SCENE 1

Hilary's office. Fittings not very modern. He is a manufacturer of sawn woodwork.

SECRETARY:

And e'en our good friends in St. Georgestown Declare that they too are dissatisfied.

MANAGER:

What? even they; it is deplorable. The self-same reasons too; 'tis plain to see With what regret and pain our friends announce That they can deal no more with Hilary.

SECRETARY:

Complaints of our unpunctuality And of the value of our goods compared With those produced by our competitors Reach us by post; and on my business trips Our clients meet me with the same old tale. The good name of this house is vanishing, By Hilary's forefathers handed down To us intact that we might heighten it. And men begin to think that Hilary Is swayed by dreamers and strange fantasies, And, thus obsessed, no longer can bestow The earnest care which he was wont to give To all the operations of the firm, Whose products were world-famous and unique. So many as were our admirers then So great is now the tale of those who blame.

MANAGER:

It is notorious that Hilary Long since hath let himself be led astray By seekers after some strange spirit gifts. To such pursuits he ever was inclined; But formerly he kept them separate From business and its workaday routine.

(Enter Hilary.)

MANAGER (to the Secretary):

It seems advisable to me to speak Alone with our employer for a while.

(Exit Secretary.)

MANAGER:

Anxiety it is that bids me seek An interview and earnest speech with thee.

HILARY:

Why then does my adviser feel concerned?

MANAGER:

Things happen constantly which bring to light A serious diminution in demand For what we manufacture; nor do we Produce as large an output as we should. There is besides an increase of complaints About the lower standard of our work, And other houses step in front of us. So too our well-known promptness hath declined As many clients truthfully attest. Ere long the best friends that remain to us No more will be content with Hilary.

HILARY:

Long have I been full well aware of this And yet indeed it leaves me unconcerned. But none the less I feel an urgent need To talk things over with thee; thou hast helped Not only as the servant of my house, But also as my dear and trusted friend. And so I shall speak plainly to thee now Of matters which I oft have hinted at. Whoever wills to bring the new things in Must be content to let the old things die. Henceforth the business will be carried on In different ways from those it knew before. Production, that but stays in straitest bounds And without care doth offer up its fruits Upon the market of our earthly life Regardless of the uses they may find, Doth seem so trivial and of little worth, Since I have come to know the noble form Work can assume when shaped by spirit-men. From this time forth Thomasius shall be Directing artist in the workshops here, Which I shall build for him close to our works. So will the product made by our machines Be moulded by his will in artist-forms And thus supply for daily human need The useful with the exquisite combined, Art and production shall become one whole And daily life by taste be beautified. So will I add to these dead forms of sense, For thus do I regard our output now, A soul, whereby they may be justified.

MANAGER (after long reflection):

The plan to fabricate such wonder-wares Suits not the spirit of our present age. The aim of all production now must be Complete perfection in some narrow groove. The powers which work impersonally, and pour The part into the whole in active streams, Confer unthinkingly upon each link A worth that is by wisdom not bestowed. And were this obstacle not in thy path Yet would thy purpose none the less be vain. That thou shouldst find a man to realize The plan thou hast so charmingly conceived Passeth belief, at least it passeth mine.

HILARY:

Thou knowest, friend, I do not dream vain dreams. How should I aim at such a lofty goal Had not kind fate already brought to me The man to realize what I propose? I am amazed that thine eyes cannot see That Strader is, in fact, this very man. And one who, knowing this man's inner self, And his own duty to humanity, Conceives one of his duties to be this; To find a field of work for such a man, A dreamer is no proper name for him.

MANAGER (after manifesting some surprise):

Am I to look on Strader as this man? In his case hath it not been manifest How easily deluded mortals are Who lack the power to know realities? That his contrivance owes to spirit-light Its origin doth not admit of doubt. And if it can sometime be perfected Those benefits will doubtless pour therefrom Which Strader thought he had already won. But a mere model it will long remain Seeing those forces are still undisclosed Whose power alone will give reality. I am distressed to find that thou dost hope Good will result from giving up thy plant Unto a man who came to grief himself With his own carefully contrived machine. 'Tis true it led his spirit up to heights Which ever will entice the souls of men, But which will only then be scaled by him When he hath made the rightful powers his own.

HILARY:

That thou must praise the spirit of this man And yet seek'st cause to overthrow his work Doth prove most clearly that his worth is great. The fault, thou sayest, did not lie in him, That failure rather than success was his. Among us therefore he will surely find His proper place; for here there will not be External hindrances to thwart his plans.

MANAGER:

And if, despite what I have just now said, I were to strive within myself and try To tune my reason to thy mode of thought, Still one more point compels me to object. Who will in future value this thy work? Or show such comprehension of thine aims As to make use of what thou mayst have made? Thy property will all be swallowed up Before thy business hath been well begun, And then it can no more be carried on.

HILARY:

I willingly admit my plans would show Themselves imperfect, if amongst mankind True comprehension were not first aroused For this new kind and style of handicraft. What Strader and Thomasius create Must be perfected in the Sanctuary Which I shall build for spirit knowledge here. What Benedictus, what Capesius And what Maria yonder shall impart Will show to man the path that he should tread And make him feel the need to penetrate His human senses with the spirit's light.

MANAGER:

And so thou wouldst endow a little clique To live self-centred, from the world apart, And shut thyself from all true human life. Thou fain wouldst banish selfishness on earth Yet wilt thou cherish it in thy retreat.

HILARY:

A dreamer, it would seem, thou thinkest me, Who thoughtlessly denies experience That life hath brought him. Thus should I appear Unto myself if, for one moment's space, I held this view thou hast about success. The cause that I hold dear may fail indeed, Yet even if, despised by all mankind It crumbles into dust and disappears, Yet was it once conceived by human souls And set up as a pattern on this earth. In spirit it will work its way in life Although it stay not in the world of sense. It will contribute part of that great power Which in the end will make it come to pass That earthly deeds are wed to spirit aims; This in the spirit-wisdom is foretold.

