DISCIPLE OF GANDHI

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 94, 4 April 1934, Page 7

DISCIPLE OF GANDHI

Marriage in. New York BRIDE’S IDEALISTIC TALK Far from the scene of her meditations as a disciple of Gandhi, Miss Nila Cram Cook was married in New York on March 27 to her “Starlight on the Waters.” “Starlight” — who is also Miss Cook’s “Eternal sunshine baby,” “Some boy,” “Ruby in the Rock,” and “Angel child”—looked a trifle dazed.

Things had moved rapidly since the tropical afternoon when the homewardbound Gandhi disciple spied him on board the cargo vessel City of Elwood and claimed him for her own. When they appeared at the license bureau just before noon she announced, “He’s the perfect man. He’s my ultimate and infinite ideal. We want a marriage license.”

For the purpose of record Miss Cook identified herself as born at Davenport (Iowa) 25 years ago, the daughter of Mr. George Cram Cook, poet, and founder of the Provinceton Players, and the divorced wife of M. Nikos Proestek.

Of M. Proestek, a well-to-do Greek and father of her six-year son. she said, “He is less than the dust. Why must we talk of him! There must have been a divorce. Put down ‘Divorced in Athens, March, 1932.’ ” “Starlight” said he was Mr. Albert Hutchins, aged 28, a native of Chicago. “And now let us go, my beloved,” pleaded Miss Cook. “The hours are fleeting and we have waited years—aeons.” They left the municipal building for the Greek Orthodox Church which Miss Cook announced would be the scene of her wedding- But there was no church ceremony, for reasons which she failed to make clear. Late in the afternoon they appeared, breathless, at the door of the municipal chapel two minutes before it was due to close for the day. The official looked at the clock and frowned. “Ah, you sweet white dove I —you essence of myrrh,” Miss Cook I purred. “I can see compassion welling[ in your eyes. You cannot refuse me.; You will be performing a marriagj watched by the gods on thei. thrones.” Miss Nila Cram Cook espoused Gandhi’s religion and joined his “Ashram” (model colony) because of the “false and illusory pleasures of life, as lived by Americans.” After allegedly posing in Delhi as a famous cinema “star,” she arrived in Calcutta and was kept under police surveillance.