anaheim-gazette 1920-05-13

A POINT OF VIEW By ALBERT ABBOTT Criticising a Critic Well Taken The following appeared in the "People's Forum" department of the Anheim Daily Herald, dated Saturday, March 7, 1920, and is well taken. No harm was ment on my part. All the good intentions in the world was my motive in writing the article. (But, it is said that a certain place is paved with good intentions.) I trust the next time I shall know "the psychology of the high school mind." Here it is: "In the last issue of the Anaheim Gazette under a column entitled 'A Point of View,' there appeared entitled, 'High School Language Night.'" "I had nothing to do with producing the plays of that evening, and so was not personally affected by anything said concerning them. But there is another 'point of view.' We find it difficult to see just where our critic did justice to anything but his ability to criticise. "We do not claim professional dramatic ability, and therefore do not merit professional criticism. Nor do we feel elated over being critically dis-integrated as professionals. "Our student body is not averse to friendly criticism. We do not wish to be overpraised, or sentimentally codied. But we saw nothing in the performance of Friday night to incur sarcasm from any source. "For the orchestra offering of the evening, I do not uphold 'jazzy stuff' against music. Our critic was well" THE MASTER BUILDER Genesis moves in the opening spring— The birth of the year! When the daffodils' beautiful bells are a-swing In the sunlight clear. Living things wake in the light of day, A cosmos breaks from the chaos away And God looks on in his God-like way "Lo, all is good that is here!" Apocalypse shines in the autumn gold The declining year! When a glory eclipsing the Temples of old Is afar and near! The pavements of gold—and the jasper walls Are all to be seen where the foliage falls; While out of the splendor the voice of God calls: "Lo, all is good that is here!" O scriptures of God on the maple trees In the blooms and the blaze! Give us the wit to decipher all these—God's outashing rays. Rare gospels on maple, poplar, and beech, With a beauty and glory beyond man's reach; And under and over it all God's speech: "Lo, all is good that is here." —M. S. M. successful lawyers are pretty sharp in all matters of life, and why one should slip up on matromony is more than life substantiates. "Then again, how in the world could a young couple furnish a mansion so over-thoroughly with every conceivable elegance and yet not get acquainted." "Our student body is not averse to friendly criticism. We do not wish to be overpraised, or sentimentally coddled. But we saw nothing in the performance of Friday night to incur sarcasm from any source. "For the orchestra offering of the evening, I do not uphold 'jazzy stuff' against music. Our critic was well justified in his desire for better music, or perhaps I should say for music. But we can not expect a school orchestra of twelve or fifteen members, most of whom are under sixteen, to produce appropriate music for every occasion. "We do not infer that our critic's sentiment was not friendly. We hope it was. Nor that he did not mean well. We hope he did. But we fear that he consciously or unconsciously missed the mark. Perhaps he does not understand the psychology of the high school mind.—Harry D. Briscoe, '20. A student." "Why Change Your Wife?" A few months ago the photoplay of the above title was shown on the screen of a Los Angeles theater. At that time I submitted an article to a Los Angeles newspaper. Inasmuch as the play has recently been shown in this "neck of the woods," it might be appropriate to print that article here. The article as follows: "If it is your idea that the moving picture play, 'Why Change Your Wife?', is contributing anything toward the help of checking the divorce evil, you have a funny idea. "There isn't one bit of upliftment in the presentation of the play in question. Why a desire to check the divorce evil should be coupled with this play is hard to see. The play doesn't teach any moral, nor does it gain the respect and sympathy of the auditors. Thousands are flocking to see it because of curiosity, nothing else. "Why Change Your Wife? is a typical, characteristic film masterpiece of De Mille's art. It is a companion to his other play, 'Why Change Your Husband?' They are almost identical in nearly every respect, only the characters of husband and wife being reversed. The plot, the theme, and the presentation are very similar." successful lawyers are pretty sharp in all matters of life, and why one should slip up on matromony is more than life substantiates. "Then again, how in the world could a young couple furnish a mansion so over-thoroughly with every conceivable elegance and yet not get acquainted with each other's erratic tendencies? It's absurd. The way these two people were domiciled one would naturally think they would be 'acclimated' by the time they had done all the planning and purchasing of the ever-elegance of their home. But, in natural life, it is not as depicted. The picture is purely an artistic cartoon of De Mille's. "Even with this phase of getting acquainted while planning one's home, there is the phase of relatives and acquaintances. How in the world could a successful lawyer marry such a woman, if such a woman is distasteful to him. Where were his relatives, close business associates, his personal friends and acquaintances You don't mean to say that a great and successful lawyer in the great city of New York could plunge into a disaster without a friend coming to his warning. "In starting