The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-05-12
REAL LACK OF DRAMATSTS
so DANIEL FROHMAN SAYS AT
TIE BOOKSELLERS DINNER.

Turn Their Attention TO the stage
He'd he Pleased Phillips Oppenhelrn
Halls the Magazine Advertisements.
Booksellers from all over the country
met last night at the Hotel Astor at the
eleventh annual dinner OF the American
Booksellers Association and at midnight
they were still discussing editions and
listening TO speeches by Z. Phillips Oppen.
helm. whose latest thriller. The Movin 3
Finger. was one of the table gifts; George
Borup. who wrote "A Tenderfoot With
Peary': Daniel Frohman. who urged the
booksellers to drum up few writers for
the stage. and others.
Among the $50 who crow ded the upper
ballroom were Simon Brentano. +. A.
Dunekn. George d. Dutton. Charles E.
Falconer. Roger l.. Scaife. r. ". Taylor
I. r.. Wolcott of Syracuse. ". II. Cath
cart of Cleveland. q. +. Warfeld Of Hart
ford. Conn; James ". Lippincott, Henry
Saunders Of Oneontl. n. Y; John c
Winston Of Philadelphia. Edward Madison
OF Montciair. T.. Byrne Hackett of New
Haven. W. B. Clarke Of Boston. Charles
A. Burkhardt +. d. Lacey Of the Dutton
company. {. 7. Dillingham;. A. 7. Leon.
d. Mckay, DR.. l. X Funk. +. f. Schultz.
j. +. Drake. Isaac Mendoza. II. Il. Dunlar
and Charles n. Ayres President Walter
l.. Butler Of the association was toast
master. and after the canes, books.
fountain pens and other .ouv enirs had
gone the rounds of the tables he set the
after dinner talk going.
Daniel Frohman told the booksellers
that he had helped them a lot by keeplu z
Laura Jean l.ibhev from carrying ont her
desire to adopt the stage as u more
vivid means of expressing her person
ality." He said that little over twenty y
years ago Miss ldbbey came 10 him al the
Lyceum Theatre with bundle of manu- =
script and informed him that while she
had future as a story writer she he
leved she was called to the stage. Mr.
trohman said that he read the manu-
scripts and then told Miss 1.ibbey that
she ought really 10 stick TO prose fiction
She did. he added. and YOU know with
what thrilling results"
Mr.. Frohnan said that the theatrical
business was very different now from the
days thirty years ago when he went out
as an advance agent. 81 was a master OF
i'NN'N DIurit, fle etiU, anu l
held many an admiring audience while
pasted In those days. Mr. Frohman
said. theatrical men often he'd the mis-
fortune in The West of finding that town
had moved away before they could play
return engagement and he wasn't sure
but what il was the first engagement
that made the town pack up In Cali
forna he used TO climb mountain peaks
TO spy out towns that he could book and
when he first visited Seattle ne figured
that he could have bought and paid for
the town out Of his modest week q salary.
and he was accused OF establishing q bad
precedent by paying his actors three
weeks running.
Nowadays all that was changed and the
theatrical business systematized, but
the trouble was lack Of writer's We
reed more writers" he said. men with
new ideas. Literature is not always
drama. but drama can be literature
" We DO not want plays for ,posterity, bu,
plays !or the present, and l wish TO draw
the attention of writer's of books to the
advantages that await them in my pro-
fassion
Mr.. Frohman declared that he didn't
want the publishers to think he wac
poaching on their preserves. Why not
double the assets and divide the profits?-
f. Phillips Oppenheim. introduced as
the man who had the author Of the
Arabian Nights beaten TO finish.
said that he was a great admirer of the
me gaines turned OUT in this country
He he'd read lot Of them on his way over
from England he got in Yesterday
and he'd found that the advertising
was the most interesting and spectacular
part If he lived here he was certain
so convincing were those ads that he
should eat the breakfast foods. shave
with the razors and wash with the soaps
whose merits We're so enticinglv set forth.
One advert isement said "Whv not be
= Taft. a Roosevelt or Bryan That
looked good TO Mr.. Oppenhei,n. although
he didn't want to be Mr.. Taft on account
If the loosencss of fit in clothes and the
lowering in golf score that would result.
He didn't mind having the energy of
'ol Roosevelt. but on reading on he dis
covered that by taking twelve lessons
II 81 n lesson he might rival those named
IN oratory. What he feared was that il
Drators could be made in twelve lessons
Tor 81? novel writer's might soon be turned
,ut for half that price and then he'd he
out Of a job.
Rabbi stephen s. Wise spoke on Civic
Religion" making plea for more Of
the things of God in the life Of the Amer
can people" Frederick Winslow Tay-
or the author Of The Principles Of
Management. told how TO in
,rease output and decrease labor.