Argosy All-Story Weekly, January 21, 1922 — page 170: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

160 show our inmost feelings, betray and por- tray our inner and sacred life and all—for what?” “The glory of the part, of course, and the chance for the Jewish race to be repre- sented in drama and—” . ‘“‘ Our race has been represented in drama without getting on the stage,” said Mor- decai with a slow, bitter smile; ‘it is not needed for us to sham suffering—the suffer- ing is there too plainly.” ‘That’s just it,” said Pascal eagerly, ‘that’s just what I needsomebody who has suffered to show it—to portray it—to express it—through the medium of the stage. Here is the play—listen.” And while Pascal talked and sketched the play, incidentally mentioning the salary and a few other matters, Mordecai sat and looked at him with hardly any expression on his mobile face. It was only when Pascal was finished that he permitted himself to show emo- tion. He rose, drew himself up to his full height, and said: ‘““Mr. Pascal, I am indeed grateful to you—for what you think is an opportunity for me—for your saying that I would make an ideal actor, for everything you say— but ’—he covered his face with his hands for a moment; then he looked up—tragedy and sorrow without a mask—“ you want that for money and for fame I should bring before the footlights the soul of*our people —you want that I should sell their souls for the amusements of others! God of our fathers! Has the day come when all will make light of our ancestors—of our cus- toms, our traditions—of our hearts and souls—for money and personal gratifica- tion? Hear me”—and he turned fiercely upon Pascal—“ you seek to ruin what is our only defense, our only protection—solidar- ity. You want that I—Mordecai—should bring forth in mockery what is burning in my soul and eating out my heart! You want that I—Mordecai—should in the play cast off my daughter for going on the stage against my ideals! How much more then should I cast myself off for going on the stage against my own and my people’s ideals! Oh, my God! Hear me! Protect me against this desecratiori—this invasion ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. against the lives of your children—against our thoughts—against the sanctuary of our souls!” He was speaking with all the fervor of the religious devotee—with the belief of the seeker and student of truth. Pascal watched him with admiration and regret. He knew that if he could get that figure and that voice and those thoughts on the stage he would score a triumph over the souls of his audience. But he had to admit the argu- ments of Mordecai against the grosser argu- ments of his profession. And it hurt. But he could play the game. David Pascal stood up quietly, held out his hamd, and said: ‘You are right, I am wrong. I am sorry I spoke of this to you, and enraged you. But let us part friends. It has been a priv- elege to know you.” The other grasped his hand and looked long and searchingly at him. And then, with a sigh, he settled back in his chair, and taking up his book, started reading again, apparently oblivious to all else. The next morning a young actor with a suit-case in his hand ran up the steps to Pascal’s office. The attendant was no- where around, so Murray Edwards looked in his bag to see that all the necessary things were there: there was the suit of tattered clothes, the long white beard and thin white wig, the decrepit shoes and the box of make-up. Chuckling to himself, he closed the bag, just as the secretary stepped in. ; Murray handed him his card with the remark that he wanted to see Mr. Pascal personally. | ‘For what purpose?” “Tell him that Mordecai wishes to see him about that new Jewish playehe is put- ting on.” But the secretary made no move. “T am sorry, Mr. Edwards,” he said, “but Mr. Pascal is out of town. And be- fore he left he gave orders that he wished to see no more applicants for the type as, through something that intervened sester- day, he decided to abandon the whole idea —he has given up the idea of this Jewish play entirely.” comicloool C©