The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-02-27

alas. an episode Ii must be considered.
for Hauptmann divorced the bride
thus won. The reasons given were
that his artist nature could not Dear
will her commonplace temperament.
OF the play The Maidens Of the
Mount Mr.. Lewissohn writes:
So many years had passed. and 90 dit
ferent had the emotional color Of life be-
come to Hauptmann that he could view
the episode OF his youth without pain.
withou; regret, without distortion. and SEQ
in the memory OF 4. merely a symbol Of
III" dreamlike quality Of human life. What
had once been of u reality so poignant
was now but like n tale heard long ago.
Ou' OF this mood Hauptmann created a
group Of people whose actions and pas
sions are surrounded by an atmosphere OF
'mpermancncs-a impermanence Of which
they themselves finally become aware.
Autumn will bc followed by winter on the
rishop's Mount and also In the hearts Of
men. The best part OF life remains the
dream which Ia permanent long after the
reality IL sore ami withered and Is as
though it had no; been.
This play is batlicd in an atmosphere
Of lyric beauty and melancholy. There
Is but little action and rather futile
Ilbl. bNN lll'Ie IL lbbtIIN anu NVu1S
love. II Is. says Il critic. like a de-
liehtfui and romantic fairy tale 1t
is difficult To make any estimate Of
iiauptmann's genius without taking
account Of the tim in which he lived
me the forces al work at tina time.
In the middle NJ the nineteenth century
there came the breakdown Of German
idcalism. The end of fiction and idea
had come. says G%ervinus, and the day
81 will and Iced had dawned. l.duard
- Hartmann had made pessimism
fashionable. The rise Of empirical
science contributed q the growth Of
materialism. Iut toward the end OF
the century quite gradually the ma
tcriali~tic nutlonk began 10 wane. The
intellectual life of France had changed
enormously between 1880 and 1870.
NathrallSm and socialism. allied 20 a
profound interest IN psychology. were
the striking Interests Of thinkers. In
1855 Andre Antoine mad visited Berlin
and influenced Hart. Wolf. now editor
~ She B,riUVcr To0cbluu: Harden.
Brahm and PAU ~SCh,enthcr To follow
the example of France and found a
free htihne' This was done and the
first play put ON was lhsen's Ghosts;
the second was Gerhsrt Hauptmann's
first play. "Nor Sonncniufgang."
ilauptmanu had prepared for his
profession a.. pl,yvrigh, bv reading
every book on sociological problems
tina, he could lay hold Of. In this first
pla, ne tells the story of a peasant
family who had suddenly become rich
by finding coal on their property.
They procccd To spcnd their lives
IN ldlenrss and fall into all sorts of
base vices. one daughter withstands
the general family corruption and
falls in love with "A studcn, Of social
conditions who ,s living in her father
house. When he hears. however. that
his prnspcc,iye bride belongs TO a
family of confirmed drunkards he
escapes ui,hou, explanat,on and the
sirl commits suicide. The Viewers"
an even more striking and painf,l
study. deals with the reyol, Of the
S,lirlan weayers. OF all Hauptmann's
pl,vs ,x.ept IN. he'll" this
one mad the creates, g In
dramatic techn!nue fl undoubtedly
ranks amon, IN. very rrea,es, IRA.
mario v.rks .r This lime Instead NJ
having "A singh. hero or o~uts;.ndins
character U,untmann us.s tho Who'll.
romparv If vc,yers a. me focus NJ
his d,,m1 Their h,lnloss and iuiv-
table Wiser, - tho ,r,ma ~. IN. u.or,,
To offse, In, misery If This nI,v The
H.,yor Coat" an amusir, rom.h.
fnlIuvs , ,nmody which U,un,manu
ro,ar ,..in ,,,,iI.d
Tho MAY. may lao divjae, INT, soc;,i
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