Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1899-02-02
PRICE OF SUCCESS.

"welL old fellow, you ought to be
happy, said L
"Why?" queried Holden laconically.
ssWhy, indeed 2'' exclaimed L AFTER
ten years of hard, patient toll you have,
in the graceful language of the Gauls,
arrived, or, in plain, colloquial Amer
lean, You have got there with both
feet Your first production is big
success; royalties are rolling in; man
ayers whom once you pursued in vain
are now pursuing you anxious to Sc
cure at your own terms the very plays
that they formerly refused without
reading. And know you have plenty
of them According to my calculations.
up to the time / went abroad two years
ago, you must have at least barrel
full of plays of all kinds-poetical, com
ical. tragical- calculated to suit all
tastes. Consequently all you have to do
is to dip down into that barrel, bring
up an old piece place it and then sit
back and draw your royalties Why.
my boy, you are retired and pensioned
at 35. with fame and money at com
mand and life practically before you.
Why should you not be happy2''
'.You forget the price of success. .
said Holden bitterly.
'.Oh, of course. you have worked
hard for all you now enjoy, but that's
all over now, and you have the satisfac-
tion of knowing that it's paid for. =
eyes, said Holden almost sadly,
"but you do not realize how dearly
have paid for it.
"Well possibly not, said half
apologetically. "You know was far
away while you We're putting III your
last and probably your hardest licks,
and l did not hear from you until the
news of the phenomenal success of a
new American playwright was cabled
across the water Why, you re interna-
tionally famous, my boy, and you ought
to be proud of it.
II am. said Holden, "but with my
pride is mingled a pang Of regret that /
shall never outgrow, however may inn
prove upon and make permanent, my
present good fortune AS some one has
said:
advancement limps on steps of pain;
Success is not in fight elate;
We have to suffer just to gain
The misery of being great.
81 do not know who wrote those lines,
but whoever he was he brought that
pearl of truth from the depths of bitter
experience = maybe something like
mine
''Tell me about it, old fellow, said
I sympathetically. for saw that some
real sorrow underlay his words.
''Wen, will, said Holden. "It is
subject l seldom refer to, for hate
public condolences. But you are an old
friend who knew me when my light
was hidden under bushel and are not
like those tickle, fattering moths who
futter about the latest fame. The meta
phor is poor for | aN not shining light
even now, but already / have had
enough of sycophancy, and-well, you
know what / mean, old man.
"When you left the country, had
just about settled down to the dreary
routine life of an editor, whom some
journalistic wit has described as "a re-
porter with his legs worn out. had
despaired of ever getting my plays ac
cepted and could foresee nothing but an
endless round of grinding ont cut and
dried opinions for other men until
myself became as dry as they and was
kicked ont to make room for fresher
material. had married and of course
we lived mp to my salary what news
paper man docs not Then the baby
came and for time we lived even
little beyond it. AS a consequence I was
forced to put my nose even closer to the
grindstone and turn my spare hand to
hack work in order to help ont.
II didn't mind the hard work The
only regret was that it led to nothing
and kept me away from my chosen
work The human mind can do only
about as much as the body, and when
all its time is expended upon routine
there is no energy left for original
work The fact that gradually crawled
out of debt and even laid by few dol
lars was small compensation for the
smashing Of my dreams and the realiza
tion that at such u gait ] could never
succeed III the line / most desired
"Well, that was about the situation
| was in when opportunity knocked at
my door The season 5 production of a
successful star proved failure too CONF
plete to be carpentered into even
semisuccess. The play had been relied
upon to fill out the season. and he had
nothing definite in reserve. As it hap
pened. | had outlined to him a plot
which impressed him. and he sent me
word that if | would submit the com
pleted play as soon as possible he would
consider ii. 1t was the vaguest possibil-
ity that he might accept it if nothing
better offered, yet l felt that it was my
first and in all probability my last
chance.
81 could not possibly write the play
in time and stin retain my editorial