The sun., 1919-04-06
He WR TIES HIT S
OAMUEL sHIpMAN has had a


CAMDEL sHIPMAN has had a
- large share In giving their ap-
peal to three plays that are now
doing their bit toward complicating
Broadway's congested trafiio problem,
and yet the secret ambition of his life
is not to grind out successes, but to
become a famous philosopher, which
Is hardly popular enough vocation
to get a man elected to local school
board.
But the part author of Friendly
Enemies" East Ii West" and "The
Woman In Room 10" yearns under
meath his royalties to write a cosmol-
ogy and tell the world just why Il IA
a world. Having done much to turn
the pockets Of the public inside out. he
now aspires to turn their souls inside
out
This young playwright--he Is only
"a. with no signs yet Of being ex-
hausted by the wear and tear Of max
ing money with his dramas---is already
talking OF retiring in a few years,
thus foregoing any possibility he may
have Of writing the great American
drama and perhaps getting Corse Pay
ton to appear in It. He itches to get
at that cosmology, which has to do
with "the general science of the cosmos
or universe, in all its parts, laws and
operations, so far as these can be
known by observation and scientific in
curry" as any dictionary will tell you
If you're handy with dictionaries.
He has been student as far back
as he can remember. and his studies
and observations have been pointed
at the theatre almost from the time
he made his up stage entrance on this
globe amid the unpretentious setting
of Sheriff street.
Even while he was a youngster In
Public School % on Sheriff street he
was chasing the drama, while nther
kids were chasing ice wagons. From
tho time I was or g." he said, 81
used to make up plays as I'd walk the
streets-I've composed many a mas
terpiece in the gutter"
He graduated from elementary
school at the early age of Is, indi-
eating that time devoted to playwrit-
ing does not always cause one to lose
ones head. In the interval between
this graduation and his matriculation
at Columbia he managed to escape
high school. Instead he studied by
himself, reading his way further along
into the drama. II hated teachers"
he said, though I taught evening
school myself block away from
where was born, while 1 was a fresh
man in college,"
But he read at first more for the
purpose of occupying his mind than
with any definite idea OF coming to
grips with the earnest career Of a
college student later. He became a
member OF various philosophical, his.
toric and literary circles and even
spoke at forums though not with any
intention of gaining poise and control
for first night curtain speeches. In
whatever hours were left in the eve
hings from this cerebral cultivation
and from the work which supported
him he managed to squeeze out plays
practice exercises written just as q
piano student performs the scales.
IN order to make sure had the
experience and the proper local color
for these" he said. II tried practically
every phase Of existence that could
resort in this city where you might
say l haven't been a charter member.
OF course l went looking for drama as
a spectator. and not with any intent
of joining in and becoming the life Of
the party.
Naturally, as so many other men
lave done who have seen SO much
misery and poverty about them, !
started out as a reformer, with some
notion Of making the world over on
my days Off. I was swept into the
Socialist movement. but swept out
again when found they numbered
just as many hypocrites as the people
they scolded. In fact, wrote a satire
on the movement, called The Sensa-
tionalist.' which a Broadway produce
ing firm still have and may yet use
to blow up the Bolsheviki. In this
play a youthful agitator who studied
Marx-as did-induces atyoung heir
ess to build a Socialist institute for
him, and then cuts the wages Of the
Yorkmen in half in the way he'd de-
hounced-when 1t was done by some
one else"
Meantime, in order to keep himself
alive until that time when he could
give the theatre its due, he took any
job that came along and would per-
init him to devote his evenings to art.
In this way he gained a still more
varied knowledge OF life-so varied
that he can't remember all the jobs ne
did have. About all he recalls is t1at
once he rose to the eminence Of be-
ing assistant superintendent in a
wholesale mandatory of collars and
shirts. The chances are he was an