The Sunday Oregonian., March 14, 1909, SECTION FIVE, Page 3, Image 47

THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAN. PORTLAND. 3IARCII 14, 1909
3
Who Is to Blame for Modern Indecent Trend of Drama
"Managers," Say Some; "Public," Declare Others; "Women to Blame," Is the Opinion of the Majority.
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II f '-11 III 111 I 'fflJOTOOTE
V, -5T ;jHWir!" ill
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or actions of the above named six char- 11 If V if ill
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BT LEONE CASS BAE.R.
WHO is to Name for the present
day conditions and general trend
of the drama? la it the public
or the managers of playhouses?
be?mingly the public, the theatergoers
as well as those who never step inside,
the doors of the theater, have at last
been forced to a realization of the grow
ing obscenity that somehow appears to
be the prime motif in most of the newer
theatrical productions.
Each and every one of us who believes
in the theater us an exponent of art.
influence and good, agree also, that the
time has arrived when theater managers)
took, note of their bearings and' s?t their
houses in order.
The consequence of not having earlier
dealt with this pregnant question is
most apparent in the present condition
of things. The situation is one that needs
vigorous dealing with, and must be sized,
up In a manner that Is in keeping with
the nature of the stage.
When one realizes that a play presents
the arts of letters, in Its text or lines;
of sculpture, in its proses and attitudes;
and painting, in its color of costume and
scenery; all through the plastic medi
um6hlp of acting, one better appreciates
the all powerful appeal of the drama.
It touches its public through the love
of one or more of these arts, and holds
it in a vise-like grip with the inborn
dramatic sense with which most of us
are blessed.
In one way, however, a play is like a
match: It is lighted in the' air and ex
tinguished. We can not cherish or keep
it as we can a painting, a piece of sculp
ture or a literary production, but where
these latter come in contact with the
tens, the drama directly speaks to thou
sands. Therefore the obvious thing for
the public to do is to keep keenly alert
for a healthful condition of the stage.
The first realization of real harm
wrought through the Instrumentality of
plays vu exemplified when "Sapho" was1
produced several years ago. The sole
excuse for its presentation being the
meaningless phrase, "Art for art's sake,"
and because this phase carried with it a
seemingly deep significance, the Daudet
play ran the gamut of public disapproval
before that same easy public became
aware of its shallow emptiness. With the
tardy arrival, however, of the realization,
"Sapho," along with others of its ilk,
faded into oblivion and no one has la
mented. Following closely in its trail came
problem plays, bits of life hashed into
morbid tangles, whicll we are told are
"human" and dealing with real living.
We read and see the "strong situations"
of the modern drama, and discuss the
ever and "eternal triangle" without which
no play nowadays can attain even me
diocre celebrity.
Other mouthed features of the average
production are the world old "war of
sexes." and the "other woman" or the
"other woman's husband," as the case
may be.
Besides the drama we have also some
late musical comedies which present in
decent songs whose suggestive lines are
most apparent, immodest costuming, and
almost obscene situations that cannot be
spoken of in decent company.
These plotless exhibitions are accom
panied by dances; Salomes whose naked
hootchie-kootchle contortions would have
been hissed out of existence ten years
bto, but who today are allowed to ped
dle their undulations on the legitimate
stage while a morbid public crowds and
fights for seats to see the performance,
whose sickening and disgusting features
should not be countenanced on the stags
of any theater, whether high or low class.
In a recent New York financial success,
a drama that is being widely commented
on. the six important characters are:
A man who enters into a conditional
compact to marry another man's mistress.
A broker who is libertine.
A circus promoter, vulgar from toe to
crown.
A girl who wilfully sells her honor for
luxury.
Another girl who prides herself on being
a courtesan.
A third girl who is a liar and a thief.
This play is excused and passes muster
through the old plea of "art for art's
sake, which like charity covers a multi
tude of sins. Zoa it not tui to reason
that any plot woven about the lives
or actions of the above named six char
acters, would in no sense fulfill the
drama's .mission ?
This condition was never reached in
a single day, or a season, or even a
year. Rather it Is the result of years
during which the play producers have al
lowed little by little more license, and
Increase of indecency until at last, we
are suddenly brought face to face with I
the pertain realization that the limits of
cleanliness have been long since passed.
