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Won’t you come in and have something?
No, thank you. Good gracious—hot meat at night!
It is much more holesome in the long run—and a little more economical, too.
Now you mustn’t think that Thomas and I are spendthrifts.
Not you, my dear; Is he not at home?
No, he went out for a little turn after supper—he and the boys.
I doubt if that is a wise thing to do. I fancy I hear him coming now.
No, I don’t think it is he. Come in! Oh, it is you, Mr. Hovstad!
Good evening. I hope you will forgive me, but I was delayed at the printers.
Good evening, Mr. Mayor.
You have come on business, no doubt.
Partly.
There is an excellent spirit of toleration in the town.
And it all springs from the fact of our having a great
common interest to unite us—an interest that is in an equally
high degree the concern of every right-minded citizen.
The Baths, yes.
Exactly—our fine, new, handsome Baths. Mark my words, Mr. Hovstad
the Baths will become the focus of our municipal life! Not a doubt of it!
That is just what Thomas says.
Think how extraordinarily the place has developed within the last year or two!
Houses and landed property are rising in value every day.
Well, the doctor’s article will come in very suitably.
Has he been writing something just lately?
This is something he wrote in the winter winter; a recommendation of
the Baths—an account of the excellent sanitary conditions here.
But I held the article over, temporarily. — Some little difficulty about it, I suppose?
No, not at all; I thought it would be better to wait until the spring,
Look here—here is another guest for you, Katherine.
I met him in the street and could hardly persuade him to come up!
But, Thomas, don’t you see—?
Oh, is it you, Peter? There is some toddy just coming in.
Unfortunately I must go in a moment—
It is a splendid time to live in! It is as if a
whole new world were being created around one.
Do you really think so?
Ah, naturally you can’t appreciate it as keenly as I. You have lived all
your life in these surroundings, and your impressions have
been blunted. But I, who have been buried all these years in my
little corner up north, almost without ever seeing a stranger
who might bring new ideas with him— well, in my case it
has just the same effect as if I had been transported into
the middle of a crowded city.
Oh, a city—!
I know, I know; it is all cramped enough here, compared with many
other places. But there is life here—there is promise— there are
innumerable things to work for and fight for; and that is the main
thing. Katherine, hasn’t the postman been here?
No.
And then to be comfortably off, Peter! That is something one learns to value,
when one has been on the brink of starvation, as we have.
Oh, surely—
Indeed I can assure you we have often been very hard put to it, up there.
No, I don’t intend that to appear just for the present.
Why not? It seems to me that this would be the most opportune moment.
Yes, very likely—under normal conditions.
Is there anything abnormal about the present conditions?
To tell you the truth, Peter, I can’t say just at this moment.
I should have imagined that I, as Chairman of the governing body of the Baths—
And I should have imagined that I—
Oh, come, don’t let us fly out at one another, Peter.
Have you been teaching in the evening school again today?
Two hours.
And four hours of school in the morning?
Five hours.
And you have still got exercises to correct, I see.
A whole heap, yes.
You are pretty full up with work too, it seems to me.
Yes—but that is good.
Do you like that? - Yes, because one sleeps so well then.
You must be dreadfully wicked, Petra.
Wicked?
Yes, because you work so much. Mr. Rorlund says work is a punishment for our sins.
I am sure that is not true.
There is so much falsehood both at home and at school.
Tell lies?
Don’t you suppose we have to teach them all sorts of things that we don’t believe?
That is perfectly true.
If only I had the means, I would start a school of my own;
and it would be conducted on very different lines.
I shall be delighted to provide you with a schoolroom.
The great big old house my father left me is standing almost empty.
Thank you very much; but I am afraid nothing will come of it.
Miss Petra is much more likely to take to journalism, I expect.
No, not yet.
Well, now the town will have something new to talk about,
I can tell you! A great discovery, Katherine.
What discouvery? - A great discouvery.
What is this?
Only give me time, and you shall know all about it. If only I had Peter here now!
Isn’t it the universal opinion that our town is a healthy spot?
A place that deserves to be recommended in the warmest possible
manner either for invalids or for people who are well—
Yes, but my dear Thomas—
And we have been recommending it and praising it—I have written
and written, both in the “Messenger” and in pamphlets...
