The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-09-08
CBy DAME NELLIE NrELBA. DIED

London. sept. b-.' Madame, ma dame. you will not de, you will not CIg, have some malls in my pock- ct and that will save you"
 These were the first words I heard just after l became horribly mixed up Tn 70 stage accident in Texas quite recently. A considerable portion of Inc stage property collapsed, and was buried ia the debris.
 Tho conductor, Campaniui had hurried to my assistance, stopping on inc way to pick up a handful of nails which ha put in his pocket as 'iucay charm" for the preservation o. my life.
 The ugouizod intensity in his tones and the comic absurdity of his faith in the wonderful power of the nails in hts pocket made me roar with laughter. in spite of the pain caused me m my position.
 relate this story here because Campanln.s faith in the power of luck. which to him must be invested in a handful of nails in his pocket luck which could even turn aside all the laws of physical lfe-is no differ ont from the comic belief held by lots of people all over tho world Tn the in fuouCe of something they call luck
 No Luck in Serious Things.
 Luck in connection with horse racing or card-pIaying there may be, but as applied to the serious things Of lira there is no such thing as luck. This is. a truth everybody ought to realize. because it can bring consoIu- ton Co those who think they may b bs handicapped by the influence of some mysterious force over which they havc no control, and which may. uu- affected by anything they do, work them harm. and it can hcIp others by the assurance that their destiny Iic7 within themselves.
 Sometimes things happen 10 peo- plc which seem lucky in themselves is looked at superiCially, but that Is because the event is moro showy than the natural forces in the person who is directly concerned in the thing that has happened. T. Is the person alone who matters, and not the out side event.
 Hero is something which happened to me in the early days of my career Soon after I left the Bush I signed contract to sing on the Continent for a miserable weekly pittIuce. AT rewards I wondered how on earth I could continue to keep myself alive on tho amount I was being paid. Soon after l sang I was approached by the director of another syndicate with a g-ittering offer. which would have enabled me 10 live in comparative luxury. but which I could not accept under any existing contract.
 Then the thing happened IT., man who held my contract dropPr' dead in the street. some pcopl' would say that was lucl5y-for me.
 What thoas some people wnuii ccr taiuly overlook would be that thi' mans totally unexpected death, whir. set me free Go enter into more lucrative contract, could not have af fectedl me in the least if I had no possosscd a gift of song. That is no luck. Tho gifts of God are given C every man and woman; some hav' tho gifts in larger measure than oth CTS, and these gifts are developed o are allowed. Co decay according tt whether the individual is industriou or idle
 As a woman I claim 10 possess to, much common sense Co believe in th nimsy and iu-denned thing whicl people call "luck."
 True humility ls truth. and mus
 
 tic life has been one of mcdiocrity have reiEned for 30 years. and tha "a due in the first place Co the gif of God. who endowed me with a voic which has the power of song. Ina co my mfnd is something much highe than mero luck.
 Too Nuch Common Sense.
 My success has been due Co com . mon serse. hard work. constant at tentlon to health and health -givin occupations. and a lifelong devotio Co hard work
 Had I not been convinced that wa capable of succeeding I might hay lived and died unknown. Very fe' people know the true story of tn struggles and discoura genents of tn carly days of my career.
 When I was quite a young girl was turned down by the Carl Ros Opera Co.,. and even Sir Arthur Sull van could not report favorably upo me. Many people would have take such a discouraging start as promii ing a hopeless future; put I persevci cd snntil my ability was recognized spite of what some people woul term initial bad luck.
 For anybody to say "I have bee uniucky." or CT never have any luck is absolute nonsense. ShalSespeai has said: There is q tide in II affairs of men which. taken at il flood. leads on to fortune"
 The great dramatist poet there d.