The authors and managers of these
productions Insist that in every Instance
tnese problem plays point a moral, that
he who runs may read. They contend
that so long as the play puts Its moral
lesson before its audience that Its mis
sion Is as much fulfilled as the sermon
from the pulpit. They insist, too. that
these plays demonstrate pitfalls, and that
In any instance where It can be shown
mat the transgressor pays the nenaltv
for misdeeds, that good is accomplished.
no matter now indecent are the scene
portrayals, the conversation or the gen
eral trend of the vehicle Itself.
The sole aim of the plav should h
to entertain, since this is all that the
average clean minded person wants in
anenning tneaters. No one goes to the
playhouse to waste several hour, in v,
desire to be educated, enlightened ard
given a diploma bv the hnrrv nn
of near-correspondence school, through
me medium of any play. One can get
mis irom other sources.
We go to theaters, almnlr
only for the purpose .of distracting our
minds, and work-a-day selves and at-
ic-miun rrom tne too evident worries and
sameness of business, and the ordinary
trials of existence. It is by far a more
Important and prudent thing for a mana
ger to have his audience shaking Its
Bides with mirth and the spontaneity of
appreciation? than to have each individ
ual present set thinking, fertilizing the
germ thought of the value of his rela-
LO man ana things and generally
nculcating only dissatisfaction with life
Itself.
Since the discussion has become so gen
eral, recent Interviews with thinking men
and women along this line may be of
interest.
C. E. S Wood. The responsibility for
the wretched condition of the theater is
with the managers, for the duty is with
the managers. If they regard the the
ater, as they now do. as merelv a money
making machine to fill the popular de
mand, then there is no duty anywhere.
It is a commercial transaction. Just like
supplying potatoes to consumers: but the
theater always has been and ought to be
an educational platform and a creator
of art as well as a furnisher of amuse
ment The theater has come from religious
origins. It was with the Greeks part of
their religious ceremonies. It was used
by the mediaeval church to preach mor
als. It has always been used to preach
to men. poets and art. Thn Sh.w
Sunderman and such men are preaching
". " must De more than a
preacher; It. must be a poet, an artist,
and lead the people to hirtier mlture
This is the province of the theater, as
wen as to amuse, and you might as well
say the church should give Sunday vau
deville if the congregation demanded it,
or that a boarding-school should furnish
pickles, caramels and champagne if the
pupils aemanaea it.
The whole question Is where lies the
duty. It seems to me the educational
duty lies wholly with the managers the
people are their sheep. It is true you
cannot play to empty benches, but when
Theodore Thomas first began his popular
concerts in this country the people would
have nothing higher than Strauss
waltzes. He educated them until he
ended in feeding ' multitudes with Wag
nerian drama music
Today the theater is regarded solely
as a money-maker. So long as that la
the only view, neither people nor theater
win progress. It is the false argument
of some newspapers, "We give the people
what they want." The duty of every
leaaer of thought is to give the masses
something they need, not only Just what
their present appetites demand. The
present star system by which some medi
ocre actor, supported by a Jumble of in
, competency, plays the wme part Zor-
ever, has put an end to a school for
actors. There are no well-trained
actors' today. Geniuses are born, but
careful, painstaking training is next to
genius. Of that we have none. The old
stock companies were schools for actors,
and one man in his time played many
parts.
The people are not responsible for eat
ing dramatic garbage, nor for demand
ing it. Those who are their purveyors
are responsible. Not till managers realize
they are ministers to a great art will
the theater resume its proper place in
the life of the people. No one expects
managers to go broke In forcing food
upon the people whlh they reject. There
must be a gradual education; but I for
one. obstinately believe there are many
thousands like myself who refuse to
waste time on this rubbish or on butch
ered plays and who would gladly pay
well to. see a real work of art. beauti
fully and smoothly rendered by artists.
I do not mean geniuses, but simply
trained artists.
The hideous nightmares of advertising
curtains, which stare at the audience,
are commentaries enough how far the
theaters are from being temples of art.
and how greatly the managers subordi
nate all taste to a few dollars. The peo
ple are very patient!
