“Loveable Waif" Won ^ Leopard's Spot
^ —and Many Millions 1
Then He Was
Christened. in
P.obes Like
TODAY little Christopher Gilbert
Tyson is one of the luckiest
children in the world. A few
months ago he was merely a plaintive
looking, lovable mite in a big, hospital
like room of white beds and blue
frocked nurses—a room through whioh,
from time to time, handsome men and
lovely, sweet-smelling women passed.
Sometimes the women paused at Chris
topher’s bed and picked him up.
One day a woman, younger and
more charming than the rest, walked
toward Christopher’s cot. He wasn’t,, of
course. Christopher then — he hadn’t
been named at all—but maybe in some
dim, infant way he sensed that in the
person of this youthful, fashionably
lowned matron lurked his destiny.
Anyway, he smiled his winsomest,
looed his brightest. When Mrs. John
L. Tyson-—for that was the visitor’s
name—entered the ward her eyes were
tired, discouraged. It had been a long
search, through scores of orphan asy
lums and institutions for infants of all
kinds. She wanted to adopt a son, but
ehe had rather definite ideas about the
Mr. and Mr*. John L. Ty»on, Who
Searched Far and Wide For an
Ideal Son to Adopt. They
Named Him Christopher, After
[ “Christopher Robin” in A. A.
Milne’* Poem, “Buckingham
Palace,” an Excerpt From Which
U Shown at Left.
kind of a son she wanted to take the
imposing Tyson name and ahare the
imposing Tyson millions.
Then she saw a curly tow-head, e,
high-hearted smile and a pair of violet
eyes. “That's the one," she said quite
firmly, and walked straight toward the
swaddled youngster who was about to
become Christopher Tyson.
Mrs. Tyson, twenty-are and married
two year3, was Miss Natalie Emleri
Hutchinson, granddaughter of E. T.
Stotesbury, millionaire Philadelphia
banker. Her whole family is notably
"blue book,” while she varies her bril
liant social activities between New
York. Philadelnhia and Europe. Her
wedding in 1927 was the outstanding
affair of the season.
Of course, there was rejoicing in the
Tyson household when baby Christo
pher—named after Christopher Robin
in A. A. Milne’s poem, “Buckingham
Palace”—was made son and heir. Mr-.
Tyson had always longed for a boy just
like him. For baby’s christening gown
she had a garment fashioned by the
nuns in a Belgian convent—a christen
ing robe which was an exact replica
of the one worn by a Spanish in
This Famous Painting by Volaaqua*
Shows the Spanish Infante, Margaret.
Baby Christopher Tyson’s Christening
Robe Was Copied After the Garment
Worn By this Daughter of |
Spanish Royalty,
fanta once painted by Velasquez.
Thus an unknown little boy, whose
parentage and antecedents are known
only to Mr. and Mrs. Tyson and the
officials of the institution from which
he came, was decked out in regal splen
dor to assume u name that connotes
wealth and pride.
When Christopher entered tho T.V
son household he superseded a Strang;
pet, taking the place in the affection?
of the master and mistress which had
been held-by a leopard cub! Mrs. Ty
son always has loved pets. Of course,
a baby boy is the ideal object upon
which to lavish affection, in ho
estimation, but before he cama she
used to sleep in the same room with a
young leopard straight from the
African jungles. The beast died and
Mrs. Tyson was so grief-stricken that
her husband promptly bought her an
other one.
Christopher’s advent of course made
it necessary to dispose of the savage
looking feline. The leopard was get
ting cider every day and reverting
Whatever You Do—Do It Hard!
ROY L. GRAY
'Choten Two Xeart Ago At the “Average
American Citizen
PITHY PARAGRAPHS
"My experience as the 'average
American’ has given me a broader
view of life.
"About success — whatevef you
do, do hard.
"Make people like you.
"Money is the least important
part of the successful life.
“A person's greatest chance at
happiness is in doing the thing he
likes tv do, regardless of the sal
ary or fame.
- ‘Roy Gray.”
IT w35 just two years ago in Novem
ber that Koy L. Gray, of Fort Madi
son, Iowa, was named the Average
American and after two years of world
wide publicity, he appears unchanged.
Mr. Gray was chosen as the Average
American citizen after months of
search by magazines and newspapers
in this country. The selection of an
average man came shortly after Fort
Madison’s selection the Average
American city.
He was chosen as the average man
becaus he lived on the average street
in the average city, owned his own
one-man business, and was head of an
average family—his wife, a boy and a
girl. He belonged to a church but at
tended services ohly at irregular inter
vals and drove an average priced
automobile.
Mr. Gray stated recently, when inter
viewed in his one-man store, that lie
was not tired of being called the aver
age man and that he did not mind
being known as “average.” The big
gest question in the minds of many
persons today is whether or not Mr.
Gray has changed greatly in the two
years .since he was first named the
average man.
His friends and his wife say “no.”
Mr. *Crav, however, is quick to admit
that he has changed in several ways.
“My experience haa given me a
broader view of every thing," Mr. Gray
•aid. “I am more careful of what 1
do, because I realize that a great deal
of attention ha* centered on me since
the publicity waa given me as the aver
age man.”
Two years ago Mr. t.ray stated that
in Ids opinion Lindbergh was the
greatest living American. Walter John
son the greatest baseball player of all
time and that he believed in a man
“scratching his ticket’’ at election
time. He states that he has not changed
his mind about any of these things.
When asked how he planned to raise
himself above the “average” place he
now holds, he said that he hoped
sometime to have several stores instead
of the one he now owns.
When asked what he considered the
chief element of success, he paused for
fully a minute.
“Well, in the first place. 1 want to
say that no one knows better than 1
that the publicity given me as the
Average American was through no
fault, efforts or accomplishments of
mine.
