The record-union., 1896-09-13

Kennedy is admitted on all sides to be
king in his art. He creates mirth where
others would have tears; he evokes the
laugh where soberness forbids He is
Withal said to be the foremost adept of
the world in hypnotism.
Martha Morton, who is the most in
dustrious playwright in the world and
author of more popular plays than any
ether writer, thus speaks to an Eastern
reporter
When summer, real summer, comes
1 shall repair to the Adirondack Mount
ain country and open up tiny work.
Shop in a cosy little cabin under the
shade of the primitive woods, where
Iabors of my sort should be easily met
IN the cool breezes and restful peace of
the forest. There / hope to finish the
plays for Mr.. Russell and Mr.. Crane.
H,eXt year / look forward to 9, true rest,
promising myself trip to Europe and
q few quiet months in Germany. How
did / fall to playwriting? A love for
the art of the stage was, in a great
measure hereditary, and when L was
IL school the little plays of the scholars
y ere often of my contriving. 1t seemed
natural drift, and my first play written
for public presentation was encourag-
ingiy successful.
This piece was called Helene and
was brought out in New York about sew
en- years ago by Minnie Seligman. Since
then it has served several stars, among
whom are Clara Morris and Cora Tan
lter. and it is now being given by some
kind players out on the Pacific Coast
] almost could wish that they would
consent to shelye it, for it does not now
seem TO me so great an achievement as
once it appeared But so long as the
public approve it, / should be satisfied,
for, after all, the esteem and approval
Of the playgoers is the thing that we
wish to gain.
During the six or seven years that
have elapsed between the production Of
Helene and the present time l have
put forth an average of one play year,
and have yet to meet with failure.
But pray do not fancy that | am be-
come overly confident because / happen
to be looked upon as successful play
wright I regard the whole matter as
a case of luck, and am only heartily
grateful that fortune has been so con-
stantIy kind to me. AS there are cur
rents of air and water, so there seems
to be currents of good luck and sore
adversity quite as plainly distinguish
able and the secret of success appears
to be but the happy chance of falling
into the current of good fortune, and
exercising ones own talents only to
keep in the winning tide. Many there
are who never catch the current, and
the shipwrecks that strew the rugged
shores of chance number the skeletons
of many worthy craft, gone to pieces
through no pilots fault, but by the
strange. irresistible bent of the river
of fortune. | am happy, as should be,
TO feel that luck is with me, and l could
almost be happy in my work even We're
ii otherwise.
"Character drawing Is the especial
nrovince that find most cong enial, and
every parsonage in my plays is the en-
bodiment of some type known to me In
real life. AS for my situations, they
ore all original, only one of the plays
which have borne my name being an
adantation. and that was most literally
o1anted 4 close and faithful study of
4he art of statecraft enables me to di-
,,ac+ the rehearsal of each OF my plays
and believe to devise business that is
4resher and more lifelike than the con-
xentional arrangements OF professional
stage managers, whose long acqualnt-
anca with theatrical machinery often
in my NINA, W 5uS 80
ord tableaux as unnatural as they are
stereotyped. 49,
"Outside of playwriting nave oone
practically no literary work, ana II is
nv belief that the making of books ana
the making of plays are widely differ
ent fields of art. That which READS weii
enough upon the printed page-even
prose which passes for most excellent
acknowledgement proves utterly un-
available for the usage of the theater,
and the playwright's chiefest care
must be to put into the mouths or the
performers words that, when spoken.
shall sound like the unprecedented
utterance of real folk In the crcum-
stances of actual life. When TINS much
is religiously done, and combined with
reverent consideration OF the recog-
nized laws and rubrics Of stagecraft. IL
remains only for the inherent merit or
the material at hand to assert itseif,
and to live upon its own worth
Every moment that is mine 20 give IS
spent now upon my work, ana ! am