The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-08-29
Was Interrupted Last Evening
In Middle of His Inter-
esting Reading.
"BUILT FOR HIS PART"
LITTLE AIRLINE ELLIOTT MADE A
FAVORABLE IMPRESSION AS
JUVENILE READER FLOWERS
ON PROGRAM TOMORROW.

In the one hour allotted him last
night Montaville Flowers so captured
the chautauqua audience with his
reading of the first two acts of Ben
Hur" that there was a great demand
that the chautauqua management in
duce him to finish it. Manager Shaw |
announced today that Mr.. Flowers |
has consented and will read tomorrow |
at $3.50 p. m. Champ Clark will APP
pear at 2 o'clock and following him, |
Mr.. Flowers. The concert by the
Hrubey Bros. will be at 1880 O'Clock
instead of as given on the program.
There are yet two acts to be read in
Mr.. Flowers dramatiZation of Ben
Hur." They include the chariot race
and the great scene on Calvary. the
best parts of the book.
Mr.. Flowers read under difficulties
last night, which would have meant
the defeat of lesser artist. but in
the short time at his disposal, with
the cry of Time, Time" running
| through his mind he read so we'll that
he captivated the vast throng. A sigh
of disappointment passed over the
audience when he was compelled to
| stop at the end of the second act
They wanted the rest of Ben Hur."
Flowers is the first of American
readers just as Ben Hur' is the first
of American novels. He is a great
reader because nature has given him
an almost perfect physique for the
platform. He has good height, COM
handing presence and a voice capable
OF great power and variation. Above
all he loves his work with all the in
tensity of his artist nature. He reads
from the great masters, entering into
| their characters and the emotions
they felt when writing. General Wal
lace has said that Montaville Flow
ers has given his great book its best
presentation.
The wonderful thing in Mr. Flowers
reading is his power to change from
one character to another in an instant.
Last night he impersonated Ben Hur,
MESSIAH, Ben Hur's mother and sister,
Arrius, the master of the gallery,
Sheik alderman, Balthasar, Simon
ides, Esther, Malluch and minor char
acters. He did it all with consum-
mate skill. One of his best characters
was that of the tribune. His lowering
brow. heavy jaw and stern command
ing voice made him Enthusiastically a
Roman commander. No actor could
have done better.
Flowers has power no end of power
Under favorable conditions he forgets
his audience, forgets himself forgets
everything but the character he is act
ing and the incidents that crowd that
, characters life. If the dictum of F..
Marion Crawford be right that the
novel is pocket stage" Montaville
Flowers is doing a great work in max
ing that stage reality.
, This afternoon at three o'clock Mr..
Flowers read his dramatization of
Les Miserables," the worlds greatest
novel. He enters with great spirit
into the characters created by Victor
e Hugo the man France calls 1.-The Con
= soler of his People,
? Elliott Girl a Wonder,
9 c. Airline Elliott, the little girl ten
D years old who gave a reading before
D the chautauqua yesterday afternoon is
s a wonder. She has enough histrionic
e ability already developed to imperson
= ate Irish, French, German, Chinese
and English character and she does
! 1t we'll. For over an hour she enter
tanned the audience in a way that
would have done credit to an adult
o reader.
Airline has been appearing before
/ audiences ever since she was three
years old. Her parents live in Dayton
!. They say that even before the little
girl could talk she would catch parts
e of tunes and hum them In a childish
!, way. AS soon as she was old enough
!. they put her under the training of the
best elocution teachers.
!. The atrical companies want Airline
: but her parents have refused all of
;. fers in order to keep her in school
|. Not long ago theatrical company of
fered s75 a week for her services anc
agreed to pay her father a good salar,
to accompany her.
). In winter she attends the publ,
" schools in Dayton and is good in he
y classes. Her parents intend to giv'
3 her the best training possible ant
y then let her talents take what cours.
they will
/. Reading by kmsbury.
n. The reading from Rudyard Kiplin,
II yesterday afternoon by Wallace Bruc,
,e Amsbury was enjoyed by all VIII,
Y heard it. His recital of the Recess
ionaf' Kipling's masterpiece was es
pecially impressive. This Afternoon
Mr.. Amsbury read from his own bool
e. Ballads of Bourbonnais." The poem
le are written in the French-Canadial
n dialect.
d