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    Strife: "Idealism increases in direct proportion to one's distance from the problem."
    Strife: "Idealism increases in direct proportion to one's distance from the problem."
    Strife: "Idealism increases in direct proportion to one's distance from the problem."
    Ebook99 pages1 hour

    Strife: "Idealism increases in direct proportion to one's distance from the problem."

    By John Galsworthy

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    John Galsworthy first published in 1897 with a collection of short stories entitled “The Four Winds”. For the next 7 years he published these and all works under his pen name John Sinjohn. It was only upon the death of his father and the publication of “The Island Pharisees” in 1904 that he published as John Galsworthy. His first play was The Silver Box, an immediate success when it debuted in 1906 and was followed by “The Man of Property" later that same year and was the first in the Forsyte trilogy. Whilst today he is far more well know as a Nobel Prize winning novelist then he was considered a playwright dealing with social issues and the class system. We publish here ‘Strife’ a great example of both his writing and his demonstration of how the class system worked at the time. He was appointed to the Order of Merit in 1929, after earlier turning down a knighthood, and awarded the Nobel Prize in 1932 though he was too ill to attend. John Galsworthy died from a brain tumour at his London home, Grove Lodge, Hampstead on January 31st 1933. In accordance with his will he was cremated at Woking with his ashes then being scattered over the South Downs from an aeroplane.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCopyright Group
    Release dateNov 19, 2013
    ISBN9781783946228
    Strife: "Idealism increases in direct proportion to one's distance from the problem."
    Author

    John Galsworthy

    John Galsworthy was a Nobel-Prize (1932) winning English dramatist, novelist, and poet born to an upper-middle class family in Surrey, England. He attended Harrow and trained as a barrister at New College, Oxford. Although called to the bar in 1890, rather than practise law, Galsworthy travelled extensively and began to write. It was as a playwright Galsworthy had his first success. His plays—like his most famous work, the series of novels comprising The Forsyte Saga—dealt primarily with class and the social issues of the day, and he was especially harsh on the class from which he himself came.

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      Book preview

      Strife - John Galsworthy

      Strife by John Galsworthy

      A DRAMA IN THREE ACTS

      John Galsworthy first published in 1897 with a collection of short stories entitled The Four Winds.  For the next 7 years he published these and all works under his pen name John Sinjohn.  It was only upon the death of his father and the publication of The Island Pharisees in 1904 that he published as John Galsworthy.  His first play was The Silver Box, an immediate success when it debuted in 1906 and was followed by The Man of Property later that same year and was the first in the Forsyte trilogy.   Whilst today he is far more well know as a Nobel Prize winning novelist then he was considered a playwright dealing with social issues and the class system.  We publish here ‘Strife’ a great example of both his writing and his demonstration of how the class system worked at the time. He was appointed to the Order of Merit in 1929, after earlier turning down a knighthood, and awarded the Nobel Prize in 1932 though he was too ill to attend. John Galsworthy died from a brain tumour at his London home, Grove Lodge, Hampstead on January 31st 1933. In accordance with his will he was cremated at Woking with his ashes then being scattered over the South Downs from an aeroplane.

      Index Of Contents

      Persons Of The Play

      ACT I

      ACT II

      ACT III

      John Galsworthy – A Short Biography

      PERSONS OF THE PLAY

           JOHN ANTHONY, Chairman of the Trenartha Tin Plate Works

           EDGAR ANTHONY, his Son

           FREDERIC H. WILDER, }

           WILLIAM SCANTLEBURY, } Directors Of the same

           OLIVER WANKLIN,       }

           HENRY TENCH, Secretary of the same

           FRANCIS UNDERWOOD, C.E., Manager of the same

           SIMON HARNESS, a Trades Union official

           DAVID ROBERTS,   }

           JAMES GREEN,     }

           JOHN BULGIN,     } the workmen's committee

           HENRY THOMAS,    }

           GEORGE ROUS,     }

           HENRY ROUS,       }

           LEWIS,                }

           JAGO,                 }

           EVANS,                } workman at the Trenartha Tin Plate Works

           A BLACKSMITH,  }

           DAVIES,               }

           A RED-HAIRED YOUTH. }

           BROWN                 }

           FROST, valet to John Anthony

           ENID UNDERWOOD, Wife of Francis Underwood, daughter of John Anthony

           ANNIE ROBERTS, wife of David Roberts

           MADGE THOMAS, daughter of Henry Thomas

           MRS. ROUS, mother of George and Henry Rous

           MRS. BULGIN, wife of John Bulgin

           MRS. YEO, wife of a workman

           A PARLOURMAID to the Underwoods

           JAN, Madge's brother, a boy of ten

           A CROWD OF MEN ON STRIKE

      ACT I.  The dining-room of the Manager's house.

      ACT II,

              SCENE I.  The kitchen of the Roberts's cottage near the works.

              SCENE II.  A space outside the works.

      ACT III.  The drawing-room of the Manager's house.

