part05+-第84章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！





an　arbitration　tribunal。　He　finds　himself；　as　we　all　do；



agreeably　surprised　by　the　Russian　document；　which；　inadequate　as



it　is；　shows　ability　in　devising　a　permanent　scheme　both　for



mediation　and　arbitration。







During　the　day　President　Low；　who　had　been　asked　by　our



delegation　to　bring　the　various　proposals　agreed　to　by　us　into



definite　shape；　made　his　report；　it　was　thoroughly　well　done；



and；　with　some　slight　changes；　was　adopted　as　the　basis　for　our



final　project　of　an　arbitration　scheme。　We　are　all　to　meet　on



Monday；　the　29th；　for　a　study　of　it。







In　the　evening　to　the　concert　given　to　the　conference　by　the



burgomaster　and　city　council。　It　was　very　fine；　and　the　audience



was　large　and　brilliant。　There　was　music　by　Tschaikovsky；　Grieg；



and　Wagner；　some　of　which　was　good；　but　most　of　it　seemed　to　me



noisy　and　tending　nowhither；　happily；　in　the　midst　of　it　came　two



noble　pieces；　one　by　Beethoven　and　the　other　by　Mozart；　which



gave　a　delightful　relief。







May　28。







Drove　with　Dr。　Holls　to　Delft；　five　miles；　and　attended　service



at　the　〃New　Church。〃　The　building　was　noble；　but　the　service



seemed　very　crude　and　dismal；　nearly　the　whole　of　it　consisting



of　two　long　sermons　separated　by　hymns；　and　all　unspeakably



dreary。







Afterward　we　saw　the　tombs　of　William　of　Orange　and　Grotius；　and



they　stirred　many　thoughts。　I　visited　them　first　nearly　forty



years　ago；　with　three　persons　very　dear　to　me；　all　of　whom　are



now　passed　away。　More　than　ever　it　is　clear　to　me　that　of　all



books　ever　writtennot　claiming　divine　inspirationthe　great



work　of　Grotius　on　〃War　and　Peace〃　has　been　of　most　benefit　to



mankind。　Our　work　here；　at　the　end　of　the　nineteenth　century；　is



the　direct　result　of　his；　at　the　beginning　of　the　seventeenth。







Afterward　to　the　Prinzenhof；　visiting　the　place　where　William　of



Orange　was　assassinated。　Was　glad　to　see　the　new　statue　of



Grotius　in　front　of　the　church　where　he　lies　buried。







May　29。







In　the　morning　President　Low　and　myself　walked；　and　talked　over



various　proposals　for　arbitration；　especially　our　own。　It　looks



much　as　if　we　can　amalgamate　the　Russian；　British；　and　original



American　plans　into　a　good　arrangement　for　a　tribunal。　We　also



discussed　a　scheme　for　the　selection；　by　disagreeing　nations；　of



〃seconding　powers；〃　who；　before　the　beginning　of　hostilities；　or



even　after；　shall　attempt　to　settle　difficulties　between　powers；



or；　if　unsuccessful；　to　stop　them　as　soon　after　war　begins　as　the



honor　of　the　nations　concerned　may　allow。　The　Germans　greatly



favor　this　plan；　since　it　resembles　their　tribunal　of　honor



（Ehrengericht）；　it　was　originally　suggested　to　us　by　our



secretary；　Dr。　Holls。







In　the　evening；　at　six；　the　American　delegation　met。　We　had



before　us　type…written　copies　of　our　whole　arbitration　project　as



elaborated　in　our　previous　sessions；　and　sundry　changes　having



been　made；　most　of　them　verbal；　the　whole；　after　considerable



discussion；　was　adopted。







At　ten　I　left；　via　Hook　of　Holland　and　Harwich；　for　London；



arriving　about　ten　the　next　morning；　and　attending　to　various



matters　of　business。　It　was　fortunate　for　me　that　I　could　have



for　this　purpose　an　almost　complete　lull　in　our　proceedings；　the



first　and　second　committees　of　the　conference　being　at　work　on



technical　matters；　and　the　third　not　meeting　until　next　Monday。







In　the　evening　I　went　to　the　Lyceum　Theatre；　saw　Henry　Irving　and



Ellen　Terry　in　Sardou's　〃Robespierre；〃　and　for　the　first　time　in





my　life　was　woefully　disappointed　in　them。　The　play　is　wretchedly



conceived；　and　it　amazes　me　that　Sardou；　who　wrote　〃Thermidor；〃



which　is　as　admirable　as　〃Robespierre〃　is　miserable　could　ever



