The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-11-30
"MONNA WANNA"
GRIGG'S SUBJECT
Patrons of Simmons Lee
ture, Course. Hear In
teresting Talk.
MAETERLINCE THE MAN

Z
i Dr.. Edward Howard Griggs, who gave
the second of his five lectures on Mae
terlinck at the Elks' club last evening
even superseded his effective lecture
of the previous Tuesday, and succeed
ed in presenting Maeterlinck, the poet,
and Maeterlinck, the man, with dra-
matte intensity. His Interpretation of
the artists Norma Wanna was done ex-
cellently, and with. sympathetic in
depreciation. I'LL
"Maeterlinck's guiding spirit, and
best influence in the period of Norma
Wanna" said DR.. Griggs, was Made
moiselle Georgette LIE Blanc, known
usually as Madame Maeterlinck. His
morbid exaggeration of the power Of
destiny over life, and of the mystic
morality, were made saner by the love
of this beautiful, strong woman, who
came into his life, during his visit to
Paris, when he was thirty-four I'M
mediately, his viewpoint became san
er, and his morbidity less inflated. His
ensuing work was all full of Nine. Mae
terlinck, and especially in Norma
Wanna, did he etherealize her Norma
Wanna herself is Georgette, in person
atty, and by conscious effort, Maeter-
linck's beloved. She starred in the
part, in the first production, and thus
further welded her personality with
the play"
In Maeterlinck,s first prose drama,
"Treasurers of the Humble. he shows
himself as always, first the artist, and
then the philosopher. He brought out
his idea that the soul is tested by
thoughts, meditation, and moods, rath-
er than by actions. In this volume,
his essay, STAR" "Pre-Destiny," and
"Tragical and Daily Life" resemble
Emerson, in their profusion, and mis-
cellaneous nature. In this series, he
asks whether the soul may not flower
better in silence and meditation than
in storm, and his own answer is in the
affirmative He sounds deep mystic
morality, mad shows how our valuation
of vices and virtues is widely different
from that while back in our civiliza-
ton, and new valuation of life is
necessary. His essay on Woman,
portrays and praises the eternal wom-
an, significant of his own experiences
which had lifted him out of his NOR
bid theories.
His "Wisdom and Destiny" is his
best prose volume, and in it he has his
largest and sanest philosophy of life.
1t was dedicated beautifully to Made
moiselle LIE Blanc, and it showed his
complete spiritual recovery. Georgette
was also immortalized in his portrait
of a maiden in "The Double Garden"
AS in Wisdom and Destiny, is argued
the effect of wisdom upon the destiny
previous beliefs. Gle who sees the
furthest, has the greatest love for
mankind, and he who sees without
love, is only straining his eyes in the
dark"
When ''Monna Wanna" was publish
ed in 1902, it surprised everyone, even
his critics, because, although a drama,
it was not of the static theater, but
abounded in life and action This is
his great, original masterpiece, and it
was written after years of study into
the French Renaissance movement,
when the love of beauty was so in
tense that nothing else matters. AS
usual in Maeterlinck's work, the old
men speak for him, as he believes, cul-
tivated wisdom, and supreme culture,
are possible only for age. ''Monna
Wanna" shows higher morality of vi
sion of soul, in conflict with the con-
ventional morality.