Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-03
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
I. C. M.

LIvAN: or The "Compleat" Savoy
arg. isaac Goldberg. Simon and
The other night 1t swung In over the
air with the swish and sweep of a
brand-new broon,-"The Mikado." Not
sign OF wear about 1t nor--piously
Speakine-of moth, nor rust, nor decay.
| what vital thing IL must have been at
the start to stand so much of time with
so little of times blen1ish upon Il! And
along with The Mikado" the rest came
crowoing-"Pinafore," Patience" Os-
car Wilde, DeWolf Hopper, q tumble Of
them, all In motley OF gorgeous pos
| turing and gay extravaganza, Of beau
| teous ladies carcling tuneful nonsense
That was pithy with the follies and
foibles OF the rest Of us.
Gilbert and 6ullivan-too bad, for me,
That / knew so little about these two,
save a. names around which a few rags
OF hearsay hutIered unrevealingly.
| Ihen, since 1t IL undeniably true that
tninss-people, happenings, experiences
toward which we open ourselves move
INTO this welcoming mood, there walked
right into my hand one day this book
about, Gilbert and Sullivan by Isaac
Goldberg. Here is a man who expert
ences life IN large measure by way Of
great literature In its various linguistic
ana structural forms. in its general
characteristics, in its artistic, values, in
the spiritual gift 1t offers to readers and
students. The drama. the theater, in.
vite ffm. So do outstanding actors on
the boards Of life itself-actors like
Mencken and Havelock Ellis. Ike On
bert and Sullivan, too.
And now we are setting out with Mr.
! Goldberg upon an adventure in life and
art. The art Ia that of the drama as
| comedy. From Sheridan on comedy
had gradually declined, It's place having
been fairly completely taken by q dull
and pompols muse, swollen to deadli.
ness through its overweight Of virtues
and properties. This sketch, short and
! crisp, sets an open door for revolt and
change. 1t is upon this approaching
revolution that the two modern limo.
vators are faced as future potent infiu-
ences upon the art of a new musical
| comedy whose essence is to be cure
| satire. whose medium is to be laughter
and melody and gay extravaganza.
Immediately following the swift gen.
eral view Of the drama in England
comes the life story of each of these
| two. Separate stories at first, bent
upon catching these children when they
are soft to impressions, plastic to the
| shapings Of nearby things like the home
and playmates, like the deeper drive
Of inherited blood strains as well
These early-period stories serve their
turn because they secure exactly that
which they set out to find. They are
delightful, besides-eaSy, youthful In
seizure and appreciation as the sub.
jects are themselves youthful. They
are wise In their gleaninss Of such
traits as are deep-seated. such Is
promise TO be influential IN the sub
sequent years of production along
special line. At this point the tale
passes from vivid recital into analysis
, and appraisal. First, into an analysis
| Of the partnership set up and, In the
main, sustained between two distinct
and often antagonistic elements. Not
a small part Of the value Of Mr.. Gold
bergs discussion of this situation lies
the main. united these disparate parts
into working integrity. Out Of this
sanity and self-contro1 issued the body
| musical comedy for which Gilbert and
Sullivan stand as considerable figures
| in the advance of the English drama
set to tune. The appraisals shift from
the combined purpose Of these two to q
careful scrutiny Of the comedies which
they produced. Satire as an instrument
OF illumination cast upon the human b
here examined and then, by way OF the
various comedies shown in its appljca.
ton to life itself. The various operas
are opened up In the purpose OF each.
in the originality Of its projection. IN its
effect upon audiences, In Its durability
with a swift gathering Of them all for
the sake Of relative values Of art and
entertainment and social content. Read
able? Lusciously that from start to
finish. Innumerable incidents. pic
lures, anecdotes, all along the line from
babyhood to the rest of 1t. pass these
two over to the reader in the very
essence of their aims and achievements.
Much like the rest Of us. only more 80.
| and this helps US to understand and to
value. They loved and hated as we DO:
they sought repriSalS after the way OF
mankind. But, in spite Of the daily
handicap Of themselves and their be-
longings-animate and otherwBe-they
gayly hunted us down through our sins
and weaknesses and then dressed us up
in gorgeous trappings of color and
music and impossible situations-the
sugar coating for the dosage. DeWolf
Hopper says, II am prepared To shout
from any housetop that Gilbert and
Sullivan will never die"-and ne ought
to know. Some one else opines that Gil
bert and Sullivan are national 1nSu-
tuition second only to Shakespeare
and so it goes. Whether you accept or
reject such estimates you will, from
! one stand, have no division OF mind
whatever. Here is an engroSsing study
of a theme, current and general in its
power Of attraction. It's author Is,
primarily, q scholar In literature-in
dramatic literature Standing on high
survey Of the subject, both individual
and comparative. And here Is the best
point in respect to Isaac Goldberg: Be-
ing a scholar has not robbed him OF
the human touch--of the humor, the
sympathy. the insight, the full seizure
of the dramatic in every man ana
woman. An of these have play here.
constructive power Of the author
selecting, uniting. working from base
to pinnacle in orderly way. sensitive
and competent toward the inner har-
mony Of the whole, and to the outer
symmetry of this story OF his fashion,
ing-"The story of Gilbert and Sulli-
van" The engrossment of Q great novel
combines here with the literary study Of
a living form Of dramatic art.
IS ~
THE PHILOSOPHY OF sCHOPEN-
HAUER. Edited by Irwin Edman.
The Modern Library.
Schopenhauer is more likely to be
read by the general reader. by the UNI
academic man and woman, than any
other of the philosophers. This for
the very good reason that he is more
easily understood. The great average
has no power to follow the two-faced
habit Of words as they grope and dodge
and turn tail in the long and devious
quest Of the soul and the deep hidden
meaning Of human existence. Neither
has the great average time for this pur-
suit, nor taste for It. So the whole
dialectical to-do Of Plato and Aristotle,
of Spinoza and Kant and Hegel and
the rest, leaves him cold from lack OF
points Of approach and contact. But
| with Schopenhauer it is different. Here