"Patoe AND PREJUDICE."—A. Plo adapt from Jane Austen's novel, La EL
William Heinemann, Price, 38, We own to prejudice ourselves There are heroines of fiction, Becky Sharp, for first example, plays about whom seem inevitable, but with them, fit for the emphases of drama, we had not associated Eliza beth Bennet, Character in conflict "Tne Jounxat, or THE SuaNcHAL Beancit of Tie Hoya "ASIATIG
The publication of the annual volume of the Royal Asiatic Society is an event in the literary life of Shanghai, This, the 60th. volume will bear comparison with its dis tinguished predecessors. With in these volumes lie a world of, information, much, alas! buried too. deep for the average, busy, searcher after truth to reseseitate, Beside the obituaries, which recall two famous Shanghai residents, Mr. Vyvyan Edward John Dent and Dr. John Fryer, the report of the Societies activities during the year and the treasurct's report, there are Some papers of unusual interest. Mr." Chang Hsin-hai contributes a Tengthy and learned paper on "Some Types of Chinese Historical Thought." Dr. Hu Shih writes on the establishment of Confucianism as a State Religion during the Han. dynasty," Mr.s Isaac Mason discusses the "when and how" of the coming of Mohammedans to China, These papers are of perman value and embody the results of years of study, each along its own lines. They not only contain infor-motion that could not be found else-
Where, except by a specialist and at the expenditure of much time and labour, but also critical notes on the facts stated which few men are qualified to give." It is to the credit of Shanghai that such a society exists and that it is able to secure, from its members,. such scholarly contributions, Kunn writes on "Gold in.
and this paper should be read by all our financiers. Even. those of us who know gold, chiefly by its scarcity in our own' coffers, of Will find this per interesting. More specialized papers are "Some Notes on Asia's Ice ago" by Dr. A. L, Englander and "Did Manichacism, Influence Lamaism" by J. Huston Edgar." Also "A List of Plant} Names" by J. C. Liu, M. 8. The Book reviews axe all very well dot special mention being due to that by. Dr. Evan Morgan on "The Eumorfopoalos Collection of Chinese jand Korean Bronzes ete." We are isa summary prescription for drama, and, heaven knows, Jane Austen created character (note how, in the few lines spoken in this by Mary, sententiousness is made to live), but when it is a question of, in Montague's phrase, dramatic values, how much of conflict is there in "Pride and Prejudice"? Not enough; and there is, further, that naughty trick of the theatre Which the strongest drama seems to be drenched in words if only now, and then the dialogue is undramaticy Here the dialogue is either Jane Austen's own or the careful collabora ators? faithful imitation of it—the very flower, or its hardly distinguish able counterfeit, of literary comedy, dlialogue,—and love's labour's lost because, failing the true marriage of words with action, it is undrame atic and tinkles, on and on In dividual scenes come off—Mr. Col~ lins's proposal, the Darey-Blizabetht quarrel scene, the Elizabeth De Bourgh scene (the more effective since the appearance in the fleskt of the Great Lady is kept for the last act),—and the comedy is plane ned with'some sense of climax. But the playmaking asa whole is ame ateurish, the preparation-seenes of, the first act are tedious, and the happy duologues are tacked together by patches of conscientious Austen, undramatic, dialogue, A pious excercise, but: were it more, were the best possible play that could be made out of the novel, our con clusion, we are persuaded, would still be that Jane Austen's place is between the book-covers. Her comedy is not robust, enough for the theatre—H. B, in the "Manchester Guardian'
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.