El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-01-12

a L1lOSI everybody who has
a ever left the little home town
in the days Of youth to make
a fortune IN the big city has had
that idea OF going back some day
with bells and bells and still more
bells on.
Lives there a man with soul so
dead who never to himself has said:
Yep. when I get that million or be
come famous III start for the old
homestead IN three automobiles with
a rapid IRE champagne battery do
ing execution the minute I hit the
village limits. III ride up and down
Main street in my new fur overcoaE.
scatter gold pieces to all the kids,
irrigate the farms with bubble
water. offer my diamonds to the
village council for lighting purposes
Gnd start a bank account for every
baby that's named after me. Then
III bet that girl that threw me over
to marry the town blacksmith VIII
60 and drown herself for sorrow"
Or If its a woman: ''WeH. I think
I ought to 90 back and see the old
town wonder how Sally Rogers.
whom 7 used 20 go to school with, is
getting along since she married that
funny VIII Hopkins who used to
sing in the choir. Poor SaIIy-snd
sew n children now. But then, she
never did have any ambition. III
Just take Charlse and the butler and
the chauffeur and three OF four
trunks and give the poor souls a
treat suppose they never do get
a chance to see what real style Isl
And that nasty Mrs. Humptyink
who never would invite me to her
little two by four lawn parties-yes
its my duty to 90 back and show
the old town they have something
to be proud Of"
OF course, as the headline indi-
Gates, this is about how Miss Val
eska Suratt, the red ink, largest
wood type actress who astOnished
the country as the Girl with the
Whooping Cough, went back to her
old home town and what happened.
But II hasn't got 70 the place to
begin with Talesha as vet The
foregoing is what IS called getting
atmosphere II IS a presentation Of
the central psychological fact IN
homely everyday disguise. Next
must come the literary allusion or
parallel, If possibie-see Rules Of
the School for Journalism No. 693.
Where is the literary aIlusion?
Why the Magda Of the great Ger
man novelist and dramatist Suder-
mann, OF course. Msgda WIS a tenn
peramental lady who left her little
home town because her papa in
sisted that she marry the minister.
The difference between Valeska
and Magda is that when Magda
came back she stayed, but Naleska
took the midnight train away from
the little home town in Mysteries.
Sudermann IN his preface puts the
plays place in "the principal city
Of a province" Time-The present
Valeska Suratt was born in Terre
Haute-pronounced TER Hut-In-
diana. Her time was about two
weeks ago.
This Is the ways very dear friend
Of Miss Suratt describes it: Mag
da. the ingenious child Of simple
German army folk, was the little
girl Of the village who went into
the outer world 70 become PER
sonage, a noted actress and singer,
an international celebrity; and then
she returned TO the village to re-
member-'from that door to the
window, from this table to the old
bureau-that was once my world.
'fValeska Suratts the simple, pretty
little daughter Of a small town mer-
chant, a young milliner's apprentice,
who responded to the lure Of Broad
way, that national pathway OF
wasted hopes, became a star Of the
theatrical world with the reputation
Of being the most extensively
gowned woman on the American
stage. She went hack to her little
home town Of Terre Haute, Ind