New-York tribune., 1920-02-02
BY
Hcywood Broun

Hasn't he got Jack the Giant Killer,
and Dick Wilmington, and Aladdin, and
Captain Kidd. Let him honor them.
They are all too dead and too deserving
to be annoyed by it.
"May the father find his material
ism Dead Sea fruit in time to set such
an example that H. 3. Sd will act upon
tho Fifth Commandment 1t can't be
done on smutty fiction or carnal knowl-
edge"
1t seems to us that the writer Is not
free from rather hideously material
conception Of life. We are not pre-
pared to agree that anything which is
carnal is also smutty.
Arnold Bennett has dramatized his
novel "The Book of Carlotta" under
the title "Sacred and Profane Love"
Doran). 1t is to be played here by
Elsie Ferguson some timo next season,
and it will probably prove an engaging
and interesting play. Personally. we
like to read plays little better than
novels, but at the same time Bennett
the playwright ranks far below Ben
nett the novelist. When he ap-
proaches the stage he becomes ever so
much more sentimental. We have not
read "The Book Of Carlotta," but in its
dramatic form the happy ending is dis
tinctly forced.
Carlotta, a young and impressionable
girl, goes to q concert to hear Diaz, a
great pianist. She Is so enthralled by
him that she meets him after the con-
cert and goes to his lodgings. He
plays for her and she is swept away by
tumult of emotion which seizes them
both. The affair is not prolonged, for
the next day she runs away and goes
home. Years later she becomes a
famous novelist and Diaz becomes a
drug fcnd. She goes to him and
nurses him out of his affection by the
most heroic self-sacrifce. His cure is
signalized by his first concert appear
lotta not TO go because it will make
him nervous. He returns after a great
success, and, after minute or so, an
nounces that he must go out to re-
ception given by q rich patroness of
music. He also suggests that, now that
he is cured, Carlotta begin writing
novels again.
Carlotta is upset and confesses to
him, II thought, He's afraid of NE be-
coming one of his--bad habits, and
he's trying to break himself" with
her hands she again stops Diaz from
speaking.) "And when you began to
talk about my next novel l thought,
His idea is to find me a little gentle
ladylike occupation SO that the days
won't be too long for me and / shan't
worry him. And, and (sob) fourthly
and lastly, when you rushed of to
Lady Steinberg's it seemed as If
there'd been a competition between
your career and your Carlotta, and
the career had got the first prize"
during the scene upholds the sound
ness of Carlotta's judgment, but in
order that the audience shall not go
home unhappy Arnold Bennett makes
Diaz take off his hat and coat, declare
undying love and propose marriage.
Our favorite character in the play is
Mrs. Sardis, the other novelist, who
says: 81 always say what a godsend
it must be to publisher, even if he is
pushing man, when he finds an
author whose books the public will in
sist on buying-in spite of the strange
business methods of publishers. And
yet some publishers aren't satisfied
with taking nearly all the money; they
want the glory, too. I know I left my
last publisher because he always gave
the impression that, in addition to pub
fishing my books, he wrote them"