Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-04-27
AS ONE WOMAN SEES 1T
The Reactions Of Amateur Theatri.
calls Upon Young People Are often
Wholesome and Far From
Ephemeral
BY SARAHD LONyRIE

by SARAH ID. LOwRIE
THE little amateur musical extravaganza,
l. 'Why Not?" that is to he repeated by
request tonight-this time at the Academy
of Music--was a success for one whole week
in the Little Theatre in March ...
am told by some of the stars that the
mere idea Of the vast Academy stage makes
them feel pop-cyed. They say they never
would have had the tcmcrity to try the
stunt again, lei alone stretch it to oper- p
attic proportions. had they not been urged,
with q very substantial argument OF back
ing Of money for the expenses. by man
who has proved that he understands the
public and can perceive long way off
what will amusc and entertain it.
As there is sure TO be good audience and
as about every dollar that is taken in Will
20 toward the Chinese famine fund. and
as most Of the audience will go with sense
Of its being family party. no great harm
will come of 1t II it loses a little by being
stretched. What you liked about il is sure
to be there on this second rendering-the
'gayety of very carefree youthful persons with
good memory for tunes and steps and
catches. and a bump for mimicry and
sense OF rhythm.
Aud the talent that went into making the
Rcd Cross or tho Emergency Aid public
services successes is the same talent that is
organizing this nights entertainment for
charity. so that it has Il tang of the real
thing. a vcritable touch Of snappy profcs-
sonaism that twenty painstaking rehearsaIs
a generation ago could not have produced.
DUBL1C performances or performances for
the public. whether they be military
drills or putting on plays or driving am
balances. have given rhc youngstcr of today
certain steadiness of nerve that is neither
bra2cn nor cmbarrassing it is just simplc
| 60 aheadness with no apologies and at the
same time no undue demand for applause.
Inv may hn talent
driving or for acting. but they do not waste
your time or theirs by self conscious de-
probation.
1t was considered only polite in the young
days of these boye and girls grandparents
to depreciate anything one possessed in the
way of talent good looks or worldly as
sets. This was carried TO such an extreme that
everything for which one was praised, from
ones food TO ones children. was npologized
for as being palpably unworthy OF mention:
I remember woman telling me that so well
had she learned this lesson of humility that
once when friend Of ber family said to her
Lizzie. dear. what a lovely mother you
have" she was greatly embarrassed to
know how TO reply with proper gentility aud
burtcd out. ''Oh. do you really think so:
| think she's hOrrid =,
II was the same sort " curious disingcn-
uousnCSs that fingered in my youth concern
ing matters of religion in grown-up as well
as in children. Or rather grown-ups and
even children abored to say what was cx-
pectCd of them rather than what they knew
10 be true.
was reminded of that the other day by
n woman whom ] had not met for years and
years. was aStonShCd that she remcm
bcrcd me. and she said the reason she did
was because once in my teens | had been
hastily gathered in TO substitute as teacher
| Of class in Sunday school.
The lesson was about the healing of the
lepcr by Jesus. At the end of the lesson
paper there were a number of questions
called Lesson Helps" One OF these was.
which would YOU rather be, sinner or
| lcpcr:'
The class received tho question without
| the bat of an cyelash aud replied in chorus,
"a lcper."
''Oh. you know you would not said |.
! in sudden burst Of genuiuencss. and before
! | could repent and point moral the bell
! rang.
| DUT if the Young things Of today are
| - more simple than their parents were at
! their ag" it is because they have been
| trained that way by those very parents
| Sometimes one wonders il simplicity cannot
| be pushed too far. so that it is in itself as
artificial as the other extreme.
heard an amusing thing about one of
tn" grandchildren Of John Rockefeller last
! week. She and her brothers have been
| brought up to be unaware of the family
| prosperity. and not long ago she spent
, very happy day as guest with some other
! children on yacht. She was evidently so
! full of pleasure at the experience that her
host said
You ought to persuade your father to
hayT yacht yacht - -, ..,no, 10 o,, ,,,;,, ,uo
! aro--Nandcrbilts:
rich children the other day. and n woman
who has the care of many such in her
! summer camp said the ones who were
taught to use money very early for other
peoplc were to her thinking the only safely
| rich children. The art Of spending we'll and
justly and generously Is so great and fine
an ar, that not to cultivate il early in boy
or girl who will have the terrible response
biity of money was to her thinking a very
grave error.
Indeed the art of giving. whether one is
rich or poor. has to be acquired by all but
exceptional children. In most lovely book
that has come out lately. written by a
sistcr- in law Of the rodoubtabe Margot AS
Ouith. the short and charming life of young
Edward Wyndham Tenant. this whole mat
ter of chldren's gifts is most interestingly
touched upon. He was allowed very early
to taste OF the joyful pain of self sacrifice.
Before lie had any pocket money h" was al
lowed to give his dearest toy to his mother
as a birthday gift
GIVING up what one needs. not to speak
" Of likes is the daily bread Of poor
children just as sense of responsibility
| for others is developed very carly in the
child who realizes how much his little
strength counts in the sum Of tho family
happiness child Of a household where
there are many to wait on his every need is
handicapped foi that great lesson of life
unless something more helpless than he is
rut in his care. Some wise mothers give
their children animals TO feed and exercise
and make happy and keep wholesome with
this very end in view. There is nothing
like a trusting. loving, willfu, playful little
animal which depends on YOU for life itself
10 affect your own little ego as child
JNOR the school Of manners for rich child
L or poorer child there is no better init
alton than the spoken and acted drama A
child learns while imDCrsonatinS some one