Well, what then?
Quite so. Well, do you know what they really are, these great, splendid,
much praised Baths, that have cost so much money—
do you know what they are?
No, what are they?
Yes, what are they?
The whole place is a pest-house!
The Baths, father?
Our Baths?
Of course I have prepared a report for the Baths Committee;
I have had it ready for a week, and was only
waiting for this to come. Now it shall go off at once.
What do you think Uncle Peter will say, father?
I should think he would be very glad that such an
important truth has been brought to light.
Will you let me print a short note about your discovery in the “Messenger?
I shall be very much obliged if you will.
Doctor, you are going to be the foremost man in the town!
Nonsense! As a matter of fact I have done nothing more than my duty.
Don’t you think the town ought to give Dr. Stockmann some sort of testimonial?
No, my good friends, don’t let us have any of that nonsense.
I won’t hear anything of the kind. And if the Baths Committee should
think of voting me an increase of salary, I will not accept it.
Do you hear, Katherine? I won’t accept it.
Your health, Doctor! Good health!
...when they laid the conduit pipes where they are now?
No, of course that was a great piece of stupidity on their part.
But that is going to be set right now.
Do you think that will be all such plain sailing?
Plain sailing or no, it has got to be done, anyway.
Yes, provided the press takes up the question.
I don’t think that will be necessary, my dear fellow, I am certain my brother—
I am inclined to take the matter up.
In the paper?
Yes. When I took over the “People’s Messenger” my idea was to break up this
ring of self-opinionated old fossils who had got hold of all the influence.
But you know you told me what the result had been; you nearly ruined your paper.
Yes, at the time we were obliged to climb down a peg or two, it is quite true—
because there was a danger of the whole project of the Baths coming to nothing
But now the scheme has been carried through,
and we can dispense with these grand gentlemen.
But, we owe them a great debt of gratitude.
That shall be recognised ungrudgingly,
I am of humble origin, as you know; and that has given me opportunities of
knowing what is the most crying need in the humbler ranks of life.
It is that they should be allowed some part in the direction of public
affairs. That is what will develop their
faculties and intelligence and self respect.
exception to a reasonable and frank expression of a citizen’s views.
Thank you! I can’t tell you, dear Mr. Aslaksen, how extremely pleased
I am to find such hearty support among my fellow-citizens.
I am delighted—delighted!
I am going into town now to talk this over with one or two
householders, and prepare the ground.
I really cannot understand the necessity for all these precautions.
The authorities are somewhat slow to move, Doctor.
We are going to stir them up in the paper tomorrow, Aslaksen.
I have gathered my experience in the school of life.
Well, I must say goodbye, Doctor. You know now that
we small tradesmen are at your back at all events,
like a solid wall. You have the compact majority on your side Doctor.
I am very much obliged, dear Mr. Aslaksen,
Goodbye, goodbye.
I have not, as I remarked before, been able to convince
myself that there is actually any imminent danger.
You have! It is impossible that you should not be convinced.
And you know it very well, Peter, only you won’t acknowledge it.
It was owing to your action that both the Baths and the water conduits
were built where they are.
Do you suppose I don’t see through you?
Stop!
On your position!
Maximal concentration!
Don't forget the mise en ecene, rythm and text!
If I perhaps guard my reputation somewhat anxiously, it is in the interests of the town.
it appears to me to be a matter of importance that
your report should not be delivered to the Committee.
I am afraid you will not be able to prevent that now, my dear Peter.
It must and shall be prevented.
There are too many people that know about it.
Who? Surely you don’t mean those fellows on the “People’s Messenger”?
Yes, they know. The liberal independent pressis going to see that you do your duty.
You are an extraordinarily independent man, Thomas.
Have you given no thought to the consequences this may have for yourself?
Consequences?—for me?
For you and yours, yes.
I must tell you the truth, Thomas.
You complain of the authorities, you even complain of the government
you insist that you have been neglected and persecuted.
But what else can such a cantankerous man as you expect?
What next! Cantankerous, am I?
Yes, Thomas.
You seem completely to forget that it is me you have to
thank for your appointment here as medical officer to the Baths.
I was entitled to it as a matter of course!
I and nobody else! I was the first person to see
that the town could be made into a flourishing wateringplace,
and I was the only one who saw it at that time.
