The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-08-08

finding itself in more or less of a
beastly hole, the British war office APP
Piled to an American woman-typically
clever and hustling-to pull 1t out.
This woman is Mrs. Mary e. P Turn
bull, formerly of New York. Her hus-
hand, E. Hetherington Turnbull, is
agent general in Great Britain for the
Canadian province of New Brunswick.
lie is a native of St Johns. OF which
city his father owned the greater part,
and where he. too has large real
estate holdings. Mrs. Turnbull is the
only daughter of the late Col. ]. Au-
gustus Page. upon whose shoulders the
mantle of the talso late) Sam" Ward
as the greatest of New York's gour-
NETS, was said to have fallen, the
colonel having been one of the most
famous members of the renowned Man
haitian club in its greatest days. He
was a member of Gotham's oldest fami-
lies too, and, in his time, one of the
greatest property owners in the Amer
lean metropolis
The matter In which the war office
wanted Mrs. Turnbull's help was one
of hay. Baled hay The British army
some 1000 tons a day, and, until COM
raratively recently, the art and science
of making hay into bales was but dimly
comprehended in this country and
hardly practiced at all. 1t is said. in
fact that, when the war began there
were exactly two hay baling machines
to be found between Jotn O'Groats in
the north and Lands End In the south
There are considerably more of them
at present and what the British war
office wants to do now Is to demon
strate effectively how the baling of
hay is done. In response to an appeal
for volunteer hay balers II has got
some 5000 and wants still more. and
recently conceived the idea of getting
them by means of a movies" film.
That is where Mrs, Turnbull comes
in. Among many other things she is an
uncommonly clever playwright She
made the dramatization of Frank Nor
ris' novel, 1.-THE Pit" that was used
over here under the title of "The
Wheat King" and another piece of
hers, Ills Lordships Cure" which al
ready has done well in South Africa
and on tour, not to mention having
had a gratifying reception at a special
matinee here, is likely soon to have a
regular London production. OF late, in
connection with the war work, which,
In common with most other society
women, she is into up to the neck,
Mrs. Turnbull has gone in for film
writing, too.
Some time ago she wrote and pro-
duced quite a striking moving picture
play. This was in connection with the
socalled BLUE Cross Society" which
looks after the horses wounded in bat
tie just as the Red Cross society looks
after the men. Lady Smith Dorrien.
wife of the famous British general, is
president of the Blue Cross society, of
whose council Mrs. Turnbull is a mem
Der Her film, which was called
Saved by the Blue Cross" was
great success After having been
shown all over this country. 1t is now
being exhibited in Australia and New
Zealand. It depicts the adventures of a
steed from the time he is comman-
deered to that when wounded on the
battlefield he Is taken in charge by
the Blue Cross men; also what happens
TO him thereafter and his happy return
home 1t was so graphic a demonstra-
ton of Blue Cross methods that 1t oc-
CURED to Major Smith of the army
service corps, that it's fair American
author probably could do Is effective
"a one to illustrate the process of hay
baling.
Mrs Turnbull was ION It like bird,
as the popular phrase goes. Although
busy with innumerable other things, she
rolled up her sleeves a bit higher and
took on the new job. Having sketched
out her SCENARIO she went forth into
the country districts in her own motor
car. accompanied by representatives Of
the war office and a movies man, and
had the pictures made under her own
supervision. I was honored, this week,
with a private view of the resulting film,
which plays" for bit over a quarter
OF an hour. IT shows. first. a major
and two orderies motoring up to a farm
house door. One sees them talking with
the farmer and, eventually, buying a rick,
after carefully testing the hay therein.
Then we see the baling machines at work.
We watch the putting in of the fingers
which determine the size of the bales, and
witness the wiring of the latter and the
attachment of the war office label. Final
" we see a field somewhere in France
and the bales of hay arriving for the
delectation of an army OF hungry steeds.
Al present Mrs Turnbulls film is await
ing the o. X. of a distinguished parsonage
at the war office. upon receiving which
II will be placed at the disposal of
cinema propretors everywhere who will
be asked to show 1t as a patriotic duty.
There will be official exhibitions, too,
and the result should be thousands of
further volunteers TO help with the hay
baling industry.
Meanwhile Mrs Turnbull has no end of
other kinds of war work on hand. She
is unusually tall, dark and distinguished
looking, by the way, and is always beauti-
fully gowned She goes everywhere and
Knows everybody, one of her wide circle
Of close acquaintance being Lady Rox-
burghe, who is, perhaps, the most init
mate friend of Queen Mary, from whom
Mrs. Turnbull herself has had many let
ters in appreciation of her various actvi-
ties. She was one of the first to be struck
by the fact that the soldiers who are be-
ing trained for the front in various lone
some parts of the country needed enter
tanment, and she promptly began organ
izing concerts for them, an example that
was widely followed. More recently she
has been giving entertainments for the
benefit of the wounded men. The scene
of many of these has been her own beau
tiful home at Muswell Hill just out
OF London. The special feature Of it is
She garden the apple of the eye of its ac-
eomplished mistress. who is herself a
practical gardener. OF which more anon,
slrs. Turnbull is vice president of the
American Circle of the famous Lyceum
0ssb, and vice chairman of its dramatic
> branch. In this capacity she recently or
ganized big benefit matinee al the fash
ionable Haymarket theatre in aid of the
naval disasters fund The attraction was
a piece called THE Royal Way" which
sometime ago, won a prize offered by the
Lyceum club for the best play submitted
by one of its members, and the matt
nee realized profit of over $1,000. This
however, was not enough to satisfy iii
energetic American organizer who forth
with hit on the project of auctioning thu
original of painting made especially 70
reproduction on the souvenir programme
by Charles William Wyllie. the famou