Donald Bowles, stage director Baker
Stock Company. To state that the Ameri
can stage and drama in particular, needs
a censor is absurd. , -
The press is the only neeced ana prac
tical critic, and the very Idea of censor
ship Is foreign to our traditions. A notice,
or especially an editorial from the press,
if well written or dealt with sincerely,
will make or mar any production. By this
I mean an editorial, not the paid notices
of a press agent.
The statements made by Manager Burn
ham of the New York Managers' Asso
ciation is most ridiculous. The manager
of any production Is a business man,
first and last. He does not enter the field
either to elevate or to corrupt the drama.
Any manager who professes he is en
deavoring to instruct or benefit mentally
and morally, the public, or any part of
It, is a first-class liar.
There has never been a questionable
play on the face of the earth that has
survived and lived to be a great play.
The nearest approaches to it have been
"Camllle" and "Zaza," the latter ad
mitted by dramatists to be a classic, in
asmuch as it is a heart interest story In
which Indecency is not featured. Too. It
is a great play because of the oppor
tunity it gives a great actress for tremen
dous acting, and all the world loves good
acting.
And let me say right there, that the
actors themselves have nothing what
soever to do with what sort of play Is.
or Is not. given to the public. An actor
should never be blamed for playing what
ever role he is cast for he Is simply
neutral, a machine an exponent if you
i will, but never the power behind the
throne as regards the kind of production
a manager desires presented.
A manager Is greatly like one's grocer.
They are both men of business, neither of
them wiling goods for the benefit of
either their morale or ours. If the grocer
says he prefers to sell us a certain cereal
or other article because our health will be
Improved by Its use. he lies, my friend.
The same is true of a theatrical man
ager. If he says he wants to whitewash
the plays and give us healthful decent
shows for our own moral betterment, he
too lies.
They will both go Just as far as the law
will allow them, and both will give the
public exactly what he fancies that public
wants to purchase.
It is hard to really decide which are the
moral and which the unmoral plays. The
matter passes over the heads of so many.
Personally I like clean, bright beautiful
things and I do not see what possible
good can be demonstrated by dragging
filth and vice into prominence over the
footlights, any more than we desire to
have sewers empty into our public streets,
and run, as they did years ago, In the
gutters of Portland.
The thoroughly Immoral and vicious
shows are usually the French farces,
and the typical casino musical comedies.
But place even one of these most popular
of so-called sensuous productions, along
side of "The Old Homestead," "Uncle
Tom's Cabin," "Way Down East." "In
Arizona" or "9hore Acres" and answer
me truthfully, which are the ones the
public is more familiar with?
The solution of this problem? Oh. the
solution lies absolutely and primarily
with the mothers of our land.
D. Soils Cohen The popular day-today
drama follows Its environment. It
ts guided, more than any other form of
literature, by the general trend In the
mental caliber and moral view of its
generation. The playhouse of today Is
a commercial venture and as such It
caters to popular demand. Its object is
the public purse the most purses It
can reach at the same time; therefore,
when the public taste Is for the frothy
and salacious, the frothy and salacious
will be supplied. When the efforts of
conscientious students and able expo
nents of an elevated form of dramatic
art are losses to the box-office, while
the genial and agile lady who can smil
ingly "point her toes to a quarter of
six" crowds the aisles, managers will
not hesitate in their choice.
The daughters of women who would
have een shocked had they even been
suspected of a desire to see "Frou
Frou" now find "Zaza" palling and
flock to "Mrs. Warren's Confession"
and "The Easiest Way." As you know,
they even start out early in the morn
ing, carrying lunch with them, to Jum
ble and Jostle Into courtrooms where
such free shows as the Thaw trial are
In progress. W have today the play
builder, not the dramatist. There Is a
great difference. He writes for today
Jonly, or its dollars and Its popularity.
and his stories of money, graft, passion,
intrigue and the sexes simply Indicate
the popular taste.
The true standard of dramatic writ
ing, however, as fixed by the intelligent
and critical mind, has not deteriorated,
and the canons of literature and art
are undisturbed. These are the deep
ocean. , the other but the froth which
rolls upon the sands and sinks in them.
William Dills, member Baker Stock
Company And so New York has set
out to "reform" the modern drams.
Father KJcknerbocker has started his
task with a sounding of brass and a
l.ahlnr nf evmhfl.l- It i nrnTWMMl to
win 11 nrohlem nlnva off the hoards- i
wipe them off so clean that hardly a
memory will remain. After having taken
this step, or side-step as It might truth
fully be called, the Gothamltes are ask- I
lng. "Who Is to blame for the Immoral .
