1904.] National Drama. 493 



WEEKLY EVENING MEETING, 



Friday, March 18, 1904. 



Sir William Crookes, F.R.S., Honorary Secretary and Vice- 

 President, in the Chair. 



Henry Arthur Jones, Esq. 



The Foundations of a National Drama. 



[Abstract.] 



At the present moment we seem to be urged and beckoned on every 

 hand to overhaul and reorganize our national resources, to set every 

 room of our house in order. There is a general instinct of alarm and 

 uneasiness, and whatever may be the result of the present search into 

 the causes and conditions of our national prosperity, it will not be 

 without some effect in every sphere of English thought and action. 

 Now, in whatever spheres it may be decided to abandon the doctrine 

 and policy of laissez-faire, I hope the English drama may put in a 

 claim to be rescued from its present state of national neglect and 

 national contempt. In that reorganisation of our national means and 

 resources, in that refixing of our national aims and goals towards 

 which we seem to be summoned, not merely by the warnings of states- 

 men and the shrill cries of contending politicians, but by those 

 threatening, hovering portents — those pillars of cloud and j&re that 

 daily and nightly guide our nation to its destiny — in that awakening 

 of new national hopes and ambitions and ideals, I hope I may put in 

 a very urgent claim that the drama shall be recognized as a great 

 civilizing and humanizing force, a great potential influence in our 

 community, a great potential educator. 



I use the word " educator " with much reluctance, knowing well 

 that I shall be misunderstood and misrepresented by all those 

 whose business and interest it is to keep the drama on its present 

 level. But in the widest and truest sense I claim that in a closely- 

 packed democracy such as ours the drama is and must be an in- 

 creasingly-powerful teacher, either of bad manners or of good man- 

 ners, of bad literature or of good literature, of bad habits or of good 

 habits. Potentially it is the cheapest, the easiest, the most winning, 

 the most powerful teacher of that great science which it so much con- 

 cerns every one of us to know through and through, I mean the 

 science of wise living. In that supreme science, the drama is or 

 should be a supreme teacher, a supreme educator. 



I will beg leave then to affirm, on behalf of the myriads of amuse- 

 ment-seekers, that it is desirable to have a national English drama ; 

 wisely regulated, wisely encouraged, thoroughly organized, suitably 

 housed, recognized and honoured as one of the fine arts. 



2 L 2 



