The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-03-19

ployment and By the guardianship Of
this society.
Star and Stasehand Dry Tears Side by
Side at Midnight Funeral.
BY Mansfield F. House, News Edi-
tor, Joplin, Mo-, Globes:
'Bsn-Hur~ has thrilled fits thou
sands. but TO Ethel NJ. Coleman, a
little chorus girl. fell the tragic honor
OF being the central figure. after death,
In the most dramatic scene In which
any members Of the great company
ever participated.
The great play has been ably inter
preted. Men and women Who lead
spelIbound, by the marvellous art with
which they played the parts assigned
them. Aided, by the magic of stage
craft, they have made the scenes of
the great drama 80 nearly true to life
that reason alone could detect the
forgery. In their elaborate make-be-
lieve every night they live through the
story of nineteen hundred years ago.
And every night their efforts impress
hundreds with fuller realization of
humanity's debt to the Creator for the
coming Of His Son.
But the greatest actors the world
has ever produced, aided by scenes and
setting as realistic as the earth itself.
could never, create a more dramatic
situation than was set In the parlors
of the undertaking company where lay
the body Of the little chorus girl. at
midnight. Nor could priest or prophet
more eloquently describe the tran
scendent mercy Of the Savior's sacri-
fee for man than was expressed in the
simple language Of the Episcopal fun
eral service. A hundred and forty
stage people felt themselves stirred 10
the very depths of their souls by the
emotions It is their business to arouse
In others. And through the death OF
the chorus girl, whose part, in life,
was not important, they all were i'm
pressed more forcibfy OF the true
meaning Of the great scene in their
play.
Miss Ethel 81. Coleman, q chorus
girl in the company playing ben
Hur" at the Joplin theatre, was found
dead in her room at No. s14 Joplin
street. Her death was due to asphyx-
iation from the fumes of a gas stove
which she left burning in the room
when she retired. Tho action Of the
gas was probably rendered fatal by an
affection Of the heart, which had
caused her considerable trouble.
Miss Coleman had been a member
Of the company for eight years, having
joined it in New York in 1902. She
is a native Of Belleview, Ontario.
where her parents live, and had no
relatives in the company.
When news of her death was made
| known to ether members Of the cora
pany. they insisted that funeral SER
vices be held In Joplin before sending
the body to Canada for burial. There
was no time to call them an together
in the afternoon, and it was decided
to hold the services at midnight, after
the evening performance.
Accordingly every member OF tbs
company, some 40 persons In all. as
sembled at the undertaking parlers az
soon as the curtain fell on the last
scene Of 'Ben-Hur" The Rev. Charles
A. Weed, rector of st. Philips Episco-
pal church, conducted the service. This
members Of the chorus sang Nearer
My God to Thee" accompanied by the
wind instruments Of the orchestra AMI
Musical Director Kiesewetter and First
Violinist Max Schmidt played Han
dePs Largo"
The very air was charged with tho
dramatic intensity Of the situation
when Mr.. Weed began the service. .
am the resurrection and the life," nc
read, and the scene in which they
reach the climax of their efforts every
night flashed into the minds of thos:
who heard The true Significance Of
the power which healed the lepers Wa
borne into their hearts. When tbs
service was concluded there was
scarcely an eye in the crowded cham
Der that was not wet
In the presence Of death those mem
bers OF a profession. noted more fol-
the gay abandon of its points Of view
betrayed full measure of those emo