Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-21

A SHOEMAKER might throw down his awl and
~ without previous experience succeed IN some
playwright The dramatsts profession more than any
other calls for preparation for study for concentra-
ton for sngeness OF purpose Yet II Lsm sna1
gers office quite realize the enormous output OF
plays of every known varety-and many that are un-
known-that being turned in to the producers by
people who are ambitious their words given burn
ing by real creatures of flesh and blood behind
the footlights.
My readers simply showed under by the avalanche
of plav manuscripts which descends upon them in
ever increasing rush. have four people who read
plays for constantly. and myself devote hours and
hours without end to the occupation Yet the
ply to be read growing and the demands for opinions
come thicker and thicker with the mails of every day.
keep night table beside my bed and on it stands
pile of manuscripts three feet high All of these are
plays that have passed my readers and have been
brought to me for final judgment. As the newcomers
arrive my boy lifts the pile and places them ITS bot
TOM Additions are always made this way, and in my
reading begin at the top and work down through the
pile The requests for opinions are SO numerous that
have maintain this strict routine that no prefer
ence may be shown in the order OF reading
Everybody Playwright
MOULD you know where these plays come from,
w who are their authors3 Look about you. 1t is
nconceivable that some one OF your acquaintance is
not at the present moment confidently at work upon
some play which will soon be confded to the tender
consideration of producer-perhaps to myself as
likely as not. And with what pride! The peacock has
nothing in the way of vanity the young new hedg
ling playwright And these conditions hold true IN
every walk of life.
The woman of society, tired for time of social
activities, without hesitation flies to the writing Of
play thinking thus to achieve the fuhlment OF hastily
conceived ambition to shine literary person. The
business perhaps because he is impressed with the
dramatic aspect of certain transactions that have
fallen within his experience, with something OF diff
dence perhaps, takes up the writing OF play; the
scholar the teacher the propagandst impressed with
the opportunity the theater affords tor the spread OF
ideas huredy take up their pens and write what they
fondly believe to be plays. They are all at it-poiti-
cians newspaper mechanics clerks dressmakers,
fremen and policemen, motormen, grocers, butchers,
cooks any number of them,-al are writing plays.
do not say this in jest 1t is sober fact. There is
not calling have named, and do not believe that
that are represented in the authorship of plays that
have been sent for approval. Your cook IS per-
sistent playwright, and so is your lady's maid The
plumber playwright long ago ceased to be a novelty.
The chauffeur playwright IS established fact and
suppose the aeronaut playwright will be with us before
long These statements may extreme and absurd;
but the fact is serious it is appalling
may say here that it IS of course, out of the ques
ton that all these people should succeed in their pur
pose of writing practicable plays much less successful
ones. The greater number of these hastily enlisted
aspirants have not even elementary conception OF
the qualifications requisite for who is going to make
business of playwriting. The DRAMA fully than
other representative art gives picture OF life.
1t counterfeits with marvellous cosenesS despite its
artificial limits, the conditions OF reality and does this
with precSenesS and attention to minute details absent
from all other forms of For this
think safe in assuming that the demands of the
drama its creators greater than those of
other art The dramatists must be the master mind
which knows everything; his the worlds heart which
feels everything; his the upper soul which experiences,
transcends everything.
Must Be Omniscient
THE playwright should take the universe for his
! field He should pass through the world with all