, 1877-09-09
PEOPLE WHO WRITE PLAYS,

+ uThere he is, Rob, coming right upon U.S.
let's dodge through the alley-quick! AND
awar they 60, the two comedians, rccklessly |
nluneinc through heaps of oYster-shclls and old
oane os if xuustat,1e was IN not pursuit. ClaeAS
s.s,r i,to the fresh air on another street Crane
vines his brow, and Robson dusts his boots, e&-
claiming, as he does 10, in accents Of despair
s.3Ian only is the common Zoe OF man,
aWcll, the Dangers over for a couple OF
hours, at any rate, - says Billy :" And now's leSs
s.eal round to the hotel and take rest"
Something like this experience nappcns at au
,verare Of once day in the life OF Inc popular
comedian Of the period. Or course tne Fe2oef
secs at a glance that they we're fleeing IN terror
from manuscript 6end. That is term OIL Gu
dcarment applied to people who "rite plays .,
ncopIe who act them. when an ac1of nnus
himself gently approached by mAa-manne'cu
stranger who has long admired ms talent' ana
xho proceeds to discuss the subject oi inc com-
fng American drama, he pulls ous Ills "A'et "AA1
runs off to catch the train.
The insurance bore IS dire, the oooh.asen' -
prieyons, but Of ali modern "henos toe "ola'
yct discovered is the manuscript memo oou.t-
r,p}t hcwails the decline Of the d1ama7 ana oe-
@,o-ss 1be da;lv dribbling away OF intellect
;nto the columns OF the newspaper press
nGhO0T 49,
:;1r IN connorison to the industry wasted in the
ao.,r.os;t;nn of great American dramas. And
nrohab}v no man has suffered more than Dion al
the hands Of the manuscript fcnd. People "no
rrrirc ,,lays assail him from all parts OF the coun
trr. They intrude upon his working hours anu
hore him in his leisure. They forget that man
Who ran earn when he chooses s100 per WORKING
hour should hardly be expected to employ nls
time IN revising and making prcscutao'e oInei
'noon1e;s trash. 4 lawyer charges regular ICY
for consultation, and no one thinks 1t out OF
'r1acc in q physician to ask an equsalent LOT n's
saI;ce Rut your manuscript fcnd coollS oe'
m,,ds of such men as Boucicauit, OF any ae'ol
or manager OF note, that he shall SURRENDER
<.ars;6cranle portion Of his time freely to hl:
service. L =; +o+,;h1.
.,rarcr from this plasue, says it is inconcetaos'
49, rnnbish that people apparently sane am
-~e,, informed arc capable Of pcrpetrat'ng IN tu
shane OF plays. Boucicault met man no. ,.,a aon'
aeo who introduced 'mSGu I'm 70 rit 3nb lis Sc convcrsa
t;o1,.1 ~, nowcrs, Dion said he had NOT nct q,
"n-e charming fellow in many 1cass. nts -; - y
I'VE That of an accomplished literary uau tn,a ~,
Wit and wisdom and knoWleusc orea,;nn ~ ovIm1 tn
~ ~ " 81 the close OF their conversation ~
iaen men ,,roa1ccd manuscript, and asked tne @ al
t.1a r. s0o oid pieces to look IT ofcr: ooue
,,n,cd thc rou, thinking to himself snrt =,
-a.,ins: he must have done sometu!uS or,,sa ~U.
wlile and he eave .onnt hSeI thcpe u ~ was hardly
1u,!n1,at;cai ~ sentence in the wonle Paece4 - -
nt sc;nt1liation, not the first 1a"n. u u,
n.;c 4os ;dca. The succeeding couoqa5 VI
highly amusing, s,t TO t,;s Is the most astonishn
..:.m 1,nTc eyer met with,'' ne sa1u, a loon4.
traa thc ,ay to the man and from Ing nuau -
1h. 1iUn NAV. ;E .:You don't mean to say lpa' y
wrote this-this thing" ,;1a s.Ycs.
His visitor smiled Gratlheo snrnv anas,ia von
.L..n1,t IN would like 1t, and, wou,u 3g1 80.
nnonIt nara - This is actually the first play Ct
"1oI Pint the thing is an impossd6tiistynt 4 5a ~
po,i,ault: .syou are utterly 1nEap' 49, ~ =,
ing dune such work - as 1n1s' oou-o'
arc n 1mposrn nan assured M him that he was the sc
authS5; !: R,'t tell you, persisted Dion THAT
oo,Idu,f have done it. why, !, sA' ~
am5 = tnok him some time to peEsuaue a.,
acinS.d nmu ~ n,rtal that he had simply mace Al
u snn,et,1ncs nn the manuscript fiend appear.
the shape of woman, and tnis c?n - dread
difficulty inyovins a6is IT is % impossible to rel,
an % 1n,eth.ew, t, Writing. il is utterly imposing
nersuade the lady that she has no. no. iay enS 4eo'
3fiea Of what constitutes an ae.n4s Himself II
OCCASIONALLY the acnd insinuates ul.a7e4 ase- h b
~! occas19 91ar;a If the unwary manager .
hsrefaced confidence game. TOT ..i~ ~ 10
Palmer. OF tue Union square, "as s1ls ne aon~
IN not ionr ago. Steele Mackay cauin nr., '@oA"
hns mofnaK me Pamer.n says be, my wles os,, n
h.ve % hccn doing unusually well a thls %ee1' $te..
here here ie' aIe COT co1plc OF dozen OF nice 1resD7
esfs simel a!,Ss aeecpts PTS the fit with thanks AMI