The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-11-15
THE TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INTERPRETATIONS BUREAU
BY FREDERIC J. HAsKIN. Director.
washington, d. C.
CONFESSIONS OF A FOUR-MINUTE
MAN

dies and gentlemen: introduce MI
John Smith. who will speak briefly
for the second liberty loan"
Sometimes smith lived up to the
promise and quit in four minutes, and
sometimes he stayed so long that he
wore out his welcome. But he talked
liberty loan until he got all the
Smiths and Browns and Joneses
among the millions in his audience
talking the same thing and the wind
up of the great campaign proved 10
be nothing short of a roaring patrlotlc
jubilee.
lob. [ speak from the fulness of eX-
perience. Either 1 am a very gabby
person, or else have no idea now 1T
tie time there is in four minutes. Just
as I began to warm up L would IN
vsriablv have to quit and go some
where else There were a whole lot OF
mean things 1 might have said about
the kaiser except for the constant re-
straint of that four-minute rule But
I am resigned to the limitations PuS
upon me when I think what Woulo
have happened to the public II the
MANAGERS had failed to keep the
swarm of orators and near-ordIorS
under rigid control. But for TINS CON
slant vigilance, undoubtedly the great
cause would have been drowned IN an
overwhelming flood of words.
dividing Epidemic understanding.
II would indeed be a brave COM
nnittee that would accept all corners
who volunteer to speak for p2trlollc
canse. and turn them loose on an un-
suspecting community. II "ou-"
SinonIv mean an epidemic OF unre-
Strained Oratory-a mad saturnalla or
wind -jamming. So, gentlemen OF the
committee, while I personally reel tndt
I might have made rafting gooo
xpeech somewhere, instead or just get
ting comfortably started severaI nun
bred times, 1 recognize the depth d
your wisdom in keeping the lid on
and 1 submit that you were right.
worked in the schools in the morn
ing, in the movies in the afternoon
and in the theaters at night. l never
before realized the wide range OF ne
screen drama. 1t covers the who're
history. 1t encompasses the entire
gauut of emotion. 1t overiooks no
phase of human activity foHoWeq
Eliza as she crossed the ice, ana
went on ahead of the performing
lions At least a dozen times mar
rowly escaped being shot by Douglas
Fairbanks. I saw SO much or tunny
Charlie that 1 had to constantly watch
nv step to keep from making my en-
trance with the Chaplin walk AFTER
few days I felt that I was simply pur-
suing Little Mary Again and again L
got there just in time to witness the
return of the stolen papers, and TO see
this gentle little favorite restored 20
the arms of her waiting lover
Ahead of every one else In the
world the movie folks understand, and
make use of, the old saying that
everything is well that ends well. The
sheriff never fails to get there IN time
to nab the villain, and the great wrong
as always righted.
The Movie Audience Risk
And woe be unto the speaker who
| +a1l L RI
llfore the tangle of intrigue is unrav-
eIled. before the misunderstanding is
cleared up and right and justice made
to triumph. 1 did that just once pc
cause an accommodating manager Of
fered to let me go on between reels
rather than keep me waiting. Never
again! At that point things in the
drama were in a fearful state. The
good young man was suspected OF De
ing a train robber, and the sweet
Young lady was eating her heart out
and pining away because she thought
he had deserted her. The william was
gloating over her as he blew rings
from his cigarette and slashed his
high boots with a, riding crop. (Why
do all villains do that?)
Here the pianist stopped playing
Hearts and Flowers" the boy in the
cage shut off his machine, the lights
were turned up, and went out to do
| my bit for the Second Liberty Loan
G. L
| ing that if the success of the loan had
| been decided on the result of that one
| appeal, undoubtedly it would have
| been a lost cause. A stout lady in the
| front row was weeping over the
wrongs of the heroine. A few rows
back a lean-faced man was clinch-
| ing the arms of his chair and looking
as if he intended to leap at the screen
and choke the rascal who had mixed
! up everything and brought all this
sorrow to the heart of the gentle
maiden.
! A Wire Crossed Somewhere.
| could tell there was a wire
crossed somewhere 1t soon dawned
on me that 1 had butted in on the
story; that even though 1 was an ac-
credited spokesman for Uncle SAM
1 was unwelcome until that sweet
little gal got her lover back.
| 1 saw the finish of the same pic
ture at another place a few nights
after, and for the information of those
who are interested I will say that
| everything came out all right. The
| suspected young man was not train
robber at all. He had gone over to a
neighboring ranch to look for a lost
sheep. He found the missing lamb,
saved it from the wolves, got back
home in time for supper, whipped the
villain, and he and the girl rode away
into the twilight looking for the min
lister.
At one small movie house 1 was
talking in the dark when there was
| a great commotion on account of a
fire nearby. From the noise 1 was
aware that some of the audience had
gone out, but I thought it best to go
on. Afterward, from the silence in
the place 1 felt treasured. 1t seemed
like I was receiving the close atten-
ton of such of the audience as had
remained. But I was hardly prepared
for what developed when 1 finally
concluded and the lights were turned
on There was only one person left
in the hall. A lady was sitting quietly
in the center of the house, and ]
thought it would be appropriate for
me to tell her how much appreciated
her courtesy in sticking it out with
|; me. I started down the aisle toward