(so-called) plays. the public, the manager
th rl a wf rl ffi " 1
Now. I will eliminate the manager en
tirely, and put the matter up to the play
wright and the public We are told that
If something Is not done and done quick
ly the American stage will degenerate
to the level of that of Parts. I have
ade a close stuny of modern drama, and i
I must confess that I think the Parisian
stage is going forward Instead of bark
ward; some of the greatest plays of the
present generation have been written or
produced in the great French capital, and
some of the world's roost famous players
reside In that city.
When the stage falls to teach a les
son, it falls In Its purpose. I believe
the stage must teach as well as amuse.
A very small percentsge of theater-goers
would care to see a farce comedy or a
comic opera every night in the week.
The public for the most part, demands
something with body to It. And are
modern plays becoming coarse and Im
moral? Are they jlcturlng scenes that
are false and untrue? Let's see.
Ministers will deliver lengthy sermons
touching upon the roost delicate affairs
In human life: the next Sunday these
same preachers will direct a trirade
against a like subject played on the
stage. The newspapers will contain col
umns of what Is called "racy stuff." but
the next day the dramatist will be round
ly scored in editorials for daring to do
one-half as much In a play.
Two-thirds of the people are moral
cowards: they are afraid of themselves.
They fear to look truth in the face, they
are afraid to take life as It Is. The
very people with high social standing
who lead lives of mockery and sham sev
erely criticise the mild portrayed of their
life when presented on the stage.
If the public was not afraid of the
truth, there would arise no question as
to the morality of the drama.
Frederick V. Holman The spirit of the
times is largely, I may say almost wholly,
responsible for the trend of the modern
drama. Everyone is more or less to
blame, and it Is hard to affix the blame
rightly. That these productions preach
a sermon is as absurd as the idea tliat
its audience derives personal, mental or
moral uplift from seeing its portrayal.
I am reminded of a story I heard not
long a;o of a bit of dialogue In which
a very young girl was telling an older
man acquaintance of a show she had re
cently attended, insisting that he too
should view the performance. The man
asked what sort of show was offered
and the girl, after a puzzled search for
proper descriptive phrases, blurted out
'Oh, It's so nice; Just the sort you
wouldn't want your mother to see."
I think her answer is typical of the
attitude most people preserve toward the
theater and Its productions. When such
books as "Three Weeks." "The Yoke."
"Life's Shop Window." and others of
like nature are sold by the million, and
read unreservedly, when young and old
alike disi'uss in public such books and
problem plays. It is only in accordance
with these things that th 'drama has a
tendency toward immorality and inde
cency. The people undoubtedly want such
things and are willing to pay for them,
the managers are out for the monov an.l
so help the public toward the furthering
of Ifs desires by giving them what they
seem to want.
A very great pity. too. is that the
msjor part of the public, the women, are
directly responsible for this condition of
affairs. Women rule the universe, and
could solve this whole problem by stay
Ins; awn from thp shows, and It Is
eertain that men would do likewise.
Th greatest harm Is the examples of
the oldr generation to the younger one.
The latter emulate and find pride In copy
ing their elders, who are setting a p.
which children will follow until all post
tive hope of moral regeneration or help
Is past. hen the spirit of today Is
bettered, then will be seen a re-born
drama.
William Gleason. member Baker Stock
Company. I am dead against Immoral
plays, and always have bt en. Plays de
picting life of low morals, and Indecency,
are growing more iceneral. and I fait to
see where a n v benefit to any person will
be derived. These plays are below par;
they cannot cater to art. and only about
one In every five hundred presents any
definite idea of clean histrionics.
Personally. I am always disfrusted with
such plays. I never attend them and
ne-er took part In one In my life.
Certainly they bring In big box -office
returns. The public Is to blame for
that, and It is absolutely responsible for
the condition of affairs In the modern
drama. A manager might sink his lart
dollar In a play of moral element, but
who will fill the seats In his theater?
The people who preach morality seldom
go to theaters.
