The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-04-02
WAL. .|W|||.ALLAC'S. REPLY
T0.B0|.B|. |N n !. | :..|'| d. |.
Ben Hur Inspired by Talk ak
With the Great
Agnostic. d

With the Great
Agnostic.
The influence that leads one to great
a achievements Is always of interest to a
reader and how the late General allaee
came to write Ben 1iur'' Is espe ola lly 90
ia every one who has read the story or |
who has seen 1t translated TO the sta &c.
The first chapters OF the novelette, BOOK
that refers to the meeting OF the three
Wise Men. Balthasar. Casper ana Mel !,
choir, and the appearance TO them OF the
star or Bethlehem, was written and pub
lished before General Wallace had con.
sceived the idea OF writing Ben sf1ur.
He was journeying from Chica go 70 India
napolls many years ago IN passing the
door OF a Htateroorn IN his sleeper IN the
He raped ana partly entered In re.
Spouse to a CHEEKY Come IN" Colonel
Robert q. 1ngersoll was the occupant.
II will como I'M said Wallace. 81
may choose the subject of conversation:
you certainly may replied Colonel
Ingersoll, undoubtedly thinking that the
mistakes Of Moses" and "Crceds" We're
ito be barred from the conversation.
General Wallace seated himself OPP
posite Colonel 1ngersoll. Looking him
square in the face, he asked: 'ls there
God?'' Is
Without an ms tant hesitation COlOne!,I
Ingersoll replied: u don't know, do your
.'1s there future life?" asked the
General. ia 59|
Again the roply. u don't know. do
your" 5s8t$ ,l 5I
WAS Christ divine2,' 81 4
Again, IT don't know, do you u
.'The floor Is yours Colonel remarked
General Wallace, settling himself back
in his seat in anticipation Of the brilliant
discourse he knew that no was to listen
q to. and for which he had laid the founda-
ton. ,5
1t was many years before General Wal
lace spoke OF this conversation, and II was
not until after the production Of Ben
Hur'' as a drama, at the Broa wayyl
Z he went into details. He then said that
/ he was amazed at his own Ignorance OF
the subject he had led Colonel Ingersoll,I
to discuss. When he parted with the
Colonel VI was with the determination to
know moro OF 1t. It was this study of
Christianity that led him to believe in
the divinity Of Christ and inspired him
indirectly to write Ben Hur.
$3t Staging Ben Hur.
tbesoughts for the right to present Ben
Hur'ss as a drama. Lawrence Barrett
was particularly anxious to produce the
story, but General Wallace declined to
entertain any propo stion. No one who
approached him could explain practical
way in which the great sea-fight and Tho
rescue Of :Arrius by Ben .Hur: the chariot
race. and the miracle scene could be pre-
scented ass incidents Ii, a dramatic story,
urthowi the religious atmosphere bfS It he |
story could be mai ntained IN its entirety.
Without offense to the Christian people.
For. twenty years he turned a dealt ear
to- all applicant gF until nearly six years
ago, Mcssrs. Klaw and Erlanger bega n
$iofi ~ aNk1
him in a practical way. They had solved
llEthe mechanical difficulties, and could
demonstrate how the sea-fght and chariot
race could be presented as eallties.f or SO
cleverly smmicking real lily; as = to seem
real: t iiN 5a8 s3si. IA
story OF ben $Hur'' cannot be told in q
play without the miracle. scene, re-
marked General Wallace His main OBJ
lection to the drama ttzatlons of his work
ehad always conferred In this incident. III
would never consent to the story being
dramatized in a form that involved the
appearance Of the Christ as a personality.
The difficulties attending the prescnta-
tionHof airealistic{ sea-tight and chariot
race he had always made secondary to
areWercnt interpretation ofsthe touching
Incident of;sthcs healing OF the lepers on
the Mount SIof i Olives, " here he believed
the tale Eof IS Ben H orr for. dramatic pur-,
4pOSEas2IiVuid SAr III
esii was the ply;S,to the. Generals
inq1iry;.'Fwe have a plan which Will be
effectlyye and .XetG treat II ne
subjec ~ with all possi BILE reticence and re-
speot awe would fTepresent the smirac
lnGideiit,s but Instead .sof the Nd1are ne
ap Htsaring 9 as "a per onali ty,f we would
sin1pl ~ shgg estSIiis presence by q shaft
of hight General Wallace sat for. some
moments in deep Finally he raised Used
his ihead s. XII
"Gentlemen, hesasaid, II think that
YOU. have devised plans which Will lead
to a. perfect presentation Of Ben Hur'S on
the Stage. For years ]. have. re fused to
consider such propositions because those
who made them could not Edemons1trate
to me how my own conceptlon OF what
this story, aa a: play could be realized:
You have done SO completely, and VIII 1
accept your proposition. II III a Isl s;g
The contract signed that day ghas re- !.
suited in the greatest artistic and imam.
| cial success that the world has ever
known--in an exhibition Of the most exT
| allied dramatic and scenic art that has
held the stage in all the timportan tEcltlcs
inSthe y United States. VA
|BRIDGE OVER zAMBEs|
HAS Been LINKED ! I ] ! !. !. UP !. !:
| ~ f II. r q