New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-02
NewS of the Play World

they merely bore them. So much for
our purpose.
The writer who assails the editor o.
The Tribune is evidently ignorant o.
the character % Lilac Time There
il 10 element o. coarseuess IN me play.
The baby business 60 which we re
ferred IS handled with almost indecent
delicacy. Anyway 10 is a minor mat
ter in what seems 20 US an interesting
play.
We are not prepared 20 defend every
thing we write from literal readers. but
* most certainly is our conviction th2t
sex consciousness exists 20 greater
degree p women writer's than ID mea.
There was and is a course IN dramarc
composition at Harvard University
called English a., and parallel course
in Radcliffe. The professor VINO taug
both classes assured Va tina, his Rad
cliEe pupils were much more proficient
dramatists. but lie hesita,ed 20 read
their plays 70 Is lest We shor!d pc
shocked. Later he did read some Rad
clfe PLAYS and We we're shocked. We
all ran a bit 20 sex subjects N those
DAYS. but where re ran Radcliffe
sprinted. There are a good many rea-
sons why woman i more inclined 20
translate every problem into terms OF
sex than man. Some are economic ana
perhaps tra1sitory, but the fact tns.
being a mother is so much more serl-
Gus business than being father must
have a good deal 20 90 with II.
ANY adequate attempt 20 show tne
eject OF womsn's sex consciousness on
modern writing would require more
space than we can beg. We DO not
intend TO imply thai 70 IS always
vicious tendency. Margaret Mayo, Tor
instance. devises delightful farces IN
which sex is invariably the theme, On
the deplorable side. there are LlInor
Glyu and Victoria Cross.
Perhaps the point may best be eN-
pressed in contrasting the manner IN
which George AIDE and Rids Johnson
Young interpreted college life for the
theatre. AIDE built the plot Of his
college Widow on a football game.
Miss Young swung the story OF
Brown Of Harvard on a suspected
seduction. We also happen 20 have
ssen recently Hush. His Bridal
Night" The Guilty Man" and up
stairs and Down" All these plays. By
women authors, rest solely on sex.
Two of them happen 20 be entertain
ing plays, but that does not anect the
issue.
The lady who asssils our editor IS
mistaken in her assumption that We
write things 80 be read by people OF
refinement" We deD.ore the sugges-
ton. Refinement IS the bane OF drama.
The theatre needs yuigarity. the
Kings Csmelopard; or, The Royal
Nonesuch." would be the most timely
revival we can think OF. Farce, comedy
and tragedy are all grounded IN the
fact that the soul OF man resides ID
a gross container. Il is true that oar
drama needs more Of the spirtua,.
ouaIitv. but il also lacks the physical
auality. Too many Of our plays are
neither fish. fowl nor good gray Ell.
life is so coarse and vulgar that we
almost never sec it on the stage:
"Banish plump Jack said Fa,staii,;,
in his own defence, land Danish al
the world" People OF refinement dra'
'em. have banished plump Jack, and
true enough, the world has some WIN
him However. We must admit tna1
tbin Charlie is holding the fort.
One suggestion OF J. I. appeals 70
IA strongly. We would rejoice to have
r. P. A." edit our copy. We nope
this can be arranged. At present tae
lucky fellow gets away from the once
every day before S o'clock