I had to fight single-handed in support of the idea
many years; and I wrote and wrote—
To my mind the whole thing only seems to mean that you
are seeking another outlet for your combativeness.
You cannot put up with any authority over you.
You look askance at anyone who occupies a superior official position;
you regard him as a personal enemy, and then any stick
is good enough to beat him with.
So it will be necessary for you to refute them publicly.
Stop!
1...2...3...4...5
Are you ok?
Can we countinue?
Get closer! Box!
you have no right to express any opinion which runs contrary of your superiors.
This is too much! I, a doctor, a man of science, have no right to—!
The matter in hand is not simply a scientific one.
It is a complicated matter, and has its economic as well as its technical side.
I don’t care what it is! I intend to be free
to express my opinion on any subject under the sun.
Stop!
1...2...3...4...5...6
Are you ok?
Yes? Do you know your line?
Yes? Say it to me?
Get closer!
Text!
I forbid it—I, your chief; and if I forbid it, you have to obey.
Peter—if you were not my brother—
This will entail for your family
You will find yourself again without the means of subsistence,
with no income to count upon. I should think we had had
enough of that in the old days. Remember that, Thomas;
think what that means.
And this is what this slavery can bring upon a free,
honourable man! Isn’t it horrible, Katherine?
Yes, it is sinful to treat you so, it is perfectly true.
No, even if the whole world goes to pieces, I will never bow my neck to this yokel
Noises, noises, noises all around!
Noises in school, during the classes. Noises at home.
Noises in the city.
City has become a madhouse.
Living with Stockmann isn't so easy.
Exept in the lab, he is not so skillfull to see what is going around.
I am a man with a conscience, and that is the whole matter.
If you attack the government, you don’t do the
community any harm, anyway; those fellows pay no
attention to attacks, you see—they go on just as they
are, in spite of them. But local authorities are different;
they can be turned out, and then perhaps you may get an
ignorant lot into office who may do irreparable harm to
the householders and everybody else.
My heart is still with the people; but I don’t deny that my reason
has a certain bias towards the authorities—the local ones, I mean.
Hm!—that’s it, is it.
At a provisional estimate, the alterations that the Medical Officer
asserts to be desirable will cost somewhere about twenty thousand pounds.
That is a lot of money, but—
Of course it will be necessary to raise a municipal loan.
The gentlemen who own the Baths ought to provide that.
The proprietors of the Baths are not in a position to incur any further expense.
If the town wants these very extensive alterations, it will have to pay for them.
This is quite another matter.
It is, indeed.
The most fatal part of it is that we shall be obliged to shut the Baths for a couple of years.
Shut them? -For two years?
Yes, the work will take as long as that— at least.
Then I must say it is absolutely unjustifiable of Dr. Stockmann—I beg your pardon.
After this, do you mean to give him your support, Mr. Hovstad?
Can you suppose for a moment that I—?
It is because all the men in this town are old women—like you;
they all think of nothing but their families, and never of the community.
Then I will show them that an old woman can be a
man for once. I am going to stand by you, Thomas!
I go to every public meeting, I do.
I think we have to elect a President.
No, no there is no need.
A President!
We need a president who is going to manage the debate.
There won't be any debate. I'll say what I have to, and that's all.
A President!
Well, I consider the will of majority. You may elect a President.
I propose for a President Mr. Mayor.
Mayor!
For various reasons, which you will easily understand,
I must beg to be excused. But fortunately we have
amongst us a man who I think will be acceptable to you all.
I refer to the President of the Householders’ Association, Mr. Aslaksen.
Aslaksen!
Since my fellow-citizens choose to entrust me with this duty, I cannot refuse.
Mr. Aslaksen was elected with enthusiasm.
I am a quiet and peaceable man, who believes in discreet moderation,
our water supply is poisoned and our medicinal Baths are standing on pestiferous soil.
I propose a resolution as follows:
“This meeting declares that it considers Dr. Thomas Stockmann,
to be an enemy of the people.”
Enemy of the people!
Peter—you are the most disgusting plebeian I have ever met in all my life.
All is over between us. We have a weapon against you now.
Katherine, you must have the floor scrubbed after him!
I should think you have got enough to-day of that oxygen.