TILE SCRANTOJT TRIBUNE-SATURDAY 3I01JHi2ST(3-, MARCH :t0, lSr.
Random Notes of
Life in London.
Another Half Day in the British Museum.
Some Notable Concerts.
lon3on, March 23. Yesterday 1 went
down to the British Museum again,
and wandered through the two great
libraries there, the (ireiivllle nnd the
King's library. There was much to
look tit there, enough Indeed to take
one's time for days, but 1 had only a
. half day for It, mo 1 looked ut the most
Important things the longest nnd Just
glanced ait the lesser wonders. I spent
n great deal of time over the beautiful
Illuminated manuscripts in the (Iren
vllle, some of which are very, very old
Indeed, having been done way back lu
the tenth, eleventh and twelfth centur
ies. I have often read of these old works,
and in many old novels and stories wo
read of the ancient monks sitting all
day King at their desks and writing and
stenciling away so laboriously at thcv
Venerable works.
The leaves of these books are of vel
lum, which Is almost as thick as paste
board sometimes and the queer Illumin
ations about the text of the works are
Wonderful things to have been done by
the hand alone. Their bindings are
heavy and thick, some being done in
old leather and some in Ivory and Jew
els and ll of them in the queerest,
heaviest manner possible. There were
Vulgates and other old Hibles and
scriptures aud psalters, all most won
derful to see and enjoy.
In the Autograph Kooin.
I passed (rom there to the uutograph
room beyond, where 1 lingered long
oit the autographs of some of the most
famous people of history. There were
the signatures of the Plantagenet kings,
Tudor, Henry the Kighth. and of k'llza
beth, und of James first. The Charleses
and Cromwells were there also under
lettera of their own writing, and the
ugly old Ueorges had their fingers In
tho pie as well, several of their old let
ters being there.
Of course all good and loyal l'.ritlshers
come and gaze adoringly upon the
handwriting of their beloved Victoria
which Is here displayed in the following
letter, written fifty-seven years ago.
before her coronation, to the bishop
whose duty it was 'to olliolate at the
affair. H?re It is:
"Right Reverend Father in God. We
greet you well. Whereas tho 20th day of
June next Is appointed for the solemnity
of our royal coronation, these are to will
and command you (all excuses set aside)
to make your personal attendance on us,
at the time above mentioned, furnished
and appointed as to your rank and quality
nppertaireth, there to do ami perform such
services as shall be required and belong
unto you, whereof you are not to fail.
And bo we bid you most heartily, fare
Well. Gtveii at our court of St. James's, the
Wath -day of Hay, 133, in the tirst year of
our reign. Victoria K."
Other Notable Autographs.
Peter the Great had a characteristic
letter there. In Russian, and about ship
building, to which his autograph is
appended. Frederick the Great, of
Prussia. Is also represented by an auto
graph letter, as is Napoleon Bonaparte
as well. To pass from these royal peo
ple to others just as good and sometimes
even better, there are letters of Sir Wal
ter Raleigh, Goethe, Schiller, Voltaire,
Rousseau, Mollere and numbers of
other writers, besides some from the
great statesmen of Kngland in all times.
While looking among these 1 came
across an autograph letter of George
Washington, written to the Earl of
Ruehtir, partly on the principles which
should guide the 'then young United
States, viz: "To be little heard of In the
great world of polities." "I be
lieve It Is the sincere wish of United
kmeriea to have nothing to do with the
political intrigues or squabbles of F.u-
topean nations; but on the contrary,
a live in peace with all Inhabitants of
he earth, and (this I am persuaded
they will do If rightfully it can be done.
To evince that our views arc
expanded, I take the liberty of sending
you the plan of our new city (Washing
ton), situate about the centre of the
Vnlon of these States, which Is designed
tor the permanent seat of the gov
ernment, and we are at this moment
deeply engaged and far advanced in
extending 'the navlgatbui of the river
(Potomac) on which It stands, and the
branches thereof, through a tract of as
rioh country for hundreds of miles
as any in the world.
"(Signed) George Washington."
Autographs of .Musicians.
i There were in this room, a number
of musical autographs, too. I looked
long and longingly at the original score
that is a portion of It of Mendels
sohn's "As Pants the Hart," and also
the song "Adelaide," Just as Reethnven
wrote it years and year ago. There
was music there by Mozart, Handel,
Hayden and Wagner, each in the com
poser's own hand and really more than
you could bear to hear about auto
graphs of everybody noted. There was
Oeorge Eliot's manuscript of Adam
Bede, and some poetry In the hand
writing of saintly old Cardinal New
man; Scott's manuscript of Kenll
worth, the manuscript of some poems
of the lovely Keats, Chaucer's Canter,
bury Tales and even John Wycllffe's old
Hible were there, the last two so printed
Jn the funniest, crooked letters and with
the oddest old English sentences, that I
simply stood and laughed over them In
delight.
