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Show f'r'" ----- : . '";;) !:; L'.vs. (Sr.rmkslI'G Play, ' I I - v . v. "ilic 'Joy or-Liviafl." 1 Some of the stronger speeches from "The Joy of Living." Mrs. "Pat" Campbell's new pliy, which is creating so. much talk, printed below, give a clear idea of the argument of the play: Beata I know how. to listen when clever men are talking. That is the secret of what .you call my Influence. Ellen Mother, is it true that Uncle Richard is such a wonderful speaker? Norbert eays he can do what he likes with people. Beata Some people those whose thoughts he can turn into feelings, or whose feelings he. can turn Into thoughts. Do you understand? Ellen Oh, yes! You , mean one can only give to those who have something to give in return. .4 Baron Ludwlg Give me a day of twenty-five hours, doctor, and I'll " devote de-vote one of them to consulting my physician. ' ' . - Doctor Who will order you to rest during the other twenty-four. " Baron L We all get that order sooner soon-er or later, and from a chief we all have to obey. Prince Uslngen Morals were only Invented In-vented for preservation. Mankind Man-kind is bound to go on reproducing "it-Belf "it-Belf that's its fundamental instinct. Morality was invented to keep the .strain pure. We all know the old families wouldn't have survived till now if the stock hadn't been renewed surreptitiously, so to speak." My dear Brachtmann, it's all very well for you to look shocked. Your family hasn't had to resort to such expedients. Your patent of nobility Isn't more than 200 years old. But my people have been misbehaving since the time of Louis the" Pious. Thanks to several 'centuries of inbreeding, I must go through life a degenerate. ' If only I could marry a healthy dairy maid! Kelllnghausen The other day down at the polls I said to one of our peasants: peas-ants: "My dear friend" (they're all our dear friends at election time), "my dear friend,", I said, "I hope you are going to vote for my successor." "What will he give me for it?" says he. "What will the Socialists give you?" sal A I. "The Socialists will call you names and I, like to hear you called names; it makes i me laugh." He was right. We must amuse the masses and they'll love us. Circus-riding, .my dear friends, that's all the nobility are good for nowadays. Dr. Kahlenberg (to Beata) Human life is simply a process of molecular adjustmentcomplicated ad-justmentcomplicated by moral Idiosyncrasies. Idio-syncrasies. lYou and I know death too well to be afraid of it Beata Must every 'natural instinct end in remorse and repentance? SinT I'm not conscious of sinning." I did the i best that was in me.- I refused to be crushed by social laws. I asserted my right to live, my right to self preservation. preserva-tion. Perhaps it was another way of suicide, but no matter. . .. Richard .(to. his . eon, Norbert) It doesn't mJrter whether we succeed or. not. What we need Is the guiding, note of a voice that seems the echo of our best hopes. It doesn't matter whether we are mistaken In the voice or not the great thing is to hear It Ana the worst thing is not to feel the need of it Richard Do you deny that we have sinned? .'' Beata I deny nothing I affirm nothing. noth-ing. I 'am standing on the farther shore of life and look over at you with a smile. ' Today In your speech you disowned dis-owned us before the world disowned iis and our long, sweet dream. I don't blame yoa. It isn't your conscience that torments you. J.t's the public conscience. I'm only a woman; what is the public conscience to me? You felt that you were sinning; I felt that I had risen above myself that I had attained at-tained the harmony' nature meant me to attain. Beata (offering Tier toast) My dear friends, you all go on 'wishing each other a long life, but which of us is really alive? Which of us really dares to live? Somewhere, far off iri the distance, dis-tance, we catch a glimpse of "life but we hldeur eyes and shrink away from It like criminals, . And that is -our nearest near-est approach to living. Do you really think you're alive, any one of you? Or Udo you think I am? But I, at least I, who never sleep, who barely breathe, who barely stand I, at least, know how to laugh; how to love life, and how to be full of thankfulness and joy and as the only living soul among you, I drink to the Joy of living! |