The Yiddish drama, before his time, had not
been looked upon with great favor, and there
was in this, as in other instances, an implica-
tion of the contempt that Americans not infre-
quently feel for the alien, and also a fear, on
the part of members of the older Jewish com-
munities, that the Yiddish theater might re-
tard the Americanization of the immigrant.

Mr. Gordin was one of our early friends, and
we found pleasure in our theater parties. The
audiences seemed scarcely less dramatic than
the performers, and we took sides, perhaps not
illogically, with the new school. Upon our
appearance interpreters from various parts of
the house were sure to offer their kind services.
The acting was of high grade, and the fame of
some of the performers has now gone far be-
yond the neighborhood and the city. The stage
during this period performed its time-honored
function of teaching and moralizing. One of
Gordin's plays that had many seasons of popu-
larity was "The Jewish King Lear." It de-
picted the endless clashing between the genera-
tions. The Shakespearean Cordelia, on the
Bowery stage, is the daughter of character who
longs for self-expression and becomes a physi-
cian. Another impressive play was "God, Man,
and the Devil." Here was preached the story
of man's fall, not because of poverty, but

-271-