The Washington times., 1924-09-01
PR|NCEB|BESCO
PLAYWRIGHT!
HOW ODD
Play Opening Here Tonight
Sets Society Agog, Though
He Has Written Many
Continued from First Page.)


which the great Rejane and the
great Duse appeared; and he might
have said so when he arrived here
as Roumanian minister.
However, he did not say so. Some
Of his best friends did not know
till few days ago that he was by
profession playwright.
Gets Their Goats.
He was known only as a socially
charming-and socially alarming
person.
The alarmingness comes from the
fact that he has q directness Of
speech which few Democratic shirt
sleeve diplomats could exceed.
In fact, none Of them ever did
equal it.
Bibesco alarms Washington by
turning to new dinner companions
and saying:
do you like money? Have you
much Of it? Were you ever poor?
Do you like men? Do you like
women? Are you in love? How
old were you when you were first
In love? Do you hate Europeans?
Do you particularly dislike the
Latins? Have you q prejudice
against Rumanians? Why?"
BY these fortnight methods
Bibesco has learned a lot about
life in spite Of being a prince and
diplomat.
He has burst out Of the cage
with an axe.
He has the most disarming Of
manners and the most paralyxing
OF inquiries.
Explores As Playwright.
AS a playwright should no has
explored. A diplomat really seldom
explores. A diplomat usually goes
round and round on the same sad.
go.round. Certain sorts Of people!
No other sorts Of people!
Bibesco, when he was q subordi.
nate in the Rumanian Mission in
London. annoyed his chief quite a
bit by insisting upon going to see q
certain Russian.
This Russian was a Bolshevik.
He was in Jail. Bibesco insisted
upon making his acquaintance. He
made it. He made it in the Rug
SLAMS jail accommodations. THAT
Russians name is Chicherin. He IL
now foreign minister Of Russia.
Again, while q subordinate in the
Rumanian Mission in London, Bi.
besco insisted upon searching out
some Englishman who was against
the great war, which Bibesco nat
urally was for.
Met Macdonald In Jail.
On inquiry he was taken to q
quiet and unobtrusive dining place
where he met such an Englishman
and disagreed with him, but met
him and came to know him.
It was not a bad stroke; because
that Englishman was, and is, James
Ramsay Macdonald.
How many diplomats 20 to see
| interesting people in Jail? How
many diplomats go to see people
who are opposing the government
OF the country to which the diplo-
mats are accredited?
The only one that this writer
ever knew, or heard of, is Bibesco.
He follows American politics not
only through what the State De.
partment thinks, but through what
every other part of American life
thinks--which is legitimate, and
which includes William Edgar Borah,
OF Idaho, and George Brennan, OF
Illinois.
He inquiries, and inquiries. and in.
quires, and says nothing about him.
self; and gets known as a captivat.
Ing companion and a remorseless.
ruthless inquirer: and gets totally
unknown as a playwright.
Writes Another Play.
Then he writes another play the
one which will be presented tonight
and his friends come to him and
more or less say:
Isn't 1t wonderful that you could
be able to play at writing a play?"
That is the frightful box in
which he now finds himself.
This writer does not know any.
thing about Bibesco's play. He
writes these few words about the
drama OF Bibesco himself.
Can a prince, can q diplomat, Ret
play OF his. which is q comedy,
taken seriously?
That IL the fix.
Will the public treat Bibesco az
it treats a debutante pretending to
be a chorus girl in amateur theat.
ricals2
or will it be good enough to give
him the same reSpect--and the
same severity Of judgment---which
II would give to any other profes.
sional playwright
That is the psychological personal
dramatic question which win be
tested out this evening.