out, the picture makes it known that the male character of the husband is a great and successful lawyer. Very good! But, I should think he was a stupid lawyer to have married the cloak model. Where was his dissecting and analyzing powers, that a successful lawyer must have? It seems to me, the De Mille boys selected the wrong profession to attach their caricature to this time. "In regard to divorce, of all the professions, that of the bar is least in number of divorces granted. So, where is the evil here? "Not only did this lawyer show a lack of successful lawyer attributes when he succumbed to the filmsy whiles of a cheap gown model, but he showed a lack of lawyer abilities when he succumbed to the sex-whiles of his divorced wife. It's all rot! Think of the mental calibre of a great lawyer who was so small in attributes of personal character that he must be amused by the over-excitement of the sex phase of life." would be more lascivious growth of humanity. "Not once does 'Wife?' bring a testament There isn't a tender picture. On the contrary of woman upon women to all its ugliness between the two women disgraceful. "It seems that in fiction pictures all the plays their hatred to by a fist fight. And introduced it into feud. "On the whole, this magnificent attack Guy de Maupassant morbid moving picture trons. "In contrast to the cock's feathers there the screen of another play called, 'Just Now,' this a real good moral to it is true to life. The exquisite. There is anything connected with The settings are all piling. "It is a good picture story of modern bus life with the woman business. On the wholly done. There is no gun shooting; playing; there is no acid thirst water); there is no gown show a female's form or in is no divorce; there is" "And yet the picture one's emotions. The quite a bit. There stricken scenes in them merely a picture of..." respect and sympathy of the auditors. Thousands are flocking to see it because of curiosity, nothing else. "Why Change Your Wife?" is a typical, characteristic film masterpiece of De Mille's art. It is a companion to his other play, 'Why Change Your Husband?' They are almost identical in nearly every respect, only the characters of husband and wife being reversed. The plot, the theme, and the presentation are very similar. When I first read the title and who produced the play I knew immediately about what to expect. I went, and saw just what I expected. "De Mille's work always strikes me as being an artistic caricature. Every subject he treats is overdone in its elegance of exaggeration. "The theme underlying the whole play is the ever stock in trade of the moving picture industry, namely, that old sex problem, the appealing to the lust in human nature. "The story, as usual, is taken from society life. It seems, to judge from De Milles productions, that society's chief function is to play hide and seek with the sex problem in human affairs. "On the face of the whole presentation, the plot is not true to life, anyway. "The first thing that stands out to me is the awful extravagance of exaggerated elegance of settings. The chief male character in the play is a lawyer, and rather a young lawyer at that. Where in the world is there a young lawyer who could acquire such a magnificently furnished mansion as the star is supposed to have? He certainly must have been a wide-awake lawyer to acquire such successes in his young life, and at the same time not so wide-awake in selecting a suitable mate. The two extremes don't fit in with real life. As a rule, suc- "Not only did this lawyer show a lack of successful-lawyer attributes when he succumbed to the films whiles of a cheap gown model, but he showed a lack of lawyer abilities when he succumbed to the sex-whiles of his divorced wife. It's all rot! Think of the mental calibre of a great lawyer who was so small in attributes of personal character that he must be amused by the over-excitement of the sex phase of life. "Then again, a thinking lawyer (and think they must to succeed) would not lower his self-respect as to be won back to his wife (or any other woman) by having his passionate nature so glaringly appealed to. How could a self-respecting man respect a woman who only saw in him his animal nature? "The fact of the matter is that this play is similar to the stories that one may find in the 'live stories' brand of magazines so prevalent on the newsstands. "In the presentation of the photoplay there is no glaring attempt to check the divorce evil. On the contrary, there is a glaring attempt to excuse the picturization of that everenticing theme of female sex attraction and female form revelation. And De Mille knows how to paint the subject in all its colors. "Years ago burlesque shows thrived on the idea. Nowadays, picture shows are thriving on the same idea, only with more sugar, frosting, frills and laces. "How can you expect the young women of this generation not to be extravagant in dressing when they are ever having the allurements presented to them in attractive candy-box form? "I wish De Mille would use his talent at picture production in a way that..." ANAHEIM GAZETTE MULLINIX DRUG Anaheim, California Announces The REXALL ONE 1¢ Thursday, Friday, Saturday, would be more lasting good to the growth of humanity. "Not once does 'Why Change Your Wife?' bring a tear to one's eye. There isn't a tender spot in the whole picture. On the contrary, the vengeance of woman upon woman is brought to all its ugliness. The fight scene between the two women is positively disgraceful. "It seems that in 99 per cent of motion pictures all the heroes must display their hatred