An Antiquated Pnpyrni.
The earliest manuscript of any por
tion of the HI hie at present known to
be In existence Is there also, on papyrus,
and Is very brown with uge, having
been printed or raither written in the
third or fourth century, nnd was found
among the rubbish of an old convent
exhumed at Thebes. It Is very small,
there being oidy a portion of the I'salms
remaining or the original roll.
There were thousands anil thousands
of things In this room, each one Inter
esting enough to tempt one to hourB of
study over It; but I had to make the
most of my weekly half-duy slght-sclng
and bo passed on Into the King's library,
which Is a magnillcent collection be
queathed to the llrilish nation by one
of the Georges. It Is another sort of
collection thnij the Grenvllle, though
quite as Interesting, and it Is here that
I had my llrst sight of any copies of the
Talmud and of the Koran, muny ele
gantly done copies of which old books
were there, In Sanskrit, Hebrew, and
Arabic. Some of them had belonged to
ancient kings and queens, and of course
ithe writing In these was most beauti
fully executed in gold and colors, and
were so altogether gorgeous that they
might have come from the shop of a
Jewel engraver instead of having been
done so 'laboriously by hand. A, most
interesting sight In this room, also,
were the specimens of the earliest work
of the printing press In all the various
countries. These cute, clumsy little
books were most delightfully interesting.
On Monday we donned our white
dresses and crimson sashea and went
down to St. James's Hall to the Acad
emy chamber concert of this term.
Our Scotch girl had her Bongs done, by
order of Sir Alexander Mackenzie, and
their reception by the audience and crit
ics was all that could be desired and we
were all very proud of her. The next
day our land ladies gave an "At Home,"
and the Scotch lassie and I were Invited
to the affair, greatly to our self con
gratulation. On Wednesday I went to
see Oscar Wilde's play at the llaymar
ket Theatre "An Ideal Husband"
and enjoyed It very, very much Indeed.
As a play I really think It Is line. The
dialogue is undoubtedly clever, charm
ingly so, in fact, and the costumes of
the ladies of the company are nothing
short of works of art. Such beautiful
dresses 1 never saw before and I
looked at them long and longingly. The
play is a good one: In fact I liked the
idea of it very much Indeed. Best of
all. it is good and wholesome anil pure
aud will, as a line play should, do a
vast amount of good, I should think. I
have not seen his last play "The Im
portance of ilielug Earnest." which Is a
farce, or intended for one at least, and I
1 am told it is verv weak, so I do not I
know whether I shall waste time on It
or not. Oscar Wilde's full name hps
Just been recited to me by one of the '
young ladies of the house. Here It is:
Oscar Fingal o' Flaherty Wilde. Ques
tion: "What's In a name'."'
Thursday afternoon we went to Stein
way Hall to hear Senior Rubin, the fa
mous violincelllst to her majesty, the
queen of Spain. He gave a one hour
recital which was very enjoyable In
deed, and 1 suppose he will soon be.
If he is not now, in great demand, as 1
never heard a more Interesting pro
gramme of 'cello before. He played
several things of his own composition
which were very Spanish und gypsy
like, besides giving us a varied number
of other composer. He "took" beauti
fully, as he deserved to, for his work
was almost faultless. The man Is very
handsome too, and has the most beauti
ful hands I ever saw using a "cello, small
white, beautifully formed and as strong
as steel.
The First Philharmonic.
We went from this concert to the
first Philharmonic of the season,
down at Queen's Hall, where the big
orchestral things take place. Our Sir
Alexander himself is the conductor of
their famous orchestra, most of the
members of which have played under
his baton for years and years. There
are seven concerts in the Philharmonic
series and we have tickets for them nil.
as they are among the best that can be
listened to here. The soloists of the
evening were Herr Emll Sauer, the
"new" pianist, and Clementine De
Vere Sapio, soprano. Not having
heard either. T was very keen about it,
you see. and set lit d myself to listen
with both ears. The success of Sauer
in Loudon this season is wonderful
and must be very gratifying to that
gentleman himself, as It was only a
year ago that he wrote from Germany
to the Philharmonic directors offering
to play for nothing at one of their con
certs if they would only give him the
opportunity of appearing under their
auspices. His letter was not even an
swered, and he came on this autumn
and made such a success during his
eight recitals In London that he played
the other evening for the Philharmonic
men at a cost to them of about four hun
dred dollars. His success is what you
might call a popular one. He pleases the
large majority of those easily pleased
and a few of the critical, but the best
critics of London miss a great deal In
him that Is much to be desired In
really great pianist. His execution is
almost perfect, but they say his tone is
hard and noisy, and locate his feeling
in every other part of his anatomy
than his fingers, where it should be.
