Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-04-01
AS ONE WOMAN SEES IT
Charlie Chaplin VS.. Organized Society.
Why Women Cannot Laugh at
Things Men Find Eunny--Thc
Obcrholtzer Case and the
Governor
Ry SARAH u. LOWRIE

w other night the merits and demerits OF
n play in which Chaplin was the slap
stick hero with little boy as co star. Inc
discussion wns brought on by one of the
women Of the party, who had found the per-
formance depressing and the implications OF
tho plot cruel
The child in the movie play was u waif
whom Chaplin, in bis usual guisc of comic
hobo. befrcuds and brings un in spite OF The
hcartlesS Interference Of the police, the
health bureau, the child welfare association
nnd the poor ncighbors Of the slum into
which tho two dcrelicts have drftcd. In
order that Chaplin may have n chance to
make bis ChnplincSnuc escapes down ladders,
across roofs, through alleys nnd under fur
niturc the whole world, upper aud under,
Is made to act tho part Of hounds to his
rabbit like scnmpcr. And nn added Hcst is
given to his of again, on again. gone
again. Fincgan' style Of humor by the fact
that the appeal OF little child's tears and
fears affection and dependence are the end
all and call Of his capcrs against the
hcartless and cruel Vaccinations of his
pursuerS.
J. performance hold that il II was true,
then weeping, not laughing, was in order for
the audience and q quick setting OF the
police. the state and private welfare nsso'
Citations, not to speak of ncighbors high or
low, to an nstunt overhauling, moral and
physical. If it was not true Of the police.
of tho neighbors and of the child welfare
organizations, then IL was an immoral per
formance inasmuch as 1t created, or at least
encouraged, n public sympathy against law
and order and public hygiene by making the
agents Of tho state invariably cruel and silly
and rcvcngoful, persons to be knocked down,
cvadcd and distruStcd, from the doctor who
represents the dispensary to the public well
fare agent who represents the state or.
phanage.
LIVERY ONE agreed with the woman that
II the plot was based on unfair IL not
wholly untrue cxaggcrations. The talk
ragged around the question whether or not
Chaplin had made it funny, and if 80, why.
For funny IL was undoubtedly tO the great
majority of the audience they laughed in
ccssantly and came again, bringing others to
laugh with them. The question for those
discussing il was why had It been funny TO
most of them, who rather fancied themselves
as critics of Il specially removed order.
They buttrcssed themselves by implying
gently that the woman who had not laughed
with the crowd. As they had. was super
sensitive, perhaps ovcrrefncd. To further
put her in the wrong one Of those present
an artist-dwelt fondly on Chnplin'S won
dcrful subtlcty of facial expression. She
wondered mcditatvcly If he did not do it
all with his eyes.
GONE ONE told a neat little story OF an
gravcly opincd to Icrford that tho reason
women could not laugh at things men found
funny lay possibly. did he not think. in the
fact Of their minds being purcrt IIcrford
had hcmmcd and hawcd gravcly. "Womcn's
minds ought TO he purcr. certainly, than
MEMS he agreed searching wide eyed for
the reason. "bccauso they change them so
often, don't you know!''
As muttcr of fact. MS between the chang
ing mind of the female and the persistent
mind of the eternal feminine Oliver Hcrford
would lose out on his quick reasoning. with
crowd Of witnesses from Solomon down TO
Punch to contradict him. 1t is to ''thc
sticking to it" habit that women owe their
power with their men folk and their chill
drcn and, of late. with even their lcgisla-
lures; though that last sticking 70 it is
more difficult TO maintain and easier for
politicians to ignore, since in politics the
game Of ono fellow standing behind another
can bc successfully carried out ad infnitum
to au ignorant constituency.
T SOMETIMES think, however. that some
1 feminine persistence Is more provocative
than just in certain political issues.
The following heading is think, a case
| in point:
OBERHOLTZER'S CHAMPIONS