[Note 13: The first poetry he ever tried to write, according to the author; but this is denied by Ed. de Lustonó. See _Nuestro Tiempo_, 1902, vol. I, pp. 155 ff.]
Although the pathetic figure of Laura is most affecting, the author did not fully reach the goal he had set for himself, yet "no mediocre mind or ordinary imagination could have conceived such vast thoughts."
=11.= _=Mariucha=, comedia en cinco actos._ Barcelona, Teatro Eldorado, July 16, 1903. Given for the first time in Madrid on Nov. 10, 1903. A fair success, especially in the provinces. The aristocratic portion of the Madrid public did not like it.
_Mariucha_ carries a moral aimed directly at the Spanish people. Like _Voluntad_, it preaches firm will and the gospel of labor; like _La de San Quintín_, it points out a new path which the decayed aristocracy may follow in order to found a renovated Spain. In the exaltation of stoicism (V, 4) it resembles _Realidad_. Clericalism does not enter into the discussion. Instead it is _caciquism_ which Galdós attacks in passing. The play overflows with daring and optimism; it is like a trumpet call summoning the Spanish youth to throw off the shackles of tradition and political tyranny, and to walk freely, confiding in its own strength. One's best impulses must be followed, no matter what ties may be broken or what feelings hurt in the process. We recognize here a favorite doctrine of Ibsen.
_Mariucha_ is not quite so good a drama as its theme deserves. The two chief characters suffer from the weight of the message they bear, and are, in fact, rather symbols than characters or even types. The play possesses, however, many interesting features. One is the fact that the "good angel" of the play is a priest. His figure proves that Galdós grew in sympathy for the representatives of religion, if not for bigots, as he grew older. Another is the protest against thoughtless charity, which fosters shiftlessness. Galdós gave expression to a different point of view in _Celia en los infiernos_.
=12.= _=El abuelo=, drama en cinco actos._ Madrid, Teatro Español, Feb. 14, 1904. Adapted from the "novela en cinco jornadas" of the same title (1897). Galdós' greatest public success, next to _Electra_.