The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-12-22
DOLLY DALRYMPLR

religion, but like other dlspensations the world has not always been ready to receive it. Now the time has come. however and 1t is an hour to which I have long looked forward and prepared 10 meet to the best of my abilities.
 T have never had the desire to merely win fame as an actor, or make a fortune" on the stage. The material side of the actors profes sion has never appealed to me at all. of course one has to get along and we all try to do that, but my one desire has been to get along artisticaly and trust finances to take care of themselves.
 T have not tried to give the stage new Hamlet. In fact. do not think that any actor can do that. If one can measure up to the requirements of the role. approxi mately. I think that the actor is ac- complishlng a mighty task. There was no attempt on my part to be original, neither did I try to slav- ishly follow tradition. use some traditional business and I use con siderable business of my own which was dictated to my own sense of of what is right in art. Neither did I seek to be modern. l don't be- lleve In 'modernlsm' as such. simply tried to be true to the role and to life, always remembering that it Is the spiritual side of Hamlet that Is most potent and significant.
 And with all this do people ap preciate Shakespeare-Romeo, Shy lock, Macbeth, Hamlet?" l asked.
 "Yes, undoubtedly" said MT. Hampden with his wonderful smile and deep sonorous voice, like the tones of great organ-beautiful and deep. q have found that even the great general public. the average theatregoer of commerce, appEeciates Hamlet. If you can only getshim to the theatre and see it-that Is the problem with him.
 "The average person will stay away from Hamlet until he is practically shamed by the talk of others and the press, into going to see 1t.
 My fellow players have been wonderful all through the time of trial and struggle, I am convinced now that the average actor loves his art and wishes to do the better things. If he but has the chance. The support and assistance have been given by my company and the profession in general is something for which l am deeply grateful.
 Playing Hamlet is calculated to take the pride out of an actor if anything Is. No matter how well he does l think that the actor who is honest with himself will admit that there Is still lot left undone. Shakespeare put more into the role than any playwright ever put into a single part There is an infinite amount of food for reflection in all most every line, and after all it Is not so much tho words that count as the thoughts behind them-the soul Is there always shining like a star in the night sky, and 1t is the soul of very man and every woman.
 That is one of the reasons why Hamlet if properly presented can not fail to grip and hold the interest of sane people. Of course the char acter must seem human, but if 1t Is human and the audience fails to
 get 1t, then 1t Is the audience that is inhuman and not the character. But to the thoughtful person, the man who has suffered, the play has a message which is as great and true as anything in the Bible itself More- over, there is no one living who car avoid learning this lesson by bitter experience at some time or other II 1 he refuses to accept 1t. In a word it is the gospel of the Sermon on the Mount. the kernel of every great religion and philosophy from Con- fucius to Buddha; the preachment of self-sacrifioe, of the cleansing of tho dress of human nature by the test of trial and suffering"