Evening star., 1947-05-12
on the Record
Artists Held Responsible
For Their P oIiticoI Actions
Talent Of Flasstad. Diederich Seen
Involving Great Obligations
on TIE Record
By Dorothy Tho,np psos

~
Two recent incidents are interesting In rela-
tion 10 each other. Both concern artists: Nine
Kristen F1agstad, the singer. and William Hunt
Diederich, the sculptor
Each IS distinguished -Mme. Flagstad as
great interpreter Of operatic works; Mr. Die
derich, honored by representation In the per-
manent collections OF many museums OF art.
Mime. Fiagstads behavior under the Nasi
occupation Of Norway was dubious. She re-
turned to her country under Its conquerors
Her husband was later imprisoned as q COLI
laborator by the liberated Norwegians. He died.
She returned here. and In Boston her reap-
pearance led to audience demonstrations sus-
piciously more political than artistic.
Some artists, headed by Walter Damrosch.
whose anti-Naziism is not impugned. defended
her on the basis OF her greatness as an artist
Lately, also, the National Institute Of Arts
and Letters discovered that It's member, Will,
liam Hunt Diederich, had been anonymously
sending out anti-Semitic propaganda In the
name Of the institute. The National Institute
determined to expel him, despite his eminence
Obligations Are Stressed.
Which OF the two attitudes is rights
There may have been mitigating personal
circumstances In Mime. FIagstads case, but
artist should be especially hostile to Naziism.
In the interpretative field Of music, the Jewish
people are notably preeminent Naziism drove
from the concert halls, operate stages and
orchestral pits Of Europe greater artists than
Nine. Flagstad. Nine. Flagstad did not pro-
test. She was no Toscanini, who severed his
relations with the German world the moment
the persecution Of fellow artists began, stat
ing himself wounded in my feelings as an
artist and man." But she does protest her
own right as an artist.
Now, shall mind not hearing Nine. Flag
stad. But shall not hear her, for believe
that in this attitude toward genius" lies one OF
the ideas that most corrupted Germany. It is
the concept that genius makes its own laws
AS recently tried to demonstrate in ."Ths
Commonweal," nothing more profoundly ex-
plains the blind alteration accorded the Fueh.
rer than this concept Of genius and its right"
to transcend the morality OF ordinary men.
One finds the concept in Nietzsche; alas. even
in Goethe; also. indeed, in much Anglo Saxon
literature of the last century.
Genius Has Responsibility.
In Germany 1t reached such lengths-before
Hitler-that 1t was practically impossible to
sentence. talented artist for any crime of the
legal code. Even Satanic genius" exercised
fascination. The German people had but to
accept Hitler as genius and, by transference,
think Of themselves as "genius-nation" in
order to be liberated from all codes.
The concept is an utter perversion Of the
function OF genius. Genius, like noblesse,
obliges. Nine. Flagstad is not to be exempted
from responsibility because Of her talent 1t
is her talent-and what is derived from it.
that makes her the more responsible. 1t gave
her international fame economic security, free
dom and authority in her world.
Is she to be judged as above" the petty
clerk who Joined the party to secure two or
three hundred marks a month; or the youth.
drawn into the SIS by splendrous uniforms, and
the perversion of his turbulent adolescent in.
stincts? Is it not the uncommon person from
whom most should be expected in support Of
humanity's codes?
Nine. Flagstad and Mr.. Diederich may have
little political sense or interest, but 1t is in
cumbent on both to support the universally
Of art and its freedom from extraneous racial
or national prejudice To have done so would
not have diminished their stature as artists
or persons. To have failed diminishes their
stature as both.
The National Academy, not Mr.. Damrosch's
committee, Is right.
fReleased by Bell Syndicate, Ine)