toward each other by a fist fight. And now De Mille has introduced it into feminine reroles. "On the whole, this picture is purely a magnificent attempt to portray Guy de Maupassant ideas upon the morbid moving picture theater patrons. "In contrast to the carcature in peacock's feathers there is running on the screen of another theater this week a play called, 'Just a Wife.' "Now, this a real good play, having a real good moral to it. On the whole, it is true to life. The presentation is exquisite. There is no cartooning of anything connected with the theme. The settings are all proper and becoming. "It is a good picture in that it is a story of modern business, domestic life with the woman idea infused into business. On the whole it is admirably done. There is no vileness; there is no gun shooting; there is no card playing; there is no fist fighting; there is no acid throwing (even eye water); there is no hair pulling; there is no gown shedding (to reveal a female's form or in revenge); there is no divorce; there is no court scene. "And yet the picture has a grip on one's emotions. The eyes are watered quite a bit. There is no poverty-stricken scenes in the picture. It is merely a picture of normal modern" POWDER A woman is queer, there's no doubt about that. She hates to be thin and she hates to be fat. One minute it's laughter, the next it's a cry. You can't understand her, however you try. But there's one thing about her which everyone knows— A woman's not dressed till she powders her nose. You never can tell what a woman will say, She's a law to herself every hour of the day. It keeps a man guessing to know what to do— And mostly he's wrong when his guessing is through; But this you can bet on, wherever she goes She'll find some occasion to powder her nose. I've studied the sex for a number of years. I've watched her in laughter and seen her in tears; On her ways and her whims I have pondered a lot, To find what will please her and just will not; But all that I've learned from the start to the close, Is that sooner or later she'll powder her nose. At church or a ball game, a dance or a show, There's one thing about her I know that I know— At weddings or funerals, dinners of taste, You can bet that her hand will dive the sawdust trail," which reminded me of Billy Sunday's big show in New York City. Once inside the gates I was struck with the magnitude of the undertaking. I immediately congratulated the committee responsible for the successful accomplishment, silently in the thought realm of life. It has been said of me that I am keen at criticising environmental arrangements. Regarding the auto show, I have nothing in particular to "spear at." As soon as I got to the connecting passageway between the two big tents I immediately saw that a definite plan and arrangement was the basis of construction of the arrangement of the whole affair. I failed to see wherein the principles of the accepted plan was not adhered to consistently and minutely. I have attended auto shows before. "The First Annual Orange County Auto Show" keeps up in the procession of any I have seen. Previous to seeing this one I have not seen any in a city smaller than Los Angeles. I would liked to have seen larger tents used, giving more floor space. Not to admit more exhibits, but to give more space to what exhibits there were. All the cars were too close. It was too easy for the people to drift from one exhibit to another. If each exhibit had more space and railed off, the psychology of such an idea would be to enable a demonstrator to hold an audience. Whereas, as it was, the crowds easily got to the next exhibit, and kept on adrift with any silent manipulations of the arrangements of the booths to hold a crowd at a given point until a salesman could get a chance to make a "speel." The general appearance was "bunchiness." Other than this it certainly world is troy a buil again, because not be Christ sae heart, so that it what people seem to think your thoughts that I saw car I crowded cars. The this car of other over there not easily cause them was not a resistance finitely made really wo get away gave them tunity too many constructions. Whether knowingly speaking there is a tensely insinuated law or a lawyer set forth nevertheless. As an psychologist your attention car that wicle, if mad. It was tha ing out and coming in did not reihe the round bibit. is no gun shooting; there is no card playing; there is no fist fighting; there is no acid throwing (even eye water); there is no hair pulling; there is no gown shedding (to reveal a female's form or in revenge); there is no divorce; there is no court scene. "And yet the picture has a grip on one's emotions. The eyes are watered quite a bit. There is no poverty-stricken scenes in the picture. It is merely a picture of normal modern business life in the marts of New York. "No character is overdone. No scene is over-eleanized. There is only one kiss in the whole story. And yet it is a story that grips a healthy-minded person. "The male star in the play is not a lawyer. But he shows more sense than the successful? lawyer in the De Mille's play—he comes to his honor at the end of the play. "Instead of appealing to her once lawyer-husband by displaying her animal propensities, De Milles star would be more wholesome if she had been just a wife like the little star in 'Just a Wife.'" "These two pictures are almost identical in ideas, namely, a triangle is involved—two women in the mind of the male star. And how much more beautiful and wholesome is 'Just a Wife' over 'Why Change Your Wife?'