The Washington herald., 1912-12-29

Mr.. Galsworthy leaned back IN his
armchair, and sat erect On the sors, and
there wasn't a sound save the ticking
OF the clock and the cracking Of the
merry blaze.
Il want to ask you to give me some
of your impressions of America" began
briskly. preparing to wear my interested
look as he told me of our U. S. A in his
own kindly fashion.
But, my dears. I received a blow. The
ground crumbled away under my feet.
the carefully reared edifce OF the inter-
view was shattered. for Mr.. GaIsworthy,
without raising his voice or taking his
deep eyes on my face. suddenly leaned
forward, saying. Ssh-sshr' quite calmly,
but firmly. then added. alphabetically:
Il really must refuse to do that. /
should consider 1t an impertinence to give
my views OF America 1 was only in the
country a few weeks, and to attempt
to understand its conditions and people
in such a time would be absurd. America
is an extensive subject. and its primary
conditions and ramihcations are dit1cult
! to understand"
Oh" l gasped in despair won't you
say anything? What about theatres, lit
tie and big, and the audiences and the
women and the evidences of wealth-and-
and stopped for breath.
Mr.. Galsworthy played with the chintz
| on the arms of his chair with his long,
nervous fingers. and calmly shook his
] head.
7 Il really can not and will not discuss
| them" he repeated. Then as 1 gave z
sigh that was almost a groan, he relented
| a little
Il will say found # all very exhilarat-
| ing" he admitted, land one thing par
ticularly noticed was the great difference
/ between the poorer classes there and here
When went to the mean streets on the
East Side in New York 1 was much i'm
pressed by the extraordinary vitality Of
the people as compared with that, say, Of
the inhabitants of Bethnal Green or East
Ham This is quite natural, of course for
these people are drawn from the more
| adventurous and happy. They see hope
before them, at first at all events, and the
climate helps"
I've noticed that difference in the
poorer classes Also" I remarked. There
is nothing more hopeless than the Sub
merged Tenth in London. I've seen your
pitiful charwoman SO often since I've
been here. Did you draw her from ufe?'
PHILOSOPHY OF COMPOSITION.
Yes" replied Mr. GaIsworthy graveIy,
but not from any particular woman
from many. She is real and her lot is
common one" And he sighed in his
turn, but he was signing for the world
and its sorrows.
m
acters from Hfe7"
The writer ruminated a few moments,
as II that question must be very care
fully answered, then he replied: Yes,
but with difference. That is, one gets
suggestions from people, but branches out
from these and the result is composite.
The germ Of every character lies in life,
Of course, but it is a dangerous practice
to draw from the individual. The result
is not successful as a rule, nor does it
make for the best art"
Here he looked into the fire and said
dreamily, in a voice so low that I had
to hold my head a bit forward to catch
his words: TT is really difficult to de-
scribe the process of creation. Take a
book as a whole. Something one sees
impinges on artistic consciousness, OBJ
servation Of person leads to philosophic
deduction, round that again gather in
Vulnerable other observations, fortified
by this idea, and so on and SO on. But
the whole process Is SO dim and subtle
that one hesitates to attempt a descrip-
ton Of it"
I've always thought liked soft, Eng
lish voices, but, OH, how I yearned for
some American sharpness OF tone when
Mr.. GaIsworthy said these interesting
things, for, at the end, his voice trailed
away into sheer nothingness, and had
to beg him to repeat a word or two,
which he did most agreeably and with
no resentment
do you prefer to write books or
plays?" l inquired.
Again the writer studied the dancing
flames as II for Inspiration. then he re-
piled: IT think. on the whole, I like
writing books best. That is, could give
up writing plays more easily than books |
You see, in plays you are bound to q |
stricter regard of certain forms; you are |
obliged TO leave out certain subtletiss |
You cannot work out the psychology of |
characters quite so exhaustively as In |
books, where you can bend your energies |
to development of idea and character. |
And you must leave out almost entirely |
your love of nature"
That would be hard for you" muir
INJURED, Ezmpathetinally. far gemeua-