Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1919-04-27
MISS ADA WARD
A SHINING STAR
OF CHAUTAUQUA

OAhSA VI LlS D1Il1S1 DIT
the front during the crucial days of
the great war, told by Ada Ward, En-
glish entertainer, started the Redpath
chautauqua off in great style on the
evening of the opening day, Friday.
Miss Wards talk was not the open
ing number, but she was the prine
cipal attraction for the day. and she
more than lived up to the good
things that were said about her by
the advance agent. Her talk was full
of humor and pathos, and delivered
with style all her own that marked
her as a natural born entertainer of a
high order. 1t was easy to see why
she had been so popular with the SOL
diers at the front.
Sharing honors with Miss Ward on
the first day were the Orchestral Sex
tette, a company of young musicians
of high merit. The Instrumentation
consisted Of piano, violin, cello, clar-
met and drums. The three ladies of the
company were featured, Miss Pringle
on the cello, Miss Strolofsky on the
violin and Miss Bernice Arthur on the
piano and piano accordion. Miss Ar
thur was encored again and again
when she played on the accordion.
French Hero Heard.
Yesterday afternoon and last night
''The Harvesters,' a company of three
talented entertainers, in song, instru-
mental music and sketches pleased
large audiences and received generous
applause for the clever work. In the
afternoon r. e. P. Kline, of Chicago,
a lecturer of national reputation for
his talks on practical subjects of cur
rent interest, talked on "The New
Competition" touching on the League
of Nations, the problems of the world
growing out of the war. At the night
session Captain Perigord, French high
commissioner to the United States and
a veteran of Verdun, where he was
wounded five times, spoke on France
and America a talk of intense in
terest on the part and future reIa-
tons of the two countries intended to
further cement the two peoples.
Captain Perigord spoke in excellent
English, he having been a resident of
America for a number of years, dur
ing which time he gained an intimate
knowledge. of our people and insti-
tutions, which fitted him for the work
he was given in representing his
country on this side, and enabled him
to appear before the people in these
lectures he is now undertaking.
Miss Ward, in her Friday evening
talk, held her audience captivated
from the time she uttered her first
sentence until she finished She work
ed with a blackboard, upon which now
and then she drew comic figures to il
Iustrate her address. She began with
a recital of her summons to join a
company of professional entertainers
at the front. Her talk follows, in part:
In Hospital Tent.
"Our first concert was given to an
audience of wounded soldiers In Il
large hospital tent. When we arrived
they were already assembling. Some
were being brought in on beds and
stretchers, some were being wheeled
in, in bath chairs, some were limping
in on crutches, some, alas, cropping in.
All were battered, shattered, broken
and bandaged. When l saw them, those
dear boys, who had left us so well,
so strong, so physically fit, saw them
there so helpless, l wondered how l
wah going to be comic stuff" with
a lump in my throat and tears in my
eyes. Il was my first experience
among tho wounded and l shall never
forget it. Since then 1 have entertained
hundreds, nay thousands, of them, but
that first audience stands out in my
mind clear as a movie" film. There
was one poor boy close to the plat
form. They brought him as near as
they could. All we could see of him
was just one eye! The rest of him
was bandages. Really he looked more
like a mummy than living human
D61HS. Yet, DduudSSu duu ohdIISA OO
though he was, he managed to give
me wink with his one eye!! Two
other boys were sitting near One
had lost his right arm, the other his
left. They arranged to sit together so
they might clasp each others remain
ing hand. Another boy came to me
with his thumb and two fingers gone
from his right hand With a twinkle
in his eye and chuckle in his throat
he said, at doesn't matter, cause
I'm left handed.w
Into The Smoke.
Autos were waiting to take us
miles away to a military camp where
our evening concerts were to be given.
When we arrived at the hut or tent,
we found it packed, crammea to the
very doors, with eager, excited, per-
spring, suffocating Tommies, all smo-
king, every single one of 'em. 1t be-
came thicker, and bluer and bluer UNI
til by the end of the evening, we
couldn't see across the room. 1t was