Evening star., 1929-06-30
''Grahann

; IL air waves, and insisting that the
radio sometimes brings then
, voices from the other world. I never
had time to go into this in big way
but thought of 1t the other day wher
got letter from Philadelphia which
in connection with a previous incident
made me think that the shade Of DR.
Thomas Dunn English had been whis-
pering in my ear.
Readers of this department will re-
call that several weeks ago raised
the question, for no particular reason
as to why Philadelphia radio fans al
ways want me to sing Ben Bolt"
remember that when wrote that para
graph nothing in particular had re.
minded me of either Philadelphia OF
Ben Bolt" And now look what hap
pens:
c. R. Wentworth writes me from
Philadelphia as follows;
1T is easy enough to understand why
Philadelphia likes Ben Bolt Dr.
Thomas Dunn English. author of Ben
Bolt" was born in Philadelphia June
20, 1919. This easygoing old town has
long memory, and it is quite natural
that some of the oldsters among us
should remember hearing about DR.
English.
He gained the degree of MD. from
the University of Pennsylvania in 1899
and was admitted to the bar in 1842
When he was living In Fort Lee, N. j..
in 1859, N. p Willis, editor of the New
Mirror, asked him for a contribution
He had written Ben Bolt" in 1842. II
was printed in the New Mirror, later
picked up by an English newspaper
and finally published, with the music
by Nelson Kneass. Mr.. KneaSs hac
adapted an old German melody"
But here's something more: Mr.
Wentworth's letter arrived just in time
to be printed in the issue of this news
paper Of June 29-the birthday of DR.
Englishl I give any interested reader
my word that when first wrote about
Ben Bolt" had never heard that DR.
English composed the song and never
dreamed that its author was born in
Philadelphia.
I have checked up on Mr.. Went
worth's information and find it Is
correct.
Now q BlaGkfoot Indian.
Your correspondent has a highly
priced new name. A few nights ago he
was made a member of the Blackfoot
Indian tribe In an impressive ceremony
at Chicago and given the new label,
Ak-Kay- -Whi- -Yu-Tu-Yu. In other words
they put the Indian sign on me. The
translation Is Chief Everybody Hears
Him." I have often thought the name
might be appropriate on occasions when
trying to re-enter my domicile quietly
late at night. My red brothers con-
Quoted the ceremony with great dignity
and am happy and proud to be q
member of the tribe.
While the Indians had a radio sys-
tenn all their own-the late Col Faw-
cett lost in Brazil, insisted that they
had 1t worked up to q high state OF
perfection-it is only recently that they
have become interested in our kind OF
radio. recently told of Chief Two
Guns broadcasting, and later his 4
year-old granddaughter, little Bear Paw,
was on the air. When saw little Bear
Paw broadcasting longed for the aid
Of television. If she could be both seen
and heard, she would run away with
the show.
Niagara Only Rush Of Wind.
Here's curious sidelight on the prob
lem Of realism in broadcasting: In
broadcasting the Lights Golden Jubi-
lee" at Niagara Falls, con1memorating
the fiftieth anniversary of Edison's first
light bulb, we made special efforts to
get the full volume of the roar of the
Falls through the microphones. AL
that modern science can do was done
to give millions Of persons an oppor-
tunity actually to hear the Falls.
am told by my friends who heard
the broadcast that the sound came
through like the wind in a high canyon
rather than like the roar Of a great
waterfall. Harry Edison, up in our
studios, could take few pieces of as
sorted sandpaper and maybe an electric
washing machine and make q Niagara
Falls so lifelike that the fans would
all put on rubber overcoats. Thus
imitation may outStrip reality, as 1t does
sometimes in all the arts. However
the fans enjoyed the Niagara broadcast
tremendously, because they knew 1t was
the real thing. And If Niagara Falls
Is ever needed In bit of dramatic
simple gadgetS and turn 1t on and Oh
like faucet.
recently remarked that golf had
been overlooked by the broadcaSters
There has been a lot of talk about II
recently, and 1t looks as If it might be
done in the near future. In the mean
time have been asked to broadcast a
marble championship. Booth Tarking-
ton ought to do that. He's closer to the
inner kingdom of boyhood than any one
know. had a fairly good training
in the mysteries Of taws, lag lines, COM
mics, fiints, classics and agates, and ali
that; but for all of us, announcers and
audiences, it's a pretty long trail bach
to marble days. Peter Pan few through
window, but whether he could have
flown through a microphone I don't