The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-04-14

once as well; or Hiram Cobb, anything, anything but this comedy name that's been strapped to me from infancy. Of course, it has given my daughter Buff a pretty good pseudonym. The other night Otis Skinner was up for dinner and Buff marched up to him, getting him by the buttonhole. Are you going to be writer. too, when you're grown up?'- he inquired. I am, she returned I shall be known as Irvina Cobb; I've decided on it--and when the next big war comes on and pa goes to write about it, his articles will be signed l. Cobb, Iryina's father In this manner she has me under control"
 What do you think of relatives? "A limited number of relatives are all right; it's when they begin to multiply that one wishes for the freedom of Topsy"
 Are you satisfied with having been born funny?"
 "I wasn't born funny--only of course as to contour; this Roycrofty shape of mine was a scaffolding on which no one could drape the cloak of Hamlet. l looked in the mirror and l knew my job. Privately, as man to man, 1 will admit to you that longed to be a spe- cial murder writer. l used to bring rocking columns to the editor; I was a trifle bilious at the time and I wrote biliously; in fact in those days people died to advantage--I made death worth while"
 Suddenly Irwin Cobb dropped down into seriousness. You know, told you that he isn't always funny"
 We're not always what we seem to be; we're not always doing what we want to do; we are not always becom- ing what we want to become. Many q pantaloon has bled to be Hamlet; Eddie Foy wanted to be Caesar. How do you know what I have wanted to be? All of us seem to be yearning to be- come what we were not born to be; it is our tragedy and generally our suc- cess The world asks something of you, and you have to give. The world demanded that I become fool. and I belong Yet once in a while the world forgets me for minute, or 1 forget the world, and paragraph is born that would not look out of place if bordered with black. Fame isn't all that it's thought to be--the more fame you get the more you have to live up to; and you get in line for public speaking, and no man who ever had anything to say ever wanted to speak. I'm frightened to death. only I'm used to being fright ened. You can get used to nearly any thing, or so they say. got used to Europe, and getting used to Europe in the year 1915 was a little harder to get used to than any personal fate.''
 T heard an argument the other day began. "A man was contending that unless a person could be considered to have done some one or more great things. he or she should commit sui eide, if not murdered by fate before the opnortupttu rraaenfcd ffoalf What do you think?
 well, unless you are master al sui eide, can do 1t nicely without messing the furniture up or spelling your coll lar, I should say no. because at some one time a chance to be great comes to us all Even if it is at the last mo- ment one has still chance to change his will or say something in Latin, Latin being the language of those about to cross the river"
 But when one becomes discour- aged"
 No matter-be anything, discour- aged if you like. but don't be similar for instance, in story writing. You see, I'm back on the topic again--never use hackneyed phrases. I'm always catch ing myself at it. For instance, the other day I used the words, the can ale guttered' Now I don't know how candle gutterS, why IL 8utterS, or, for that matter. if it has any guts, but I found myself saying 1t because it had already been said. Give a genius an inch and he'll make 1t an epoch; give him a coat and he'll make 1t a robe give him moment and he'll make it an aeon--and don't tell him there isn't a chance for him. because there is. There's chance for everybody, only he must be patient--or. no, he mustn't be pa- stient; let him get mad enough to rear right up on his hind legs and he'll see that the world is waiting. By the way" he broke off, don't that sound little regu1ar?"
 Usual, you mean"
 Sort of interview-y." he insisted.
 Certainly not" I said briskIy. sIn- terviews never go off that way. They never tell the young aspiranf to get mad; they're always admonishing him to be calm"
 T did start that way. didn't IT" he unused.
 "But you didn't finish that way" I observed.
 That's because remembered the in- cident' of the guttering candle" he re- torted. laughing and reaching out for another cigar.
 How many . day?" queried.
 Fifteen or twenty; I have to have . limit" he said.
 Don't call that a limit. do your" I asked.
 "At least that gets me into bed with out q cigar" MT. Cobb said with fnality.