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Show I CHAINS DRAMATIZA H BY Randolph Barttott, In L.os Anaolos Qraphlo. Hj After all tlmt has boon said by mon or H noble liro as to the sccrot or all right R conduct being only 'Duty, duty, duty,' is H man to bo told now tlmt duty is tho B primal curse from which wo must re- fl doom oursolves bororc we can advance Hj anothor step along- the road which, as we H inmnglno-liavlng forgotten the repudl- H ations made by our rathers duty and H duty alone has brought us thus far? Hl But why not? Ood was one or the most H sacred of our conceptions; and Ho had to Hj be denied. Then Reason became tho in- H fallible Pope, only to be deposed In turn m Is Duty more sacrod than Ood or B Reason?" H Thus, in nis introduction to "The m Quintessence or Ibsenlsm" did Oeorge H Bernard Shaw arraign duty, generally B considered by orthodox social thinkers to H bo the only stable foundation upon which R relations of men and women can be H based. Tho corollary is, how far should H the individual be influenced by his duty H to society when it conflicts with hlB ob H vlous duty to hlmscir? The latest of the H dramaB to enflhrlno Individual freedom as H the highest motive actuating man, is H Elizabeth Baker's "Chains," a graphic Hj ricture of scones in the lives or tho clerk H cIobh or Londpn, wherein a young man Hj makes a vain effort to break away from Hj tho awful monotony or his existence. H The play makes no pretense or dramatic B 'onslty; tho Innate characters or these H I-eople, neither dull enough nor rovolu- H tlonary enough for high tragedy, preclude H such a possibility. Tho story has Its H high lights through the awakening or tho H aspirations or two persons who have had H tholr visions or rreedom. All tho others H wear tholr chains willingly except the H one who makes tho losing fight, and those H manacles arc or many kinds. Somo have H been weighted with them so long that H they have made or them a sort or religion; Hi Tor others thoy aro glided with romance; B still others lack tho mental perspective to H roallze that thoro Is anothor llfo outside H or tho circumscribed radius to which the H chains confine them. H Charles Wilson Is an ordinary clerk. H His omploymont may bo In n bank, a H mercantile establishment, a brokorage or- H nee, or anywhere that men aro employed H in the keoplng or accounts and similar H capacities. There is a vast amount or H this routine work in the busiioss or the H world. Someone must attond to tho in- H numerable details or the operations or H tho men or croatlvo mind who guide large S enterprises. Not all can bo creative in H the commercial world. Wilson Is ono or H tho privates In tho army or clerks, and H ho has married a girl whoso sister Is a clerk, and whoso friends aro clorks. It H is a, vorltablo community of accountants, H In which tho summit or human achlovc- H mont is tho raithrul porrormanro or these H mochantcal dutlos so porS'Stontly and H continuously that ovontually tho chlor H clork dies or is promotod, and the do- H voted ono stops Into tho oxalted position H thus vacated. Wilson ch&fos at tho doad H lovol or It all, but seems to havo no as- Hj plratlon. Such a thing as opon rebellion H does not occur to him. Ho flnas his only H rollor In the companionship of his do- M voted young wiro, and in pottering around B in a postage stamp or a garden, In which M nothing can bo Induced to grow, but H whoro his latant instinct toward croat- m lvonass can find somo thing llko olbow M room. Cloarly ho is in tho mood ror ro- M bollton, If tho inspiration should come. H It does como. The Wilsons oko out the H husband's moagor salary by taking in a H boardor anothor clork namod Tonnant. Hi He takes Wilson aside and confides to him H In all tho solemnity or a man who is H about to bo hanged, that he has decided to give up his position and go to Aus- H tralla. Ho has nothing in sight out there, H but is going to toko the risk. He simply H cannot stand It any longer. At first, WU- H son is not awakened, and while the idea H interests him, much as ir his Mend woro KHHHH gplng on a polar expedition, taking up aviation, avi-ation, or embarking in other such hazardous haz-ardous enterprises, his own conscience does not Immediately rccoivc the Illlp that would make him sny, "Why shouldn't I, too?" Wilson's wire, Lily, Is frankly amazed, and regards Tennant's determination determin-ation as absolutely foolish. The Idea or giving up what you know you have, and what you can have Indefinitely, with the over present possibility of an ultimate chief clerkship. Is preposterous to her. Lily's sister, Maggie Massey, is tho first porson to appreciate Tennant's adventurous adventur-ous proceeding. She has felt tho chains or the shop dragging upon her, and is looking Torward to escape from them In a month or two by tho matrimony route, having made an excellent match. She is surprised Into admitting to ber sister what she not oven realized