The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-06-15
Who S the
Publicp
By F. A MICHEL

| was to write a scenario for a NOV
ing picture. having received an order
from Forman. the editor Of a large
film manufacturing company. who had
said to me:
81 want something up TO date. Peo-
pie In these days are very FESTIVE IN
der the chains of matrimony. Give me
a play on this subject. and don't be
squeamish about it."
held a dialogue with my char.
acters with view to finding out their
feelings. utilizing fictitious audience
as a sort of Greek chorus. This Is
what was evolved.
MRS. Trevelyan." said to my lead.
ing lady, you are the mother Of boy
four years old, Reginald. Your hus-
band ia d spendthrift and is using up
the family income. as you suspect, on
other women John Guilford, an old
fame Of yours and a splendid fellow.
sympathizes with you He would sup
ply the deficiency caused by your hus-
bands extravaganza. but there is a
barrier to his doing so In your having
q husband"
xiii himr shouted a virago In the
audience. "a virago is masculine wo-
| man,
1.-THE husbandT'
YES"
ran my eye over the rows of filed
seats for approval or disapproval. but
got nothing definite.
as my boy Reginald to appear as one
Of the charactersT" asked Mrs. Ire
velyan.
''Well, yes. He is one of the ele.
ments of the scheme. | would much
rather leave him out, for he will be the
hardest character Of all to handle"
He would be much better Off" cried
the virago, with a good man for a
stepfather than his real defective ia
| ther."
"Guilford," 1 said. ''how do you feel
about your part?"
"Am l to be the villain Of the playr"
mo; you're to be the hero-I mean
the leading gentleman"
81 like that! How the dickens do
you expect me to make hero Of my.
self and at the same time make love
| to another mans wifeY'
IN tell you what you do" said Mrs.
Trevelyan. Bring out in your play that
my husband repents or turns out to be
| q good man after ALL"
ain that case" bristled Guilford.
where do i come in?''
Advancing toward my audience,
noticed very ladylike woman with an
impressive face sitting in a proscenium
box. l asked her for reply to Gull.
ford's question.
HE should never have come in at
all"
was not getting on. My heroine
was not satisfied to take a new hus-
band; my hero was unable to make
hero of himself while making love to
another mans wife. and had child
to dispose OF too young to understand
what they were all doing.
"Come; get to work." / said to the
players. and began to lay down the
scenario. labored through three acts
and succeeded in reaching the fourth,
in which proposed to dispose of the
husband and marry his wife to q no
BILE, good man.
was relieved to see in my hypothet-
| zeal audience that the wife held their
| sympathies pretty well, but the whole
| scheme broke down under scene that
Forman had suggested as being worthy
! to be handled by genius. The parties
| involved were Trevelyan, his wife and
| Guilford. The scene was the culminat.
ing point OF the break between the Ire.
velyans. l had nerved myself up to
the work with the help of ten cups of
strong tea and was moving on swim.
mingly when little Reginald must
needs come in and, seeing his mother
delivering an address to his father
that had spent much time and pains
on, ran up to him, threw his little arms
! about him and cried out:
Mamma, why do you scold papai
You mustn't scold papa. won't let
! you"
shoot the villain Of the playr' cried
voice in the audience.
| do you refer to me. sir?" asked
Guilford holly. I'D have you under
stand, sir. that I'm the hero Of this
play"
Give Trev another CHANGER cried a
countryman in the audience. HE
| didn't mean nothin'i My ole woman
has lots more agin me than he's done
J If she only knowed itr'
Then you're a bruter cried fem
! inine voice.
What are you going to do with the
kid?" called a voice loud above the
hubbub.
4 "Send him to an orphan asylum
suggested a woman In the gallery.
THAT'S better than a father that isn't
his father. and hypocrite at thatg'
Better sink the whole lot Of 'emr'
! was the last cali heard above the din.
= which now became confusing. Jump
ing up from my desk, ran to the
telephone, called up Forman and said
to him:
"Who wants that kind Of play you
have given me an order fort"
'sThe public"
who's the publicT
why, the public is the-the public
of course"
you mean that the public is the
creation of men who make living by
producing rotten plays and novels!
Get some one else to write your play
for you. I'm out OF 1t. Goodbye
II as clean a play as mine on this
subject creates displeasure what shoult
be the feelings of those who are moi
'the public" at seeing one wherein tls
wife and mother is badf