Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-27

You know that is the custom in Eng
land Although the pudding was regu-
larly and properly declared the GUS
tom officers held 1t up. My brother
wrote me that / may expect to get 1t
for New Years. OF course 1t will be
nice any time, but did so want it for
Christmas. You see I've always had a
pudding on that day."
She spoke of life in private cars. She
explained all about her cooks and
walters and whatnot Just the same as
some grand dame might converse OF
her domestice, and especially culinary
troubles. 1t made me decide that the
nomadic life OF a great actress whose
purse Is big enough to support a pri-
vate car is not such very hard life
after all.
AS l glanced at the tree I ventured
the question: "Then you are fond OF
children"
Fond of them-I love them!" came
the quick sincere reply. I'D rather
see little ones happy than be happy
myself"
Endows Chlldren's Wards
A little later Archie Bell. Miss Meth
ersole's manager. told me she has fur
nished and endowed approximately
twenty-five wards in hospitals for chill
dren. One of the most pretentious OF
these endowments is in Cleveland, o.
In this ward there always are flowers,
and the bills come to Miss Netherso!e
every month. Mr.. Bell also told me ne
had received instructions to convey tne
little Christmas tree to the chlldreh
ward of some OF the hospitals In Los
Angeles. and to see to It that flowers
and presents went with the tree,
Somebody has said that love OF chill
dren is the most unselfish we enjoy ana
is the basis of character Revelation
No / OF Miss Nethersole's character
may be found In her love for ehlldien
and her numberless good offices in be-
half of little ones whose only hope lies
i'm what somebody else Will do .or
II is the love for children which has
nrompted Miss Nethersole to produce
her new play, THE Writing on the
wall" In fact. the play Is lesson
for fathers and mothers who forget
that they owe a greater duty TO theF
children than to themselves.
"I used to think the t. or the indi-
vidual. was supreme, and only to be
considered" said Miss Nethersoie. II
was because I had been too close 10
NV panel to know what l was paint
ing. .Lu
.Todav 7 know it is the they the
collective individuals or the commun-
ity. which needs the greater attention
There is too much individual ana class
legislation. We have forgotten almost
that all the people are the government:
and laws should besfor the benefit or
all We have come to believe more or
less the strength of might is the
strength of right. We have forgotten
the other fellow has to have his chance.
"I used to ask myself a good many
times that old, old question, Am l
my brothers keeper And II is only
recently l have answered it. / am my
brothers keeper, and so are you, not
because of any sentimental reason, ana
not because of any so-called religious
feeling, but because II is duty we owe
society, and ourselves, as part there
Of
Go down into the tenement house
district of New York. See there tne
poverty, the disease and the terrible
conditions. If you come away without
saying you should be your brothers
keeper, you are not human, but ma
chine which thinks and acts and talks,
but understands not.
1T have sat with the queen of Eng
land at a festal board. l have eaten
a humble meal in the warehouses; of
England, as a guest. believe nave
seen the apex and the base of human
ity and, having seen it, have come to
me was not to be wasted in mere
amusing but in teaching,
Comes Here to Teach
after five years absence from the
United States, 1 came back here to
teach as well as to act I saw mar
Velous growth all about me, and be-
gan to inquire into it. First / studied
the immigration question. Next 1 at
tempted to learn where the immigrants
went to after passing Ellis island.
learned that for the most part they
huddled together on Manhattan island.
with such constant and astounding
growth and with such limited space
/ decided conditions must be getting eX-
oeedingly bad in New York, so one
day l went down into the tenement
district. Here found my inspiration.
1t was the inspiration of horror and
it aroused in me desire to do some-
thing for the community. / took other
excursions and from what 1 saw my
new play was evolved.
"In one room. eight by ten feet, I
found eight persons--four of one FAM
ily and four odgers-sleeping. In an
other room, scarcely as large, saw a
man, wasted to a skeleton by disease,
tossing on a wretchedly dirty bed.
The white plague soon claimed him,
despite what we could do.
BESIDE that breathing skeleton lay
baby, who cuddled and snuggled
close to share the faint warmth of
his body. At machine sat a mother
with baby in her lap. On the floor
was third child of the toddling age.