Evening star., 1940-06-02


Gen. Pershing for heroism under
fire.
You may have seen it since in the
movies, possibly without Mr.. Stewart
being credited.
The fire under which the heroism
was performed, contrived with
five-pound sack Of flour and some
firecrackers and torpedoes left over
from the Fourth of July, practically
choked the audience into submission
and the players took silence for ap-
proval. So there was Forthcoming
another play, this straightfor-
ward drama with a straightforward
title, ITO He'll With the Kaiser"
Jimmy shortly deserted the drama
to return to mechanics. Now he and
his cronies repaired to Two Lick, a
summer colony not far from town,
and set to work at the edge of a
creek on an important invention.
This was a 20-foot, f1at-bottomed
scow, which the perpetrators fonoly
hoped would be propelled by two
side paddle-wheels.
Football Sounded Good.
Launching of the Queen Of the
Greek was not happy moment,
however. Instead of heading for
the opposite shore when it was slid
into the water, with Jimmy operat-
ing the paddles with all his might.
the Queen just settled toward the
creek bed. When the water was up
to his neck, Jimmy gave up pad
ding and took up swimming.
Jimmy Stewart is still drawing,
gangling lad, a bit on the shy side,
but he was especially shy that day
in the fall of 1924 when he enrolled
in Mercersburg Prep School to pre-
pare for Princeton. What can you
do?" What sports do you follow?"
Where do you come from and for
what are you famous?" One after
another came the questions at the
slow-speaking young Mr. Stewart.
He couldn't think of any past
achievements worthy of boasting
about so he told the boys at Mercers-
burg he was a football player. BY
the end of his third year he was
captain of the third team. elected
as a tribute to his perseverance de-
spite his lack of weight.
BY the end of his Mercersburg
career he had a number of other
activities to his credit. The lack Of
weight which kept him from foot
ball fame was no bar to track star
dom in the hurdling and high jump
ing field. His drawing talent finally
won him the art editorship Of Karux,
the school yearbook. His voice got
him into the school glee club and his
dramatic talent, born so patriotically
during the war, won him a role in
the senior play.
And the accordion, which had been
a gift to his sister Virginia a few
years before. but which was too
heavy for her to manage. led right
into the orchestra of one Of the
literary societies.
The major hurdle of Jimmy's
Mercersburg career was not one he
found in a track meet, rather was
Cicero, almost fatal in Mr.. Stewards S
case. Coaching and cramming
eased him past the orations finally,
however, and he was ready for
Princeton.
Triangle Was His Goal.
Princeton and Jimmy Stewart
were made for each other, he de-
cided the afternoon he arrived on
the campus. He took pride in the
schools rich traditions, in the stories
handed down to him by his father.
The mellow atmosphere was home
and he made friends easily.
Now, perhaps, he crosses his fin
gers in silent meditation of one
phase of Princeton life before every
motion picture scene. Part of the
Princeton tradition is attendance
at the movies and undergraduate
audiences at the Garden and the
Arcade are willing, even enthusi-
astic critics. Jimmy probably has
visions now of the boys giving him
directions while the film unreels,
or ordering the operator to repeat
and repeat again a scene partic-
ularly well liked.
Early in his Princeton life Stewart
set his eyes on a logical goal
membership in the Triangle Club
During his first summer vacation.
one Of his two sisters reports, he
and the accordion were constant
companions with song entitled
so Beats My Heart for You"
The accordion and so Beats My
Heart for You" almost lost Triangle
membership for Stewart, despite
all the practice. Every Triangle
show for years had had an ac-
Gordon speciality and DR.. Donald
Give Stuart, long Triangle's di-
rector, was determined the 1890
production, 'The Golden Dog"
could struggle along very well with
out one. $50 Beats My Heart for
YOU was brilliantly done at the
tryouts, though, and the doctor re-
Tented.
Jimmy was not exactly seen in
The Golden Dog" however. His Sc
rious manner as he bent over his
accordion and his protruding lower
lip, now a trademark, but which,
DR.. Stuart remarked at the time,
stuck out like balony," gave him
something of grotesque appear
ance. Something, Triangle's di-
rectors decided. had to be done. So
Jimmy Stewart made his appear
ance in "The Golden Dog" with the
face which now clinks silver into