The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1899-01-22
THE THEATRICAL FORUM.
Is Ii Necessary To Feel What One
Acts or Writes.


Acts or Writes.
On last Sunday evening 4 Times man
called at the Ebbitt and sent his card TO
Helen Gardener the authoress of An
] Unofficial Patriot. In due time he was
Ushered up to the writer's room and pro-
pounded the question printed above. Miss
Gardener, who is a rather short woman
with a fine. intelligent face and a kindly
manner, thought for some moments be
fore answering. Perhaps the feeling most
necessary 10 the author" she explained
lis a sense OF security-the conviction
that everything being done should be
done. In the case of a historical CT de-
ScriptiYe work she should leave
no stone unturned in an effort to learn not
only everything connected with her sub
ject, but even side matters that may never
be used but that will enable her to make al
lusions tC or to hint at events of the period
that VIII lend certain atmosphere to her
story. have been highly complimented
by historians and army officers for the
detail | put into An Unofficial Patriot,
I and one author wrote to ask me where l
obtained deal of the information en-
bodied in the tale. He said that he had
secured evidence of two or three of the
incidents l used. but that he had been
unable to get the links that connected
them.
While some of the fact ] mixed with
my fiction came from reading various docu-
ments in the departments here. and from
having had access to the Secret Service pa
pers. most of il was taken from real life
My own father was the Rev Griffith DAY.
export, and many times he has taken me on
his knee and related parts of the yarn that
forms my last book. His two sons-my
brothers-both fought in the Union army.
1 They will occupy a box with me tomorrow
night and will see themselves as Mr. Herne
has depicted them. John Clark Ridpath
now lives in our old family home down in
Virginia. And many of the battles / de-
scribed and the marches of which | spoke
were reported TO me as q child when such
/ events were of terrible interest to both
sides, and the narrator often could not help
1 taking tone that impressed itself with
4 fearful distinctness upon my memory. So
/ you see that whatever may be the case
/ with most novelists, my story has been a
part of my life and ! have felt lieenly every
I line l put into it. Perhaps that is why l
prefer it 10 any of my other works.
1T seems rather odd TO ask a comedian
/ if he feels the lines he speaks, remarked
/ Edward Garvie the other night at the Ma
/ tional Theatre. If / felt everything !
| have been made to say during the years
/ of my stage experience | should be simply
an idiot. Moreover, l am not inclined 10
+. put much faith in this notion about for
getting ones self in part. II actors did
that the jails would be crowded all the
time. We should find Jim, the gentleman
. with the polite appearance and the handy
hand whom f. 5. Willard used to imper-
senate, forging checks between the acts
! and paying his laundry bills with them
while Camille would require the services
of dozen doctors every night after the
7 herself to death. With most players The
ego is a matter Of so much importance
that believe the last persons in the worlt
/ they could forget would be themselves
Certainly when that process set in the play
would degenerate into general talkini
contest by the side of which the business
meeting of q woman's club would resembi,
the session Of a Brooklyn Bible class
Personally, ! side with Jerome X. Jerom
in his remarks about feeling role and an
rather inclined To think that every tim
anything IS printed about the matter
search would reveal some press agen
feeling his roll, too That may seen
somewhat cynical but it's true" And th'
clever comedian sauntered toward tn
} wings fol-. his next cue.
, Marshall P Wilder and The Times MAJ
! met each other the other day in the lobb
OF the Columbia Theatre and, having ha
3 some previous acquaintance, sat down L
! discuss Things III general. during IN
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