Evening star., 1935-04-07


Imperial German Government,
~ and on April 6. 1917. Alexander
Woollcott may have held a personal parade
down Broadway by way of celebration
Whether he actually did or not only Woollcott
can say. and doubt if he ever will. Despite
the disilluionments of the eighteen inter-
vening years, the occasion was an emotional
moment, and Woollcott is as responsive to an
emotional moment as tabby is to catnip.
am not trying to read any play on words
into his designation of himself as town oier.
Emotion doesn't have to be slobbery. With
Woollcott emotion is an active agent - a kind
ofsentimental dynamite that impels him to do
something about II. In this particular instance
he did something about it. He volunteered for
service with a hospital unit. and those whose
privilege tand occasional annoyanoe) it was
to serve with him often wondered how the
coupling was effected.
He had already written a book, though it
hardly seems likely that the book had any
thing to do with it. The book was Mrs.
Fiske: Her Views on Actors, Acting. and the
Problems of Production" and the title-page
misspelled the authors name. To this day
that name remains the most persistently man.
handled on the roster of contemporary
celebrities. Most people who listen to his
broadcasts would be willing, even eager. to
give him double "o': rather fewer, but
probably majority, concede him two u.s.,
but nearly everybody, in addition to his 1917
publisher, has tried to withhold an Il" from
him. This is difficult to understand. because
IN his occasionally tempestuous days as
dramatic critic there were considerable mum.
be1s of disgrmtled folk who were giving him
'1' IN any quantity.
History 50 far has been very coy in the fur
nishing of particulars of Woollcott's career as
a member of a hospital unit. He could. of
course, write md" after his name, but the
letters meant simply Medical Department. A
modified physician is not an md" at all -
he belongs to the Medical Corps. And II, m
war days, you wanted to rouse the ire of
bonafide civilian MD. who had signed up for
the emergency. you had only to call him doc
tor instead of captain or lieutenant. Woolloott
was quickly promoted from private to ser
eeant, but IN spite of this testimony to his
curative powers have always felt (and have
declared publicly without contradictory that
the splendid health record achieved by the
American Expeditionary Forces was due m
no small measure to Woollcott's early transfer
to the editorial staff of "The Stars and
Stripes" the A. E. F.'s own special and
particular newspaper.
When The Stars and Stripes" was started
theze was very little A. E. F.. and. 50 far as
what thee was of the A. E. F. was concerned,
almost no war. This comfortable state OF
affairs did not last long. The Germans broke
through at the Chemin des Danes and
reached the Marne in a romp; the name of
Chateau Thiez1y famed into deathless fame.
and America began to spend of her blood and
MIGHT. From the point of view of "The Stars
and Stipes," the war became matter OF
suburban correspondence, with the front less
than two hours distant.
1t happened to be my privilege to accom-
pany WooIloott On the frst journey paid by
any '-St1n md Stripes" rerresentztIve to m