South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-08-13


Who said that the Britshers have
no sense Of humor2 evidently the /
promoter Of that propaganda had
never heard Ada Ward. she prefers /
that the handle be dropped, who en-
tertained first niehters at the open
ing OF chautauqua Tuesday for ar
hour and a half with funny. really /
funny. human interest stories Of her |
Experiences in France as "A comic /
stunt" instead Of tile Joan Of Arc"
Of her dreams
Miss Ward. whose home SIS i'm Lon |
don. did concert work i'm France for /
two years. the dark years of 1915 /
and 10. her part Of the stunt being |
20 tell funny stories which she IL I
lustrated on her blackboard with /
clever caricatures Her experiences I
there have dimmed her humor not
az all and have given her a depth of [
feeling which makes 1t possible for I
her 10 summon in her audience |
tears or laughter as she wills.
Although Miss Ward comes TO /
Chautauqua mainly as a humorous /
entertainer she brings with her also I
an appeal. an appeal 10 Get To- |
gether" In a forcible way she 1
pointed out the disasters which VIII 4
result II the allies fail TO get to-
gether fail 10 hold high the torch /
bequeathed them by those who sleep /
in Flanders fields
Tells Pathetic story
A pathetic story Of her first ap-l
pearance in France. which was i'm a /
large hospital tent with wounded I
soldiers as an audience. is told by /
Miss Ward One boy was brought
near 10 the platform who was so /
bandaBed that only one eye was WISH
Bile Yet bandaged and shattered as I
he was ne managed 20 give her a /
wink with his one eye In the same /
audience were two boys. one had 4
lost his right arm and the other his /
left and they had arranged 10 sit !
together 50 that they might clap |
each others remaining hand.
The soldiers didn't like her black /
board. Miss Ward said. when they
rrst saw il. for they had had black i
boards before and they don't associ- !
ate them with comic stunts. They
thought they were going 10 learn
something So in order to win their /
confidence and assure them that she 1
was not there for their good Miss
Ward began her turn with some !
funny little stories and some quaint /
pictures-and when she turned 20 /
her blackboard and demonstrated, 1
chautauqua did not wonder that the /
Tommies wanted her 70 come again. (
Pictures Soldiers Gratitude.
One or the funniest stories she !
told was in illustration Of the graft /
tude Of the soldiers Their graft /
tude for our work was pathetic" she |
said. At the close OF one concert I
a dear big. shy boy came up TO me
IN a mysterious embarrassed man !
ner and said. Can I speak to yer for
"a minute. Miss often the boys had /
made me the cOnhdante OF some lit
tie love affair and I thought it was
going TO happen again. But no.
This one was dinerent-so anxious
To get me way from his comrades /
and from ny fellow artists. and at
length manoueyered me into a quiet
corner behind the tent Here he
stood hrst on one foot. then ON the
other. while waited in at ease
Really i don't know which OF the
two OF US looked siller Finally he
blurted out. Well are yer keepin
company with anybody
Preceding Miss Wards lecture thel
orchestral seNtet which presented
the afternoon program. appeared in f.
"a short concert. As in the after
noon all OF their numbers were well
received. Besides the ensemble Sc
Iections there were violin solos b,-
Miss Irene Stolofskv. leader of the.
seNtet. cello solos Nylophone
duet a piano. violin and cello trio.
and a piano-accordion solo
Miss Mary Su n who is 90 con-
duct the chudrens hour addressed
the audience for a few minutes and
explained that there would be no
children's pageant this year but that
beginning this morning she would
entertain the children each DAY from
1880 20 1880 o'clock