The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1921-03-17
GIVES ESTIMATEO OF
JAMES M. BARRIE

u . . ~ ] z 1 -
Before the Faculty Club Wednesday
evening Miss Young read the results
Of her reflections on one; of the mod
ern dramatists, James NJ. Barrie.
Perhaps the most intelligent atti-
tude to take toward the plays Of
James M. Barrie is unconditional sur
render. If one unreservedly yields
ones mind and heart to their enfold-
ing charm, then one will understand
them. Otherwise never" Such is the
statement of William Lyon Phelps who
considers Barrie the foremost Eng
lish-writing dramatist of our time.
But Barrie has not always been a
dramatist and he is not strictly speak
ing English.
He was born in 1860 at Kirriemuir.
Scotland, where he received his early
education. He gained foothold as
literary man during his college days
at Edinburg University from which
+ institution he was graduated in 1852
During this period and Immediately
following his graduation he wrote for
any number of English and Scotch
magazines. In 1885. he moved to
London.
Although he had published num-
Der of books it was not until 1891
that his first successful novel, "The
Little Minister" was issued. This
was followed by several other, novels:
notably Sentimental Tommy" and
"a Window in Thrums:" So Barrie
was recognized literary man before
he became a playwright.
The same year that "The Little
Minister" appeared, Barrie produced
Z his first play, "Richard Savage" It
had run of exactly one day. This
was followed by "Ibsen's Ghost" and
"Becky Sharp" in the same year:
walker, London" in 1892 and "Jane
Annie" in 1898. -
His first successful play was "The
Professors Love Story" produced in
1895. In 1897 Barrie remodelled his
novel, "The Little Minister produc-
ing it in dramatic form. He did not
produce another play until 1904 when
little Mary" a farce, Quality
Street" a light comedy and "The Ad-
mirable Crichton" the greatest Eng
fish drama of modern times, appeared.
'Peter Pan" followed in 1904, "Alice
Sit by the Fire" in 1905, "What Every
Woman Knows" in 1908, "The Twelve
Pound Look in 1910, "The Legend Of
Leonora" in 1918, and "A Kiss for Gin
derella" in 1916.
In 1918 four plays were published
under the title, Echoes OF the war:
The best one in this collection and IN
fact the best war play ever written IS
1.-THE Old Lady Shows Her Medals;
Another collection called SHal1
Hours" includes the worst war play,
ever written. / refer to der Tag.
In the same collection appear The
Will" "The Twelve Pound Look,"
'Pantaloon" and~"Rosalind.' the latter
of which was presented by our Senior
class here last year. 49,, +,
In 1918 "Dear Brutus" was present
ed in New York. It is another strong
plav and ranks with "The Admirable
Crichton" and what Every Woman
Knows" H @r.. =,
.Barrie's latest play is "Mary Rose"
which is now being starred by Ruth
Chatterton. ~
Barrie has succeeded in making
plays of four acts in which each act is
as good as every other. This is ex-
tremely difficult to do. Usually the
reader must put up with at least one
act, "The Admirable Crichton" and
"What Every Woman Knows" are ex-
amples of this. He has succeeded in
making one-act play that produces
a unity of impression and singleness
of purpose equal to the modern short
story. "The Old Lady Shows Her
Medals" and "A Well Remembered
Voice" noticeably illustrate this point.
The plays of James M. Barrie diff
fer from those of other playwrights in
several ways. Plays, for Barrie are
so much easier to write than stories
that he is still a little ashamed to
issue them naked, so he dresses them
up with stage directions and begins
them like stories fooling you so COM
pletely that he gets the curtain up
before you know there is a curtain.
No dramatist understands better
than Barrie the old dictum that what
is shown has higher value on the
stage than what is said. In 'The AID.
mirable Crichton" after a lapse OF
two wears between the second and
third acts, the curtain raises on the
interior of the tent. So much IS re-
yeaIed to the eye of what has hap
pened i'm the meantime that nara
ton of events is unnecessary. A IKE
oHoCC Is CI0dCCu WHICH, Viz SuA ooAAi SSSo
up on John Stands committee room.
The posters and signs tell us that
John Shand is near the goal Of his
first ambition. The passage Of time
is expressed in "The Will. by the
change of the photograph Of Queen
Victoria to that of Edward the Sew
enth on the wall of the lawyers office.
Barrie makes much use of panto,
mime. No other playwright has had
the audacity to open a play as he did,
1'Wbat Every Woman Knows" Alick
Wylie and his son are playing chess,
The game continues for seven min,
utes without spoken word until
David comes in and pulls off his boots.
Barrie is not interested in the prob
lem play as are other modern drama
lists but he has been influenced by
them. Had he not read Ibsen's DOLLS
House, he undoubtedly would never
have written "The Twelve Pound
Look" and "The WILL" Barrie's sub
;oo+e arc verv sin1p1e and il is because