! "There will be many a wife who will feel better after seeing 'Just a Wife.' But the other play is not so soothing or complimentary to a decent woman." How the Auto Show "Hit" Me Going north on Los Angeles street the thought on my mind was, what a clean, modern-looking city Anaheim is. Especially did some of the residences, as I approached the auto show grounds, strike me as being But all that I've learned from the start to the close, Is that sooner or later she'll powder her nose. At church or a ball game, a dance or a show, There's one thing about her I know that I know— At weddings or funerals, dinners of taste, You can bet that her hand will dive into her waist. And every few minutes she'll strike up a pose, And the whole world must wait till she powders her nose. —Edward A. Guest. modern in appearances. This observation was refreshing. Presently the big auto show tents loomed up before my eyes. I was struck with this ancient structure among all the modernism that was impressing me. The tent is the second shelter of mankind. The first was the cave, then came the tent. My thought went back to the Old Testament narratives. Then the thought came to me how odd it was that this ancient structure should be sheltering modern civilized devices. Then I was attarcted to a fine, modern, comfortable looking residence by strains of piano music coming therefrom. I looked, as I passed the house, and saw a wee, golden-haired child happily enjoying the piano. She looked at me and gave me a big happy smile. I returned the compliment. My thoughts reverted to what a president of a Boston college told a class of us students. He said that when a child voluntarily smiles at you, God has greeted you and is pleased. That was a good omen. Then came the near approach of the auto show grounds. First, I "hit if each exhibit had more space and railed off, the psychology of such an idea would be to enable a demonstrator to hold an audience. Whereas, as it was, the crowds easily got to the next exhibit, and kept on adrifting with any silent manipulations of the arrangements of the booths to hold a crowd at a given point until a salesman could get a chance to make a "speel." The general appearance was "bunchiness." Other than this, it certainly was a demonstration of a well-planned idea, and the plans magnificently executed. On turning to my right I entered the passenger car tent. My first impression was cars, nothing but cars. As soon as my vision ceased to be wildered by the conglomeration of cars, pillars and flowery decorations, I observed that there was a difference between cars. (Meaning the look of the cars, not the distance apart.) I noticed away over in the corner to my right a crowd of people surrounding a car. I went over there, maneuvering through narrow alleyways made by other cars, and learned that the center of attraction was a car by an unfamiliar name—Leach. This car was a wonder in that it was equipped with all the latest ideas in electrical equipment and appointments. And it was these numerous wonderful ideas that was holding the attention of the crowd. One feature that especially received my attention was windows that could be made to disappear when not wanted for protection from the elements. I was especially interested because I was working in my mind an idea almost identical with the one the Leach car has incorporated into its makeup. Whoever the inventor was of the disappearing windows, he certainly had the same idea as I had. And why shouldn't he? The thought RUG STORE California unces ALL Store CENT SALE! Saturday, May 13, 14, 15 Saturday, May 13, 14, 15 which reminded big show in New ies I was struck of the undertaking gratulated the for the sucsilently in the me that I am environmental aring the auto in particular to as I got to the by between the relatively saw that arrangement was section of the arthe affair. I fail principles of the not adhered to ly. shows before. Orange County in the procesnion. Previous to not seen any in Angeles. have seen larger are floor space. exhibits, but to what exhibits were too for the people abit to another. More space and ology of such an be a demonstratWhereas, as sibly got to the on adrift ing ulations of the booths to hold until a salesce to make a was "bunchit certainly world is the real world, after all. Destroy a building, and you can rebuild it again, because the thought-edifice cannot be destroyed—it is permanent. Christ says: "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." By that is meant that it doesn't make any difference what people think of you, or what you seem to be, or even what yourself may think your are, you are what your thoughts are. It will be remembered that I said that to go to this Leach car I had to maneuver through crowded alleyways walled by other cars. There is the psychology of it—this car was so placed in the rear of other cars that once a person got over there a desire to get away was not easily suggested to the mind because the mind saw that a get-away was not according to the law of least resistance, so, until people could definitely make up their minds that they really would put forth the energy to get away, they hung around, which gave the demonstrator ample opportunity to invite them to inspect the many comfort ideas incorporated into the construction of the car. Whether or not the Leach people knowingly exercised the law I am speaking about, I do not know. But, there is a factor about law that is intensely interesting. It is this: Whether a law is knowingly or unknowingly set into operation, it will work, nevertheless, because it is law. As an illustration of a lack of the psychology of arrangement let me call your