Evening star., 1950-08-24
By Wallace {. CIoyton

things.
President Wilson, we once
heard, decided to quit as head of
Princeton University and run for
the governorship of New Jersey
because the college trustees diff
fered with him on the location of
a new graduate school. The gov
ernorship, as some governorShips
are wont to do. eventually led to
a rather swanky address near the
old State Department building.
Will Rogers might have spent
short-lived stage career as a
trick rope artist if he hadn't
found various occasions to make
UP some chance remarks when
the supposedly well-trained lariat
refused to go through the proper
gyrations.
And a fellow named Myron
Scott might still be a photog-
rapher, poor soul, for an Ohio
newspaper if he hadn't taken some
pictures of a couple of kids tear
ing down a hill in soap-boxes on
wheels. Now, for the benefit of
you who aren't racing fans he is
a Chevrolet vice president in
charge of the Soap Box Derby.
That amt soap chips.
A good many football players
destined for a life on the farm
would still be plowing the south
40 if passing college football scouts
hadn't seen them pick up the plow
and use it to point out the direc-
ton of the next town.
It was just funny thing, all.
though not so funny at the time.
which shaped the career of Herb
Waters, piano-playing maestro
who closes Saturday at the Roger
Smith Roof.
When he was eight years old,
as it must to all eight year olds,
piano instruction came to Herb. 1t
would, naturally. have come as
a great shock to his parents and
been an utter reversal to people
who write columns about children |
anG music lessons if Herb had
taken to the piano like a Great
Dane takes to lap sitting. He was
as interested in learning to play |
the piano as in learning to read
Arabic.
For three years Herb reluct- |
antly and rebelliously took piano
lessons. For three years he daily |
set the clock ahead after he |
started practicing so the practice
time would be shorter. For three
years the Waters. family got 10
the movies before the box Office
opened, arrived at the station
before the train was made up, and
got to parties before the hostess
took her hair down.
Then Herb started having
trouble with the neighborhood
bully. This tough kid beat Herb
at track, at tennis, and at f1Stl-
cuffs. Often. And soundly. This
bully would, to make matters |
worse, taunt Herb. The little |
Waters boy had no comeback
until one day. pure inspiration.
"Yah, can play the piano better
than you" he shouted, and ran
home to both start practicing i'll
earnest and Dodge the rocks his
playmate was tossing. ~
To prove his superiority in the
music department, Herb kept at
his chromatic scales until one day
he found he liked them. Then
came more practicing until the
day of decision that music was
to be his career.
The moral here seems to be to
send your young music student
out to get in a fight.
x Il X II
1t was something of a funny
thing, too, which resulted in the
booking of Johnny Hartman into
the Sazarec Room of the Old
New Orleans.
Hartman, who for our money
is every bit as good as the current
rage, Billy Eckstine, visited Wash
ington some months back and
was asked to fill in a guest spot
at a night club. He did, and was
heard by Nick CASTOR, owner of
the ONO, who was in the audi
ence. Nick was impressed, and
told Hartman he had spot wait