Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-11-06
DRAMA GREAT OPPORTUNITY
FOR VOlCING MORAL PROTEST
y" says DIR. GriEGs In Address. Before
WOmRn's Club ON Life.
AS q Dream

The drama Is closer 10 human III"
than any other line art: the dcjin,a is Il
great opportunity for voicins "A mora
protest agains. the evils OF the day
said Or. EDWARD Howard Griygs yes
tcrday In AN Interesting discuYsiur Of
calde"on's Life. As Il Dream OF -
Protest Against Yielding To- Fate" Or
GrisE. Is one Of The most brilliant and
gifted speakers who has addressed tho
club In many years. and hiS message
from this old-world play OF an Old
world poet was wonderfully "uh,.c.
and charm'nsly :old. IIr IS an c,o-
uuent speaker. and his discourse was
rcplcte with tho broad culture and
charm Of the scholar who mad. II,
Miss Frances Il scott rhnirmar OF
the afternoon. presented d.. Grirgs
to hih audience in very .rnc!ouslv
worded little speech. in which she ask.
ed her audience 10 travel back nearly
three centuries 10 study the drama o.
this Spanish poet-pri.st.
From the Oldest literature down to
the prescn; dry the dramas % each
age hav" been series o. protests
Al anst the evil" Of their generation
hnh AN Arrangement Of tyranuies Tie
! Story of Calderon's play deals with ar.
Of the mos. beautiful Of these. Il is
1T once old and new. and gathers up
the spirit Of them AL. tnG deals with
ift's problems with n profundi:y that
is not exceeded in ShakeSnearc's Ham
let" inGc+G. Crideron t. called the
Spanish shakespeare. He lived in an
age ruled y" AN aGtocratic court and
vas. in a Stns,. the drama list laureat.
OF tho spanish court Ills own life
! was strangely adventurous Au i,dc
pendent thinker. FAR in advance OF his
time. u IL in Life. As . Dream" prob
abiT lis m;,stcrp!ece. tina; We Ind cot
! iorth the draHiatists philosophy OF life
IN ~
handling OF beautiful theme. Or.
! irigss explained Tic Psychology. OF
tho play and the great message thu,
the dramatis; had written for thu world
three ccnturic; aro. The motif OF the
whole is the free destiny Of the human
! will over against tho nxed deariny OF
: the stars. The drama itself Is MIR
! Vicious poetry. and its translation by
/ Fitzgerald IL great English poem
/ The audiences Of taldcron'y day we're
/ not interested in modern rsalisln-,rey
! wanted Il good story, we'll told and tho
reat did not matter much. The u,,es
! ton OF tho ages is whether we ever
! have the right to for.close from any
| human being gerry chance o.. self
extricaticn. There is wonderful
! reach OF s.'mholism in this nlaY. With
} its snDtie thread Of IRONY runn!.o
! through the whol. thing We Ali have
! our day-our littlc chapter between
Two dark towers DO VIZ sho-v our.
{ selves tn" master Of our dn@tiny. or
/ do We merely bow TO tho evil forces
witch surround Us" Life. As a Dream.
Is so vide IN it; application 10 hu-
man life Even il you arc in a dream.
there is something you can do even
In til" dream lie. The Fundamental
! Jaw Of mar is ;h" hunger 10 be my
sci: forever. not 10 be lost in. rh.
great abyss o. time
Dreaming. mad"-ss aud passion. all
| thrce lack reason: all imagined action
| sackS the control ~ reason. DR.. GrisGs
read portions of Che play to illustrate
mis- discussion Of .ts theme. and COM
pared one Of ito *o!ilouuies with That
! III iaio!"t' and prospero's ep:logue
! IN "TH" Tempest. We do not to-day
I believe IL the destiny Of The stars. bu;
W" d. believe in = certain fate Born
[ That much highe" and better. .he :n-
| oiNid'il owes thar much more to the
| world AID the sneaker quoted IRON. a
character In George Macp,naids book
IL Is NY pri, ilesc 10 end the sins of
! my ancestors Ia 'nyself The use Of
me viii gives IL strength 10 grow
The whole ;0leIdid message OF this
drama Il that nothing l.; unconqrer-