The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-18

| The Morrises have lived in Westches-
ter county for 200 years. There were
several of their homes in the Pelham
| Bay park, which the family left because
| New York city needed the land to pro-
vide breathing spaces for future gener-
atlonS MorriSania, now a part of the
greater city, was largely owned by the
family, another branch of which gave
its name to Morristown. N. J., famous
for having more Washington headquar-
tiers than any place of its size on the
American continent.
Gouverneur Morris, the author. is in
society. He goes to Aiken, S. c., and
Bar Harbor, dances cotillions, and his
name is in the social register.
The first impression that one gets of
him is like that which Blankenship, the
editor, derived from his first interview
with Aladdin 'Brien-"timid as a
his own description of Aladdin O'Brien,
"a slender young man with freckles
across the bridge of his nose.y His man.
ner is quick and nervous.
I found him the other day on the top
story of a fashionable apartment house
in New York city, for he is often a cliff
dweller in winter.
MIR. Norris asked.
yes"
1.-THE one who wrote Aladdin o'Bri-
en?..
Yes"
What do you do for nving?"
WIlIe DOCKS.
Never did anything else?"
Only left college in 49," was the re-
ply:
Newspaper work ever appeal to
your
Sometimes Journalism is a school
of life. l should have liked to have
been a reporter year or so, if 1 could
have been sure of being discharged"
Ever try business?"
"Oh, yes. I worked in a publishing
mouse once. L pasted nIfflnQ notices |
about the publications in a large scrap
book l found the work rather wearing
on the nerves. 1 went away one day. |
and I've never been back"
What did you do then?'
WROTE"
Wrote what?"
"Everything-stories. books. plays.
am very fond of writing plays, I've |
written stacks of them. They are of ah |
and nelodrama."
Were they ever produced?"
No" was the reply.
why not?"
swered Mr.. Morris.
.. WY did you write them. then?"
Because I considered that dramatic |
writing is 4 valuable drill The nov.
e1st who has the play idea in mind |
is in no danger of sighting his +ask |
and l don't like to work. OF course |
everybody knows that man cannot cir |
down and map out story for q hoon |
with introduction, development c1isis |
ana denouement and end THE novel |
Goes not divide itself into five acts. |
The author cannot shape his noateriai |
ard construct his book after the man.
ner IN which many plays are built. Yer |
ne VINO writes plays may attain a nat
get by any other means --o'
our dialogue is good" said s.It |
Is crisp and natural. 1t has slnartness.
the crack of the whip, and, besides. it |
carries action"
don't know whether it does or not
was the reply. That is what l tried to |
nave 1t do. You will notice in Aladdin
OBrfen' that the curtain is rune down /
after every chapter. You can only get |
glimpses of the action All of if cannot |
De seen and described"
why don't you make a plav ont of |
Aladdin O'Brien'?" I asked.
Because l can't, and also because I |
10 not think that the book is suitable |
for a play"
DO you believe" I asked. Sin an |
thors draratizing their own novels ~ |
No" answered Mr.. Morris "If a pIav
is to be made out of a book, the man |
ger man than the author. Shakespere |
gathered stories, improved them. and |
then made them into plays. The only
way to dramatic novel, as a pIay- /
wright said not long ago. is for the |
dramatist to read the book. and then |
forget all about it,
You write of war as though Won
knew it thoroughly. The critics say that /
your civil war descriptions are wonder
fully well done. Were you ever in a |
battle?''
1.-THE nearest I ever got to knowing /
anything about it," said Mr. Morris, |
was when l went on shooting trims. II
is hard to write about a battle and I /
do not know but that it is almost as diff
fcult for a man who has actually been
on the field to describe il. One sees very
little after all, and the knowledge of the
fight is mainly derived from reading
he newspapers the next day or week
sitter. as the case may be-"
''Who was Aladdin O'Brien?" 1 in
quired.
Nobody in particular" answered Mr..