The Press., 1912-12-18

. .--.---.-. I've had enough of this business"
 ''I'll do 1t aI once"
 As I was passing out turned and asked.
 "Do you still think, Mr. Starkweath CT, that you were badly treated by managers when they I saw him reaching for an ink we'll and closed the door behind me just in time to hear the thing crash against a panel.
 I believed would be proved or disprov- ed by this record.
 We'll, l was surprised to find that though we were obliged to go through great deal of chaff to get very little wheat we did get some wheat. Much of this wheat turned out to have been produced by playwrights who had al- ready achieved some success, but what astonished me was that we received number of plays that were based on an excellent dramatic theme and only needed fixing up by one familiar with
  them acceptable.
 l selected one of these plays by an unknown author and took it to my father-in-law with the suggestion that we put it on the boards He was much pleased with the result thus far of his scheme and gave his consent to the plays production.
 The play was called ''The Secret Drawer" The plan turned upon the finding of a lost will. There were number of fine dramatic scenes in it, the author had succeeded in present ing it in a form to hold the attention of an audience, and was fortunate in finding actors and actresses we'll fitted to impersonate the different characters. The piece succeeded and proved fairly remunerative. MT. Starkweather was l delighted at the proof of his statement that to get plays managers must read manuscripts
 The day after the production of '"The Secret Drawer" I received a call from gentleman with long hair and beard, wearing a rusty suit of black.
 What do you mean, sir," he said, ''by stealing the plan of my play, re- writing it and putting it on the boards? It was sent you in confidence, and did not dream of your approprtating it without paying for 1t"
 ITO what play do you refer" asked.
 ITO my play, The Lost Will.' You have called your version of 1t "The Secret Drawer"
 My friend" I said after surveying him for some time thoughtfully, "I am only a passenger in this business. You go to John Starkweather, No. 197 B. street, and state your case to him."
 "Starkweather, the leather man" "Yes."
 He's rich. If he doesn't come down handsomely for this theft I'll sue him." And he went out to find my father-in- law.
 A dozen accusations were made ei- ther i'll person or by letter of our hay 1 ing stolen the themes of plays submit ted to us and declined. In several tn- stances certain names in the plays we accepted and produced were identical
  cused of stealing. I referred all the claimants to my beloved father-tn-law. Two different authors commenced suit against him for appropriadng their thunder. Finally he sent for me. went to him with the book containing the record of themes and methods of their presentation under my arm.
 Whats the meaning of all these charges?" he asked angrily.
 "TIl tell you. There are hardly a dozen themes on which to base stories or plays, and every author thinks at least one of these themes belongs to him. There are more than million authors and not enough themes to go round." -. -s
 I opened my record book and began to read.
 "In 10000 plays examined 9,247 par ents objected to the match. In the same number of plays the theme fin 1,542 turned on a lost will; 973 turned on q match essential on account of adjoining estates, 965 on a person as- suming to have committed a crime to save the criminal. 691 on"-
 "Stopr' exclaimed MT. Starkweather. 'I don't care to have any more of these details. They reduce the glOri- ous histrlonic art to the level of the leather business. It reminds me of the causes for our bad debts. There are but few classes of these causes, the principal one being bad manage ment. What do you think 1t will cost to compromise these cases of plagia- rism, breach of copyright or whatever they are?"
 Prom 25 cents to $25."
 "What?'