The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1921-03-10
GIVES DEVELOPMENT
OF MODERN DRAMA

OF MODERN DRAMA
Miss Fanny c. Annidon read the pa
per printed below before the Facult!
Club at its meeting Wednesday. He
subject was development of thu
Modern Drama" !.
The art Of the drama is universal
It belongs to every age and to every
grade Of intelligence. It is the one ar
which most completely displays thu
life Of man. 1t is the most democratic
Of all the arts since its very existence
depends on the multitude.
As we study its history and prog
ress we learn that it is almost the very
earliest Of the arts and is the latest t.
attain it's complete expression. Only
among the peoples who are exception
ally endowed with energy or imagina'
ton and with power of construction
does the drama arrive at its highes,
possibilities Of achievement.
Il IS out Of crude efforts of print.
tive tribes and peoples that the dr2,
matte art was toitully developed
The traditions Of these rude play
makers were passed down from gen
Grafton to generation. In the earlier
attempts at the. drama there is no
semblance of literature. They were
unwritten being wrought out by word
Of mouth. Sometimes they We're 9
combination of ,pantomimic action
with song and dance. We gain insight
into primitive conditions OF the
drama by going back to our own
childhood. Youth is the special sea-
son Of make believe.
Brander Matthews gives the story
Of one Of the primitive pantomlmlc
dramas by the Aleutian islanders
An Aleut armed with bow repre-
scented q hunter, another bird. Inc
hunter showed by gesture how glad
he was he had found so fine bird
nevertheless he would not kill it. ihe
other: initiated the motions Of bird
seeking to, escape. the hunter. He at
last after a long delay pulled the bow
and shot. The bird reeled, fell, ana ana
died. The hunter danced for JOY put
finally he became troubled, repented
having killed so fine a bird, and IA,
mented it.; suddenly the dead bro
rose turned into beautiful woman
and fell into the hunters arms.
This is dramatic action complete
in itself, SO simple it could be per
formed anywhere and it required no
words and no scenery to be easily un-
derstood.
It IS only when people, among whom
s. is cherished, reach very high state
If c;v;lization that the drama is able
tn annear as the loftiest form OF
Br,1netiere gives three laws govern
mo the drama. The first is that the
drama must always deal with some
exertion of the human will. The BUS
mess of the drama is to produce an IN
tense emotional effect and such an
effect is most readily aroused by the
snectacle of a struggle. A determined
will, resolute in seeking ITS own emu
is what we always find IN the Drama
tic form. This being true we hnd tne
theatre feeblest in the races OF nttie
energy and most Furnishing among
the more self-asserting peoples and
during the time of their greatest ma
tional vitality in Greece after sal
amis. in England after the Armada,
and in France under Louis XIV: =,
If any people begin to relax ITS Will
and be ianguid then its drama is likely
soon to flag also and become en-
feeb1ed.,
The second law is that the contend
ing forces must be seen graphing
with one another on the stage.
The third law is that the dramatlst
as he composes most always bear IN
.,o;ra +ha n1avers. the playhouse, and
Far more powerful than the infiu-
ence Of the theater or the actor upon
the dYamatist is the influence of the
audience. II spectators are all
coarse brutes the drama will be
coarse and brutal. We can Judge tne
mental and moral culture OF q nation
very largely by their dramas.
The drama among the Greeks was
TO a great extent the manifestation OF
religious impulses. It was ceremonial
of a dignified and imposing
nature. It was of political import
anee and affected the affairs of state. |
It also partook of the nature OF spec.
tacular sport and prizes were offered
For the best plays. The drama, be-
fore the time of Christ came to its
highest development among these
beauty-loving artistic Greeks. Here
TOO, it began by rude pantomime, ac-
by a dance or rhythmic
chant. Il
The Greeks celebrated the harvest
season by means Of festivals. These
festivals were given in honor of
Demeter the god Of the vineyard Tor
vine). There would be chorus of
young lads who. under the influence
If the wine, would chant and dance.
ii time the most ingenious member
II the chorus would be recognized as
he leader and he would cline out"
he songs and conduct the dance to the
music Of the flute. This leader be-
anne also an actor not always per-
Ionating a single character but as
,uming several characters in turn.
10 enable him to disguise himself he
wore different mask for each Of the
Il