Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-05-18
MISS FERBER HAS
0. HENRY APPEAL
Creator of Mrs. McChesney Sways
Large Audience at Burtis to
Tune of Her Emotions.
Is DELIGHTFUL STORY TELLER
Presents Types With inoifensive In.
timacy, Holding Mirror Before
Our Own Eyes.

If it were not that Lord Byron at
tanned all OF his wonderful knowledge
OF women and the passions ere his
5Oth year one would very much doubt
Miss Edna Ferber'S claim to but "a
years, as some have been kind enough
10 allot her. She appeared before a
trl-clty audience at the Burtis theateT
last night in readings from her own
works, the entertainment being under
the auspices of the Tri-Citv Press
club. But in the aforesaid time Byron
had achieved all the amours of Sol
ONION without anywhere near the sat
lety or the years: and so Miss Ferber
seems to have gurgled and chuckled
at the sum existence Of experience and
reels 1t off imprOmptu-like as if she
were really entitled to the erudition
of years.
The most Commendable thing which
might be said of her characters is that
they are inoffensive. They take root
and heap soliloquy at the most indie
tensible of human machines, the work
ing woman; and they hand swift
packages to the men with all the aim
of the woman that has been over
looked by men chiefly because she
hasn't golden hair, blue eyes and the
brains of an idiot"
So many years ago he hates to
acknowledge them, one journeyed the
coolest night of the year afOot some
thing like sixteen village blocks at "a
degrees below to the Methodist church
nj THv to l., No,
ton recite his own poems. 1t was a
memorable occasion, never to be for
got, chiefly for two reasons: One the
frOSt-biteS and the other the disap-
pOintment. Carleton was la vogue
and the enterprising custodian of the
fortunes of the Methodists thought 1t
would prove a record attendance to
obtain the famous Will, who was not
averse to going far from home to re-
cite. The church was crowded, and
Carleton lOlled between Rotations in
a deep chair squat out in an attitude
betokening utter Indifference to his
select audience When he arose to
recite he sing sOnged it off as if he
truly were in Kansas and didn't care.
But this was Iowa and slightly in ad
vance at that time. if not progressive.
Ever since one reporter has siren
uously avoided authors recitals, and
succeeded until the present fateful
day 1t is now cheerful to aCknow-
ledge that it was again disappointed,
for the similitude of Will Carleton and
his precious poems was entirely lack
ing at the Burtis last night as Edna
Ferber gave her inimitable stories in
inimitable style.
Has Fine Delivery.
How she loves these creatures of
her observation was tremendously
shown in the care with which she pre-
scented each and every child of the
pages She has a splendid manner Of
delivery and good enunciation. max
ing herself heard perfectly and leav-
ing none of the good points to escape
her listener for want of preparation.
Dealing entirely with the everyday
happenings that escape the star dwell
CT. she has woven the warp and woot
of he lives of some OF the most met-up
with people OF. say Rock Island If
not elsewhere. and not imprObably
the trueness of her delineation by pen
and voice caused every one in her
audience to again see person he had
laughed with or at. Commencing with
her story. The Man Who Came Back,
she illustrated a time-worn argument
in a freshly gilded frame. To one it