The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1920-09-07
(Unole dudley In Bostou Globe. J


Now from one part OF Europe, now
| from another, we begin TO hear once
more those free voices which have too
long been stihed. The latest and clear
est OF them Ia that Of Roman ROLAND.
whose great Arlstophanic satire, Liluli
| lllusion), keeps its keen flavor even In
English translation.
| II Is a splendid and sane tradition Of
| the French race that IL understands the
art Of laughter; that II can laugh at it's
| own sufferings at its own folies, even
| at its own ideals. Indeed, on the title
| page OF his satire NJ. ROLAND sets a
| quotation from Zolas Breugnon:
Laughter does not prevent me from
suffering, but to suffer will never pre-
vent a real Frenchman from laughing.
And whether he laugh or cry--frst of all
he insists on using his eyes to see"
That is the purpose OF NJ. Hollands
lyric farce: To open mems eyes by the
power Of laughter-laughter at their
own sutferings, at their own Illusions.
He has written recently in private
letter: 1T SENS to me that our age has
need OF the whip Of a Moliere or Ben
Johnson" Vigorously he Yields that
whip.
There Is a superb dynasty OF great
Frenchmen who have known how to
laugh. Rabelais. Moliere, Voltaire, Bal
FAC, To these must now be added Roll
land.
Persons OF the Drama.
The villain Of his piecc is n beautiful
but deadly fairy Liluli--Illusion. The
hero is Polchlnelo. or Punch, the man
who laughs, "for laughter Is a weapon
against illusion" Truth is gypsy girl;
Opinion Is n coarse and sumptuous bar
barrie goddess; the master-god OF the
outfit is tribal deity, a bland and
unctuous Moloch who peddles little idols
to the crowd; and, for the rest. the
cast OF character Is the human family;
old folks. young folks, fat men (the
rlch), lean mean (the poor. intellec-
tuals. diplomatists, a French peasant. a
German peasant, a troop OF fettered
brains, shopkeepers, workers and two
beautiful young men, Affair and An
tares. friends, but Of opposite factions,
who STAY each other out OF love for the
fairy Illusion. who deceives them both
and here, over the death OF these noble |
youths, for the only time In the course |
OF the play. does the author drop his |
mask OF laughter and let us see the
ache OF grief In his own eyes.
His stage is the world; a mountain |
slope cleft by a bottomless ravne, up |
two banks OF which, divided by this
gulf. toll endless professions OF human |
beings, laden with every sort OF house,
hold utensii. This gulf represents
everything which divides humanity.
The action OF the drama Is the effort
of some OF the people on each side OF
the ravne to build bridge across it
which they succeed in doing; and the
efforts OF others Of the people on each
side TO set both parties fighting on the
bridge till they tumble over into the
abyss, and thus TO destroy the bridge
which they succeed In doing.
The Play Begins.
The drama opens with the trooping
Of the human family up the two sides
Of this ravine on fine spring morning,
tho young folks full OF hope TO reach the
summit OF the mountain, the old folks
full OF regrets for the valley they have
left behind.
Affair. the young man. PUSHES in
in pursuit OF the fairy Illu-
sion. He bumps into Punch, who tries
10 warn the youth against her by show
ng him his lords and leaders" shorn
of their DISCUSSES. The first Is a mon
ster In human shape. gigantic, and '