New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-05-19
BOUGHT AND PAID FOR
George BroadhurSt Tells How He
Came to Write the Play.


It took seven years for George Broad
hurst TO construct Bought and Paid For
after the main underlying idea Of the play
now in its ninth month at William A.
Erady's Playhouse had taken root in his
mind
The story is more than founded on fact"
ssid Mr. Broadhurst yesterday TO The Trib-
une. "A very vital part Of it is fact.
woman-the most brilliant and accom-
plshed woman ] ever knew-related TO me
the incident which I afterward turned into
the kernel OF Bought and Paid For The
story was introduced in illustration OF her
theory that unhappy marriages most often
result from the fact that in Courtship both
parties in interest reveal only one side of
their nature. concealing the other phases
until they come to the surface in the day
to-day intimacy which follows the wedding.
"A young girl Of her acquaintance, who
was Just out Of a convent, met fine, dash
ing fellow in her native city, who was a
periodical drunkard. When intoxicated he
was beast His parents concealed the
fact In the blind hope that through his love
for this girl he might be induced to reform.
she married him. and in three weeks time
lie came home drunk. The bride never had
seen any one in that condition, and was
Mortified. She left him Immediately. Next
day the husbands parents who were rich
and Of high social standing, went TO see
her
"They admitted that they had been wrong
Ia a measure and hnplored her not to pre-
cipitate a scandal. They occupied great
mansion. and begged that she come and
live with them. she would have apart
nents adjoining their own. and her hus-
band should be Quartered IL another ana
distant part of the house. She should be
protected absolutely from contact with him.
should not even see him. The young wife
Welded 70 the appeal, and matters went
along upon this basis for some months.
One night the husbands parents went
w. the opera The wife was i'll and remained
secluded in her rooms The husband came
home brutisnlv inebriated. and, finding him
self locked out of his wife's apartment.
Kicked in the door by way of asserting his
nuntial rights Next morning she fed from
the houss The father and mother sought
Ter out again
TT Is HOPELESS" said the old gentle
man Get your divorce. l VIII help you.
The distracted girl asked the reason for
this abrupt change Of front. We believed
there still was a chance for his reforma-
+ion.' explained the father. we know now
that II is Impossible. Yesterday he re-
.. ceived a check for the payroll Of my bust
ness employees An hour ago l was called
I'D on the telephone by the keeper OF the
most notorious resort in the city. She told
me nv son came there late last night, had
the check cashed and spent the money III
a Wild debauch. The woman suggested
that man in my position might not wish
70 have his check collected through her
bank and carrying her Endorsement, and
that she would hold it until ] sent over
the cash TO take it up. We cannot ask
YOU TO sacrifice yourself further for a man
Of my sons character and associates
This narrative Immediately took posses
sion Of my mind In the course of time 7
talked II over with several individuals
having what might be called expert knowl-
edge Of stage affairs. They told me
could not possibly make q play founded
on this incident. 1T is too daring they
said. IT will be d shock TO the public.
But somehow the idea would not leave me-
/ dismissed it many times. but it always
came back 1 could not work out the dc
tails but the main thread was there. All
at once the solution flashed upon me II
seemed an instantaneous discovery, but 1
suppose it really had been forming slowly
and logically i'm my sub-consCiousness, and
what appeared to take definite shape In a
second was merely the fnality Of a sus-
tanned constructive process which had been
progressing without any surface manifes-
tation.'
1Ir Broadhurst was asked If he thought
the woman in Bought and Paid For" was
not exclusively and Enthusiastically
American, and If she possibly could have
adopted the course she does in this play
If the episodes had been pictured in any
other country. In other words is not this
a strictly American play. which would be
quite impossible in Europe?
"On the contrary, the play is interna-
tional In interest and effect. 1t individual
ICES woman at a moment when the trend Of
tho whole civilized world is IN that direc-
llaA The crux Of Bought and Paid For
Ia that when n woman marries she does not
become the mans chatteL she still is an
individual not compelled 10 submit ALSO
Iutely to his unreasonable rule or caprice.
Formerly the reverse condition prevailed.
Ii was the law, written and observed but
now It merely is written-not observed.
The influence of a play which emphasizes
the proposition that wife is something
more than an item of personal property
taat she may have principles and demon
.trate them. Is intellectually convincing.
This Is true not of a community or nation.
nut Of every spot earth where reason
rag begun 10 show the faintest sign of life.
This play of mine is a woman's play, be-
cause the manifest right Of the woman is
shown to revolt against degrading herself
at the demand of a man in liquor who is
rot the same man she married when ne
Mas sober.
1T would have been easy TO make the
lesson not only unpalatabie, but abhorrent'
as. for instance. if we had made Robert
Stafford d brute by nature, or even II we
had allowed him to be played by an actor
with rough personality. TO make the
argument incontestable, we had TO present
him az fine fellow, a big gentle, but
dominant figure I'm his normal state, SO that