herself, that she Is not particularly rond or her nance, and suddenly she becomes irritated at tho Idea. Maggie's admiration Tor Tennant's course arouses in Wilson tho realization that it moy not bo such an Idiotic pro ccedlng after all. His own discontent is Intensified that their rent la to bo raised, and by his wife's suggestion that they take In two boarders Instead or one. "Tho day wo rent tho bathroom, Lll I'm off to tho colonies" ho BayB in a Jesting spirit, and then ho begins to think of it seriously. Tho presence or a bathroom In a clerk's house sounds queerly to American readers, who arc lnrormed by tho veracious writers or humorous travel articles that oven the big houses In England Eng-land have only ono or, at most, two or theso institutions, but as this is an English Eng-lish play- it Is entitled to respect In matters mat-ters or detail such as this. Tho more Charley thinks or the possibility possi-bility or doing himseir, what Tennant is going to do, the more dissatisfied ho becomes be-comes with his condition. Magglo sympathizes sym-pathizes with him, almost going so Tar as to porsuade him to take tho chance: MAOOIE: I can novor understand why a man gets married. Ho has so many chance's" to sco tho world and do things and thon ho goes and marrlos and sottlos down and is a ramlly man bororc no's twonty-rour. WILSOtf: It's a habit. MAGGIE: ir I woro a man I wouldn't stay In England anothor week. I wouldn't would-n't bo a quill driver all my lire (Wilson walks restlessly up ana down the rbom.) IT I woro a man. WILSON: Mon can't do everything. MAGGIE: Don't you think It's fine or Mr. Tonnant to throw up everything and take the risk? WILSON: I'd do the same ir (Lily's volco is hoard rrom tho adjoining adjoin-ing room). MAGGfE: I wondor what Lll would say lr.you did. WILSON: (Stops doad and looks at Maggie 'K I did? What aro you talking talk-ing about? MAOGIE: Why shouldn't you? WILSON: Why shouldn' I? Arn't thoro a thousand roasons? MAGGIE: Thoro's Lily, cortalnly- but WILSON: Sho wouldn't undoutund. She'd think I was dosortlng hor. . . . But that's not oil. I might manage hor I don't know but you soo, I've got a berth I can stay in all my llfo. It's llko throwing up a doad cort. And thon MAGGIE: It would bo a splash. WILSON: Yes, and think or all your people. What'd they say? They'd say I was running away rrom Lll or course. It would soom like It. . . . It's impossible. im-possible. I might never get anything to do and thon I Thus It trails off, lack or determination, through his will power having been sapped by Hie routine and Torre or the Ideas or all his relatives and frlonds preventing him rrom deciding to make tho break, but also rrom buckling down determinedly determin-edly to tho liro that confronts him ir ho stays. At this point ho receives another shock. He learns that tho customary Increase In-crease in salary which Is regarded us the annual reward or tho possessor or all tho clorkly virtues, is not forthcoming. Tho nows Is brought by a rollow employe, a veteran In tho army or clerks, In whom Wilson sees a plc'tuifo or what ho will become be-come ir he remains in the rut. At last, the deslro reaches the active stage, and Instead or rogarding the revolt as "Impossible, "Im-possible, Wilson considers it as a contingency contin-gency to bo considered. He suggests it to tho affectionate,' Lily with disastrous results. She blames It to Tennant, sno walls that her husband Is tired or her, sho will work hard and economize, and take another lodger. She cannot conceive con-ceive or her husbantl wanting to do such a thing ir he still loves her. So he packs her off to bed, with soothing assurances that he didn't mean a word or It, but when ho Is alone he unrolds a map or Australia and studies' It rar Into the night. Sunday, at tho home of the parents or Magglo and Lily. The spirit or unrest Is everywhere, excepting in the calm bosoms bos-oms or tho thoroughly satisfied elder Masscys. Maggie reels it, and begins to have doubts as to her future happiness as tho wife or Walter Foster, a sort or prlnco among clerks, in spite or the ract that It will mean emancipation rrom tne shop, a fine home, an,d a servant. Her mother Is puzzled at this, but 1b still more bewildered to learn that Wilson has suggested that ho might go to Australia. Aus-tralia. Magglo hints that office work Is monotonous, to which tho mother ro piles, characteristically: Or course, It Is. So Is all work. Do you expect work to be pleasant? Does anybody ever like work? Tho Idea Is absurd. Anyone would think work was to bo pleasant. You don't come Into tho world to have pleasure. We've got to do our duty and the moro chcerrully we can do it, the bettor for ourselves and everybody else. Thore Is tho clash In a nutshell, the crux or tho drama. Which is tho volco to which a man should give oar the one which tells him to dp the thing which ovoryono oxpocts him to do, which will lntorroro least with tho conventions and rules or socloty, which