      The action takes place on February 7th between the hours of noon and six in the afternoon, close to the Trenartha Tin Plate Works, on the borders of England and Wales, where a strike has been in progress throughout the winter.

      ACT I

      It is noon. In the Underwoods' dining-room a bright fire is burning. On one side of the fireplace are double-doors leading to the drawing-room, on the other side a door leading to the hall. In the centre of the room a long dining-table without a cloth is set out as a Board table. At the head of it, in the Chairman's seat, sits JOHN ANTHONY, an old man, big, clean-shaven, and high-coloured, with thick white hair, and thick dark eyebrows. His movements are rather slow and feeble, but his eyes are very much alive. There is a glass of water by his side. On his right sits his son EDGAR, an earnest-looking man of thirty, reading a newspaper. Next him WANKLIN, a man with jutting eyebrows, and silver-streaked light hair, is bending over transfer papers. TENCH, the Secretary, a short and rather humble, nervous man, with side whiskers, stands helping him. On WANKLIN'S right sits UNDERWOOD, the Manager, a quiet man, with a long, stiff jaw, and steady eyes. Back to the fire is SCANTLEBURY, a very large, pale, sleepy man, with grey hair, rather bald. Between him and the Chairman are two empty chairs.

      WILDER. [Who is lean, cadaverous, and complaining, with drooping grey moustaches, stands before the fire.] I say, this fire's the devil! Can I have a screen, Tench?

      SCANTLEBURY. A screen, ah!

      TENCH. Certainly, Mr. Wilder. [He looks at UNDERWOOD.] That is, perhaps the Manager, perhaps Mr. Underwood—

      SCANTLEBURY. These fireplaces of yours, Underwood—

      UNDERWOOD. [Roused from studying some papers.] A screen? Rather! I'm sorry. [He goes to the door with a little smile.] We're not accustomed to complaints of too much fire down here just now.

      [He speaks as though he holds a pipe between his teeth, slowly, ironically.]

      WILDER. [In an injured voice.] You mean the men. H'm!

      [UNDERWOOD goes out.]

      SCANTLEBURY. Poor devils!

      WILDER. It's their own fault, Scantlebury.

      EDGAR. [Holding out his paper.] There's great distress among them, according to the Trenartha News.

      WILDER. Oh, that rag! Give it to Wanklin. Suit his Radical views. They call us monsters, I suppose. The editor of that rubbish ought to be shot.

      EDGAR. [Reading.] If the Board of worthy gentlemen who control the Trenartha Tin Plate Works from their arm-chairs in London would condescend to come and see for themselves the conditions prevailing amongst their work-people during this strike

      WILDER. Well, we have come.

      EDGAR. [Continuing.] We cannot believe that even their leg-of-mutton hearts would remain untouched.

      [WANKLIN takes the paper from him.]

      WILDER. Ruffian! I remember that fellow when he hadn't a penny to his name; little snivel of a chap that's made his way by black-guarding everybody who takes a different view to himself.

      [ANTHONY says something that is not heard.]

      WILDER. What does your father say?

      EDGAR. He says The kettle and the pot.

      WILDER. H'm!

      [He sits down next to SCANTLEBURY.]

      SCANTLEBURY. [Blowing out his cheeks.] I shall boil if I don't get that screen.

      [UNDERWOOD and ENID enter with a screen, which they place before the fire. ENID is tall; she has a small, decided face, and is twenty-eight years old.]

      ENID. Put it closer, Frank. Will that do, Mr. Wilder? It's the highest we've got.

      WILDER. Thanks, capitally.

      SCANTLEBURY. [Turning, with a sigh of pleasure.] Ah! Merci, Madame!

      ENID. Is there anything else you want, Father? [ANTHONY shakes his head.] Edgar—anything?

      EDGAR. You might give me a J nib, old girl.

      ENID. There are some down there by Mr. Scantlebury.

      SCANTLEBURY. [Handing a little box of nibs.] Ah! your brother uses J's. What does the manager use? [With expansive politeness.] What does your husband use, Mrs. Underwood?

      UNDERWOOD. A quill!

      SCANTLEBURY. The homely product of the goose. [He holds out quills.]

      UNDERWOOD. [Drily.] Thanks, if you can spare me one. [He takes a quill.] What about lunch, Enid?

      ENID. [Stopping at the double-doors and looking back.] We're going to have lunch here, in the drawing-room, so you needn't hurry with your meeting.

      [WANKLIN and WILDER bow, and she goes out.]

      SCANTLEBURY. [Rousing himself, suddenly.] Ah! Lunch! That hotel— Dreadful! Did you try the whitebait last night? Fried fat!

      WILDER. Past twelve! Are n't you going to read the minutes, Tench?

      TENCH. [Looking for the CHAIRMAN'S assent, reads in a rapid and monotonous voice.] "At a Board Meeting held the 31st of January at the Company's Offices, 512, Cannon Street, E.C. Present—Mr. Anthony in the chair, Messrs. F. H. Wilder, William Scantlebury, Oliver Wanklin, and Edgar Anthony. Read letters from

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