New-York tribune., 1919-11-12
'sPutience Worth - Indites
Poem About Arn1istice Duv
Though Dead 800 Years, She Keeps Abreast Of the
Times and Communicates Her Poetic Feelings
to Mrs. John HI. Curran Through Ouija Board

Patience Worth. the colonial dame
of problematic origin. supposed to be
in communication from to each
afternoon with Mrs. John II. Curran
at the home of Mrs. Herman Bchr, 131
East Sixty-siXth Street, appears to be
we'll up in history. Although credited
with having departed from this world
over 500 years ago, Patience reeled
off some stanzas on Armisticc Day
yesterday with the ease and rapdity
of counting machine adding up fig
ures. In the course of an hour Mrs
Curran communicated 1,10O words of
prose and poetry supposed to come di-
rect from Patience. The departed lady
appeared to take vivid interest in
what was going on, for she answered
direct questions over the Ouija board
and gave some spicy repartec. Her
communications were an odd mixture
of wit, wisdom, theology and incoher-
ence. They were received with vary
ing degrees of wonder and skepticism
by large gathering, which included
some Columbia professors.
1t was utterly unlike the conven-
tonal seance. In fact, Mrs. Curran
vigorously objects to the word "se-
ance' being applied to what she calls
q S1SSlOu Will GIicliCc. L nSIc WAS
nothing mysterious or electric about
the atmosphere-no half lights or
emotional appeals. The only exotic
device was the burning OF incense.
Ihe communications were given in an
entirely matter of fact way. Mrs. Cur
ran sat in the center of the handsome,
high ceilinged room with it's mullioned
windows, cracking log fire, soft drap-
erles, rose and cedar tones, and great
bowls Of chrysanthemums and bronze
foliage. Before her was the Ouia
board, which she handled with nervous.
sensitive fingers. SO great is the speed
with which Patience pours out her
messages that another person is req-
uisitioned at the board to "hold her
back" according to Mrs. Curran. Her
husband sat beside her and wrote rap
idly in long hand. He interrupted her
frequently, asking her 10 slow up. She
explained that a shorthand writer could
not be used for this work, because
Patience was in the habit of unbur-
dening herself in old English, hence
her phraseology was quaint.
A Touch Of the Cosmic
Mrs. Curran is a remarkable woman
IN herself, and almost speaks u new
language when she begins to quote Pa
tlence. She takes on the air of {; ira
gedienne and talks sonorousIy of vast
thunderings and cosmic happenings,
that begin to pail after an hours repe-
tltlon. Her tones are varied and her
infections euphonions. But when she
leaves Patience alone and talks for
herself her voice is not extraordinary
and she is vivacious and quick-witted
There is nothing mysterious about her
except her eyes, which are large, mel
ancholy and somewhat detached in their
expression. Her checks flush with the
eNertlon of keeping up with Patience
Her graying hair is piled pompadour
fashion over singUlarly attractive
face. Her husband, who appears to be
indispensable in taking down all the
sayings of Patience, running into mill
ions Of words, is d stOckY. gen .al Irish
man, who wishes that the lady on the
other side of the veil would not be in
such an everlasting hurry. The Ouiia
board is declared to be only an aG-
iunct, and Mrs. Curran says that Pa
tience speaks to her at ell times, with
and without its aid.
that there is anything psychic about
me-" said Mrs. Curran. I'm the most
normal sort of person. All this writ
ing does not exhaust me in the least.
In the six years I've been doing it
haven't let it become an obsession. II
you think l go incoming around chasing
spooks and communing with spirits you
are very much mistaken. cook for
six people every day, and I'm bringing
up little three-ycarold Patience
Worth
ain the last si.. years 7 have written
100000 words Of manuscript, 1000
poems and six novels. write from
1000 to 5000 words at session. If
you can tell me how | could get the
legends OF the time of Christ and the
nroner color and scttiun that | used In