Managers are men of consequence, of
rank and ability, and are In almost every
instance men of families. They would
personally prefer to give the public clean
helpful plays but the public don't want
'em won t have 'em. If the manager
followed his personal Inclinations, and
not his professional and business sense.
he would give no Indecent or unclean
shows. But If he did he'd be In the poor-
hfiuse. for the public would be off at
tending Immoral productions and crowd
ing their shekels into the palm of a less
conslcentlous manager.
In Shakespearian art, and in many of
the fine old staple productions the ex
ponents are making cents where actors
In modern rot are coining dollars. Two
notable exceptions are Maude, Adams and
John Drew, who never appeared In an
Immoral production of any sort.
Emphatically, women are the prime
movers 1n this campaign for dirty plays
If women would leave the theater, or
not attend them at all. men wouldn't go
either. . If all wives, mothers, sisters
daughters and sweethearts refused to
countenance a vulgar show, do you sup
pose the men would all go? Not much.
They'd either stay at home, go railing,
or sit In a poker game.
Women hold the reins In every in
stance, and they drax their men folk to
the playhouse. They are to blame foi
patronizing Indecent pluys. and lending
their Influence by their presence.
When Rose Coghlan brought "Mrs,
Warren's Profession" here several sea
sons ago. the production was a failure,
Portland women refusing to attend, and
the result was disastrous to the box re
celpts.
I do Want to say that In the Pacific
Northwest I find more really refined and
discriminating taste. more genuin
wholesomeness and liking for moral plsv
than in any other section of the country
and I ve traveled it all over.
As regards pointing any moral from
such plays, let mo ask you. would It Im
prove any young girl or woman to go
Into the North End I mean before
Mayor Lane and his moral squad cleaned
It I say. would It uplift them to see th
denizens of that part of the city, to hea
cursing and lewd talk? How in th
world could It ever demonstrate to it
Innocent hearers the pitfalls they are to
try to avoid during life?
We do not want to muck-rake the
Portland Railway, Light and Power Company
BULLETIN NO. 13
GIVING THE PUBLIC THE FACTS
The following is taken from an address before the Massachusetts
Street Railway Association, at a recent meeting, and expresses
our thoughts so clearly that we wish to submit it to the consid
eration of this community:
"Personally, I am a believer in publicity. The more the ruWic
knows about the eorportition servinp them the better it will be
for both the public and the company. The public is welcome to,
and I will be glad to give them any information about the cor
porations with which I am connected.
"It is true that many of the companies (electric railway) which
are now unprofitable were, during their early history, successful;
and it is not necessary for me to call your attention to why many
of the successful properties of the past have been unprofitable in
recent years, for you all realize that when an electric railroad is
first built the excuses are comparatively small, being made up
principally of the waires paid the conductors and rootormen, power
bills and small sums for clerk hire; but as the roads became older
it was, as you realize, necessary to repair, rebuild and replace, and
these items grew larger each year as the roads became older, until
repairs and maintenance was a very substantial amount of the
operating exjenses.
"Not only have the roads had these increased expenses to con
tend with, but increased cost of everything, including labor and
material, during the last seveu or eight years. We have had to
meet these increased expense's referred to and, as" you know, we
have from time to time had additional burdens put upon us both
by local and state legislative bodies. In our own case, ns 1 re
member it, fully 50 per cent of our operating expenses consists of
labor. If we paid the same rate for labor today that we did a
few years ago, the difference in our payroll would equal a dividend
on the stock of our various companies.
"Now the public do not realize all of these things and won't
until you and others inform them.
"A public service corporation, to be a Rtiecess, in the broad
sense of that term, must be mutually beneficial to the stockholder,
the public and the employes, and while it may be true that the
character of legislation enacted in the past would lead one to
suppose that the interests of the public service corporation aud the
cornuAnity were different, I contend that their interests are abso
lutely identical, and think the sooner that fact is recognized, both
by the corporations and the public, the better it will be for all
concerned.
"It is of the utmost importance to any community that it should
receive from the public service corporation serving it the very best
accommodations and, the more successful a corporation is. the
better service it will be in a position to render, and if good service
is not rendered by a corporation that is successful, then the pub
lic not only can demand, but obtain, the service that the. com
munity served is entitled to.
"On the other hand, an unsuccessful corporation, no matter
what its desires may be, is not in a financial position to render the
accommodations that it would like to or that the public have a
right to expect. .
