New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-10-02
RECTOR'S OWN LIFE
IN HIS SEX PLAY
Henry Austin Adams, Who Left
Church and Family, Pens
Problem Drama.
HAS HAD VARIED CAREER
Married Mystic Soul" Before
Being Divorced - Bird
Cage" Gives His Mar
riage Views.


Providence, Y. T.. Oct IA sex problem
play dealing with marriage. which is be
ing produced here. is said by its author.
Henry Austin Adams. first Episcopal rec
tor and then Catholic priest. 10 deal with
his own experiences. The play is called
THE Bird Cage" and II is Of such an
extreme character that parts Of II cannot
be described in public print. II is said to
exceed I'm sensationaism PLAYS recently
suppressed and altered in New York, and
the police are expected 10 act when q is
produced there in the near future
Adams Is the man who disappeared in
| August, 1902, with a young woman. a mu-
/ stefan and student Of Baltimore whom he
called a mystic soul" For almost a year
Adams was completely out Of existence
so far as knowledge Of him IN New York
was concerned He married the girl in
Seattle under the impression that mis- wife
had obtained a divorce. and they had one
child. Then he learned that Mrs Flora
! G. Adams had not obtained divorce and
( he started proceedings at once on the
ground OF desertion.
Married His Mystic Soul"
He was separated for a year he says.
from his mystic soul Then Flora G..
Adams got divorce and the marriage
| Of the former rector with the Baltimore
girl was ratified.
Adams has since been trying 70 support
two famiIies-hs first wife and their four
children and his second wife and their
boy. eight years old He has had q hard
time OF II and has not always been able
10 pay his first wife all the alimony the
law allowed her.
The moral Of Adams's play is that the
wedding ceremony doesn't insure true
marriage and that divorce should be cas-
lily obtained. Adams admits It is all built
on his own career.
I'm not promoting the thesis Of trial
marriage. free love o. anything OF the
sort" Adams says. THE story is that Of
n girl who wants to know her own mind
before she marries man she was en-
gagged 20 three years before and hasn' I
seen since.
She is hurried into the marriage be-
cause, as she says 10 her dictatorial
father r retired rear admiral: You think
woman's heart is like q ship orders
are orders and some man must command.
That marriage is no true marriage and
is annulled the girl deciding upon her
course after the ceremony.
Men Can't Keep Up"
This is the point. The girl has been
thinking She had been growing The
man hadn't The business men or the
country are reading nothing The women
are reading everything. That's why there
are divorces The men can't keep up.
y have not presented the mans side.
have presented the womans. believe
that divorce should be easily possible.
u believe that what society said 10 me
when ! discovered that mad two wives
and two families should he said TO every
man who is divorced from woman GO
as far as YOU please Adams. but ~ you
take the responsibility Of perpetuating the
race you've got to stand by and support
that family
| Henry Austin Adams was At one time
g. clergyman in the Protestant Episcopal
Church He was graduated from Trinity
College. Hartford. and the General The
illogical Seminary. At frst he had charge
Of churches in New England
He attacked the Roman Catholic
Church and conducted his own services
I'm accordance with advanced rtualistic
practices.
In 1896 he became assistant 10 the Rev.
DR.. Morgan Dix. AT Trinity Church. this
CITY. and later was called 10 Buffalo.
where he received a. salary OF $500 from
81. PauIs Church. lie returned 10 New
York and became rector Of the Church
Of the Redeemer. at Park avenue and
sd street.
His salary there was not so large az
II had been In Buffalo, as the church
was In debt; but he soon built UP a large
congregation. one Of the ricn members
Of the congregation gave Mr.. Adams an
annuity OF $500. and he used much OF II
for charity.
The Rev Mr. Adams in 1895 joined the
Roman Catholic church, which was sur
prislng to his followers because OF his
previous attacks on this Church. For
several years he travelled over the coun-
try. lecturing under the auspices OF the
Knights OF Columbus
He disappeared from this city In Aug
ust. 1902 and nothing was heard from
him until the following May. when
friend here received a letter from him
4 written I'm New Zealand Mr.. Adams
wrote that he was suffering from mental
alteration when he went away and was
without funds. When he left New York
he had taken with him about $500. which
was all the money he had in the bank.
and he left untitled lecture engagements
that would have brought him about $500.
He also left behind his wife and four
children.
Al the time Mr.. Adams went away Miss
Gertrude Desch. Of Baltimore. also dis
appeared They were together in New
Zealand, and Mr.. Adams referred to her
as lis mystic soul
Mrs. Flora Adams sued for divorce
in 1906 and obtained a decree. Some
months afterward IL was reported that
MIR Adams had married Miss Desch.
MIR Adams is now about nfty-eight
] wears old The last time that he figured
in the newspapers was in 1899, when IT
was said that he had repented OF his
actions and had again become com
m,,nlcant Of the Roman Catholic Church.
Mr. Adams was born in Cuba. although
I - f..ko- u.oc q m eu1ber of "A Virginia