The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-03-19
MIR. MAC LENNAN's TALK.
Telling When the Two Were Together
on Former Occasions.

Telling When the Two Were Together
on Former Occasions
Frank P. MacLennan, editor of the
State Journal, was asked by 'Presi-
dent Bennett to say word OF wei
come to fellow Scot
Mr.. MacLennan said:
Mr.. President, Fellow Rotarians
and Fellow Topekans:
IT am mighty glad to be here TO-DAY
to give, at President Benefits request,
a few preliminary words OF welcome
to our distinguished visitor MI BEN
net twill make the real speech OF the
glad hand.
This day reminds me of old times
with Harry Lauder and L want you
to pronounce the name right Don
use the German pronunciation, whlcn
is noisy one. Remember tnat IN
praising a man you laud him; that is
the way Lauder is pronounced we
cannot help lauding Harry Lauder ana
you don't need to be boisterous
about it.
| have a good time when we get to-
gether We belong to the same clan.
Mr.. LADDERS full name is Henry Mac
Lehman Lauder.
| Harry Lauder once tried to teach
me how to sing On another oceao
sion we had very enjoyable time
together between / and o'clock in
the morning. This, of course, was at
a place where the prohibitory law was
! not il force. Mr.. Lauder has been
on the water wagon a long time; and
so have /.
| "Dinna We ken this?
These statements will probably be
news to most of my brother Rotar-
; ians, a majority of whom probap Oily
never knew that l ever led such a
double life What 1 say to you, of
| iS Sfrio
/ between us. Still upon more mature
| reflection for the moment, do not
know that Harry Lauder or myse!I
| have ever done anything in each
others presence that We are ashamed
| Of.
| st used to dress in kits like Mr..
| LADDERS costume today, or at least my
| mother used to dress me that way
! when l was 4 years old. and the only
| painted portrait my wife has OF my
self is one my mother nao Pa,hleu
when 1 appeared in these clothes.
| While I seldom get cold feet, my
| knees / think would get chilly II L
| exposed them like our visitor does IN
| his raiment today.
| DO YOU want to know about TINS
singing lesson? I'll tell We how II
happened. Ye see, Mr.. Lauder
mother. OF. smither' as he would say
| it. was a MacLennan. When L was
in London with him just a year pc
fore this dreadful war broke out, Mr.
Lander had been trying with inol1-
ferent success to make me sing.
| land do We know how it happened
THAT quit taking singing lessons from
Mr. Lauder and woke up to the iaGl
that the teacher had an Impossible
pupil? 1t was like this: =,
Il was trying to sing. say-,weil
tr-r-roughtly speaking'-for ABBOTT
quarter of an hour when l was awak-
| ened nv the wee kettle singing to the
| 'tee-pot on the hob 1t dawned upon
me that the tea-kettle could beat me
all hollow singing and that l. was not
in it even with a steam siren.
Mrs. MacLennan and were in the
audience at the Palace theater in
London when Mr.. Lauder was trying
to get me to sing along with the rest
of the audience and join with MN m n
GIoaming. OF course, Mr.. Lauder
has a habit of giving these instruc-
tions to his audience-it is one OF MS
ways.
AT this time Mr.. Lauder was ap-
pearing before his English audiences
along with Madame Pavlowa, but /
assure you 1 did not go to see the
madame; went to hear Harry.
eff you never knew that Mr.. Lauder
was singing master, you go TO the
Grand Opera house this AFTERNOON OF
tonight and you will discover that he
is a real master of song While ne
sings YOU do not have that far away
look you sometimes have at concert
irving to figure out just what the vo-
calist has in view. He sings 70 the
heart. He is in the Cheering up busl-
ness and he is certainly success at it
| Last season when he lost his fine
brave son in this world struggle 1ol
freedom, Mr.. Lauder came pretty
nearly leaving the stage. but what
loss it would have been had he done
10
work as a duty rather than from in
> Gina ton.
M. Lauder is a good man. While
I was in England he went over &c
Bristol one Sunday and filled pull
, pit there most acceptably IN one o.
! the churches in that English town.
Mr.. Lauder may have forgotten
some of these incidents, but haven
, forgotten them.
.sThe way we happened to be to-
getler during the wee Sma hours
of the morning was like this: 1t was
in New York seven or eight years
, ago Mr. Lauder was scheduled u
appear at the Manhattan opera
house and his ship was due to ar
I rive that morning, but the Carpathia
waich I think was the name OF 1t
1 was late and had not reached port a.
& o'clock when the large audience
was assembled in that immense thea
, ter. The entertainment was late be
s ginning, but no apology was ihou Gu
{ About $40 vaudeville number wa'
s nut on. Then followed one sort or
s stunt after another until about 1o:o'
wne-1 the audience was wild Tor IN
appearance of Mr.. Lauder Th'
mGnager of the theater came pe1or'
0 the curtain and SAID ina. Mr. Aa az,
s der,s steamer had been delayed bu
at that time had been sighted from
f Fire ISLAND and that he would sure
n ly appear before that audience ina
night. Meanwhile the manager asked
a. to entertain the audience as beS
iithnv could until the arrival of thu
s star.
I AFTER more numbers there wa.
auothsr curtain speech, announcing