New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-05-13

Lutte adherence 10 the old cry OF
mot this man. but Barabbas." Yet
il is beginning 20 look as II Bar
abbas was failure. in spite OF
his strong right hand, his VIC
tories. his empires, his millions
OF money, and his moraiities ana
churches and political constItu-
tions This man" has not bcen
a failure yet; for nobody has ever
been sane enough 10 try ms way
But he has had one quaint tri-
umph. Barabbas has stolen ms
name and taken his cross as
standard.
We have always had n curious
feeling that thou~h we crucited
Christ on q stick, he somehow
managed TO yet hold OF the right
end OF it, and that II We were
better men we might try his plan.
There have been one or two gro
tesaue attempts at 1t by made
quate people. p. But responsible
peoDle have never made such at
tempts. The moneyed, respecta-
bic, capable world has been stead
lily anti-Christian and Barao-
basque since the crucihxion; ana
the specific doctrine Of Jesus has
not in all that time been put into
political or general social prac-
tice. am no more Christian
than plate was, or you, gentle
reader; and yet. see no way out
of the worlds misery but the way
which would have been found by
Christ's will # he had undertak-
en- the work Of modern practical
statesman.
Mr.. Shaw takes us through an
elaborate popularization Of the Higher
Criticism on tho way 10 the moral
of this typical tract Of the times oil
his.
Mrs. Lee has a theory of the play
that is TO be. There are many theo'
ries of the drama Of the future, lew oil
which take into consideration the ma
tsrialism of democracy, none OF whlch
recognizes the hard fact that 1t ~ not O
question of what the drama will do Tor
democracy, but Of what democracy VIII
do TO the drama, not to speak OF the
other expressions Of culture, estnetlc
ethical and intellectual. Mrs. Lee holds
that this future drama Of ours VIII
not be a colorful picture OF life IKE
that OF the Elizabethans, nor an en-
bodiment of life like that OF the
Greeks. but rather a disembodiment OF
life. as in Maeterlincks plays-"thlil
as veil between two worlds, reveal
ing and hiding and holding the mean
ing and significance of what passes on
the stage" Her symphony Play Is
an attempt at this disembodiment.
II consists of four one-act plays: A
include. "Billy Boy"-childhood; an al.
iegro. "Mother"-youthful passion and
wise maternal love; an sndante, The
Brother"-rlaturity, responsibility, the
material concerns OF existence at mgr
tide; and another allegro, The Lady
with Wings" curious lbsenesqu'
study of the great cllmacteric OF WON
ans life as the beginning Of her highel
spiritual existence, with man confused
ly cropping after her. An ingenious
conception, cleverly worked out. bul
the thread, which is rather veil
connecting the four plays 10 more NE
lv TO be felt and followed in the read
ing than in the stage production. vi
the four, only the second one IS liKeiy
ever to see the footlights. A single
movement of symphony has peer
played in our concert halls ere now.
Mr. Manners's "Wrecksge" is a
preachment against the drug habit-as
much of a clinical lecture as Brieux
damaged Goods" but with touch OF
genuine drama which the Frenchman
1lav lacks almost entirely. To be sure
to obtain his dramatic effect Mr.. Man
ners stretches the arm OF coincidence
but he is justified by the result.