Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-12-24

stal and Lucila Dorothy. his daughters.
Julie Adrienne is writer. Howells
has gracefully written over mis- sigma
ture and under her name on the flyleaf
of one of his books the words, "Her
brother author" In her style she is a
reaIist.
Chrystal has painted In the style Of
the impreSsionists glorious "Sun-
rise, and Dorothy, not 2, says she will
"be an actor to buy horses and a
musician TO have art"
And the wife, the real heroine of
ashore Acres" is Mrs. Katharine Cor
coran Herne, for II it were not for the
authors wife be wouldn't be an author.
To call upon Mrs Herne is quite the
same thing as calling upon Mr.. Herne,
for he and his wife are two people who
have proved that marriage isn't fail
ure. Where you fnd one, there, gen.
orally speaking, is the corolary.
As Mrs. Herne tells of the writing Of
ashore Acres" it is very interesting
story.
In the drilling rain one summer day
Mr.. and Mrs. Herne who had a summer
home at Lamoyne, Me-, were taking a
constitutional.
The kindly queer, quaint deaf old far
mer who hailed Mr.. Herne with q "Hi
War yew takin that woman to this kind
Nv a day?" and who, when they stop
ped to talk with him, took them over
his place." lovingly explaining the
trees in the hedge were there because
he set them out when boy and they
shed groWed up along o him, an he
hedn't the heart to cut 'em out"-this
old ancient days Maine farmer had
something TO do with inspiring the play
ashore Acres"
Perhaps the other grizzly old codger
who came TO hear it read in the low
ceiled living room when the play was
done, and who prepared himself for
solid enjoyment with his feet on the
dresser, aud then went snoringly TO
sleep before the reading began-he may
have provided some Of the bucollc
touches in the piece.
That was but the bare outline Of the
play-what was done that summer. 1t
has been gone over and over, until Mr..
and Mrs. Herne regard it as something
they are ready to pin their stage faith
to.
81 made my husband write" said
Mrs. Herne," in the first place. Other
authors were coming TO him for advice,
which he gave so admirably, l said,
"Why not write q play yourself?"
Mr. Herne mistruSted his ability, but
he underestimated it.
"Were you reallst when you began
to write plays?" Mr., Herne was asked
! recently.
Il had no theory" he replied. 81
was always q natural actor. Critics
said that 1 was cold / always tried to
make parsonage on the stage seem
real. There are critics OF realism who
have said to me, If you wish to put on
the stage real hodcarrier, why do YOU
not 90 among the laborers and select
one? The reason is that real hodcar-
rier will not seem real on the stage. He
will not have the art to give protection
to his naturalness. / was told that An
tome selected for the Theatre Libre in
Paris company Of players who were
net actors. They were not profession
ais, bui they were actors. lam not sure
1 could form a similar company any.
where.
'Did you ever consider the advisa-
bility Of forming such company" was
asked.
No Mr.. Herne replied. 81 have
| found TOO many sympathetic friends
among actors. They freely offered
their services when my plays were with
out popularity. They were willing tc
make a sacrifice in the interest OF the
defence Of my work.
"Their encouragement" he con
tirued, was very valuable to me. My
PLAYS had a singular experience. They
were applauded at every performance,
but the audiences were extremely varied
in size. We played to an audience oil
! 81, goo one night and to an audience Of
| $50 the following night. Yet both the
large and sinai! audiences were en-
/ thusiaStlc.
'.Wss not the net result a success il
q in ancial view?"
'No, but l felt confident that it wa:
A success In an artistic view" Mr.
Herne replied. my friends would
sometimes say, make money but they
were not in very grave earnest, because
! they knew that it was simply impoSsi
! bic for me to write anything which wa:
not within the phases OF my own exper
fence of life. Then 1 found so much
consolation in the approval Of persons
whose opinions esteemed that my dis
ipteres Ledness about money had not al
much merit as you might suppose.
He wrote The Minute Man,
Hearts Noi OAK Drifting Apart,
Targaret Fleming" and ashore Acres,
Nout hesitant thought in his plan