box 31/5
25. Professor Bernhardi
S
—THE—
Associariolt,
GEAERAL PRES
13, FARRINGDON AVENUE, E.C.4.
4
GENTRAL 2684.
TELEPHONE 2
Mittiimscnmamshelnmtrktiahmiitttsstsirentstangentsthungntnaitnt
Cuting from i
eengenecegrntecheren s.
ssue daied 3 JAN. 1937
Atthe Plap. (e St. Zohn Ervine.)
PLAYS IN PRINT.—III.
I left off last Sunday at the point at
Bella and Mr. Samuel Spewack, is one#
which the ancient argument about art
of those plays in which the follies of
and propaganda cropped up. The dif¬
Hollywood him stars are exposed. lt
ference between prepaganda which is
is amusing enough, but we know only
too well what idiots inhabit Hollywood,
admirable and propaganda which is not
and do not need to have their inepti¬
may be discovered in the collection of
tudes exposed again. Mr. Irwin Shaw, &
short pieces entitled “ Contemporary
in" Bury the Dead, exposes the folly
One-Act Plays from Nine Countries.
of war and displays all persons in autho.
which Mr. Percival Wilde has edited
rity as selfish and congenital idiots.
zor Harrap (7s. 6d.). This volume con¬
These complaints, too, we seem
to have heard rather often. Those who
tains twelve plays, selected from the
make them appear not to realise that.
work of American, British, German,
when they ask us to believe that all
Austrian, Hungarian, French, and Rus¬
men who exercise power are cretins,
sian authors. The first two pieces,
they ask us to condemn the entire
* Hymn to the Rising Sun, by Mr.
human race as unfit to live. For if
Paul Green, and Tini the Day 1 Die,
nobody who exercises authority is any
by Mr. Ciifford Odets, exactly illustrate
good, then what hope have we of im¬
tne point 1 try to make—thät the pro¬
proving our lot? Mr. Shaw shows us a
paganda of an artist is tolerable, but
burial party in the next war which is
that the propaganda of a politician,
ruined by the refusal of the dead to lie
pretending to be an artist, is intoler¬
down and be buried. This refusal is
able. Mr. Green is a dramatist who
followed by some jejune stuff,“ hot
has not yet achieved the renown which
and spiteful,“ in which the futilitv of
is his due. That failure is largely his
everything is made manifest. These
own fault. He has too often allowed
angry vouths who are so eager to re¬
himself to pursue causes when he
form the world give us little encour¬
should more assiduously have pursued
agement to remain alive. The last
truth. But it is impossible to read his
play in
volume is the late Mrs.
work without realising that he is pri¬
Elsie T. Schauffier’s“ Parnell, as re¬
marily a poet, and not a propagandist,
vised by Miss Margaret Rawlings.
and that his unusually sensitive mind
have already stated my opinion of this
is inflamed with a love of mankind
am
piece in its original form, and
which compels h'm to ery out against
sorry to say Miss Rawlings has not im¬
oppression. It is oppression which ap¬
proved it. She has merely made it
pals Mr. Green, and not, as appears
licensable by the Lord Chamberlain.
to be the case with Mr. Odets, the
I suppose Mrs. Schauffler must have
politics of the oppressor. It is evident
read something abeut Parnell, but she
that Mr. Green feels horror at all
must have taken uncommon care to
cruelty by whomsover it is practised,
forget the facts, and she seems never.
whereas Mr. Odets, who, like Medea,
for a single second, to have understood
is sullen-eyed and hot with hate, is
the nature of Parnell or the mind and
roused to wrath only by the cruelty
motives of Gladstone. She puts into
which his political opponents inflict on
the mouth of the latter words that
his political allies. Mr. Odets can be
were used by Tim Healy, and attri¬
very angry about the brutality of a
butes to Parnell, who never made a
Nazi to a Communist, but I feel that
witty remark or betrayed the slightest
he would coo like any sucking dove
sense of humour in his life, a witticism
over the brutality of a Bolshie to a
about Gladstone which was uttered by
kulak or a rovalist. My suspicion is
Henry Labouchere. Parnell was in¬
strengthened by Mr. Wilde's account of
capable of saving,“ I don't mind his
him. Art. he wrote to Mr. Wilde,
finding the Ace of Trumps up his
must be about something, a truism
sleeve, if only he wouldn't claim that
with which everybody must agree. Mr.
God Almighty put it there.?
Labby
Odets, who is a Broadway Bolshie.
put it better than that. Nor could he
utters platitudes as
if
he were
have said," I refuse to go down to pos¬
Moses bringing the Tables of the Law
terity speaking bad English.“ He had
down from Mount Sinal. He goes on
no power of jesting, and was incapable
to say of art that
it must be hot and
of distinguishing Enelich from b¬
—
25. Professor Bernhardi
S
—THE—
Associariolt,
GEAERAL PRES
13, FARRINGDON AVENUE, E.C.4.
