The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-06-12

Wyndham was literally deluged are
now delivered by their authors for the
simple purpose of getting into the pa
pers," a tendency which the following
skit. published the other day, hits off
amuSingly:
IN THE PLAY BOOERS' CLUB
Tom-It was epoch making. I tell yer.
WhatU yer ave TO drink?
Dick-Small Bass, please. / say, the
papers ave done me proud, en-?
Harry-'Ow d. yer mean?
Dick-Why, don't yer remember me
calm out, " OW about organized APP
plause?" They've all g05 that,
Tom-And I yelled out, we want
ter get ter bed" It's all In the papers.
Harry-Of course you did, an so
Tom-You did?
Harry-Didn't yer ear me? I ED
me ands like that and offered for all
I was worth.
line in the papers after Alexander s
Tom-Didn't I? zoo said Keep your
air on, then?
Dick-I dunno.
Tom-They 'ad it in the telegram
anyway.
According to Haddon Chambers. who
can be numbered among the successful
English playwrigEts, he breads to set
about putting a new play on paper
He has not the slightest difficulty in
evolving plots, and he works easily
once he is started. but he breads the
task of sorting and elimination. Asked
his method of procedure, he replied;
well. of course. one starts by hay
ing some central idea-sOme theme on
which one wants to enlarge. Then the
question naturally arises. what COM
bination Of characters would best COM
pass it. and in what surroundings shall
they work out their doom? As soon
as I think of a subject for a play /
make rough notes, and when the whole
scheme is fairly settled i'm my head l
go through all these little scTibbles.
deciding which had better be omitted
putting off, as it were, the evil mo-
ment of beginning to write in earnest.
THE first two pages are really q des-
+ peTate struggle-likC making up one s
mind to plunge into cold water i'm win
ter. However, as soon as they are
turned all goes well, one warns TO the
work as to the water, and existence un-
der the circumstances begins to prove
pleasant, in spite of its forbidding as
peCt Of a while ago. Then it becomes
quite enjoyable, and the first act is
finished without further delay. Should
+ the second go we'll, one begins to see
the promise Of q prosperous voyage
through the whole undertaking.
Il am speaking. of course. of plays
ian four acts. the favorite form nova
days 1t has been said, with a certain
amount Of truth, that almost any one
can write the first act of a play. With
equal truth it may be said any one
can write the third, for in that act
naturally all the drama of the scheme
must eliminate: but ] think most dra-
matte writer's would cOncede that I'm a
four act play the second act calls most
loudly on the resources Of craftsman
ship.
1T is the second that is the real test
Sometimes I have got just as far as
that act, and have become so much in
volved by the conflicting claims of rival
( schemes for the comprising Of a salts
. factory conclusion that I have had 10
put the play aside for weeks, and just
( let il simmer undisturbed in my head
trusting that the best idea would even
( tually come to the top, and permit it.
self TO be transferred to paper without
further trouble.
My chief difficulty as it progresses
/ is that It generally grows deeper
s more serious in effect than / originally
/ intended, which makes the necessity OF
getting the story told and all compiled
+ ti0ns cleared up Within the specified
time-a somewhat desperate prospect
/ Then the observance of the preference
I which the ordinary audience has for d
happy ending is also a hampering re-
+ strictiOn.
"It leads to almost unavoidable sud
/ denness on the part of the characters
i'm the play. unless their lot has beer
ali along east in such pleasant places
/ that they have but calmly TO pursue
their progress on the primrose path
and that sort Of uneveHtful meander-
ing can hardly be called interesting &c
I contemplate can it? No; when one
! has anything serious to say one does
! rebel against the restricting three
hours traffic of the stage Hurry is
+ Inevitable BY that remark ] Go not
; mean scurry and sCrambling, but thai
/ there is an everpresent necessity To
get on"
DO you correct your Irst manuscript
/ very cOpiously before deciding to leave
well alone2"
No. I rarely touch it. just as it is
first put on paper. SO it is played. Look
here Is The Awakening "-twirlins
+ over the leaves of q ruled book. full OF
regular. very legible writing-"ther,
/ finishes The third act Would you liz
that paze2" And before one had tim.
10 grasp the meaning 81 the generoG.
offer I'd WAS torn out and handed over