The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-05-22
sfCopyright, 1919. By The Interna
 tionai News Bureau, Jnc.)
By sEIFRIDGE HENNEGAN.

By SEIFRIDGE HENNEGAN-
 Mir. Harry Lauder, the famous Scottish comedian. has just been raised to the dignity of knighthood. As a Scottish character comedian he has secured world wide celebrity. and he has the honor of being the most popular and widely respected music hall artist of today.
 Born at Portobello in 1870, ho be- gan life as q flax-spinner at Ar broath, after which he migrated to the coal pits of Lanarkshire. He made his first appearance tho stage at Arbroath, and later acquired a reputation among his fellow miners as a comic singer. He appeared with success at entertainments in the West of Scotland. and was we'll known locally when he took to the vaudeville stage. During his remark ably successful career he has travel led extensively, and has visited the Dominions and America on several occasions.
 During the war he found many op portunities of using his unrivalled gift as a Scottish humorist. and in the hospitals, billets, and camps of France and Flanders he cheered the fighting men by his merry songs and
 
 Nof money for war charities by public performances he instituted the Harry Lauder 100000 pounds Fund for Scottish sailors and soldiers for the Ie-settiement in civil life of Scots- men who have suffered in their coun- trys service.
 In addition to his work as a song comedian and composer, he has writ ten several books. including. "A Min- sirel in France" a record of his con cert tours at the front. His interest at war charities was quickened by the loss of his scn who was killed in France. A few years ago he pur- chased the estate of Glenbranter. and the lands of Baltimore. in Argyll shire, extending to 14,000 acres.
 Sir Harry is more than a com edian; he Is a student of German his tory. Since the day he lost his only son on the land of guns and bayonets and trenches "out there" he devoted his leisure hours to a study of Ger man history. He wanted to discover how this mad Hun had got 1t into his head that he was Gods own man, with a divine behest to Kulture Eu- rope. And Sir Henry found it-but let him tell it fin his own words. as we remember him saying it in Glas- gow:
 Tho Missing Link.
 Ever since December. 19ls. I've been studying German history. trying ito discover how the Hun got himself Ito bolievS that he was the Superman, and I've traced Tho missing link I ,Sot it in Darwin. tho author of The Origin of Species Aye. Darwin says that of all the races living on the earth at this epoch, the finest species snd finest specimen of manhood was the Prussisn, the big-boned, fair lhsired. blue-eyed Prussian. He told the Germans they were 1t' the finest people on the earth - and they be- 1ieved 1t. coming from Darwin.
 And then there was Gobineau-. another of the supern1an theorists He, too, told the Germans they were the people; and they swallowed Go- bineau, too. Then came Treitschke and Neitschzke and the other eitchzks and the Germans got still more blown up they were the people.
 But are they? What's wrong with Darwin, Gobineau, and the 'eitsch- ,zkes' is that they forgot that it's not the flash and bones that make the Jnan-its the mind-aye the mind. Ibid the Germans ever do anything great ever invest aaything-the rail- way, the steamboat, the telegraph. the telephone. or even the grapho- phone? Not them. All they invented was Krupp guns. poison gas. harb1r- 1srn---that's what they invented 'Su- permen'- they're the most s'iper- fuous men on earth.'
 Of one of Sir Henry's receu idrs fin America. when his name g in everybody's mouth. the funny st ry is told of his visit to one of the far Western cowboy areas. where a great 70 hall had just ben erected. He was preceded by his agent, who looked up the owner of the new hall with the object of fixing an engagement. 'I tell you Harry Lauder's the man for your opening show; he'll fill the place to the roof" was the agents recom- mcndation in attempting to secure leno nrst booking. You tell me this keifsr'Il i'll the hail." queried the owner, a rather dubious ilAteFate saloon-keeper. "Yes. Harrys the man; | he'll fill the hall for you" T see," at length remarked the saloon keep CT. That's alright about Lauder. hut. tell me. who is to be the other eslier7" He mtstook Sir Henry for
 champion prixsAghter, and the hall
 vner wanted Co know who his "op-
 nont's was c be- .