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The Story of
David
Wark
Griffith
HIS EARLY YEARS: HIS STRUGGLES: HIS AMBITIONS AND THEIR ACHIEVEMENT
By Henry Stephen Gordon
PART V
EDITOR'S NOTE: After giving his remarkable and never-told account of the inspiration of "The Birth of a Nation" — printed in the following pages — Mr. Griffith says: "A historic play of the life of Christ cannot be staged without incurring the wrath of a certain part of our people. The massacre of St. Bartholomew, if reproduced, will cut off the toes of another part of our people." At the time this interview was given these seemed mere supposititious instances of narrow-mindedness. Now it is quite plain that Mr. Griffith was speaking prophetically of his huge new production, which contains both the St. Bartholomew massacre and the Christ episode. What will happen as these are shown in various parts of the country?
WHAT is Art? Was it not Mr. Ruskin who said it was Truth?
A great French Ruskin. said: "Art has nothing to do with Truth."
Club women will tell you that D'Annunzio and Maeterlinck are the only present Art creators of the stage.
Club men will hold that Georgie Cohan and Charlie Chaplin beat the Belgian and the Italian to the flag by miles of laughs.
Carlyle defined genius — and that is Art. in its results — as the capacity for taking infinite pains. And to that word "pains" all of its meanings should be given.
Ruskin again calls attention to his climb to the top of Cologne cathedral and his acrobatic investigations of portions usually
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inaccessible where he found the same perfection of craft in the masonry and stone work that was to be seen on the tiers down by the sidewalk : a Carlylean verification.
But the definition that seems to cover the length and breadth and deeps of Art is that given by England's best modern poet, about poetry, which, he said, is "the record of the best moments of the brightest minds and the brightest moments of the best minds."
This is all. so we can understand what I am to say.
And another and personal digression is required for lucidity: for while English is the noblest of all languages it is also the vaguest : I who write am nothing in this essay at giving some information about a