The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-08-07
THE HUMAN PROCESSION

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 Born in America, educated in France and introduced to the stage in Eng l land, Billie Burke is a child of three | nations, as well as of a, trick-muie clown The lovely actres was born | in Washington, D. C., twenty-seven
 years ago today, the daughter of Will l liam, that the family fame might be 1 great white top'' as Billie Burke, the tr1ck-mule clown, and Blanche Burke, an actress. When the stork visited the Burkes, the father was very much
 disappointed, as he had wanted a boy, | and had picked out the name of vii liam, that the family fame mifht be
 perpetuated. Man proposes, and the bird, or the ''doc'' disposes, and the clown sought consolation by naming his daughter Billie.
 In her childhood Billie Burke toured 1 the country with her father, living the life of the circus performers, with she was about nine the clown, the
 mule and the girl went to Europe, where the father played-it is to be presumed before crowned heads, and the daughter was sent to school in France. There she became an ac- complished nnguist. and made a | tour of Austria, Germany, Russia and
 France, giving recitals in the tongue of whatever country she happened to
 be visiting. Then she went to London to study singing and made her debut in that city at the Pavilion. Her
 first appearance on the 'legit'' stage was in the pantomime, Beauty and the Beast at Glasgow. After this engagement she returned to the Lon don music halls, where she attract
 ed the attention of George Edwardes- He gave her a role in -'The School Girl,'' in which she sang a song, My Little Canoe,'' which scored a great hit. Indeed, it was in My Little Canoe that Billie Burke rode to fame and in a little while every bachelor and maybe some men who. weren't-fn London was in love with Billie. She was given a part in Louis M. Parker's MT. George and, although the play was a dismal failure, it by no means damaged the girl actress reputation.
 Then came a day when she was summoned into the presence of Chas.
 Frohman.A His very first words were
 to advise her to abandon the notion that she could sing. This made Bill lies face flush the color of her hair, but MT. Frohman added that she had a great future as an actress, if she would devote her entire time and en-
 ergy to that. art, and the upshot was that she was given an engagement in New York. Her first appearance in her native land was as Beatrice Dupre, the leading role in My Wife, which she played with John Drew. That was the beginning of Billie Burke's career as a successful star. Miss Burke spends the Summer months on farm, where raking hay is her fa
 vorite occupation. While playing the Maud Muller role she has all the judges and other masculine persons.
 in the community riding by. hoping to
 catch a glimpse of the Titian-haired farm meress.
 Charles Richard Crane, millionaire manufacturer and banker of Chicago, was born in that city fifty-five years
 ago to-day. He came into promin- ence in 1909. when President Taft ap-
 pointed him minister to China, but revoked the commission when MT. Crane was on the eve of sailing for his post. The manufacturer was permit ted ito s'resign,s before assuming his
 duties for the alleged reason that he had talked too much. He deserted the Republican party, and was an in- huential supporter of Wilson in the last presidential campaign.