The Washington times., 1915-12-10
Pearl White One Of
the Big "Show Me"
Family Who Also
Shoes Others
BY GARDNER MACK.

The popular impression that Mis-
so,Irians must be shown doesn't go
quite far enough-because after being
shown they like to demonstrate the
thing shown to the rest of the world.
II anyone is looking for a very flt-
ting example Of this. which will also
be an explanation of a number OF
things that have happened in mo-
tion pictures in the last year or two,
Pearl White can give It. The in
stigator Of the thrills of the "PeriIs
Of Pauline" and the Exploits of
Elaine" is a Missouri product. And
she has been devoting her life re-
Gently to acquiring knowledge about
and showing others, wide variety
Of things
There are few thrilling things that
have not happened to Miss White
during the course of her adventur-
GUS career in motion pictures. She
has made notes of them and is writ
Ing a book of personal memoirs.
Consequently It is q bit difficult to
get her to talk about herself because
she appreciates the art Of springinG
things on the public suddenly. an
she wants to spring herself on the
public in book form all at once.
tbSt have here ieoSeS S Some ont toSf aSoSe
Miss White that are interesting.
George Vaux Bacon managed to col
lect quite a few of them for an ar
ticle in the Photoplay Magazine OF
current issue. And here are some OF
the things he writes: .f.. e.
Down in Missouri. where the nat
banks Of the Mississippi begin to rise
into the foothills of the Ozark noun
tains. and the trees ere that thick
YOU stub your toe against one while
you're trying to keep from bump
Ing your head into another. there
was, and is. settlement Of ap-
,proximately two hundred and fifty
souls. They don't have any race sui
eide down there. so the population
has remained the same for a genera
tion in spite of excursions by some
of the people to the cities and occa-
eional lamented deaths of others dur
ing week-ends when the men are
apt to get 'market-merry' and burn
gunpowder.
"The name of the settlement is
Greenrldge. A few miles from there,
in a pine slab cabin. the red-headed
Miss Pearl White, who these days is
driving a yellow roadster in Man
haitian. was born.
Attaining the age OF FIVE and a
new gingham dress. she was greeted.
one day, by q man on horseback
while she was totinR water from the
family we'll in the back yard (Which
consisted Of the whole western half
Of the United States; as the cabin
faced the .easO. and asked II she
knew a place where he could stop
"She brought MIN home with her,
and he was put up in her fathers
cabin. It developed, in the course Of
honey, homemade bread, and chic
ory that the stranger was the man
aGer of an Uncle Toms Cabin show
which was travelling in that general
direction. He had been obliged to
go TO the county seat for some legal
tangle his company was In, and was
at the nearest F;illToad town, some
thirty miles distant
The small carrot-top Of a girl.
thereupon, to she amusement and
,Hamlet's soiiIoquy for bis benefit,
and asked him Tor q job.
The theatrical man happened to
have q sense Of hunior, and accept
led her on the spot, guaranteeing her
IS a week and grub as long as the
show stayed on the road. The next
day, clinging gleefully to the back
of his horse, with her arms tight
around her new manager. she sailed
forth from Iler ancestral home in
quest of the pot of gold that lies
at the end of the theatrical rainbow.
she started classicaIiy as Little
Eva remaining with the wandering
ing collection, of 'troupers' for r
year. On reaching Chicago, which
had been the starting point Of the
company'e tour, sh" found a letter
from her father and mother inform
ing her that they bad left the cabin
and moved into town-meaniny