Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-08
THE GOWNSMAN
Two Saints and an Angel

Two Saints and an Angel
fIHERE Is a robust old story about two
4 saints and an angel who were strollins
aown the street one afternoon. This was IN
Aormer times when there were more saints
extant to any square inch of Europe than
tnere are now sinners per acre in New YORK.
moreover, there was nothing unusual In those
lloeral times in the visible accompaniment OF
perambulatory saints by angels, as the
epidemic of temptation, wherein every saint
was soon to be ridden by his own familiar
oemon. had not yet set in. and saints might
commune with angels on the thoroughfares
or where they would without fear OF the
ulctagraph. the shadowing detective or other
maiign inventions of later degenerate times
But to return-two saints and an angel were
stroliing down the street one afternoon--
FTNHE unimaginatve critic interrupted the
Gownsman here-he is always interrupt.
lhs-to ask why the saints and the anger
were walking? THE proper locomotion or
angels sir, at least, is by wing-see Milton
ana they wheel in aerial flight tfor there 10
no no gravity about angels), circling through
lnterstellar spaces brushing the hair or
comets. playing with the rings of Saturn;
they fly incalculable leagues, putting to the
blush the latest acrobatic antics of the agile
aeriailst but angels do not proceed by the
loot 1t Is quite remarkable how imaginative
the unimaginatve critic can be when he
tries. Moreover" he continued II am not
sure either about the strollng of saints. Who
ever heard of a saint going aimlessly any
on an errand 80 r,an ,1 , ,,.ht a. - cav
60 or thev viii no ,,nr,anri,ot,o "n~ 1iter,ture
and art sir know saints beatifically gazing
into the vacuity of the heavens, that vacuty
renected in their upturned faces. Art ana
literature Know saints in cells. in the
dramatic processes Of terrible temptations. in
the agonies and contortions of racking, hang
ing, boiling, roasting on the. gridiron, under
the meat-chopper-but strolling. nonsense
Nov tn1
turbed. two saints and an angel were
strolling down the street. one afternoon, when
cart happened to pass by"
g A CART,' said the imaginative critic,
~ and ,uotirg tho r,a;,hureb Beyiev
oycIaimed. a." "rhis ,,.iu ,,a,,an a. :, yyhen
Won foil n story vou should at least cot II
apnronriatelv Won annear to knov nothing
of the natura, history nf .aints to s.v Moth
ING Of the low hahitS ubich vor attribute to
man wished that tbo II r funimapinative
critic pronounced "ugh0 were in a place
where he might stud,y the natural history or
angels in their opposite deviation but being
patient like Aeneas he endured "a cart -
continued the u. c. '.and in heaven, You
might as well have made II n limousine, y.
THE scene of this story" said the Gownsman
"is not heaven. besides the limousine Is
coming" "Prenosternus =, exclaimed the "
G "Your scene must he laid in heaven. for
even Won should know that no saint is worth
ANYTHING until he is transIated": q remark
which the Gownsman reluctantly confesses
Quoting Hamlet" made "a palpable hit"
, 49, ,.
NoW, ""e" 'nese t"o par sa'i.,a' .,'
~ Win t'e anger pe."eeh the'h' met , t,'s
'"i', ""iNh was ii''eu "S '''o ""s, - -,
manure Pecu,laiS Hialouorous' tne sa'l's' III
very unsan''g manner, Iortn"'th ,eiu ''eIi M
noses ilak'hs ois,orIeu faces ulltl the ,, "a.
-. =, 80 49,, ~ r, "r :. ..,..5., ,.
to ma you seeking cheap notoriety IN the
, Iti' ... t' ~. -;
ns'',, - :, D,'. - ""1 E,,,,a, nr'
siou'u ,. a."ass - .t ~ nc ~, , ,S.''
ms a ,o ~ sisaa tnn -. orhat
We, M'' ..a % e " y, 80 .,1 o,,,o,tI,, a,,I
y. o.e ,anath 10, ,ha oni, ndor ,,orp,jssib,a in
a. q, iIi.s ~, - - ~ 80 ~ 49,
tiie me- dry uHpio~i,ato!. ~ VI aa.il.o vas nc
ouoi oi sa,e.Ns mne' en- VI T Wiz AZ 10
hot 4u''' e'e"' '''''''''' VIC
,.,,,.
RCi ti'e a'isei sra"se W say was ei'iieiS
- undisturoed' the patent Gownsman con-
tinued' ana 10 ,he astonlsheo Saints sa'o
mildly: perceive no talllt IN the ar, l see
no Improperly IN the necessary transfer Oh
inns Nuisai ~ t"'e .,T "nu
OF t,e my anu tie ~ U.s. M, Wv, .,,a'' '' sou
,.;Go ,osas .ai.,hanons n,bita cIothjos d.
.sharI.nnk toes,es'" !" (the T. c is that thing
ahhorrad of gods and men. facetiou,
rhyrester)-"and the angelic lob is done Be-
siGas 7 rather like mildly. angels always
SneoI, niIdIv' (once more see MiIton) who's,
.Pon,aiea 7 oct cir 7 have road througb rips
tin1es" The circumspcct Gownsman uttered
n singla word under his breath which wagon,
ard wainrones shall not force him to diyulpe :.
Snr the ~ r ia even more powerful physically
tban mentally a fortunate or perilous cir
,,s,anc, denendent as the nhiIosonhers saw
~ ,hather it'is considered obiectiyelv or sin.
va ;activelv
THE party continued thelr stroll III there
i is word, interrupted the U. C., that
detest, it is the word party and then, in
tone "superciilously sardonlc 'this phrase
is quoted from the saturday Evening PosD.