MANAGER:

I am thy servant and have had my say As duty and conviction bade me speak; Yet now the attitude thou hast assumed Gives me the right to speak as friend to friend. In work together with thee I have felt Myself impelled for many a year to seek A personal knowledge of the things to which Thou giv'st thyself with such self-sacrifice; My only guides have been the written words Wherein the spirit-wisdom is revealed.-- And though the worlds are hidden from my gaze To which those writings had directed me, Yet in imagination I can feel The mental state of men whose simple trust Leads them to seek such spirit-verities. I have found confirmation in myself Of what the experts in this love describe, As being the possession of such souls As feel themselves at home in spirit realms. The all-important thing, it seems to me, Is that such souls, despite their utmost care, Cannot divide illusions from the Truth When they come down from out the spirit heights As come they must, back into earthly life. Then from the spirit world, so newly won, Visions descend upon them which prevent Their seeing clearly in the world of sense, And, thus misled, their judgment goes astray In things pertaining to this life on earth.

HILARY:

What thou wouldst raise as hindrance to my work Doth but confirm my purpose; thou hast proved That in thyself I now have one friend more To stand beside me in my search for truth. How could I have conjectured up till now Thy knowledge of the nature of those souls Who fain would come and join me in my task? Thou know'st the perils ever threat'ning them. So will their actions make it clear to thee That they know paths where they are kept from harm. Soon thou wilt doubtless know that this is so, And I shall find henceforth as in the past In thee a counsellor, who doth not fail.

MANAGER:

I cannot lend my strength to fashion deeds Whose processes I do not understand. Those men in whom thou trusted seem to me Misled by the illusion I have named: And others too, who listen to their words, Will victims to that same illusion fall Which doth o'erpower all thought that knows its goal. My help and counsel evermore shall be Thine to command as long as thou dost need Acts based upon experience on earth; But this new work of thine is not for me.

HILARY:

By thy refusal thou dost jeopardize A work designed to further spirit-aims. For I am hampered lacking thine advice. Consider how imperious is the call Of duty when fate designs to make a sign, And such a sign I cannot but behold In these men being here at our behest.

MANAGER:

The longer thou dost speak in such a strain More clearly dost thou prove thyself to me, The unconscious victim of illusion's spell. Thy purpose is to serve humanity, But in reality thou wilt but serve The group which, backed by thee, will have the means To carry on awhile its spirit-dream. Soon shall we here behold activities Ordained no doubt by spirit for these souls, But which will prove a mirage to ourselves And must destroy the harvest of our work.

HILARY:

If thou wilt not befriend me with thine aid Drear doth the future stretch before my soul.

(Enter Strader, left.)

HILARY:

Dear Strader, I have long expected thee. As things are now it seems advisable To spend the present time in serious talk And later on, decide what we shall do. My dear old friend hath just confessed to me That he can not approve what we have planned. So let us now hear counsel from the man Who promises his spirit to our work. Much now depends upon how at this time Men recognize each other in their souls, Who each to each seem like a separate world And yet united could accomplish much.

STRADER:

And so the loyal friend of Hilary Will not join with us in the hopeful work Which our friend's wisdom hath made possible? Yet can our plan alone be carried out If his proved skill in life be wisely joined In compact with the aims of future days.

MANAGER:

Not only will I hold aloof myself, But I would also make clear to my friend, That this design hath neither aim nor sense.

STRADER:

I do not wonder thou should'st hold that view Of any plan in which I am concerned. I saw a great inception come to grief Because today the forces still are hid Which turn clear thought to sense reality. 'Tis known I drew from spirit-light the thought, Which, though proved true, yet had no life on earth. This fact doth witness 'gainst my power to judge And also kills belief that spirit hides The source of true creation on the earth.

And 'twill be very difficult to prove That such experience hath giv'n me power Not to fall victim for the second time. For I must needs fall into error once That I may safely reach the land of truth.

Yet 'tis but natural men should doubt my word. Thy spirit outlook most especially Must find our wisdom promise little gain.

I hear thee praised for that keen sympathy Which goes out from thee to all spirit-life, And for the time and strength thou givest it. But it is also said that thou wouldst keep Thy work on earth severely separate From spirit-striving, which with its own powers Would work creatively in thy soul-life. To this pursuit thou wouldst devote alone Those hours which earthly labour doth not claim. The aim, however, of the spirit-tide Where I see clear life's evolution writ, Is to join spirit-work for spirit-ends To earthly labours in the world of sense.

MANAGER:

So long as spirit but to spirit gives All it can do in free creative might, It raiseth souls in human dignity And gives them reason in their life on earth. But when it seeks to live out its own self And over others' selves to domineer It straightway doth draw nigh the realm in which Illusion often can endanger truth. This knowledge unto which I have attained By personal effort in the spirit-world Doth make me act as I do act today; It is not personal preference, as thou, Misled by what is said of me, wouldst think.

STRADER:

An error 'tis in spirit-knowledge then That makes thee hostile to the views I hold. Through this will difficulties multiply. No doubt 'tis easy for the spirit-seer To work in partnership with other men Who have already let themselves be taught By life and nature what existence means. But when ideas which claim that they do spring From spirit sources join reluctantly With others flowing from the self-same source, One can but seldom hope for harmony.

(After a period of quiet meditation.)

Yet that which must will surely come to pass. Renewed examination of my plans ... Perhaps may make thee change the views, to which On first consideration thou dost cling.

Curtain whilst all three are sunk in reflection.