496 Mr. H. A. Jones on National Drama. [March 18, 



the avowal that the drama is the most live, the most subtle, the most 

 difficult form of literature; to beg that plays shall be read and 

 judged by literary men who are also judges of the acted drama. To 

 bring about a general habit of reading plays, such as prevails in 

 France. 



5. To inform our drama with a broad, sane, and profound 

 morality ; a morality that neither dreads nor wishes to escape from 

 the permanent facts of human life, and the permanent passions of 

 men and women ; a morality equally apart from the morality that is 

 praictised amongst wax dolls ; and from the morality that allows the 

 present sniggering, veiled indecencies of popular farce and musical 

 comedy. 



6. To give our actors and actresses a constant and thorough train- 

 ing in widely varied characters, and in the difficult and intricate 

 technique of their art ; so that in place of our present crowd of 

 intelligent amateurs, we may have a large body of competent artists 

 to interpret and vitalize great characters and great emotions in such 

 a way as to render them credible, and interesting, and satisfying to 

 the public. 



7. To break down so far as possible, and at any rate in some 

 theatres, the present system of long runs with its attendant ill-effects 

 on our performers ; to establish throughout the country repertoire 

 theatres and companies, to the end that our actors may get constant 

 practice in different parts, and to the end that the author may see 

 his play interpreted by different companies and in different ways. 



8. To distinguish between the play that has failed because it has 

 been inadequately or unsuitably interpreted, and the play that has 

 failed on its own demerits ; to distinguish between the play that has 

 failed from the low aims or mistaken workmanship of the playwright, 

 and the play that has failed from the low tastes of the public, or 

 from the mistakes of casting or production. 



9. To bring the drama into relation with the other arts ; to cut it 

 asunder from all flaring advertisements, and big capital letters, and 

 from all tawdry and trumpery accessories ; to establish it as a fine 

 art. 



You will have noticed that many of these proposals overlap and 

 include each other. Virtually they are all contained in the one 

 pressing necessity for our drama that it shall be recognized as some- 

 thing distinct from popular amusement. And this one pressing 

 necessity can be best and most effectually met by the fostering of the 

 drama as a national art in a national theatre. 



[H. A. J.] 



