New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-29
"No. IS Washington Square
Removes Huge Hatred
Against Whole Tribe of
Those Who Write.
By GEORGE 6. KAUFMAN.

Up 10 Just ABOUT SIX HOHtHS abo may
Irwin didn't think lot OF authors.
Even to-day she won't admit that the
average is anything to boast Of. But
since she has met and done business
with Leroy Scott, author of mo. l3
Washington Square," she no longer
insists that an authors place is the
home. She is willing to let an occa-
sional one come into her theatre-if he
be as nice as Mr. Scott.
For that matter, Leroy SCOTS pre-
conceived opinion Of Miss Irwin was
not fulfilled by the reality, either. 1t
WINS this way. Scott wrote mo. 10"
as a novel. May Irwin read it and tele-
graphed the author 10 make play out
Of it-ouick. You might imagine that
he sat right down and did it before he
ate bite of lunch. Oh, mol What he
did was to run through a little mental
calisthenics something like this:
Here am, a happy author By
long practice am now so deft at auth
ing that / can sketch out novel with
enc hand while writing short story
for the Metropolitan Magazine with
the other. Editors never keep me wait
ING. NV literary output is sold Tor
months in advance. and | don't care
whether eggs are 80 cents dozen or
30 cents apiece. Besides, | don't eat
Then. why should I, lolling in the
Ian of luxury, write a play for May
Irwin? | have never met May Irwin,
but she probably treats authors the
way German submarines treat neutrals.
| seem to remember, in fact, that
stage stars consider it a disgrace to
retain any of the authors original
lines in their plays. Consequently
shall not write a play. Togo, my slip
Pers!"
Meanwhile, Miss Irwin, failing to
hear from the author, sent seven more
/ kilograms in rapid succession, and be-
gan to form her own opinion of Leroy
Scott
"What should expect" she solilo-
( Guzed. "IIe is an author. Oh, the
/ irony of it that the only persons who
write anything should be authors!
Why doesn't General Joffre or Rube
Marquard or Acker,. Merrall = Condit
/ write a play? I'm sure that they'd be
much nicer to deal with. But au-
thorsi"
1t is impossible to convey the guam
4 titv Of scorn that she put into that
last word.
So, when a meeting between the
twain was finally arranged, both Miss
Irwin and Mr.. Scott faced the ordeal
/ with fear and trepidation. That is
what ordeals are usually faced with,
although some authorities prefer fear
and trembling,) Miss Irwin expected
10 meet a man completely enveloped in
+ 12-irch armor, with siege guns stick
/ ing out all over him. Mr.. Scott antici-
pated a threatening person who would
swing a huge club and warn him not
to come nearer than twenty feet
And nowl Well, Miss Twins dress
/ ing room at the Park Theatre wasn't
large enough to hold all the pleasant
things she wanted TO say about Leroy
Scott. She tested il, between the first
and second acts OF the Wednesday
matinee, and found it quite made
quate.
Leroy Scott" she bubbled, ais abso-
lutely one of the incest, finest men that
ever have known. He is perfect. 1t
is JOY to deal with him. He is always
pleasant, no matter what one does to
his play, and that is the test Of an
author"
Miss Irwin thinks lot of the play,
too So do the audiences. At any
rate, they laugh and laugh. The only
person in Wednesdays audience who
did not laugh was tall man in row
O. who explained that he had heard
the lines before. II was probably true,
because he was Leroy Scott.
To get back to Miss Irwin, she says
that there is a wonderful stage director
in the game who isn't getting the
credit that he deserves. His name is
William Collier, and he staged mo. Is. -
The interviewer was too polite to be-
lieve il. but May Irwin informed him
that she played in Augustin Days
company when Willie was a call boy.
She calls him Willie.
Returning still again to Miss Irwin,
it wouldn't be a May Irwin interview
if one failed to mention the fact that
the star frolics, and ripples, and flows,
and bubbles through her part. Con-
slider it mentioned.
Work." she confded. "The work
comes before and afterward. Acting
isn't work. The labor is in getting the
play ready. During that time feel
as | imagine a person feels just before
he Is hung But now that's all over
for three years. Yes. three years.
Ordinarily play n piece only two
years. but I'm going 70 'tick to 49, for
three"
Which will please Author Scott i'm
measurably, because, royalties not con-
sidered for TIN moment, If there's any
thing he likls it's May Irwin. II he