to deplore those tmperfec-
TONS On the, contrary, it has been
actively concerned in demonstrating
the gay and adventurous possibilities
of them. IA :,
"Such a demonstration may not
leave a man any the, worse-in a
world where human imperfections
are so very manifold and obvious it
is q somewhat effeminate virtue
which can be embarrassed by a mir
ror Of them-but it certainly never
left a man any the better. But the
curious assumption unconsciously fos-
tered by those who think they have
converted the old bugbear of the
Puritans is that in some mysterious
way it might leave him improved;
and nothing could equal the panied
surprise with which General Smith
Dorrien and the bishop Of London
discovered the bugbear doing precise
ly what it has always done within
whatever standard of public decency
happened to prevail at the moment.
Even the disreputable old comic
stage itself has begun to think there
must be something in the notion. 1t
began-like many another convert
Iet-up in the material world. 1t has
ended by being quite seriously an
noyed with any one who challenges
its value as moral institution; its
resentatives-witho as far as
one can see, the faintest tremor of an
eye-lid-will round on the critic and
protest with all their heart that a
beauty chorus with the very mini
mum of clothing is somehow an es-
sentia1 part of a maintained national
conviction that Germany must be
taught to respect the rights Of small
er nationalities. "Thist1es?' exclaims
the comic stage Indignantly, when
confronted with as fine a bunch of
prickles as ever human imperfections
produced. Nothing of the kind!
Rare and refreshing spiritual fruit,
assure you, properly considered.
''This is obviously nonsense; but
if comedy has been put into posi-
ton where it can give itself such
preposterous airs the fault is large
ly at the door of those who have
set out to achieve the impossible
and convert an institution which is
essentially concerned with taking a
bright view Of the fmperfections of
human nature. And it is very argu-
able that one result of their misgufd-
ed endeavor and patronage has been
to produce in good many simple
minds a positive inability to recog-
nize imperfection when they see it
a muddle from which the ferocious
rectitude of the Puritans certainly
delivered an older generation. At
any rate when the wives and daugh-
tiers of Suburbia sit in contented adj
miration before, say, some decidedly
unequivocal disrobing episode either
they have imperfectly apprehended
the full purport of what they see, or
else, so far from the figs which they
promised themselves, the reformers
have merely succeeded in discovering
fresh appetites for thistles. Either
way, it seems fitting enough pen
atty for muddled thinking.
HAll consideration of the music
halls ought to be preceded by the
recognition that man can
not sit through the most discreetly
chosen program without having as
tossed over to him-some-
times delicately often with the most
primitive kind of assault--which are
eternally Incompatible with lofty
moral outlook. This may seem OBJ
vious to those who see their va
riety stage steadily and see it whole,
but a good deal less criticism would
lose its, way if the fact were more
generally admitted. And the pro-
ducers and the comedians Of the re-
views generally would get themselves