PRESENCE OF MIND.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 143674, 19 December 1911, Page 5

PRESENCE OF MIND.

Many cases of presence of mind in the taco of lire ' in a theatre are on record, but wo do not know of any quits so admirable as one reported from Chicago. Tho actor who advances to the footlights and begs llio people to ho calm, and the prima donna who sings “Home, Sweet Homo” or the National Anthem for tho same purpose, must yield to tho Chicago policeman who was "recently assigned tho duty of getting tho audience out of a crowded theatre in the rear of which a firo was raging. Ho climbed upon the stage, raised Ids band for silence, and delivered the following address: “Ladies and gentlemen, if you want to see one of tho greatest fires in years go outside and look to tho south half a milo away. Take it easy as you go out. Don’t break up tho furniture, because tho management says you can romo back when you’ve soon enough of the fire, and you’ll want to use your scats again.” His judgment was correct; most of the audience rose and made their way to the street as rapidly as they could. Some two dozen people, to whom fires wore no attraction, remained. As soon as the rest were out of hearing, tho policeman addressed those people in very different style. “Say, you fellows, beat it. There’s a big firo in the barn back of this place, and you’ll all be burned to death if you stay a minute longer.” If to be a good public speaker is to ho able to adapt oneself to different kinds of nudienc.es, this Chicago policeman must be one of tho best. Of course, this kind of coolness can be pushed too far, as by the man who saw a followpas«;enger fall overboard in mid-occan, and walked slowly to the bridge to give the alarm, explaining that ho did not wish to cause a panic!