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Show SHE IS SAFE ID PASTOBSTILL LIS Garrick Slage Director i-Ias Not Yet Thrashed the Rev. Mr. Bowerman. SAYS NOT YET BUT SOON James O'Neil Thinks the Critical Crit-ical Clergyman Was Altogether Alto-gether Too Sweeping1. "I have no inclination to trip to the Rev. Mr. Bowerman except to observo that it Is hardlv likely that his boasted Investigation of the theater as an institution insti-tution has ever led him Inside the doors of a i expectable playhouse. Where he gathered his Impressions and his cocksure cock-sure Ideas on the subject it would he hard to jay. Korlnnatelv the mnllngs or such as he fall but lightly on the car of the intelligent public." i'o spoke. James O'N'ell. the noted actor now playing to delighted audiences at the Orphentn theater, when allied lust night regarding the attack by the Rev. j. S. Bowerman, pastor of tho Jmmanucl Bup-tist Bup-tist church, on the stage and stage folk. "I was glad, though." he added, "to seo one of tho local members of the profession. pro-fession. Mr. Bernard, take up the cudgel on behalf of the women of the stage. T hope. .Mr. Bernard does the. reverend gentleman gen-tleman uo physical harm, ns he avowa he will, but 1 would suugesi that the beat thing that could be done for all concerned con-cerned would be to send the Itcv. Mr. Howerman a pair of complimentary tickets tick-ets to some representative theatrical production pro-duction and let him forset for an hour or so the awful burden he has voluntarily voluntar-ily taken upon his shoulders. Perhaps It might let a. little-tight into his cosmos." No Fistic Encounter Yet. At a lata hour last nteht Ihcre had been no fistic encounter between William P.er-nard, P.er-nard, stage director at tho Garrick theater, the-ater, and the Rev. Mr. P.owerinan. In an impromptu reply to the minister's arraignment ar-raignment of the profession Mr. Bernard told the audience at the Garrick Mondav night thai he would force an apology from the minister or give him a thrashing. When seen last night Mr. Bernard said he had been too busy all day to attend to the matter, but that ho hoped to find time and opportunity some time this week to make cood his statement. The Tribune is lu receipt of a communication com-munication from J. F. Howell, poslofflce box 177, this city, in which, In reference refer-ence to tho sermon preached by the Rev. L. S. Bowcmian. he says, in part: "The pulpit has long been marked as Die coward's clsiIo of slanderers who would not dare repeat elsewhere their attacks on the characters of those In the theatrical profession. The Rev. Mr. Bowerman has made a most vicious and unfair attack upon the moral character of those whose lives are as clean as his own." Cites Taft as Example. I Mr. Howell slates that in his early manhood he followed tin- footlights and (hat while in that profession he met with and enjoyed the society of hundreds hun-dreds of tho best and noblest men and women of his experience. lie continues: con-tinues: "I claim that aclors and actresses as men and women arc as good as ministers minis-ters and church members. T challenge the Rev. Mr. Bowerman to name a crime on the calendar of which ministers of the gospel have not been found guilty, and yet there arc thousands of cooil. honest clersymeti all over our broad land. Should 1 attack tho entire profession pro-fession because a certain per cent are dishonest and vicious'.' The very best people of our land arc regular theatergoers. theater-goers. President Taft attends several times each week and ho numbers nearly all the leading actor and actresses as personal friends. The head of our na-: na-: lion by his actions and words does not agree with tho Rev. Mr. Bowerman that the. stage and Its people are a degenerate class, devoid of decency." |