1 6 Professor D. L. Savory on 



weal made them give us their Hves to the future of the hive. The 

 whole people having reached the height of their prosperity and 

 power suddenly abandoned to the following generation all their 

 palaces, their wealth, and the fruit of their labours. Faith in the 

 final triumph of thought over matter was the leading idea in the 

 three collections of articles " Le Temple Enseveli," " Le Double 

 Jardin," and " LTntelligence des Fleurs," which as far as the 

 thought contained in them was concerned were only a summary of 

 all the ideas of Maeterlinck. " LTntelligence " was simply one 

 long hymn to the glory of nature. The principal chapter in " Le 

 Temple Enseveli " was devoted to the mystery of justice. Moral 

 justice did not exist apart from themselves, because nature only 

 knew a blind unreasoning fate. The " Double Jardin " was a 

 delightful book. The poet touched on a great variety of subjects, 

 and dealt in turn with universal suffrage, motor cars, or historical 

 sites. But that work would live principally on account of its 

 lyrical qualities. The wonderful page on the death of the poet's 

 dog " Pelleas," was deservedly famous. The same volume con- 

 tained a chapter devoted to the modern drama, in which the poet 

 summed up the dramatic theory of his later works. The real 

 drama of the twentieth century must, according to Maeterlinck) 

 take its rise from the struggle between their conception of duty 

 and their ignorance and selfishness. It was that struggle which 

 gave rise to the psychological conflict of " Monna Vanna.' 

 " Monna Vanna" was one of the most original and most powerful 

 attempts to give new life to contemporary dramatic art. It con- 

 tained scenes of poignant emotion written in a prose of remarkable 

 beauty. The author's style had now reached its maturity, and 

 all his great qualities appeared in that well-known play to the 

 best advantage. " L'Oiseau Bleu " was a delightful fairy tale 

 which revealed every moment a smiling philosophy. Such was 

 the magic of that delightful symphony of music, colours, and 

 poetry that grown-up men who at first were inclined to be some- 

 what sceptical were compelled to surrender to its charm like little 