"Therefore, it seems to me that when public convenience and
necessity require the services of a corporation whether it be
lighting, transportation, or anything else it is poor economy for
any community to restrict or embarrass the corporation with un
necessary' burdens and thereby make it difficult for the corporation
to be successful, for by so doing the very objects for which the
franchise was granted will be defeated.
"I think we will agree that traction companies have done mora
to develop suburban districts and add to the comforts of the com
munities than any other kind of enterprise, and 1 believe that those
who put their money into public enterprises of this nature are en
titled to a liberal return on the capital invested; for persons in
vesting in property of this kind are not only taking a risk, for
which they are entitled to something, but are also investing money
which would earn them a reasonable return if invested in some
other enterprise."
seamy side of life the stench is too
great, but that Is Just what the newer
plays aro doing and back of It nil they
mile and say. "Yes. It's disagreeable.
but we must point you a moral."
By all means let us have a censor, that
of our own conscience, however, clean
and uncompromlslnir. Trn'n will come a
trMHl In tho direction of better, finer
plays.
John M. fiearln. ex-l'nlted States
Senator I am sorry to admit that this
existing: condition seems to be a reflec
tion of popular taste, hut fortunately
that fact alone will eventually be the
salvation of moral dramas. The puh-
Ic's tasts must of necessity become
Jaded and weary some day. and then.
when no enterprising manager has any
thing new or sensational to offer, the
same public, satiated and disgusted
witti indecency, will keep Ms hands on
his pocketbook and have no Interest in
immoral plays.
Actors who are censured for portray
ing characters of Immorality on the
stage suffer most unjustly. They are
In no sense to blame. Nor are the
managers responsible. The actors are
In the play either hecause tliey are fit
ted for that work and in order to earn
their salaries they have to follow the
text prescribed by the playwright.
The manateera produce the sort and
kind of stuff that the puMlo demands
and pays for. If the puhllc don't want
such brands et It snide, at home. There
lies the solution. As long as the Inde
cent plays are given, the public will
throng the doors of the theater and as
long as the puhllc liowls and demands
such plays. Just so lonjr will the inevi
table ring argument exist. If the puh
llc Itself will not or does not take the
Initiatory step, there should he. In a
broad sense, some sort of censorship
for the stage.
The whole question and its solution
lies with the puhllc.
Mrs. Mina Crollus Oleason. member
Baker Stock fompany It is unfair to
Judge the audiences of stock companies
as the basis or even as a means for
comparison in such muddles as this re
cent controversy has brought about.
The people who attend stock produc
tions are usually composed of families
of the middle class, who really want
Rood, decent, moral plays.
The public of New York Is premier.
Vsually the stamp of approval or dis
approval Is set there, and other cities
follow tho lead set. As a 'rule New
York audiences prefer the startling stul
bizarre. In fact anything but what Is
consert'alive.
I really do not think an immoral play
points the way to better Ideals, any
more than readlns; the newspaper ac
counts of lives of courtesans and com
mon women can be said to uplift or up
build us.
One goes to the theater for relaxa
tion, and to get one's mind away from
the dull routine of things done and
left undone. I like musical comedies, t
like pretty girls and good music, but I
love the great, big masters far better.
No one Is a more loyal devotee of
Shakespeare than I am. and I love Ibsen
almost as well.
Ibsen doesn't draw well today be
cause people cannot understand him.
At first the public expected something
more salacious from him. and. being
disappointed, tailed to realize that he is
Just depicting life In Its most clear
and truthful manner.
In a meaMire women are responsible
for the condition existing In audiences
of today, but they should not always
be held so. There Is nothing so truf as
"To the pure all thinsrs are pure." and
the avcraa:e woman Is a fair example.
She sees only sweet. Interesting charac
ters and cries sympathetically over
Camllle. never realizing that she is &
wanton, seeing only the poor girl who
has lost her lover.
When I was a girl I read plays and
acted In them, and was afterwards
surprised and wounded to learn that in
the accepted sense of the word they
were not without flaws In their armor.
Rut the real solution of this matter Is
with the audlencea In the larger cities,
who regulate our standard and deter
mine upon our plays for us. Personal
ly I do not see how plays of the type
of Kugene Walter's much-discussed
"The Kasiest Way" can point any moral
or do aught but harm.
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