New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-16
(NRANT MITCHELL, who is "The
rniln, Nare Nm y ~ the Cnhan


" TGilor-Made Man" at the Conan
e. Harris Theatre, did his best to keep
away from the stage. lie was always
interested in It, fascinated by the
color Of it, fascinated enough TO even
90 on as a SUPER here and there when
the chance came. But he never took
part in amateur theatricals, and con-
cedes he might even now be scared If
he were called on to do it, Mr.. Nit
chell did go to Yale, which he may
have meant was an antidote to any
craving he may have had for the stage.
He became a reporter on newspaper,
still fighting his inward yearning for
the theatre. Then, as a last mighty
blow, in an effort TO quite break down
that lingering hope Of Thespian
career, Mr.. Mitchell became lawyer.
He remained as such for some three
years in Columbus, Ohio. Then the
Spanish War came along and Mr.
Mitchell came back from Cuba without
ANYTHING TO his credit but a case OF
typhoid fever. That probably finished
him, wore down his fighting resolutions
and. before Mr.. Mitchell had realized
what was happening, lie had yielded.
All Of this was told one day last
|. week in the course Of brisk late af-
N ternoon walk down Fifth Avenue.
Y "You see, when l left Yale, some
body told me l could write. People
who can't do anything else are always
being told they can earn their living
by writing. So | started 70 write. l
Joined the staff of The Mail and EX-
press and discovered, TO begin with,
that newspaper writing demanded a
capacity and interest in facts which
seems 10 have been congenitally de-
MED to me. ] went out one day to
write d story about a iIc, and after
tho story had been printed my atten-
ton was called TO the fact that, al
though the fire had been in dry
goods store, had called it a clothing
store. As a matter of fact, they had
seemed synonymous TO me, but the
storekeepcr, who was an advertiser,
thought different, so my newspaper
career came to an untimcly end.
"Then studied law. You know how
ones family is always wanting one to
study law. ! did. ] became p lawyer,
and even went so far as TO pass my
bar examination. They probably
thought 1t wasn't worth while keeping
me out, on the theory that as law
yer / would be harmless. After ! had
been lawyer some time | decided /
would like TO do something at which
] could earn a living. After the Span
ish War | came 20 New York to see
some friends, and finally decided 70
enter the Sargent School of Acting, be
ing assured that as All actor | could
undoubtedly earn my living. My fam
lily was amazed. They told nc that
there was nobody in the family who
had ever acted or shown any capacity
for it. They told me that | had never
shown any capacity for 1t. Which was
true. But l insisted l would be an
actor.
"No; have never done any writing
for the stage to any extent. But |
will say that for long time after
took up the stage as career, my
friends insisted that was only doing
il to gain a first-hand view Of 1t for
the writing | intended to do"
OF VAMPIRES and vampires there
~ are a-plenty. Clara Joel has a
new one in mind, development OF her
enforced consideration Of the vampire
type by playing the part in Business
Before Pleasure at the Eltlnge Thea
tire.
surely you don't really think I'm
doing a vampire" said Miss Joel one
matinee last week to the interviewer