The Washington times., 1914-04-04
ALTITUDE; Acting and Cooking; Three
HIGH Points in Hurlbut'S Brief Career
Illinois Village Gives to the
World the Producer of "The
Man Who Would Live" Seen
at the Columbia.
By GARDNER MACK.

.,
the hand that works the throttle or
the gas range that sends a thrill
through the well-known human race
occasionally
This short, concise statement is
not written for the purpose of adding
to the general fund of knowledge.
Everybody knows that the fist that
kneads the dough likewise lands the
punch in this lii ol' world. Every
body knows that it can defeat
armies, wreck homes. and make the
gentle fingers that rock the cradle
shake in such palsy that the thing
that's in the cradle thinks an earth
quake is happening. The variety of
thrills II has carelessly, though in
delibly, printed on the pages of his
tory is practically unnominative,
but
This Is the first time it has ever
been accused of having an influence
in the writing of plays. To be more
exact, this is the first time the oven
door has served the portal of play
far as to call it fame.
Altitude, Cookery, and Acting.
No one. after taking a long look
1t William Hurlbut would think
he was interested in cooking. No one
could help taking long look at Will
Ham Hurlbut any time the occasion
offers He merits it-apd demands
II for he is the longest person who
has come to Washington since the
late Cy Sulloway came to Congress
from New Hampshire. But despite
his length. and the lack of breadth
that emphasizes ii, there Is nobody
In the world who would ever mis-
take Mr.. Hurlbut for a cook or
think that cooking played a very
important part in his life. Yet
The beautiful village of Belvi-
dere, Ill. nestles close to the broad
bosom of the Father of Waters, an
oasis Of surprising loveliness in
the desert-like prairie. But not
nesting too close, y'Understand, TO
cause gossip.
Belvidere is not giving any other
Middle Western town odds when 1t
comes to knowing gossip when il
sees il. Long before the town had
reached the dignity of even a
fourth class postmastership, there
came to il. from New England, a
family named Hurlbut. The fam
lily set uD its household goods and
Its Mayflower accent on a founda-
ton even more lasting than old
Plymouth Rock itself. 1t prosper
ed in Belvidere and it's renown
spread even to Washington, where
one OF its members held forth in
the halls of Congress a space or
two Of time But it was not until
about thirty years ago that the
foundations of greater fame were
first reared. 1t was then that there
came to the Hurlbut family a man
child who was called William.
He Grew Up Higher.
The youngster grew up as other
boys grow up-only he grew a
little further up than most of them.
The most pronounced thing about
him as a youngster was his ability
TO draw pictures and his dislike
for education of the sort one ac-
quires in schools The dislike be-
came so pronounced that about the
time most youths go TO high
school, young Hurlbut decided to
quit schooling altogether and so
announced to his family. What the
family thought of il can be gath
cred from their next move. They
sent the lad to St Louis,
Now, II Belvidere had been in the
State Of Iowa, or in Missouri. send
ing the boy to St Louis would not
have been so bad. All the boys in
during their young lives in the hope
that they will 20 to Heaven when
they die or TO St Louis before they
die. But st. Louis isn't an item In
the specifications setting forth the
Il m bitions of any little Illinois boy.
Young Hurlbut took his punish
nent in fairly good spirit however.
because OF two things-ne was to be
allowed to go TO art school and he
would be where he could go to the
iheater. He entered upon his studies
at the art school with great spirit
and so we'll did his work please his
teachers. that he only had to stay
IN St. Louis a year. He went 10
New York and became an illustrator
for magazines and illustrated week
lies. IT is said that HurIbut could
to go with a-dollar ar-dOwn-and-an-
,ther-every-Iittle-w advertisement
that would look so much like books
no one would mistake them for any
thing else. He drew other kinds OF
pictures. too. but principally he de-
voted himself to going to the theater
and reading works on dramatic art
md composition
Writes Plays 27 of Them
The thing that struck him most
about New York was the
ack OF good plays and. after study
Ing the situation a long time, he
decided 10 remedy this defect. So
when times were slack I'm the art
business. he devoted himself TO
" riting plays. During the course Of
the first few years he was in New
York. William Hurbut turned out
'wenty-seven plays that were better
than anything that had ever been
seen On Brodway. Twentv-spv-r
'eparate and distinct times did VII
am Hurbut carefully coordinate
'lot with counterplot. weave dialogue
rto epigram, and twenty-seYen times
sid he get cody turn ID Gown by
he mar.agers OF theaters.
And then, one day. a friend Of his
as forced to move away from New
! ork. The friend disposed of all
his household goods among his cir
lie of acquaintance.
His Nerve Holds.
When il came Hurlbuts turn to
receive a memento. there WAS only
'ne thing left. This was the family
'ook. This particular cook had been
n this particular family for many
ears. She was OF the old Southern
nanny type Of cooks and wss
'amous among the art colony In
New York for the dinners she could
,ook And so Hurlbut was overjoved
70 get the cook. He had never had
l cook OF his own before and he be-
seved that it would add whole lot