The sun., 1919-08-03
By REGIS MICHAUD.

L Il self on the scene OIL the 1arlS
Vaudeville, called back to life by the
most Partisan of the Parisians, Saeha
GUtry9 Up to now, since the days Of
Shakespeare or Of CorneiIle, great men
had appeared in a play only with sword
in their hands, as Nietzschean figures,
and not as intellectuals escaped from
R. W. Emerson's gallery of representative
men. This is one Of the original sides
of the play, and there are many others.
Dramatic critics have already insisted
on the singularity of a play, and espe-
eially a French play, without even a
woman In it and with hardly the shadow
of love story. There Is, it is true,
scene where one of Pasteur's disciples
comes to his master for advice on an
"affaire de ceur." Pasteur, however,
seems very little inclined to waste his
time in unraveIling love problems, and
sends the lover back to more proficient
work. But why should women have the
monopoly of love on the stagei Is there
not anything in the dictionary, and in
every mans heart, as philanthropy" the
love of humanity at large, so dear to the
French through their national historyf
If the drama is above all a conflict OF
men among themselves or against destiny,
since the days of 1Ischylus, dramatic ele-
ments are not lacking in Sacha Guitry's
Pasteur. We first have the battle of the
scientist with the unknown, the thrilling
Z of the problem, to decide between
Spontaneous generation" and the newly
discovered ferments. In his play Guitry
has succeeded in dramatizing even science,
as Balzac already tried to do when he
wrote The Search A fteT the Absolute.
II.
Then there is the personal fight of great
but misunderstood Pasteur against aca-
demic routine. The second act In the
Academy of Medicine is original, not only
for the idea of placing Pasteur's OPP
ponents in the very midst of the audience
and for making a dramatic event of
scientific caucus. The commanding figure
and undaunted personality of Pasteur is
there brought forward with complete
mastery by Guitry. Enthusiasm for SCI
enee has developed the fighting spirit In
Pasteur to the point of almost fighting
duel with one of his colleagues. For
tunately bit of genuine humor suddenly
clears the tragic atmosphere. An old
fashioned doctor, worthy of Moliere,
seeks PREPARATION par les armes," because
Pasteur has justly and publicly denounced
him. The naive and realistic Pasteur re-
fuses to waste, for such a trihe, his time
and especially his blood, SO necessary
to the welfare Of his fellow mortals.
Brave as any hero of Corneille, the sword
is not tire tool Pasteur uses to win his
victories. Here is his answer to his
rival:
PAsrEuR: Is it my fault if NJ. Guerin
1.-THE offended doctor) is as old as he is?
Why does he attack. met Did I pay any
attention to him9 Certainly not" To
the doctors who have come to arrange the
duel: "Here, gentlemen, here we are!
This is the result of your methodist I
propose to them to cure their fellow
mortals and they offer me-whatf {.
a duel! After all, that turns out to be
Just little drole. -. l think you
will succeed in making me laugh, and this
is none too easy. But, really, do
you see me, Pasteur, fighting that old
man? This is a strange way of under
standing science. Have no illu-
sions; there Will be no duel 1t
is too little like my own method of.
fighting.
Through the whole second act of
Guitry's play, with his humor, his bitter