New-York tribune., 1920-02-22

hope is ths greatest power IN life
and the only thing that defeats death.
l saw 1t at close quarters, for l was
myself an inmate OF a tuberculosis
sanatorium and through hope and spir-
itual help beat it,"
where did you get your sea atmos-
phere?"
Il shipped as an ordinary seaman
when l was twenty-one on the Charles
Racine, Norwegian bark, from Bos-
ton to Buenos Aires. l had been as
sistant manager Of The White Sister
in which George Tyler was presenting
Viola Allen. Ny father was in the
company"
John Williams told me last week he
was so glad when he found you were
not laboratory made playwright and
not college man. Where did you
learn how to write plays?"
We'll" and the ghost Of smile
fitted across Mr.. O'Neils serious face,
Il am sort of college man. I went
to Princeton for year, and as for the
laboratory, well-I studied for a year
under George Pierce Baker at Har-
ward"
WAS it your Idea to be playwright
or writer Of stories? What was your
early ambition?"
Il didn't have any idea. Ny ambi-
ton, if you call it that, was to keep
moving and do as many things as
could. I just drifted along TIL I was
twenty-four and then l got jolt and
sat up and took notice. Retribution
overlook me and I went down with
t. b. 1t gave me time to think about
myself and what l was doing-or
rather. wasn't doing-and I got busy
writing one-act plays"
"How long did you stay in Buenos
Arrest"
About two years. Just free lanced
along. I had to do something to
live, and I wanted to 1--we. did
manual work for the Swift Pack
ing people, drafting for the West
inghouse Electric Company and Office
work for the Singer Sewing Machine
Company. I wasn't doing much choos-
ing. l was grabbing whatever came
along. l shipped as an ordinary SEA-
man on British tramp steamer for
Durham, South Africa. I've forgotten
the name of the ship. She was loaded
with mules"
Did you stay in South Africa
at all? ?"
"No, you must have 500 before you
can be admitted to South Africa.
Il went back to Buenos Aires,s he .
continued, "and shipped on another
tramp for New York, where became
an able seaman on the American line
ships. When in New York / lived In a
little waterfront dive and finally wan.
to New Orleans to join my father, who
was playing condensed Monte
Cristo' in vaudeville. l played the
juvenile very. very badly. but had a
good time and when we got back homo
did b little newspaper work on The
New London Telegraph six montha
"Then came the old t. b. and altar
l had beaten 1t started to write ons-
act plays. The best seven are IN my
book, The Moon Of the Caribhess.s
They were presented by the Province
town Players, the Washington Square
Players and the Greenwich Villagers.
played In some Of them. have bssn
member of the Provincetown Players
ever since they were organized, four or
five years ago. A lot Of that time
was writing for the stage, but ths
stage never knew it.
"'Beyond the Horizon 10 my farss
long play. felt sure when saw ths
woebegone faces Of tho audience an
the opening day that it was \ rant
failure and no one was more surprised
than was l when I saw the morninp
papers and came to the conclusion thu,
the sad expressions on the playrosrr.
faces were caused by their feelin. IA.
tragedy had vr4ttaaP