New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-07-08
By RAYMOND HITCHCOCK


AM Yankee, born in the Pie-Belt.
i NY ancestors on my mothers side
came over in the Mayfower Zone Of the
eighteen million families that came
over in that ship, by the name OF
Austin. They were pilgrims. my an
cestors, they were pilgrims-the finest
kind Of pills you ever met in all your
life. They were prosecuted on the
other side for some religious beliefs
they entertained, and they braved the
dangers of the sea and the uncertainty
of a new, wild country to establish
freedom and liberty of thought and
action in religious matters. Six months
after they were here they were them
selves burning people at the stake,
hanging them, mailing them to posts,
because they did not believe just as
my ancestors thought they ought to be-
lieye-thereby establishing liberty and
freedom of thought and action in re-
ligious matters.
Between ourselves, they are doing
the same thing to-day. When | was
up in Boston, the Rev. William a.
Sunday had his show at one end Of the
town and had my show at the other
end Bill had gone TO Boston to clean
up Boston, and went 70 Boston TO
clean up--and we both did remarkably
we'll. Bill and | were made honorary
members of the same club, and !
thought how farreaching was the mem
bership Of that club, and what stretch
it covered, Bill representing heaven
and taking the other end of it. Then
thought how closely allied both Bill
and were-both members Of the same
club, both actors, both showmen, Bill
the greatest Snowman Of modern times,
the P. T. Barnum of the Hymn Book,
an actor (Oh, boy, he has to be an actor
TO get away with that stuff he gets
away withD
Let us stop and think. We rarely
ever use our brains, but just let us uee
them for once. Let US suppose it Is
Sunday morning and you are in your
church, and that the minister, whose
refinement and culture have recon-
mended him to the position that ne
holds, not only in your church, but IN
your everyday lives, gets up of that
Sunday morning, puts his one foot on
a chair and the other on top of the
pulpit and shouts: "Oh, you buns, you
nuts. you loafers! You are so low
down you will have to take an airship
to get to hell"
And then, in repeating the Scriptures,
to make it plain for the children, he
says: "When that young guy David
soaked that big stiff in the coco with
rock"-what would you do with such
a minister? You know what you would
do with him-you would discharge
him then and there. You would tell
your children "The man is mad-the
man is mad" But Bill collects on it.
Why? Because he is an actor. and Bill
knows as ! know that the public was
made TO bunco. Were it not true,
ladies and gentlemen, Bill and would
both be driving a hack.
used to write notes to Bill saying,
"How do you do. Bill? Best wishes for
you and MAJ How are collections ~
you know, just purely professional
, talk between one actor and another.
And then Bill had his converts raise
their hands and take a solemn oath
never to go into a theatre, claiming
/ that no ¢ men and women were
on the stage-that is me and mine;
and that no decent men and women
attended theatres-that is you and
yours. You are in this along with me.
And then, ladies and gentlemen. a cool
ness sprang up between the Rev. Will
lam and myself, for think my calling
as honorable as Bits, and ! will not
allow Bill, or any of his kind. to stand
on my neck to elevate himself in the
estimation of fhe cheap and unthink-