Evening star., 1935-05-07
PULITZER PRIZE
AWARD CRITICIZED
Zoe Atkins Play Hit as
Dramatized Novel-0ther
Women H0nored.
ny the Associated Press.


NEW YORK, May IA blast Of
criticism sounded today In the wake
of the announcement last night Of the
years Puliser prize play, "The Old
Maid" by Zoe Atkins.
The drama, adapted from a story
by Edith Wharton. was chosen by the
Advisory Board Of the Columbia
School Of journalism as the best
American play Of 1884.
Clayton Hamilton, who resigned
last year after serving 16 years on the
Pulitzer drama Jury. said the board
had passed up the finest play Of this
year and Of many years"-"The Chill
dren's Hour"-for . play which lis
not original and which u merely the
transference Of Q novel to the stage"
Miss Atkins Replies.
In Hollywood. Miss Atkins replied:
I'm not interested In discussing
this. However. In all fairness ] must
point out that The Green Pastures
Nsso Pulitzer prize winner) also vas
an adaptation"
Miss Akins gave full credit to Mrs.
Wharton for the inspiration for the
play.
"rhe character in her story vas
my inspiration for any exceptional
quality the play possessed" she said
A first novel. Nov tn November" :"
by Josephine Winslow johnson. "a
year-old Miss0urian. was given the
81, 900 award for literature.
wenty-three-y e-year old Audrey Wur-
demanA OF Seattle won the $1,000
poetry prize for her volume bright
Ambush"
Reporter Rewarded.
The prize for the best example of q
reporters work went to william H.
Taylor, New York Herald Tribune
sports writer, for his stories on the
Americas Cup yacht races last Sep.
tember. This was Also a u 900
award, as were those In history and
biography.
The prize for the best American
biography went to Douglas 8, Free
man. editor Of the Richmond (Va.)
News Leader for his four-volume
work, "R. E. Lee" David 8. Muzzey
received honorable mention for his
James G. Blaine"
The history prize was awarded to
Prof. Charles Mclean Andrews of
Yale University for The Colonial
Period in American History"
The Sacramento (Calif.) Bee was
given a gold medal for a series Of
stories by Arthur B. Waugh, asso-
ciate editor. on an appointment to
the Federal bench in Nevada, selected
as the most disinterested and meri-
torieus service by an American news
paper"
The Sheboygan (Wis.) Press re-
ceived honorable mention for an in
vestigation of State hospitals.
Capital Correspondent Honered.
A prize of $500 went to Arthur
Krock of the New York Times for his
Washington dispatches.
The $500 award for the best exam-
pie OF a eartOonists work was given
to Ross A. Lewis of the Milwaukee
Journal for q cartoon published Sep
tember /. 1884, entitled Sure, I'll
Work for Both Sides
No award was made for the best
newspaper editorial of the year.
In his criticism of the drama award,
Hamilton said the will of the late
Joseph Pulitzer deereed that the prize
be awarded for the original Amer
ican play" that best represents the
educational value and power Of the
stage.
Other plays neglected" by the ad-
visory board, he said. were Steve
dore." Accent on Youth" and The
First Legion"
Miss Atkins, who was born in HUI
Evansville, Mo, Is q veteran play
wright. having written such sue
cesses as "Declasse," In which Ethel
Barrymore starred. and The Greeks
Had q Word for It"