The coastland times with which is combined the pilot and herald of Belhaven and Swan Quarter. [volume] (Manteo, N.C.) 1959-1973, 1962-05-04

Dare, the first English Child
born in the new world and
he wondered and worshipped as
poets do.
The young author idled the
day away with thoughts of the
"band of hardy pioneers" and
their anxious expectant looks
toward the eastern sea where
never the bright sail of a ship
was seen nor the mariners cheer
was heard to tell that help was
nigh" and returned to Chapel
Hill Charged with inspiration to
write a drama on the lost COL
ony."
The first attempt, like the
subject with which it dealt, end
ed in failure: 81 turned out a
one-acter for production in the
University Forest Theatre. 1t
told an imaginary story of Vir-
ginia Dare and how she grew up
and lived in the wilderness
among the Indians, falling in
love with Chief Manteo's son
and marrying him-a forest idyn.
But the class didn't thing much
of it :. by that time / thought
! was pretty rotten -. started
reading too much in the litera-
ture of the subject l guess"
The discouraged Green threw
the play away and, as he says
started writing furiously about
the poor whites and the Negroes
of my native county in Eastern
North Carolina"
But the web of time and cir
cumstance had doomed an in
evitable pattern which ensnarled
the talented author, 10 years la
ter, with one of the most color
full and imaginative of all Tar
Heels-W. o. Saunders. Saunders
was the rambunctuous, liberal
editor of the Elizabeth City "In-
d e pen d emit" who, when not
parading in New York in his
pajamas to publicize a more sem
sible apparel for male summer
wear, was either writing bawdy
copy for his newspaper or con-
tributing articles to "Collier's
Magazine" Saunders knocked on
the door of philosophy professor
Green's office and burst in on a
TRADE of enthusiasm over "The
Passion Play" which he had just
seen at Oberammergau while
travelling in Europe.
"Paul," he said, "we've just
got to have something like that
in North Carolina and I've got
an idea"
The excited editors eyes
shone as he went on to say that
the Lost Colony would make a
good drama. (Mr. Saunders in
all probability said a damn good
drama!) Green tried to explain
that he had already experienced
failure in his one-act play about
Virginia Dare, but the saucy
Saunders spilled excitement all
over the young prof's room.
"You see," he said, 1887 will
soon be here. This will mark
the 35Oth anniversary Of the
colony and the birth of Virginia
Dare also. We ought to have a
great exposition something like
the jamestown Exposition of
1907. We could move a tribe Of
Indians down on Roanoke Is
land, let them carry on farm
ing, raise tobacco, set their fish
ing weirs, just the way they did
at the time Sir Walter sent his
colony over. We could have
every man on the island grow
a beard and the people could
wear the dress of three centuries
ago. It would be the biggest
thing ever to hit North Carolina.
We would get nationwide, even
worldwide publicity for it."
Saunders spoke with all the
authority of Hardy Gilchrest in
"The Fieldbod" and the Pulitzer
Prize winning playwright was
no match for the paripatetic edi-
tor. Green finally agreed to meet
Saunders three weeks later for
a gathering in the little town
of Manteo on Roanoke Island.
Paul Green drove down with
his wife to the coast with some
reluctance. The idea of a local
exposition seemed to be too am
bilious an undertaking" and he
had serious reservations con-
corning the willingness of local
fishermen to wear boards, let
alone doublet and hose!
w. o. Saunders opened the
meeting that night, Green made
a talk and the response in the
crowded Dare County courthouse
seemed less than enthusiastic.
Then, as if pre-arranged, a
booming resonant voice was
heard to ring out from the back
of the hall. Senator Josiah w.
Bailey emerged from his un-
recognized position in the rear
of the courtroom and strobe to-
ward the front of the hall