New-York tribune., 1922-11-20
Friars, Told Of
Bacon 5 Death.
Bow in Prayer
impressive Tribute Is Paid
10 Actor by 1000 Folk
Of I'heater Gathered 10
Hear Amusement sCzars'
Hays and Thomas Speak
Iudge Iandis Also ON Pro-
gram at Dinner; Will
Rogers Makes a Mistake

Taere will be many tributes paid TO
~ memory of the late Frank Bacon
surjnr the next few days, but none of
...r will be more sincere or more
as.ulsariy impressive than the one
s~s;sb more than 1000 people accorded
&c sssa actor last night at the Astor.
The oseasion was the Friars' dinner
:. Eenesaw Mountain Lands, Will
uoys and Augustus ThoHas, the royal
fagaily Of the amusement world. The
.oas.ynssteF was George M. Cohan, alb
,ssteS tae grand ballroom, OF the Astor
- AZ fullest capacity, even TO the gall
fsrics. was made up entirely OF stage
folk, motion picture people and
writer's.
Diners Bow in Prayer
A few uinutcs before the dinner Mr.
Cohan received telegram from Chi
esgo announcing Bacon's death. Most
s she dinner guests. all of whom knew
Bacon either personally or yicariously,
we're unaware of his tragic exit from
al stages for all time.
Cohan and Bacon had been sworn
eaemies for three years, their disagree
ment arising from Cohanss dispute
With Equity. 1t fell to Cohan to an
nounce TO Bacon's friends, assembled
for purposes Of pleasure alone, the fact
Of his death.
Ladies' and gentlemen Cohan said.
III is my sorrowful duty to ask you
10 pay a final tribute to q man who
vas one Of the finest actors the Ameri-
can stage has ever produced. ask
ynu to stand for one minute of silent
nrayer FOR the repose of the soul of
tbe late Frank Bacon, who is dead in
Chicago"
There was bewilderment at this an
nouncement. From different parts Of
The room came sharp exclamations of
5smay and grief The entire audience
stood with bowed heads in silence
satil the toastmaster's gavel released
them. Some crossed themselves rever-
ently. Then Cohan continued:
aFour weeks ago | was in Chicago.
received a phone message from Frank
pscon at my hotel He asked if he
could see me, and ! invited him to my
room. He said, George, | want to be
friends with you. ! want you to shake
hands with me- We shook hands and
gore friends again. Frank Bacon and
hadn't spoken for three years; but
~ we're friends again You can I'M
sgine how l feel tonight
All SPEAKERS heIef 10 bacon
After this simple and impressive
tribute, which will surely become his
tory on Broadway, the business of the
eyening proceeded without further dis
traction, Every speaker made refer
taee to Bacon, his kindness, his
whimsical humor and his sincerity in
kis srs. But other things we're talked
81, loo.
Conan, introducing De Wolf Hopper,
the first speaker, whose duty it was to
introduce Judge Lands, remarked that
he was smart enough to write long
speech and smart enough to refrain
from making one. He said few words
for the Friars, announcing their status
nov as stronger, financially and IN
every other way, than at any time since
the clubs inception. Mr.. Hopper, IN
.roducing Commissioner lands, re-
ferred to the "holy trinity" of guests
Of honor, and remarked with some feel
ing that Judge Lands guaranteed the
integrity of baseball-"and without IN
tegrity there can be no baseball"
Tells of Series Called. Game
Commissioner Lands referred. spe-
eifcally to the called game incident,
which was the sensation of the last
worlds series. He said he, had re-
ceived the sincere support of those
who would have received the money
which was turned over to charity,
= without which the move could NOT
have been made. The action, he said
was taken solely for the purpose of
raising a stone wall against unjust
suspicion.
1t fell to an orator named William
or Will-Rogers to introduce Will
Hays. The sympathy of the entire
audience went out TO Mr.. Rogers when
it wag seen just before he arose to
speak that he was overcome by enc
ton, fear, sorrow, or something He
sat with his head on his hands, ap-
parently in complete collapse. When
his turn came, however, he arose to
face the issue, and gulping a few
times, began his story.
It was q sorrowfui tale, and it Just
goes to show how even the best laid
plans slip up sometimes. Mr.. Rogers
explained that he had been persuaded
apprehension. Three weeks ago, he
explained, his friends at the Friars
Club had told him that he was to
introduce at this dinner the repre-
sentative Of the greatest Industry of
them all. He had appreciated the hon
or, he said, and without asking fur
ther questions, had hurried home to
look up statistical and other data
bearing on the subject.
What Is Greatest Industry?
He had prepared a speech fifteen
minutes straight talking, or twenty
minutes with laughs--and had come all
ready to make the address OF the, eve
hing. When ne arrived he found that
Instead of having to talk on the great
est industry he was expected to intro
duce little runt named Will Hays,
and his carefully prepared address on
TIE bootlegging industry was useless.
He added that between worry over
this, and the fact that he wasn't used
to dinners where there were so many
sorks, he hadn't been able to eat any
p'ng--so if he was rotten he owed
aeshing anyway. Mr.. Rogers made a