attention to the Jordan Special car that was the last one on the circle, if made around going to the right. It was the last car on your right going out and the first car on your left coming in. As I kept to the right I did not reach it until I had completed the round of the passenger car exhibit. CHRISTIAN SCIENCE IN HISTORY "It is not strange that few were found to listen when a New England woman announced in 1866 that her patient search of the Scriptures for many years had revealed to her a Science of life which would prove a great blessing to humanity. She called her discovery Christian Science and set forth its fundamentals in what has proven to be an epoch-making book, 'Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,' by Mary Baker Eddy (1875). "There can be no doubt that the Christian Science movement has in one generation enormously increased the number of followers of Christ's teachings; besides drawing to the support of the organization many hundreds of thousands of former communicants of other denominations. Its power has been especially marked in English-speaking countries, and it is rapidly spreading throughout the world. "That this woman, single-handed, appealing to the spirituality of humanity, suffering the martyrdom of ridicule, criticism, and abuse on all sides, in spite of desertion of life-long friends, in spite of opposition of powerful influences whichever way she turned—that she was able by her life and writings to work such a tremendous change in the religious status of humanity, is indeed a great event of history." (From an editorial note in The Great Events by Famous Historians, published by the National Alumni Association, New York, U.S.A.) crowd and would have held them, as the current of the moving multitude would not have worked on the side streets. However, the current got me and off more space and elegance of such an a demonstration. Whereas, as finally got to the at on adriating relations of the smooths to hold until a salesce to make a ce was "bunchis, it certainly a well-planned significantly exright I entered My first imning but cars, released to be beglomeration of very decorations, was a difference giving the looks of once apart.) I are corner to my me surrounding here, maneuverkeyways made known that the car is by an path. This car was equipped in electrical elements. And it wonderful ideas attention of the that especially was windows disappear when from the elely interested in my mind an with the one the created into its inventor was windows, he ceridea as I had The thought As an illustration of a lack of the psychology of arrangement let me call your attention to the Jordan Special car that was the last one on the circle, if made around going to the right. It was the last car on your right going out and the first car on your left coming in. As I kept to the right I did not reach it until I had completed the round of the passenger car exhibit. The Jordan Special shown was a classy car in every respect. It had good lines and was handsomely painted a dark brown color. But there wasn't more than two or three people at a time that took the interest to stop and make a close inspection. Why? Not because the car did not deserve attention. It was because the car was so placed that the people had no silent resisting object to hold them. The pathway in front was clear and the car being the last one in the circle the people least-resistantly sailed by. The result was the crowds easily and quickly saw it was a fine car and that settled it—on they went with the tide. So, you see, if more floor space could have been allotted to each car, the cars could have been so arranged that little pools of people could be retained by silent suggestive barriers formed by proper arrangement of railings. I finally broke lose from the enchantment of the Leach car with an inventive thought of my own incorporated therein, and drifted up the line. Notice, I said drifted. And that was exactly the psychology of the multitude—they drifted. It's all right to have a clean passage way as a main highway, but side lanes branching off the main highway on angle lines would have gotten portions of the crowd and would have held them, as the current of the moving multitude would not have worked on the side streets. However, the current got me and off I drifted until I reached the Paige Larchmont Special. This car got my eye strong enough for me step out of the moving current. And it also got the attention of many other observers. It was a care of class and distinction. Its shade of yellow paint was pleasing. The lines of it were very attractive and agreeable. It was one of those cars that you would turn your head to give a second look if you saw it on the streets as it flashed by. I left the demonstrator with his interested crowd and got into the current again. The moving procession of people took me only a short distance farther when I encountered another crowd a little off the main highway. The center of interest here was a Buick chassis all nickeled and handsomely trimmed in red paint, running slowly, showing parts ordinarily hidden when in actual use, being revealed by glass compartments so that the internal workings of the gears, cams, and the pistons, and the like could be easily observed. The Buick chassis was suurrounded by a waist-high nickeled railing to which the people could cling. This helped to hold them long enough for the demonstrator to get them interested enough to ask questions, and they did. The beautiful nickle, high class red paint and the electrically illuminated interior cylinders enable several ladies to (continued on page four)