have　attached　his　name　to　such　a　piece。







For　the　wretchedness　of　its　form　there　is；　no　doubt；　some　excuse



in　the　fact　that　it　has　been　done　into　English；　and　doubtless



cut；　pieced；　and　altered　to　suit　the　Lyceum　audiences；　but　when



one　compares　the　conspiracy　part　of　it　with　a　properly　conceived



drama　in　which　a　conspiracy　is　developed；　like　Schiller's



〃Fiesco；〃　the　difference　is　enormously　in　favor　of　the　latter。　As



literature　the　play　in　its　English　dress　is　below　contempt。







As　to　its　historical　contents；　Sardou　resorts　to　an　expedient



which；　although　quite　French　in　its　character；　brings　the　whole



thing　down　to　a　lower　level　than　anything　in　which　I　had　ever



seen　Irving　before。　The　center　of　interest　is　a　young　royalist



who；　having　been　present　with　his　mother　and　sister　at　the



roll…call　of　the　condemned　and　the　harrowing　scenes　resulting



therefrom；　rushes　forth；　determined　to　assassinate　Robespierre；



but　is　discovered　by　the　latter　to　be　his　long…lost　illegitimate



son；　and　then　occur　a　series　of　mystifications　suited　only　to　the



lowest　boulevard　melodrama。







As　to　the　action　of　the　piece；　the　only　thing　that　showed



Irving's　great　ability　was　the　scene　in　the　forest　of



Montmorency；　where；　as　Robespierre；　he　reveals　at　one　moment；　in



his　talk　with　the　English　envoy；　his　ambition；　his　overestimate



of　himself；　his　suspicion　of　everybody　and　everything；　his



willingness　to　be　cruel　to　any　extent　in　order　to　baffle　possible



enemies；　and　then；　next　moment；　on　the　arrival　of　his　young



friends；　boys　and　girls；　the　sentimental；　Rousseau　side　of　his



character。　This　transition　was　very　striking。　The　changes　in　the



expression　of　Irving's　face　were　marvelousas　wonderful　as　those



in　his　Louis　XI；　but　that　was　very　nearly　all。　In　everything



else；　Coquelin；　as　I　had　seen　him　in　Sardou's　〃Thermidor；〃　was



infinitely　better。







Besides　this；　the　piece　was；　in　general；　grotesquely



unhistorical。　It　exhibits　Robespierre's　colleagues　in　the



Committee　of　Public　Safety　as　noisy　and　dirty　street　blackguards。



Now；　bad　as　they　were；　they　were　not　at　all　of　that　species；　nor



did　their　deliberations　take　place　in　the　manner　depicted。



Billaud…Varennes　is　represented　as　a　drunken　vagabond　sitting　on



a　table　at　the　committee　and　declaiming。　He　was　not　this　at　all；



nor　was　Tallien；　vile　as　he　was；　anything　like　the　blackguard



shown　in　this　piece。







The　final　scene；　in　which　Robespierre　is　brought　under　accusation



by　the　Convention；　was　vastly　inferior　to　the　same　thing　in



〃Thermidor〃；　and；　what　was　worse；　instead　of　paraphrasing　or



translating　the　speeches　of　Billaud…Varennes；　Tallien；　and



Robespierre；　which　he　might　have　found　in　the　〃Moniteur；〃　Sardou；



or　rather　Irving；　makes　the　leading　characters　yell　harangues



very　much　of　the　sort　which　would　be　made　in　a　meeting　of　drunken



dock　laborers　to…day。　Irving's　part　in　this　was　not　at　all　well



done。　The　unhistorical　details　now　came　thick　and　fast；　among



them　his　putting　his　head　down　on　the　table　of　the　tribune　as　a



sign　of　exhaustion；　and　then；　at　the　close；　shooting　himself　in



front　of　the　tribunal。　If　he　did　shoot　himself；　which　is



doubtful；　it　was　neither　at　that　time　nor　in　that　place。







But；　worst　of　all；　the　character　of　Robespierre　was　made　far　too



melodramatic；　and　was　utterly　unworthy　of　Irving；　whom；　in　all



his　other　pieces；　I　have　vastly　admired。　He　completely



misconceives　his　hero。　Instead　of　representing　him　as；　from　first



to　last；　a　shallow　Rousseau　sentimentalist；　with　the　proper



mixture　of　vanity；　suspicion；　and　cruelty；　he　puts　into　him　a



great　deal　too　much　of　the　ruffian；　which　was　not　at　all　in



Robespierre's　character。







The　most　striking　scene　in　the　whole　was　the　r