IBSEN'S BUGBEARS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1515, 10 August 1912, Page 9

IBSEN'S BUGBEARS.

The sympathies. and '-prejudices' betray '' them-, selves in hjs different-, attitudes toward representatives'of various occupations is comprehensively shown in a few paragraphs by Otto Heller in "ilenrik Ibsen" (says the New York "Post"). Among tho "liberal" professions, .that of r medicino gets off best. Dr. Wangel in "The Lady Irorn the Sea," is one of his noblest conceptions of male character. :' Dr. Herdal in "Tho Master Builder" also has Ibsen's full approval, as does Dr. Fielduo in "Tho League of Youth." Tho pathetic Dr. Bank in "A Doll's JIouso" holds one's respect in a very delicate situation, and oven the shipwrecked, drifting Dr. Relling in "The Wild Duck" iff, according to his lights humanely. employed. Tho schoolmaster and scholars piake α-more mixed company. On the one hand are tho eventempered, reliable Arnliolm in "The Lady From the Sea," and the well-balanced Alfred Allraers in "Little Eyolf." On the other hand are tho pedantic, prettily useful George Tesman in "Hedda Gnbler," and Rector ■. Kroll in Women teachers are treated with distinct favour, as witness Martha Bernick in "Pillars of Society," and Petra Stockmann in "An Enemy of tho People":— "For lawyers Ibsen shows an unconcealed dislike. Only a few of them actually enter his plots in person—Torvald Helmcr ("A Doll's House"), Attorney-General for 'the social correctitudes, the hollowhearted sensualist Brack ("Hedda Gabler"), and the unprincipled ambitionist Stonsgaard ("Love's Comedy"); conjectur"nlly tho w'hole tribe are branded as antiidealists. Ibsen holds that the law breeds casuists and sophists." Worse than oven tho lawyers ars the clergy. Alone of the professions, this one approximates on Ibsen's stage a preconceived type:— "Nearly all of them aro spokesmen of a narrow-minded indexible morality. Pastor Strawman ("Love's Comedy'-) is the all-too-familiar shepherd of souls whose eye is forever rivetled on his. daily bread and butter. His colleague in "Peer Gynt" is not much better. Pastor Maiulors ("Ghosts") is' ail' astonishing old child with a blundering ignorance of the very rudiments of human nature. The drunkard Molyik ("Tho Wild Duck") shows up tho minister in a state of degeneracy. ... It would seem as though the average minister were not classed by Ibsen as a useful member of society." In still lower esteem.he holds politicians and journalists. They are self-seeking, shifty opportunists, like Mortensgaard in "Lovc'r Comedy." Apart'from this play, tho flippant "musical- tragedy" of "Norma" expresses most unequivocally Ibsen's opinion of politicians. What he thought of the average newspaperman is plainly hinted in the following bit of acrimonious pleasantry, apropos of tho subject of vivisection:—"Scientists should not bo allowed to torture animals to death: Let tho physicians experiment upon newspapermen and politicians."