The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1920-09-07
Roman Rolland's Play, illusion"
Satirizes the Present-Day World

bursting with vitality but headless. It
~ Lila The second Ia a blindfolded
woman who goes banging her shlns
ano stumbling astray. She is reason"
me third Is a sniveling little boy, Just
a cash feeble minded. He is Love"
McNt comes sweating brigade OF heav-
NY armored warriors, marching back
wards. They are ARMED Peace" And
nnally three brawling harridans. These.
explains Punch, are Liberty" Equal
ity," and Fraternity"
The spirit OF laughter is, OF course,
trying to make youth see the ugly reali-
ties But In comes the fairy ILLUSION"
ana promptly charms him to sleep on a
gun carriage. Next she tries her wiles
on Punch, but with no success. Then
she attempts to seduce the French peas
ant. but with even less luck. With an
ugly snarl Of threatened vengeance she
vanishes.
Now comes the suave and urbane
tribal deity, peddling his little idols and
accompanied by Truth" dressed In
robe OF changeable silk which takes a
different hue to each beholder; to one,
rose color; TO another. gray; to third,
blood red. Left alone with Punch.
the clutches OF the idol huckster. But
to do this means martyrdom, and for
that ordeal the laughter has no
brewing tHo Battle.
And now begins the mighty crowd
action OF the drama. The fat men ara
scandallzed that the lean men should
have built q bridge across the abyss.
They call In. the diplomats. Leave
i to u.s." reply those WORTHLESS. Before
the peoples can cross the bridge and
meet, sentinels are stationed at each
end and customs officers demand tolls.
Next cannon are trunded up from each
side to guard the extremities Of the
structure. Voices on each side Of the
on the o oer bank fhT are HS the Ps0p ss
teeth" Then the two peoples begin
quarreling across the gulf each SIDE
blaming the other for starting the
fracas.
At this point the old idol mongering
deity appears among the crowd on one
the people on the other side. With him
is Truth" gagged and bound. With
furious effort she strives to rend her
shackles. She remains prisoner and
her idol mongering master blesses the
belligerent multitude.
Whereupon the idol-monger crosses
the bridge and repeats the whole per-
Torrance with the crowd on the other |
side.
Now all is ready for the clash and
crash. Liluli reappears, wakens the |
youth Altar, whom she left asleep on |
tiio = WI 'ui llhBct iuIcS MIN 10 tnG ma |
die OF the bridge where she meets his |
friend Antares from the other side, and |
here, abruptly, M. Roland drops his |
farce and turns to tragedy in a passage |
Of supreme lyric beauty-the dialogue !
Of the two noble youths with illusion"
and each other, ending in the quarrel |
which she artfully foments. till they
fall on one another with murderous |
fury and roll off the bridge into the
abyss.
The Final Crash.
A chorus OF intellectuals, chanting In
voices, urging the crowds
on to fight, But the crowds hang back.
Then Liui springs a new device. She
calls the goddess Opinion" bar
barous Hindoo idol, seated on war
tank with an escort OF CossaclSs WELD
Ing lance and whip Opinion" herself
Is dumb, but she is attended with
hordes OF apes making terrific din
with fifes. triangles. gongs and drums.
The two crowds stand stock still, frozen
with terror Then, under the lash of the
noise. they hurl themselves on one an