The morning times., 1897-01-24

play up she mailed it to the paper, caring
little whether it ever reached its destina-
ton.
The play took the prize, and she awoke
one morning to find that the managers
were not only willing, but anxious to read
anything that she had to offer.
Miss Morton said to me not long ago
that she had worked harder on "A Fool
of Fortune than on any other play she
had ever written.
For that very reason, though / am
greatly pleased with the manner IN which
| it has been received, / cannot look upon
il so cheerfully as / can some OF my other
plays" said the young woman. 1t rep
resents to Inc such a vast and weariSome
amount oflabOr. ASin alpha vs. dealing with
American life, where audiences are quite
capable of drawing exaCtinS comparisons
| between the stage figures and those in
real life which they are meant TO pOT-
| tray, this one demanded the most faithful
| adherence to nature. That meant minute
! and painStaklng study of all the business
| details of the play, the Wall street scenes
| etc.
The character OF Elisha Cunningham,
| which Mr.. Crane takes was really the work
| OF two or three years With me. l had con
ceived the possibilities OF such central
| figure, even before l thought of the present
play. l wish people would understand and
! believe that every character in "A Fool
OF Fortune was drawn from life, and is
Just the bare truth itself invented moth
ing But the constant observation and the
subsequent fitting together OF my separate
! impressions make the play u me a kind OF
| mosaic.
People have said that / must be par
| tiCularly fond of business, because / have
introduced that element to a greater or
| less degree in all of my plays. But II is not
| true; | am not a business woman. The
reason for my bringing business upon the
stage is that 1 have found it entirely in
| Separabe from American life, and conse-
| quently from the American play Dramat-
| lists must take conditions As they ind them.
| If money and business occupy a conspicuous
! share of the Amcricann MUD in real Ii fe,
| then they must do the same in drama, il
| that is to he the desired mirror OF nature.
. "The reason that we have not more
| successful women dramdtistS is because
| most Of them who attempt the work are
| appalled,, when they have proceeded
| little way, by the difficulties which it
| presents. If had even faint idea, when
| 1 chose my profession, of the amount and
| variety OF labor which it would entail
hardly think should have had the courage
! requisite to pcrSevere- 1t was my ig-
| norance that helped me along in that re-
spect You understand, merely writing
the manuscript of q play is not sufficient.
| No dramatist can succeed who does not
understand all the technical points of
entrances and exits, and a thousand and
one details which seem trifling but which
are yitally Important i'll the mass. 1t is
not so easy for a woman to acquire this
practical knowledge Us it is for man.
and 1 suppose many women have become
discouraged at their failure TO get held
OF what is known as theatrical business. >
''Ncverth elcSs, it is entirely possible
for them 30 do SO, if they viii go about it
patiently, pcrsistently, and with the right
: sort of spirit. AS for their actual abilit Y
to write and create, l have No doubt of their
success in that line. They are more emo
tonal and instructive than men, nd can
better catch the force OF many strong sit
uatioDs In my opinion. their power in
dramatic writing will make itself felt be
fore many years go by"
} 1t may be interesting to those who do
not know how such things are arranged To
learn that Miss Morton finds the use of
a chess board and set ofchcSsmen OF great
assistance in planning her stage scenes.
She has before her n ground plan of the
stage on which the play is to be produced,
with the furniture or other articles set in
| the order in which they are TO appear.
The chess oard corresponds tothiS ground
: plan and : Miss Morton decides on Ger
: tain entrance for n character, she puts n
piece VI on the square which approNimates
/ the position OF the door through which he
It comes As he moves to the center OF
:, front of the stage, the chess piece is also
y moved in like manner This method is
IS especially useful where there is a large
n group on the stage, and great care has
. 10 lie taken that the movements OF the diff
1 ferent actors do not conflict with cacl
C other To the unnitiated piay-goer, sucl
|, a minute prcarrangemcnt as this seems al
o most Incredible.
l In the course OF Washiugton's career as
the theatrical dog, first nighters will REGAL
( that it had tried on it a play called A
. Lady of Venice and that though iii,