If it were
a profound struggle for something that was coming to life in us, a
struggle that we were convinced would bring us to a new freedom, a
new life, then it would be a creative activity, a creative activity
in which death is a climax in the progression towards new being. And
this is tragedy.
Therefore, if we could but comprehend or feel the tragedy in the
great Labour struggle, the intrinsic tragedy of having to pass
through death to birth, our souls would still know some happiness,
the very happiness of creative suffering. Instead of which we pile
accident on accident, we tear the fabric of our existence fibre by
fibre, we confidently look forward to the time when the whole great
structure will come down on our heads. Yet after all that, when we
are squirming under the debris, we shall have no more faith or hope
or satisfaction than we have now. We shall crawl from under one
cart-wheel straight under another.
The essence of tragedy, which is creative crisis, is that a man
should go through with his fate, and not dodge it and go bumping into
an accident. And the whole business of life, at the great critical
periods of mankind, is that men should accept and be one with their
tragedy. Therefore we should open our hearts. For one thing we
should have a People's Theatre. Perhaps it would help us in this
hour of confusion better than anything.
HERMITAGE,
June, 1919.
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