Evening star., 1939-10-08
Helen Hayes
Mother Now
An Author
Letters to Mary
To Be Published
Next Month
By Mark Barron,
Associated Press Stan Writer.

Associated Press Stan Writer.
NEW YORK.
For quarter of century one of
the Broadway theater's cherished
traditions has been the wise and
tireless way in which Brownie" as
she is known in every producers
Office along the Rialto, has guided
the sage career Of her now dis
tinguished daughter, Helen Hayes.
Brownie" or Mrs. Catherine
Hayes Brown, recently decided that,
perhaps, it was time she was doing
a similar service for Mary, the g.
year-old daughter of Helen and her
husband, Playwright Charles Mac
Arthur.
So today she is doing that and
with it has become an author.
On November 81 Random House
will publish Letters to Mary" the
story of Helen Hayes life which Mrs.
Brown originally wrote as series of
letters to be given her granddaughter
5 or 10 years from now when she
would be on the threshold of her
own career.
Ruth Gordon (the actress came
up for a week end in the country
with me not long ago." Mrs. Brown
said Il was showing her some of
the letters, explaining that I intend
ed them as messages of advice and
encouragement for Mary when she
began to meet obstacles in her own
career.
Ruth took a few of them away
with her, and the next thing knew
was the publishers wanting all of
them to be issued in book. A mag
azine also will publish a series of
them.
But, what I really wrote them
for was to give a true picture of her
mother to Mary I don't want her
to grow up in the reflected glory of
her mothers career and have feel
ing of hopelessness of ever achiev-
ing an equal success herself.
Il want her to know that her
mother made mistakes as do all
growing girls, that she bumped into
many obstacles and misfortunes and
that she was successful only because
she kept persisting in going forward
despite mistakes or mishaps"
Mrs. Brown thinks that young
Mary is not SO likely to become an
actress as she is to enter some other
profession, probably writing. The
reason she doesn't indicate that she
may want to act is a difference be-
tween her and her mother.
when young Mary puts on hat
she always goes to look in the mir
ror to confirm that it is at proper
angle on her head" Mrs. Brown
said. when Helen puts on a hat
she walks out with authority and
confidence that it is on correctly.
She rarely ever looks in a mirror to
confirm it,"
What indicates that Mary may
become writer is that she has her
fathers aptitude for witty and de-
scriptive speech. For instance, her
nickname for her 2-year- -old brother
is The Wrecking Truck" for he
is youngster of reckless activity
who can't move across a room with
out knocking over vase or a chair
Mrs Brown admits that she is no
orthodox author, although she had
her book read by several successful
authors, including her son-in-law,
and all were so delighted with her
style that they refused to suggest a
single change.
Helen was the only one who Of
fered a criticism Mrs. Brown said.
AFTER she read it she laughed
little and cried little. Then she
said, Mama, finish one subject at
q time
We'll, the way I write and prob
ably always will write is that when
I recall something new about a sub
ject I was writing about several
chapters back, I just insert it
wherever happen to be writing at
the moment instead of going back
to where I originally started writing
about the subject"
Tomorrow Mrs. Brown may put
aside the reading of proofs of her
new book to 60 to Washington, D. c.,
when Miss Hayes arrives there in
the leading role of Ladies and Gen.
tlemen,' a new play by her husband
and Ben Hecht. For it was as the
boy babe in Babes in the Wood"
IN 1908 that Miss Hayes made her
first appearance upon any stage in
Washington. A memorable event for
both daughter and mother.