The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-12-23

600
sssgs$$ MY FIRST PLAY.
900
600 e.
900
goo a Story Showing How
OOo Art Is One Thing
And It's Rendition Quite
900 Another.
900
600 v
900 ~, ,1n7, nrrr,
600 BY hHNL HHULL



l once wrote a play, unfortunately not
my only one: since then | have sinned
similarly a number of times. Perhaps
the gentle reader may have seen my
name on some theater programme If he
then neglected attending the performance,
he made a great mistake, in my humble
opinion, and / advise him as a friend to
make it good at the next opportunity.
| particularly as the German stage mana
gers, who underrate my merits, very
seldom give one of ny works, which has
not prevented my writing 81 plays, with
60 acts and 1872 scenes. To prevent mis-
takes allow me to remark that not each
of the 81 plays contained so acts and 1872
scenes. but altogether they boast that
number. But all this docs not belong
here, and | beg pardon for the DEPRESSION.
If ! am not mistaken, / mentioned in the
beginning that | had written a play. 1t
was not a five act tragedy, or a. three
act comedy; oh, no, only q modest little
one act piece had flowed from my pen,
and when | saw what | had done-behold
it was very good. No wonder that |
QuASAtJ ACL4AEd ~ QGpl1NG Int MOllQ "
longer of this enjoyment, nor myself of
the ~laurels OF fame / had the little play
neatly copied and sent it to q theatrical
publisher. At that time I lad not the
sad experience of today. ] was innocent
enough to think theatrical publishers and
agents read the effusions OF unknown
authors; therefore I was not a little sur
prised 70 have my play returned to me
after about four weeks, with q polite
printed letter. in which the publisher IN
formed me that he had no use for the
play. The first day | was very much de-
pressed, the second annoyed; finally, or
the third day, | came to the conclusion
that that ass of a publisher" knew moth
ing about it, packed up my play again
and sent it to another.
The same result. with the difference
that the second publisher sent pack the
MS. not prepaid, so l called him a
"blockhead." who knew less thar the
first, and sent it off to a third.
But tbs one also sent it back-this
time registered and not prepaid. | laid
it aside in silent resignation.
Some time after chance took me to a
large town and another chance led to my
acquaintance with a manager of a thea
ter, Who by chance was sta wing there.
AS a matter of course | did not neglect
this combination of lucky chances. I
gave him my little play, which /, by
another chance. had by me, and he prom
Ised me to read it as soon as possible.
He kept his word soonei than l ex-
pected, for the next day he wrote me he
was delighted with the plf4y and would
bring it out with pleasure, If I would not
require a royalty. Inclos,sd was a for
mula for a postofice money order for 10
marks 5 pfennige, made cut to the man
ager, the price Of IL tickets.
How shabby! | would mot insist upon
the royalty. What did that matter? /
would also take the II tickets-one must
encourage art-but the + pfennige, which
is the postman's perqui site for delivering
the money, he might have managed to
pay himself. II his Postscript had not
contained an invitation to the first re-
hearsal of my play, to take place the
next day but one, I'd q. not know what
should have done, Blu | as it WIS / swal-
lowed my irritation a cd sent the money.
The day dawned. The rehearsal was
set for II O'Clock. Al Z | was up. The
evening before ] ha q looked through Les
sings 'DramaturgitA'' and Klein's His
tory of the Drama and over the MANY
obscure passages J. had become a little
stupider than | ust ally am. AT half past
y | could stand Tly room no longer and
went out of door !. Seven times | walk
ed up and down the street In which the
theater was. the; eighth tint j yentured
as far as the en- trance and bl the tenth !
took a bold re- solution and VI salked in.
Oh, how des oIate the great hall looked!
1t was a rather low class sn ioking thea
ter. Empty and half empty beer glasses