The New York herald., 1921-03-13

who until his dying day never felt that
the secret was not to be learned from
the words of the ancient wise men. Ii
his handwriting is written
THE method OF Sa:dou from Le
Goulois:
"G) Find Ia idee premiere, or rather
Ia situation maitresse, since on the
stage the idea must always be incar-
mated in a situation around which
everything pivots.
"(2) Then open 'dossicr' for months
or years.
"(3) Then bring out your dossier as
occasion offers. Clothe your characters.
who are throughout this period only
A. 'B' and c."
Out of the conflict Of these three forces
grows a capital situation which is the
cornerstone OF the intrigue.
When he was asked by the interviewer
IL this were his personal method the
famous French playwright answered:
II think so. My colleagues move from
the point Of departure to the goal. l. on
the other hand. move from the goal 70
the point of departure"
The writer might presume TO interrupt
here long enough to cali attention to the
fact that this Is the method Of Gustav
Freytag as his analysis of ''Kabale und
Liebe" shows.
Take Fedora as an example Of my
method" Sardou said. "A loves b. E
is murdered A suspects G. follows him
and gives him over to death. She then
finds G. with whom she has fallen In
love-innocent. What shall she do?
From that situation comes the play OF
Fedora
Victorien Sardou added in explanation
OF his method which was not even in
~ ~. Gal
premiere idee" might be modified by
the combination of elements that went
to make up the completed work. Since
huma nifty and truth are. however, the
Same In ali disguises the playwright
who had selected his material well
would not come to GRIEF.
OF course dramatists and critics know
that plays made with the conipletest
Difference to rule often fail OF the Sue
cess which seems inevitable in view OF
their form. Sardou, like every other
playwright. had his failures as well as
his successes. but he dominated for
while the stage OF France. and thus the
theatre of the world. since at that time
drama was largely O matter OF import
here as in England.
Potter was a firm believer in the sci
entific play adapted. of course. to hu-
man nature and to the truth as Il ex-
lists In different ages. lie was perhaps
strabismic in reference 10 the necessity
of Difference to rule. But nothing could
convince him that the task of the play
wright could ever be adequately per-
formed except through study and n
knowledge OF the craft. He possessed
such a vast knowledge OF his meter
that IL his own theories had been true
no play that he ever wrote could have
failed. AS IL was he had in his day a
full measure OF success. il Is not posi-
bic to strike twelve always. II seems
especially hard for the dramatist.
Plays From Abroad.
The crop OF foreign plays which were
recently revealed to New York did not
convince anybody that the taste OF the
American public has turned again
toward tho European drama. Probably
few OF these dramas will survive the
week. Cradle Song" which was =
singularly carr est adventure In ennui
passed out first. II these plays did not
prove that the American public fs lone
ing FOR the theatre OF Europe their par-
forinance. at least. suggested the de-
gree to which the managers of the coun.
try are now relying on the American
dramatist. He is not neglected. lie is
the cock of tho walk. Ills foreign rivals.
although their output during recent
years has naturally been small. need
cause him no apprehension. rs II bes,
for him? Is II best for tho American
thcatre7 There Is pretty good reason
to suspect that II is not Competition is
bound to be OF advantage to the play
wright. and thue to the public So II
might be Just as we'll II there vere
In the future a little more competition
from abroad.