CANDOR KEYNOTE OF LITERATURE TODAY

"Candor is the keynote to the trend of the literary world of today," said Major Ian Hay Beith, noted English author and playwright, in an interview with a CRIMSON reporter yesterday afternoon.

"I blame this extreme frankness on the ascent of women to equal rights," he went on. "Men have always preserved a certain reticence where women are concerned, but today this is altogether lacking. It is, of course, a certain phase which must be gone through, and after wards the pendulum will undoubtedly swing back in the opposite direction."

Major Beith is in this country to present his latest play "The Sport of Kings," his second stage production to appear in America. It is now running at the Copley Theatre in Boston.

"The Sport of Kings" deals with a wager between two young men that they can persuade a staid and sober friend to ten on a horse race.

"Orchestra or Balcony?"

"Betting on horse races." Major Beith remarked, "is conducted in England in much the same fashion as bootlegging in America. When you want to lay a wage on a horse you say 'carnation' or 'hollyhock' to indicate 'five pounds' or 'ten pounds' just as in America I understand one says 'orchestra' or 'balcony' when one is ordering spiritual refreshment from a bootlegger."

The playwright then turned to discuss the stage, "I think writing plays is more fascinating than writing novels," he declared, "because you can see how it 'takes', whereas you cannot watch the faces of those who may read your novels. Also, it is interesting to see whether others can express by their actions what you have down on paper. Most of the time they cannot.

"Again, the writing of a play is but the beginning. A novel is off your hands all the time it is published, but you can realize financially and morally on a play for years afterwards.

Excell in Character Parts

"A comparison of the American and English stages," he continued, "shows that we have much in common. The Americans excel above all in character acting. The two great successes in London in the past year have been Lucille Laverne in Sunup," and John Barrymore in the Shakespeare plays. On the other hand, the success of an English actor seems to lie in his ability to portray the everyday man as he is. Cyril Maude, for instance is praised for his acting as Cyril Maude, and not for any particular part he takes."

The next points which Major Beith discussed were the tendencies of the stage today, "The question is not whether the stage is better or worse," he said, "but whether it is worse than usual. The stage has followed the course of a toboggan shoot since the time of Greek drama. In England, even Shakespeare and his contemporaries could not bring it back to that level. Playwrights and actors were not recognized socially until. Sir Henry lrving was knighted 20 years ago. England's stage is just recovering from the blow dealt it by the reaction after Cromwell and the Reformation.

"Today," he went on, "the stage in England is a social institution. It is an excuse for many society girls to get out at night with a latehkey."

New York Center of Drama

Questioned as to whether this applied to American drama, he replied, "Drama in the United States is a business. Rehearsals are continued in long sessions until the thing is done night. The center of drama has moved from London to New York, and the American people have passed the English in enthusiasm for the theatre.