An Enemy of the People
Mrs. Stockmann. But this is too shameful! Why should every one turn
against you like that?
Dr. Stockmann (angrily). I will tell you why. 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.
Mrs. Stockmann (putting her arm into his). Then I will show them that
an old woman can be a man for once. I am going to stand by you, Thomas!
Dr. Stockmann. Bravely said, Katherine! It shall be made public—as I
am a living soul! If I can't hire a hall, I shall hire a drum, and
parade the town with it and read it at every street-corner.
Peter Stockmann. You are surely not such an errant fool as that!
Dr. Stockmann. Yes, I am.
Aslaksen. You won't find a single man in the whole town to go with you.
Billing. No, I'm damned if you will.
Mrs. Stockmann. Don't give in, Thomas. I will tell the boys to go with
you.
Dr. Stockmann. That is a splendid idea!
Mrs. Stockmann. Morten will be delighted; and Ejlif will do whatever he
does.
Dr. Stockmann. Yes, and Petra!—and you too, Katherine!
Mrs. Stockmann. No, I won't do that; but I will stand at the window and
watch you, that's what I will do.
Dr. Stockmann (puts his arms round her and kisses her). Thank you, my
dear! Now you and I are going to try a fall, my fine gentlemen! I am
going to see whether a pack of cowards can succeed in gagging a patriot
who wants to purify society! (He and his wife go out by the street
door.)
Peter Stockmann (shaking his head seriously). Now he has sent her out
of her senses, too.
ACT IV
(SCENE.—A big old-fashioned room in CAPTAIN HORSTER'S house. At the
back folding-doors, which are standing open, lead to an ante-room.
Three windows in the left-hand wall. In the middle of the opposite wall
a platform has been erected. On this is a small table with two candles,
a water-bottle and glass, and a bell. The room is lit by lamps placed
between the windows. In the foreground on the left there is a table
with candles and a chair. To the right is a door and some chairs
standing near it. The room is nearly filled with a crowd of townspeople
of all sorts, a few women and schoolboys being amongst them. People are
still streaming in from the back, and the room is soon filled.)
1st Citizen (meeting another). Hullo, Lamstad! You here too?
2nd Citizen. I go to every public meeting, I do.
3rd Citizen. Brought your whistle too, I expect!
2nd Citizen. I should think so. Haven't you?
3rd Citizen. Rather! And old Evensen said he was going to bring a
cow-horn, he did.
2nd Citizen. Good old Evensen! (Laughter among the crowd.)
4th Citizen (coming up to them). I say, tell me what is going on here
tonight?
2nd Citizen. Dr. Stockmann is going to deliver an address attacking the
Mayor.
4th Citizen. But the Mayor is his brother.
1st Citizen. That doesn't matter; Dr. Stockmann's not the chap to be
afraid.
3rd Citizen. But he is in the wrong; it said so in the “People’s
Messenger.”
2nd Citizen. Yes, I expect he must be in the wrong this time, because neither
the Householders’ Association nor the Citizens’ Club would lend him
their hall for his meeting.
1st Citizen. He couldn’t even get the loan of the hall at the Baths.
2nd Citizen. No, I should think not.
A Man in another part of the crowd. I say—who are we to back up in this?
Another Man, beside him. Watch Aslaksen, and do as he does.
Billing (pushing his way through the crowd, with a writing-case under his arm).
Excuse me, gentlemen—do you mind letting me through? I am reporting for the
“People’s Messenger.” Thank you very much! (He sits down at
the table on the left.)
A Workman. Who was that?
Second Workman. Don’t you know him? It’s Billing, who writes for
Aslaksen’s paper.
(CAPTAIN HORSTER brings in MRS. STOCKMANN and PETRA through the door on the
right. EJLIF and MORTEN follow them in.)
Horster. I thought you might all sit here; you can slip out easily from here,
if things get too lively.
Mrs. Stockmann. Do you think there will be a disturbance?
Horster. One can never tell—with such a crowd. But sit down, and don’t
be uneasy.
Mrs. Stockmann (sitting down). It was extremely kind of you to offer my husband
the room.
Horster. Well, if nobody else would—
Petra (who has sat down beside her mother). And it was a plucky thing to do,
Captain Horster.
Horster. Oh, it is not such a great matter as all that.
(HOVSTAD and ASLAKSEN make their way through the crowd.)
Aslaksen (going up to HORSTER). Has the Doctor not come yet?
Horster. He is waiting in the next room. (Movement in the crowd by the door
at the back.)
Hovstad. Look—here comes the Mayor!
Billing. Yes, I’m damned if he hasn’t come after all!
(PETER STOCKMANN makes his way gradually through the crowd, bows courteously,
and takes up a position by the wall on the left. Shortly afterwards Dr.
STOCKMANN comes in by the right-hand door. He is dressed in a black
frock-coat, with a white tie. There is a little feeble applause, which is
hushed down. Silence is obtained.)
Dr. Stockmann (in an undertone). How do you feel, Katherine?
Mrs. Stockmann. All right, thank you. (Lowering her voice.) Be sure not to lose
your temper, Thomas.
Dr. Stockmann. Oh, I know how to control myself.
(Looks at his watch, steps on to the platform, and bows. It is a quarter
past—so I will begin. (Takes his MS. out of his pocket).
Aslaksen. I think we ought to elect a chairman first.
Dr. Stockmann. No, it is quite unnecessary.
Some of the Crowd. Yes—yes!