"I can hardly be called an expert on
giving ‘success’ talks, but 1 believe a
man’s best chance at success is in
braking people around him like him
and in order to do that lie must do
things worth while for others.
“How would 1 advise young men and
women to attain success? Whatever
you do—-do hard. That means plenty
of work and grind.
"And what part do I think money
play* in ona’s success?” Once more
the famoui average citizen paused be
fore answering. “It may sound funny,
but it’s always bean my own idea that
money was the least important part of
a successful life, l'va always likad to
think that I’d do what i wanted to do
in life regardless of the money con
cerned. After 25 years in business,”
Mr. Gray' is 43, “I still think that a
parson’s greatest chance at happiness
it in doing the thing he likes to do,
regard'*** of ths salary or fame.”
The average man was next asked
—Says the- “Aikrage
American Citizen’
whether or not he considered it an
honor to have been selected as the
average man.
“Some writers have suggested that 1
should resent the fact that I was named
‘average ’ I do not. I was proud of
the distinction and would not take a
good deal for the experience it has
brought me.”
Mr. Gray’s wife stated two years ago
that her husband was above the average
rs a husband and father, and today
she stated that she still believes this.
Hare’s Another Little Poof Boy
Ac!o-> 1 lly a P S Mother—Mr*.
Joseph Isoyer, of Detroit. In This
i'iio.j tie jee.il to Be Caring
Wondering!)- At the Leopard
Whose Pines in the Affections of ^
\1*a TVine Was Wah h
Mrs. Tyson Was Won by
Infant Christopher.
more and more from
bouncing ball of kit
tenish fur to a haughty t
end ferocious jungle
queen. It wouln’t do to
have a child in the house
and the leopard too. So
the leopard was pre
sented to the zoo.
So now Christopher
- .5- MMl
IE?
Informal Pholo of Mrt, Ty*on Fondling lit* Uopird Cub Sh» Adortil Baforo
> Baby Chri»topih«r’» Advant.
reigns supreme — with
only a dog anti cat remaining to keep
him company. Both of the animals,
says Mrs. Tyson, are extremely jealous.
Lspecially does “Sugar Plum,” the dog,
resent the intrusion of the small
Stranger. “He just hates Christopher,"
the young society leader explains. “Hi
barks of jealousy are heard whenever
Christopher comes on the acetic.’’
Mrs. Tyson, before her marriage
was interested in art and In dancing
Her grace and ability made hei a
favored performer in amateur the
atrica's and benefit performances. A*
a debutante she was the star of manv
Junior League affairs, and had ah*
cared foi a professional career, a num
ber of producers would have been
willing to give her a stellnr role in
musical comedy.
At tiie well-known Charity Hall at
the Philadelphia Academy of Music a
few years ago Mrs. Tyson—then Mi*
Hutchinson—“stopped the show” with
her solo adagio turn. When rumor
were going the rounds that she wn;
thinking of using her talent in a sari
ous way she announced her engage
went to Mr. Tyson. Their wedding
was a dazzling spectacle.
Soon after she adopted little Crhisto
The ABC's of General Knowledge
Our Ten Best Motion Picture Customers
Raped on the Total Number of Linear Kept of film
Purcbaard br Theee Foreign t .ountrier During 1928.
Ssitmii Motion Picture Diriaiotu Bureau of Foreign and
Domeatic Commerce. and the Film Daily.
Chart By FUELING FOSTER
rnlina
Australia Is the Largest
Foreign User of American
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Several Years!
I mrar Feet
AnMrtlu . . , 23.400,562
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United kingdom . 12.699349
Unto, . 11.219.271
Canada.,. 8.814.462
Mexico... 8.662,988
France.it. 8.240,266
'* Spain , . 7.932.747
Japu* ........a..,.,.. 6.2.! 7,686
©IW9
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Feature
lar»t«o
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pher. thereby gratifying a yearning
she had hud since girlhood, people
whispered that the Tysons were con*
sidering: the udontion of several other
children.
But—"Heavens, no"! exclaimed the
foster father when he heard what was
■mygested. “One is enough. We’re
suing to lavish on Christopher every
rare, give him every advantage. But
wss aren’t going to adopt nnv more.
Mover in the wide, wide world. 1 am
iorry that such a rumor got about, for
»
it is sure to cause us to bo deluged
with requests to take other children,
and we have absolutely no such inten
tion."
Meanwhile the pet leopard, who sur
render'd his place, albeit, unwillingly, 10
Christopher, is pacing her cage m the
Philadelphia Zoo. Perhaps she is con
sumed with jealous fury and has re
venue in her heart. Or it may be that
the jungle feline is only deeply hurt
and lonely.
‘‘And I stalked a spectre all that night.”
rjr Eft voice was so cool when she
f't answered me
Over the telephone.
One would never have known
From a word or a tan«
That she lied. Bit l saw her, l
saw....
flutter ram and wind ad tiny
raw)..,
That evening she wasn’t clone.
She stepped from a cab before vie
And he bowed as he helped her
alight.
hid, laughing, they passed from my
sight
Under a blue-lit dame.
The word that she murmured,
“ Home,’*
l heard. ^
7 If was beaten into myhrain.
My eyesight blurred,
And my heart drained white, ,
And I stalked a spectre all that .
night
Like a madman in the rant.
I fought the phantom.
At dawn t( fled.
What if the full-blown rose is dsadf I
The dove has flown.
My heart is shed.
Ike musio of life is a monotone.
i
But many a night, auake, Vv§ lain
And heard the bitter and blinding
rain....
It seems to me that its teardrops Lave
The dark wild highlands that hold
Love’s grave. ^