will cnuso tho least rlpplo on the placid tldo or should he fight ror his right to. do tho thing that will satlsry the clamor' or his own soul? Is Joy In work only Tor an Indefinite, Tu-turo Tu-turo olyslum: And only the Mastor shall praise us, and only the Mastor shall blamo; And no one shall work Tor money, ana no one shall workfor fair.c, But each ror the Joy or tho working, and each, In his separate star, Shall draw tho Thing as ho sees It Tor the God or Things as They aro! Thoro is a rogular family row at the Massoy's when Wilson admits that ho has had this doslro to go to Australia, or olsowhoro, to try to oscapo rrom his chains. Magglo aiono can understand his point or view. Tho others simply arguo In a clrclo. Wilson is a rool to sacrifice what ho knows what he can got ror moro speculation, and as Tor a married man thinking or going away, oven though ho makes It clear that ho has a little money savod up upon which Lily can live until ho can send ror hor, It is nothing noth-ing short or desertion, and ho is tho noxt thing to a scoundrel to think or it at all. At last ho turns upon his tormontors: "For hoavon's suko, can't you llston ralr? My wiro noodn't go to hor rather ror protection rrom mol I'm not a scoundrel Just bocauso I'vo got an Idea, am I? (A pauso nobody answors) But I'll toll you what, marriage shouldn't tlo a man up as ir ho was a slave. I don't want to dosort Lily she's my wiro and I'm proud or It but bocauso I'm married, mar-ried, am I never to strlko out In anything? any-thing? People llko us aro Just cowards. Wo selzo on tho first soft Job and thoro wo stick, llko whlppod dogs. We're arrald to ask Tor anything, urrald to ask Tor a rise ovon wo wait till it comes. BHIIHHHH And when tho boss says ho won't glvo you one do wo up and say, "Thon I'll go somewhere where I can get moro." Not a bit or It. What's the good or sticking stick-ing hero all our lives? Why shouldn't somebody risk something sometimes? We're all so Jolly rrlghtoncd we've got no spunk .that's where tho others got tho hold over us wo slog on day arter j day and when they cut out wages down j wo take It as meek as Moses. We're not ' men, we're machines. Next week, I've got ' my choice either to tako less money to keep my Job or to chuck it and try l something else. You say everybody says keep tho Job. I expect I shall I'm a coward like all or you but what I want to know is, why can't a man have a fit or restlessness and all that, without being thought a villain?" The play closes with tho day or Ten- j nant's departure. Wilson outwardly has , become reconciled to his rate, notwithstanding notwith-standing the fact that Lily encouraged him to go in these Inspiring words; "ir you want to go, I'll never stand in your way." Wilson successrully resists this bit or heroic urging, but Magglo has openly Joined, the revolutionists and broken her engagement with the highly superior clerk, Foster. She realized, finally fin-ally that In marrying him sho would Just be exchanging ono form or cage for another, an-other, and her common senso perceives the falacy that a married woman Is free. She does no; look upon the shop with any moro affection than borore, but sho realizes real-izes that at least she can escape from It IT driven to desperation, while tho Idea or ever running rrom the solid Foster Is preposterous. Whllo everyone has regarded Wilson as recovered rrom his revcr, he has been making plans quietly ror breaking away secretly, ror his courage has been sapped so completely that ho cannot entertain the Idea or tho scene which would rollow an open announcement or his decision. He .takes Tennant and Maggie Into his con-lldence. con-lldence. Ho will leave as usual, Tor tho orilce, but will tako a train Tor Plymouth and Join Tennantj on the boat, leaving a letter to Lily '"to receive arter ho has sailed, explaining all. He is about to go, and naturally he Is looking glum over tho serious situation. Lily notices this and to cheer him up whispers a little secret In his oar, and Inadvertently, almost, upsets up-sets all his plans. Ho could Ignore' tho criticisms or his rrionds, the wrath or his wire's ramlly, her own tears, but the responsibility re-sponsibility or prespectlvo paternity is tho deciding factor. Ho dons his conventional con-ventional clerk's attire and goes to tho office, whllo Lily sings a hymn which Is quite a ravorlte with hor ramlly: And It will surprise you what the Lord has done. Count your blessings, count them ono by one, Count your blessings, sco what God has done. Count your blessings, count thorn ono by one. The chains are triple rivotod again, Wilson rnsumos his liro sentence as a clork; In time ho may even become as solid as tho Jilted Foster and perhaps, j ono day, call his son a Tool ror contemplating contemp-lating any othor courso, and say, "Why I wont through that mysoir onco nearly rushed off to. tho colonics bocauso I didn't got an lncroaso or salary but 1 didn't do it and hero I am." |