Peter Stockmann. I certainly think too that we ought to have a chairman.
Dr. Stockmann. But I have called this meeting to deliver a lecture, Peter.
Peter Stockmann. Dr. Stockmann’s lecture may possibly lead to a
considerable conflict of opinion.
Voices in the Crowd. A chairman! A chairman !
Hovstad. The general wish of the meeting seems to be that a chairman should be
elected.
Dr. Stockmann (restraining himself). Very well—let the meeting have its way.
Aslaksen. Will the Mayor be good enough to undertake the task ?
Three Men (clapping their hands). Bravo! Bravo!
Peter Stockmann. 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.
Several voices. Yes—Aslaksen! Bravo Aslaksen!
(DR. STOCKMANN takes up his MS. and walks up and down the platform.)
Aslaksen. Since my fellow-citizens choose to entrust me with this duty,
I cannot refuse.
(Loud applause. ASLAKSEN mounts the platform.)
Billing (writing), "Mr. Aslaksen was elected with enthusiasm."
Aslaksen. And now, as I am in this position, I should like to say a few
brief words. I am a quiet and peaceable man, who believes in discreet
moderation, and—and—in moderate discretion. All my friends can bear
witness to that.
Several Voices. That's right! That's right, Aslaksen!
Aslaksen. I have learned in the school of life and experience that
moderation is the most valuable virtue a citizen can possess—
Peter Stockmann. Hear, hear!
Aslaksen. —And moreover, that discretion and moderation are what
enable a man to be of most service to the community. I would therefore
suggest to our esteemed fellow-citizen, who has called this meeting,
that he should strive to keep strictly within the bounds of moderation.
A Man by the door. Three cheers for the Moderation Society!
A Voice. Shame!
Several Voices. Sh!-Sh!
Aslaksen. No interruptions, gentlemen, please! Does anyone wish to make
any remarks?
Peter Stockmann. Mr. Chairman.
Aslaksen. The Mayor will address the meeting.
Peter Stockmann. In consideration of the close relationship in which,
as you all know, I stand to the present Medical Officer of the Baths, I
should have preferred not to speak this evening. But my official
position with regard to the Baths and my solicitude for the vital
interests of the town compel me to bring forward a motion. I venture to
presume that there is not a single one of our citizens present who
considers it desirable that unreliable and exaggerated accounts of the
sanitary condition of the Baths and the town should be spread abroad.
Several Voices. No, no! Certainly not! We protest against it!
Peter Stockmann. Therefore, I should like to propose that the meeting
should not permit the Medical Officer either to read or to comment on
his proposed lecture.
Dr. Stockmann (impatiently). Not permit—! What the devil—!
Mrs. Stockmann (coughing). Ahem!-ahem!
Dr. Stockmann (collecting himself). Very well, Go ahead!
Peter Stockmann. In my communication to the "People's Messenger," I
have put the essential facts before the public in such a way that every
fair-minded citizen can easily form his own opinion. From it you will
see that the main result of the Medical Officer's proposals—apart from
their constituting a vote of censure on the leading men of the
town—would be to saddle the ratepayers with an unnecessary expenditure
of at least some thousands of pounds.
(Sounds of disapproval among the audience, and some cat-calls.)
Aslaksen (ringing his bell). Silence, please, gentlemen! I beg to
support the Mayor's motion. I quite agree with him that there is
something behind this agitation started by the Doctor. He talks about
the Baths; but it is a revolution he is aiming at—he wants to get the
administration of the town put into new hands. No one doubts the
honesty of the Doctor's intentions—no one will suggest that there can
be any two opinions as to that, I myself am a believer in
self-government for the people, provided it does not fall too heavily
on the ratepayers. But that would be the case here; and that is why I
will see Dr. Stockmann damned—I beg your pardon—before I go with him
in the matter. You can pay too dearly for a thing sometimes; that is my
opinion.
(Loud applause on all sides.)
Hovstad. I, too, feel called upon to explain my position. Dr.
Stockmann's agitation appeared to be gaining a certain amount of
sympathy at first, so I supported it as impartially as I could. But
presently we had reason to suspect that we had allowed ourselves to be
misled by misrepresentation of the state of affairs—
Dr. Stockmann. Misrepresentation—!
Hovstad. Well, let us say a not entirely trustworthy representation.
The Mayor's statement has proved that. I hope no one here has any doubt
as to my liberal principles; the attitude of the "People's Messenger"
towards important political questions is well known to everyone. But
the advice of experienced and thoughtful men has convinced me that in
purely local matters a newspaper ought to proceed with a certain
caution.
Aslaksen. I entirely agree with the speaker.
Hovstad. And, in the matter before us, it is now an undoubted fact that
Dr. Stockmann has public opinion against him. Now, what is an editor's
first and most obvious duty, gentlemen? Is it not to work in harmony
with his readers? Has he not received a sort of tacit mandate to work
persistently and assiduously for the welfare of those whose opinions he
represents? Or is it possible I am mistaken in that?
Voices from the crowd. No, no! You are quite right!
Hovstad. It has cost me a severe struggle to break with a man in whose
house I have been lately a frequent guest—a man who till today has
been able to pride himself on the undivided goodwill of his
fellow-citizens—a man whose only, or at all events whose essential,
failing is that he is swayed by his heart rather than his head.
A few scattered voices. That is true! Bravo, Stockmann!
Hovstad. But my duty to the community obliged me to break with him. And
there is another consideration that impels me to oppose him, and, as