The Washington herald., 1918-05-23

Special Correspondent Of The Washington Hersld.
New York. May 22.-They found the
body of Ted Sheldon. the other morn
ming in a picturesque spot in Gen.
trail Park In his hand was clutched
revolver and in his temple was
n gaping wound. Ted Sheldon was
a short story writer, film playwright,
maker of jokes and a jolly devil
may-care free lance of journalism.
He had killed himself to join in
the shadowy beyond the wife from
whom he had been inseparable in
life. She had passed on suddenly a
few days before. Sheldon lived with
his wife down by Gramercy Park.
His home was. open house for artists.
playwrights. poets and intellectuals.
lie had been married eighteen years
and not a week had gone by that
he did not write a sonnet ITO Grace"
his wife. II was a great love and
he did not care to go on without it.
He did not go to the funeral He
turned the arrangements over TO
others and then wandered out and
was not heard OF until his body was
found. Not so many years ago Shell
don's desk adioined mine in the edi-
torial offices of a magazine.
When he arrived at his Office each
morning he would Immediately phone
his wife, and many times during the
day he would phone her. Everything
he did was inspired by a motive to
please her.
Ted Sheldon was not a great writer
judged by the writing standards Of
the day. But he made a good living
and he never failed to give of his
small hoard 10 the less fortunate who
honeycombed the attics and studios
of Gramercy Park and Washington
Square.
He once told me that ne did not
believe success in life meant the mere
accumulation OF money. but it meant
the accumulation OF good friends. and
so 1t was that Judged by his own
standards Ted Sheldon was a great
success.
He was a typical New Yorker He
loved the asphalt streets. the hum7
OF the cars. the roar of the subway.
the glare of Broadway, the polyClot
people. and once he was talking Of
rural life to an enthusiast The
country" he said. las for me. thev
can close it up"
Editor Life: Could YOU make ?
ioke out of this? Two men, one
the father of a family, the other
an automobile owner. meet on the
street-or anywhere you Iike-and.
begin to converse.
Finally the head OF the family
says-you can work it up better
than this; this is just the rough
sketch-"Tm almost broke. I've got
SIX hungry children to feed"
And the automobilist saws: CThis
is only a suggestion you understand
the automobilist says: That's
nothing. I've got six hungry cyl
inders to feedw
What do you think of IL? OF
course I've never done any writing
like this before-but 1 mean well.
Irving Berlin, the Rag Time King,
has deserted Tin Pan Alley for the
colors. He is stationed at camp
near New York. He appeared on
broadway recently in khaki and he
seemed happy. For some time he
has been in poor health and he says
he Is back in shape now and he
wants to rise in the ranks through
his own efforts and not because he
is a celebrity. Berlin at his can.
tonment and Earl Carroll flying on
the Texas border leaves two gaping
holes in the Life of Tin Pan Alley
and at time when music is in great
demand. Leo Feist, the oracle of
the popular music publishers, de-
clares that never in history was
there such demand for new tunes.
People are singing more than ever
and the demand for popular music
is necessarily greater. "Over There"
written at the beginning of the
war can scarcely be supplied so
great is the demand not only in
this country but in Canada and
France.