The sun., 1919-03-02
MacKaye Poet and Playwright Has Supreme Faith Amerc

81 remember once hearing New
Hampshire farmer direct his son, who
was helping to plough with the oxen, to
loose the toggle.' He might have said.
Take out the pin.' but he used the
particular expression for the act
Now, l consider 1t the Job Of our
artists to bring to the people the PEG
pies language, with all its richness
and flavor. And our task is parttcu-
larly hard, because English is not the
native tongue Of more than one-half OF
the loople.
"Copeau tells me-" he explained,
that the condition Of the French the
atre presents a problem exactly OPP
posite; that dramatists need to reach
| out into some new channel But our
responsibility here is to make some
sort Of order out Of chaos. After wo
have accomplished that we can adopt
whatever methods of development We
may need"
Old Time Actors Missed.
Such actors as were at Wallacks,
! Days and the old Boston Museum,
he intImated, are sadly missed hare.
| The fact that our cities are no longer
separated has made the old fashioned
stock company, that training school
for fine teamwork, rather out Of date.
He said the French actors at Copeau's
Theatre faithfully represent the value
OF the now antiquated form.
! "Dramatists must have trained
actors" he said. land until they get
| them there Is no hope for the new
! theatre"
He still devotes himself to finding
some organic form for community ex-
preston, a fascinating business, he
says. And upon the success of teach
! ing the people through community
drama he builds the hope OF ANAL
/ realization of a better theatre.
He talked away with a total lack
| of conceit or dogmatism. It was al
most as II his interest in these things
was impersonal. His own part in edu-
eating the people appeared to be small
and only incidental. He gave one some
how the impression OF a Wincklemann
in Greece; all the more remarkable
because he finds the beauty in Amer
ica his own country.
Il like the idea OF an opera made
from a story which every one knows,
as they know rip Van Winkle' Ny
own treatment will be quite different
from 1rving's and Jefferson's; and
hope TO contribute something OF my
own from the legend. just as they did.
Later on, perhaps. we will have
our own opera. Could you imagine the
great cities In European countries
having their operas run by Ameri-
cans? Our poets. by their interpre-
tation of our national life. can help to
make our operas and our art. Tho
only difference between q poet and
any one else is that the poet sees the
potential in life
Our poet applies himself with COM
plete absorption to whatever he Ia
doing. So, as IT was now near half
past 6, friend called to take him to
dinner
IT'S half past g." his friend said.
In gentle upbraidins for the poets lack
OF preparation for the dinner.
Il didn't know 1t at ALL" MacKaye
said, mo one told me-"
However far MacKaye may go abovo
his ideals for American poetry ana
the drama land such earnestness and
talent as his must be given some re-
ward) proving that he Is Of the stun
or which glories are made. one can
think OF him always as best among
his own family, and as a man with
whom one could sit and talk all night
Just Us he could with and Of Robsrt
Edmond Jones. .: