Omaha daily bee., 1915-11-06
STUCK ELEVATOR
CAR STOPS SESSION
President Barr and Nineteen School
ma'ams in Cage Between Hotel
-loors as Meeting Waits.
MARY ANT1N TELLS OF THE FLAG

MANI AN LIN lELLLo VI NE 1Ahu
At the close Of Mary Antin's ad-
dress before the State Teachers as
Bociation in Auditorium Thursday
evening the audience arose with one
accord and left the building, calmly
ignoring the fact that a learned
professor from great university was
waiting to deliver an address.
President r. ]. Barr rose to the
occasion by announcing TO the de-
parting crowd that the learned pro-
fessor's address would be delivered
at the Friday morning session.
1t wasn't the first time in the
evening that President Barr found
himself confronted with the unex-
pected. Just two hours before this
he had been locked for an hour in a
balky elevator at the Rome hotel.
He was descending to the main floor
in the car with nineteen school
ma'ams and Prof. Luckey of the
State university. He was in a hurry
to get to the Auditorium. where he
was to preside at the meeting.
The car came 10 a gentle but firm
stop Just between the first and second
floors, and it refused TO move an inch
in either direction. Came then various
workmen with sturdy and divers tools
and worked and argued.
Meanwhile time was flying at it's usual
speed. When the car still continued to
be obstinate, word was passed from the
imprisoned president to some of those at
liberty, and Superintendent f. u. Graft
hurried to the Auditorium and announced
solemnly that the president was I'M
avoidably detained" but would doubtless
arrive in time to preside over part OF
the meeting.
The car moved in time for President
Barr to introduce Mary Antin. the prtn-
cipal speaker Of the evening.
Her address, on THE Responsibility of
American Citizenship" was filled with
fire and earnestness. 1t was a clarion
call for daily living of liberty as a
sacred obligation and privilege.
Meaning of the Flag.
Liberty is not something that was
accomplished some time ago when men
signed a declaration and died for 1t"
she said. TT is present, personal, init
mate. The flag Is not a memorial, but a
challenge to high and noble living"
She referred Enuch bv way of illustra-
ton to her own upbringing in a strictly
orthodox Jewish family, in which
obedience 20 the Mosaic law was put be-
fore all else. Such obedience to the
fundamental law OF America, she de-
clared. must be the badge of every true
American. She told of a certain rabbi
before Christ who summed up the whole
law In this. ''Vhat ts hateful do not
70 tbv felIowman." All other laws are
but comn,entar,ea.
The whole law az America- she said. Is
this: IAN men are created equal. with
eouaI rirhts TO life. liberty and the DUR
suit ~ hanniness" All other laws are
but commentaries on this.
Obedience TO Liberty,
As to the orthodox Jew obediance to
the law, in letter and spirit, Is made i'm
portant above all other things. so, she
declared, obedience to the spirit of lib
erty must be lived UP TO by all good
Americans. ......
Teach 1t to your children In the nur.
sery" she said. ut should be so thai
the man who Is false to his citizenship
the man who refuses to go to the polli
and vote would be pointed out with the
finger Of scorn upon the street For It Il
the business of every American not only
to be a good citizen, but to be a thorI
in the flesh OF every bad citizen"
The splendid music of the evening wa
by the Omaha Chamber Music society
with the Omaha Ladies' chorus, led b!
Prof Henry Cox. Seven Omaha Indial
tribal melodies. rendered by the orches
ira, were especially applauded.
Tba fret spaaLar ~ the avaptnR xva