The Washington times., 1923-05-24
FINDS
RELIGION IS
.t,.
NEEDED
Fred Stone Describes His Con-
version and Happiness That
Has Come From 1t.
BY ELSIE MCCORMICK,
Cosmopolitan News Service.

BY ELSIE MCCORMICK,
| Cosmopolitan News Service.
| NEW YORK, May 24.-"All my
life 1 have wanted certainty. i
wanted to be sure of where we had
come from, why We are here, and
what we are expected. to do. Now
at last l feel that I know, and
the knowledge has given me deep
and lasting happiness"
Fred Stone, president of the Ma,
tional Vaudeville Association, ard
star of Tip Top today gave the
key to his publicly announced con
version which a few months ago
so startled the theatrical world
The kindly, serious-faced man of
forty-nine sitting in the living room
of his Forest Hills home seemed
far removed from the loose-jointed
comedian who has been the idol
of young theatergoers for more
than twenty years.
No RiaItO Atmosphere.
There is no Rialto atmosphere
about Fred Stone. The State of
Kansas exercises such a powerful
influence on her sons that even a
| lifetime in the theatrical profession
cannot erase her earmarks.
| The star of Jack O. Lantern,
1.-The Red Mill" and a half dozen
equally big successes is the type
of person who offers one lift"
on a Kansas highway or invites
the stranger in the Pullman to
drop over and see the folks any
time he happens to be in town.
Come right in. We've just had
supper and mother is putting the
children to bed was Fred Stones
greeting:
Then simply and without either
affectation or self-consciousness he
told how he had come to seek 1.-The
peace that the world cannot give"
and how the finding of it had
changed his life.
II was successful in my work. I
had three charming little daughters
and my home life was ideally hap
Ply, but in spite of it all I felt that
there was something lacking" Stone
said. For some reason was not
satisfied. Then it occurred to me
that perhaps what 1 was seeking
was in the Christian religion. Some
thing impelled me. when the Tip
Top company was in Billings.
Mont, to go to a store and buy a
+ Bible. '....-
Finds Questions.
at happened that there was a
and he marked the passages for me
that he thought were most signifi-
cant. became so interested in
what l read that l wanted to know
more, SO when we reached Butte, l
sought another minister.
Then the next Sunday ! stood
before his congregation and pub
licly. confessed my faith and my
desire to lead a Christian life. In
the Christian religion / have found
answers to those haunting ques-
tions that followed me through
many years, relief from the mental
restlessness they caused, and
great sense of peace
The famous comedian took from
the. table a. beautifully illustrated
copy of the Bible that had been
given to him by his wife.
Il am reading it through now for
the, first time, going slowly and.
bordering over it by myself" he
said. THE more l go into it the
more love it. Later / hope to go
over 1t again with someone who
knows it better than l and who
can help me get it's full meaning.
Not to Be Evangelist.
at is not my plan to become an
evangelist, in the first place, be-
cause l don't know enough, and
secondly, because it is not my vo-
cation. Not every Christian is pre-
lister. We must serve in different
ways, according to our talents.
occasionally l am asked, if,
don't intend to leave the stage.
That is the last thing l would do
because it seems to me that max
ing people forget their cares and
anxieties is the chief way in which
l can serve.
II do not believe that the stage
should limit itself to an educa-
tional function or to pointing a
definite moral.
THE giving of clean enjoyment
is just as important a part of its
purpose and one quite as much in
accord with Christian life. If
/ have the ability to serve God
by giving people a glimpse, of the
brighter side, l feel it is my duty
to use it.
my shows have always been
clean, wholesome and crowded with
children. Why, I've seen them lean
out of the boxes to try to shake
hands with me, thinking that
was a first cousin to Santa Claus.
Should l give up all this because
I have become a member of a
Christian church?
Should Not Ban Fun.
People who say so have wrong
idea of religion. l believe that an
active Christian can have as much
fun as anybody else. Ministers who
! had never been in the theater in
their lives came behind the scenes
with me during my last tour and
/ found that the stage was not the
den of iniquity they imagined"
! When Fred Stone first took his
stand AS Christian, he pledged
one-tenth of his income to religious
| work.
! Considering the success I have
had in my PR tession and the hap
piness that hT = come TO me through
my family, / feel that it was little
enough TO do" said Stone. I've