The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-06-27
THE HUMAN PROCESSION


 While there Is Life there's Metcalfe. At least, such has been the case for nearly a quarter of century, and, as Afetcalfe Is still youngster. today being his hfty-ffth birthday, it is like >ly that he will go right on dramatic criticising for Life for many years to come. MT. Metcalfe Is one of the four M's-Metcalfe, Martin, Mason and Mitchell-who have made Life bear able, except for suffragettes, v1visec- tionists, the dramatic trust, child-l9- Dor, slave-drtvers, physicians, clergy men and bad actors, for To, these many years.
 James Stetson Metcalfe was put off at Buffalo by the stork on June 27, 1858. At Yale he received the degree of A. B., meaning Able Biffer, and, in dealing with plays, producers and ac- tors, he has since demonstrated that his alma mater had the right hunch He began his journalistic career at twenty five as editor and publisher of the Modern Age A year later he hired himself out as an editorial writ CT on the Buffalo Express. In 1886 he became manager Of the American Newspaper Publishers Association. He has been dramatic editor of Life since 1SS9 and for a time wrote literary was. for a brief period, managing ed- itor of the Cosmopolitan Magazine. As dramatic critic he quickly demon strated his ability by getting himself ''trun out" of New York theatres, whose managers, lfvid with rage, hiss ed between their clenched teeth, be- gone, you Nar,- thief, murderer. assas- sin of box office receipts, traitor, an- archist, iu1del, betrayer of the sacred right of theatrical managers to hold up the public, begone, and never dare to darken our doors again, you grace Ir<zFl at which point in the discourse the speaker usually had a fit, frothing at the mouth and barking like a dog. Some men might have been discour- aged by such criticisms of their criti- cisms, but ''Metcalfe;s continues to be signed to Life's dramatic column.
 President Mitchell. of Life, has this to say of his dramatic editor:
 ''It sometimes happens that Afetoafe reads in the public press. and in prf- vate letters that his dramatic criti- cisns are the best in the country. To what extent he Is deceived by these fantastic falsehoods is a secret be- tween himself and his Maker. We try to keep him at normal by sug- geeting occasionally a series of letters from actors and playwrights giving him the real truth. from their point Of view. No, he is not conceited. He has faults, many and blood curd1ing, but this is not one of them. Probably the general opinion in The Profes- sion Is that critics are the lowest form of animal life, and Metcaffe may have heard this so often that 1t has saved him from becoming macrocepha1ous When have. seen him hobnobbing on most friendly terms with these same playwrights and actors. after gril1ine them alive, have suspected him o1 possessing some strange hypnotic pow er."
 Frank Eattray Li11ie, professor oi zoology and embryoIogy at the Uni versity of Chicago and long the direc- tor of the Marine Biological IAbora' l tory at Woods Hole, Mass was borr in Toronto forty-three years ago to I day, and was educated at the univer- eity of Toronto and the University q Chicago The statement that "evolu- ton has collapsed" made early thit I year by a religious publication, arous- l ed Prof. Lillie's scorn. s-The evo1u. l tionary process in nature is a demon. strated fact < he said. '.and feel i'm patient over the ground1ess statements of religious teachers that, evolution ha. collapsed"