The Washington times., 1915-04-11
AS This T1vi3 Was Bent
She Broke Into Song
By GARDNER MACK.

The old geometric principal best ap-
plies to the shortest distance between
the two most desired points Of human
attainment when the career of the can
didate for attainment is equipped With
self-starter. Parents who make a
practice of bending the line of least re-
spring to fit the convolutions of their
own diagrams OF what its career snail
be frequently wake to a realization OF
this fact after the child has put what
they think is the reverse English on all
the lessons they have so painfully
taught him-or her.
Her" is used in this particular in
stance because the illustration we are
using of what happens under the stress
OF parental circumstance just cited
happens to be a hcr--no less a "her'
than that pink and-white embodiment
Of the springtime Of success introduced
to " ashington last Monday evening as
Elinor Henry. prima donna of the Co
Mmba Musical Stock conpay. The last
paragraph might have been prolonged to
cite the instance of the line of least re-
SistanCe which runs so close to the sur
face of the childish nature that every
once in a while 1t breaks through and
gives the parents a tip as to what
SnOulu De uOne-d d UP tney refused 10
permit themselves to recognize.
Some fifteen years ago in the town Of
BathbeaCh, i, l., which the atlas says
is twelve miles south of Brooklyn and
principal industries of which are run
ming summer hotel and an assort-
ment of express companies offices. 4
solden-haired child OF six was seen run
ming along the beach and warblinG IL
melody which turned out to be a life
insurance policy for more show girls
I, f,,rr H. ..-tt
though originally composed as tho
music of the "Florodora" seXtet. Lit
tie attention was paid to Der by her
parents. They felt that as long as they
could near her singing she wasn't get
ting into anv mischief Later when the
Sunday school of which she was Il
me mber desired to give an entertain
nlent she Was selected to take a prom-
ncnt part because she could sing pret
tily and wasn't bit bashful when
speaking pieces before folks.
One of the men employed in one of
the express offices, wko sang bass in
tho church choir, wrote musical come
Gies as Il diversion in the long winter
didn't take up too much of his time.
TO save these from being murdered
by ruthless thcatrical managers he re.
fused to let them be produced except
under his own direction. Only one Of
them Was ever produced, so far as his
tory relates. This one dealt with the
depredations oil a set of pirates on n
desert isle Inhabited by a sorceress.
The basso-eXpressman-C Composer-li libret-
tist figured himself as the pirate chief
and the golden-haired girl-now fifteen
years old-as the sorceress. The pro-
duction WAS accomplished in the Sun
day school auditorium and the sorce-
ress was the single hit of the show.
That was the first appearance OF Eli
| nor Henry, In "a musical comedy.
| A few days later she was sent TO
| New York TO follow the parental dia-
gram OF a career In the New York
| School OF Applied Design. The business
| OF painting the lily had always seemed
| TO young Elinor as futile-even II II
| was done on a china plate or wall pa
per. She hadn't been At the school