New-York tribune., 1911-10-01
H|CHENS AND THE DESERT
Author and Dramatist Tells Why
He First Visited Sahara.

seems. from those Of "The Garden of Allah"
there often comes over the reader a sense
Of the love OF wildness and Of primitive
people that must be natural to the man who
has called up these scenes and IMAGINED
these men and women. And there is hardly
a doubt that most Of his readers who have
never seen him would expect 10 find iu Mr.
Hichens's face al least something. were II
ever so well covered by civilization. that
would betray relic of B9rbaTy in him.eiL
The burning eyes OF angels could how
ever, safely be def,d TO find such a suescs-
ton IN the face or the bearing Of this most
gentle Of men.
Robert Hichens became attracted 10 the
desert In a peculiar although thor
oughly sane way he went there fOr
his health. which at one time was cx-
tremely run down. owing 20 the Innat-
ura, ard somewhat stuffy life. as ne con-
sidered it himself that n man who lives ami
works IN London must lead. And the
author Of Bella Donna" and "Thc CAL 4
the Bleed" and "The Garden OF Allah" 70
mention only three Of his MANY works.
lived and worked. both With capitals. the
strain. the overcivized atmosphere. the
lack OF grass and Witness asd freshness u
the gray City OF Ages broke him down
Why he chose the desert for a recuperating
place he has never said
But I went TO the desert seven times"
he admitted the other day with a whimsical
smile before | wrote a word about H."
The minute he spoke OF the place that
has a great sound even 10 its name lie
seemed 10 throw off the burden OF tso re-
hearsal of 'The Garden Of Allah" which
| he has come 10 this country 10 conduct and
which even then was proceeding on the
Century Theatres roof between Eben
Plympton and the wllowy Mary Manner
Ing.
"If ever any great misfortune should be-
fall you' he said. ''or If you should feel
that the weight OF little things that were
clinging to You dragged you down, so 10 the
desert. Things fall from YOU there Ike au-
tumn leaves, ard merely enrich you ~
their falling.
why. just think. "a yOu stand Cn the
edge of the desert at Biskra. that wonder
ful stretch Of sky and sand and color lies
before you unbroken all the way south TO
Timbuctoo!"
And Timbuctoo. 10 the ordinary ear. is
merely the poets name for the edge of the
world.
The whole thing has curious effect
on YOU Nothing small stays by YOU.
wonder II you can imagine the extent 10
which all the affairs Of your previous life
grow unmportant in your eyes. You don't
care any more about the wild chase YOU
have been giving to fame. money social pO-
slton. whatever has been your golden goal
The desert shames you I'm your ambitions
C and seems TO offer you something far big
lie ger and nobler
lie 1T is a magic place 10 go. But mind you.
at | should not want to live there. should
be afraid TO- one becomes numb. ] think
ID under its strange. magnetic power Ike
to go there every year for a month or two
. / have ridden far out from its greer shores
. into the tossed-up wilds Of the desert
L don't exactly know why ! say wilds,' be-
1t cause it is as calm and still as eternity.
Il But It feels wild somehow.
is "You never know what will happen 70
" you there. The people VINO pass by IN silsu-
a. caravans are all kinds-party Ara5s Teo
g know something of civilization, partly
strange people from away to the south
people who know nothing Of law ana
who are wholly barbaric OF course there
is always danger from these men. They
: will kill you II they want to and II they
,e can. You must have an escort 70 sleep out
IS side your little hut
"Hut?"
"Oh, yes You know there are many
- little cement one room houses built here
le and there all through the northern reaches
20 Of the desert, simply for travellers. Ihere
n are little barred windows In them or none
at all no furniture.
"You merely lock the door. wrap yourself
up in a blanket and lie down on the cement
Of floor.
n 1T is not that there is bloody warfare
n going on In the desert all the time, only
n you never know. And Arabs are despsF-
n. ately fond Of money They know you have
some with you If you are a foreigner or
else you could not be there / rememper
d. when first went TO Algeria and stayed IN
o, that Trappist monastery above the sea-
o. stroled down alone one afternoon away 10
I'll the shore 10 go in for swim. II looke"
so tempting 10 me. When I got back inc
whole monastery was in state Of alarm.
=. "'You might have been murdered sad
the old monk who looked after me. Don't
ever go out alone again in this country NJ
matter where you are
Has Mary Anderson de Navarro ever
been TO the desert. Mr. HichensY
Il am not Just sure whether she has or
- not. She and her husband went with me
a once as far as Algiers. But we par'ea
,f there, and am not sure where they "e"'
- after that While we were colaborauhs
! on our play OF The Garden OF Allah We
70 were so busy over the actual working "
=, OF the thing that we never spoke ot our
N selves They were long. hard months thS'
10 we put in over that dramatizauoh pU'
| delightful ones. | went down TO hef 'ou"
- try place, you know, and took nous,
near by Every day we would suoH
through her garden or sit under her dfpo',
p or in her study. talking and arranging aH1
is laying out the plans OF the play. An9 'n'"
"a one OF US would write some and the o'N''
>, would look 1t over.
4 Il had done some such work as TINS "
>. fore. when conaborated In drama'1e,
- ton Of Becky Sharp and a translator
Business Is Business play taken ~.
the French But never had such
p lightful experience as that was Win 's, o..
Al Anderson. She knows much aOou'
II stage YOU know, the practical ana 'eN" ,
cal side as well as the artistic Sh' -
Ia produced plays in London once ana h'"u'
- splendid stage director Many OF tne
n suggestions in the present play are Nv
>, dramatic things that bring out the P''N'
10 And the ending" ,h.
10 The ending will be the same ~.
.. hook OF course | believe thst 10 D' ,n
~ only logical ending for those charaV''
,a those circumstances. And even IL .
"a have wanted 10 change IL Nine ae ,
varro would not have let me -.