4
GENTRAL 2684.
TELEPHONE 2
Mittiimscnmamshelnmtrktiahmiitttsstsirentstangentsthungntnaitnt
Cuting from i
eengenecegrntecheren s.
ssue daied 3 JAN. 1937
Atthe Plap. (e St. Zohn Ervine.)
PLAYS IN PRINT.—III.
I left off last Sunday at the point at
Bella and Mr. Samuel Spewack, is one#
which the ancient argument about art
of those plays in which the follies of
and propaganda cropped up. The dif¬
Hollywood him stars are exposed. lt
ference between prepaganda which is
is amusing enough, but we know only
too well what idiots inhabit Hollywood,
admirable and propaganda which is not
and do not need to have their inepti¬
may be discovered in the collection of
tudes exposed again. Mr. Irwin Shaw, &
short pieces entitled “ Contemporary
in" Bury the Dead, exposes the folly
One-Act Plays from Nine Countries.
of war and displays all persons in autho.
which Mr. Percival Wilde has edited
rity as selfish and congenital idiots.
zor Harrap (7s. 6d.). This volume con¬
These complaints, too, we seem
to have heard rather often. Those who
tains twelve plays, selected from the
make them appear not to realise that.
work of American, British, German,
when they ask us to believe that all
Austrian, Hungarian, French, and Rus¬
men who exercise power are cretins,
sian authors. The first two pieces,
they ask us to condemn the entire
* Hymn to the Rising Sun, by Mr.
human race as unfit to live. For if
Paul Green, and Tini the Day 1 Die,
nobody who exercises authority is any
by Mr. Ciifford Odets, exactly illustrate
good, then what hope have we of im¬
tne point 1 try to make—thät the pro¬
proving our lot? Mr. Shaw shows us a
paganda of an artist is tolerable, but
burial party in the next war which is
that the propaganda of a politician,
ruined by the refusal of the dead to lie
pretending to be an artist, is intoler¬
down and be buried. This refusal is
able. Mr. Green is a dramatist who
followed by some jejune stuff,“ hot
has not yet achieved the renown which
and spiteful,“ in which the futilitv of
is his due. That failure is largely his
everything is made manifest. These
own fault. He has too often allowed
angry vouths who are so eager to re¬
himself to pursue causes when he
form the world give us little encour¬
should more assiduously have pursued
agement to remain alive. The last
truth. But it is impossible to read his
play in
volume is the late Mrs.
work without realising that he is pri¬
Elsie T. Schauffier’s“ Parnell, as re¬
marily a poet, and not a propagandist,
vised by Miss Margaret Rawlings.
and that his unusually sensitive mind
have already stated my opinion of this
is inflamed with a love of mankind
am
piece in its original form, and
which compels h'm to ery out against
sorry to say Miss Rawlings has not im¬
oppression. It is oppression which ap¬
proved it. She has merely made it
pals Mr. Green, and not, as appears
licensable by the Lord Chamberlain.
to be the case with Mr. Odets, the
I suppose Mrs. Schauffler must have
politics of the oppressor. It is evident
read something abeut Parnell, but she
that Mr. Green feels horror at all
must have taken uncommon care to
cruelty by whomsover it is practised,
forget the facts, and she seems never.
whereas Mr. Odets, who, like Medea,
for a single second, to have understood
is sullen-eyed and hot with hate, is
the nature of Parnell or the mind and
roused to wrath only by the cruelty
motives of Gladstone. She puts into
which his political opponents inflict on
the mouth of the latter words that
his political allies. Mr. Odets can be
were used by Tim Healy, and attri¬
very angry about the brutality of a
butes to Parnell, who never made a
Nazi to a Communist, but I feel that
witty remark or betrayed the slightest
he would coo like any sucking dove
sense of humour in his life, a witticism
over the brutality of a Bolshie to a
about Gladstone which was uttered by
kulak or a rovalist. My suspicion is
Henry Labouchere. Parnell was in¬
strengthened by Mr. Wilde's account of
capable of saving,“ I don't mind his
him. Art. he wrote to Mr. Wilde,
finding the Ace of Trumps up his
must be about something, a truism
sleeve, if only he wouldn't claim that
with which everybody must agree. Mr.
God Almighty put it there.?
Labby
Odets, who is a Broadway Bolshie.
put it better than that. Nor could he
utters platitudes as
if
he were
have said," I refuse to go down to pos¬
Moses bringing the Tables of the Law
terity speaking bad English.“ He had
down from Mount Sinal. He goes on
no power of jesting, and was incapable
to say of art that
it must be hot and
of distinguishing Enelich from b¬
—