The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1903-01-02

New York Correspondent Pittsburs Dis
patch
Whenever a playwright tells a seasoned
Rialto habltue that he is Mt work on
piece which be expects Goodwin or Mans
field to produce, or which Mr.. Frohman
may use as medium for Maude Adams
next spring, the declaration Is received
with kindly tolerance. AS there are dt
present about 800 dramatic authors engaged
IN this modest task there is heavy per
centage against All entries who are not work
ing on contract aud that fortunate few
may be counted on the fingers Of one
hand The public is always made familiar
with the lucky winners In the lottery of
fame but IL seldom hears OF tho ticket
holders who fail To draw Professional
READERS for the hig publishing houses
here are fond of telling how certain sue
cessful novels were returned twenty times
20 the authors. and how finally, IN some
mysterious manner the despised manu-
scripts broke Into print, making gold sad
OF the unknown novelist Is that Of the play
wright is harder Managers do not employ
readers, and there Is no regular channel
through which his work NAV mass scrutiny.
He must depend on the happy chance of
catching a managers ear or hnding some
angel who ls willing to risk, say 5000
on an Independent production. Charles
Frohman who dimes al the Waldorf nearly
every night, never fnces the promenade In
the corridors. There was a timc when he
did this, but IN self-defense he now seeks
a secluded corner where the man with the
manuscript can not hud him. Mr.. Froh-
man has probably suffered many acute
pangs OF indigestion listening 10 plays read
across the table by unbidden guests. Occa-
sloually there rises dramatic author whose
originality In the manner of bringing his
work before the public should argue some
thing for the same qnnlity In his plays
MURPHY rs AFTER CARNEGIE
Such a writer is Fitzgerald Murphy, who
has lust completed four.act Scotch play
entitled Robert Burns" which, for what
seem to him excellent reasons, he Intends
to submit to Mr.. Carnegie for approval
As an evidence Of Mr.. Mnrphy's success it
may be recalled that ne Is the playwright
who dramatzed William J. Bryan and 10
TO 1" under the title The Silver Lining, ="
and then secured the backing OF half a
dozen Western senators before coming to
New York Harry Miner took the piece on
half shares aud II was Immensely success
ful for two seasons In such elites as Chi
cago. 81 Louis, Denver and San Francisco
The ordinary playwright would never have
dreamed OF such an eHpedient as making a
canipaign document out Of a dramatic pro-
ductlon. In the case OF "Rohert Burns, =
Mr. Murphy shows quite as much ingenuity
though the outcome IL stu ia aheyance
The Inspiration for the play on the life
Of the plowman poet aud idol OF the Scotch
people wis received through an act OF Mr..
Carnegle's while abroad.
About two years ago Mr. Carnegie enter
tained at SkibO castle Miss Jean Armour
Burns Browne the great great-granddau
ter OF the bard OF Ayr The cable dispatch
Announcing this fnct also mentioned that
the Pittsbnrg millionaire had purchased the
Robert Burns library az Glasgow. Murphy
saw two possibilities here Burns would
make an ideal stage hero, he said, "apd
Nr Curueaic's approval would give the play
rular vogue. SO he set himself TO wort