He Is not, and never can be, as great a
player as Paderewskl, on that account.
Our seats are very fine ones and I
could see him beautifully, especially
during his entrances ami exits, and he
looks very like a Jap, not at all like a
German. His pictures flutter him dread
fully. The greatest thing Is his bow, which
Ptrlctly carries out the Jap idea, as he
bows, not slowly as men usually do,
but with two of the funniest little
Jerks Imaginable. He made a tremen
dous success the other night, having to
respond to recall after recall, and must
have bowed until he ached. I liked him
myself; but I do not know very much
about pluno ond my taste may not be of
the most critical variety In that direc
tion. I dare say I am one of the "easily
pleased," as the critics say.
A 1 1 a man Canary.
Clementine De Vere Sapio had been
described to me long ago by one of my
friends who had heard her, as a human
canary. She failed to carry out tho
idea, however, for me, at which I was
much disappointed, and I fancy the rest
of the audience shared my feelings, for
she was very coldly received Indeed,
none of her work being able to drnw
forth wild enthusiasm from even the
most generous and "easily pleased." I
was sorry for I have always under
stood her to be quite a pet in New York
and I always like to see America com
ing out ahead.
On Friday afternoon I had the pleas
ure of listening to another of the fa
mous pupils of that gifted woman,
Mme. Klara Schumann. Fruulcln Ilonn
Elbenschulz gave u. very long und very
trying recital, through which she came
triumphantly. I was charmed wllh her
anil I like her better 'than I do Sailer,
perhaps because she Is such a brainy
little woman she Is only twenty and
does Chopin so well, which I love. She
had bouquet after bouquet, und was, In
deed, nt the last, literally overshowereil
by her lovely flowers. 1 saw Rorwlck,
Fanny Davis and other old Schumnnn
ites there In the audience nnd they all
Seemed to rejoice In the work of their
gifted little associate In study. Friday
evening the English girl took us to St.
Anne's, Soho Square, to hear the Unrh
passion music performed there by the
choir, which Is considered one of the
finest In lyondon. I enjoyed the music,
of course, but not all of the singing of
it, for 1 never will get used to these hor
rible little choir boys. To be sure they
do look very sweet and angelic In their
white frocks and with the big books In
their hands and their faces lifted re
ligiously to heaven, but there isn't one
of a hundred of them with a voice
capable of rendering a big, broad, fine
sacred solo. A Cyril Tyler Is a Jewel;
but there is only one Cyril Tyler and a
couple of million of poor pipers with
tired throats and hypertrophied vocal
chords who ought to be turned out of
the choir lofts an4 never Invited back,
The little soprano BOlolst of the other
evonlng was a torture to listen ito, while
the tenor, baritone and bass were
beautiful, and the alto was a nice young
man with a mustache. Disgusting! If
I om ever ut the head of the church of
England I will decree that men may
sing men's parts und be welcome to
them, but women will sing women's
part, which will be vastly Improved
thereby, let us hope.
I ntliiirtiiism for the l.luccn.
The queen of England was in town
a day or two this week to hold a draw
ing room at Buckingham Palace. Lon
don people are right loyal 'to her, and
during the few hours of her residence In
the city the flags were flying from
the ends of all the poles In London. It
looked quite guy, but they are nil down
now, for she has cruelly gone away
again und left us here repining. The
great Iron gates at Marble Arch and
Cumberland Gate were opened for her
carriages ito pass through nnd then
closed tightly once more, as she Is the
only person for whom they are ever
opened, the side Kates suttlring for com
mon Immunity.
There was quite a display of soldiery
and other red lane nt her nrrlvul and
the procession passed near us here,
but I was to busy to go and see H. How
ever, when she comes again 1 will try
to see her, because she Is the queen
you know, and somebody to see, I sup
pose. The English are, as a rule, very
jealous for their queen, though they
may not seem so sometimes. Only (lie
oilier day I was very sharply brought
to book by one of the girls here bemuse
1 had carclesslv put u stamp upside
down on a letter! The trouble was, she
said, that some postmasters Would husi
tate before stamping a letter on which
their dear sovereign's head was placed
upside down. Tin-re can be no language
of stamps here, J fear, as the one
polite way Is the only way for u stamp
in .this country and everyone is careful
to get It right side up with care.
Again, a Jeweler will not polish the sov
ereign's head off of a sixpence or shill
ing aud carve thereon a monogram un
less he Is very careless and very money
less besides, as it is considered a mark
of great disrespect and disloyalty to
di face the sovereign's head, even on
a trilling bit. I rather admire their
loyalty, especially when they are so
sincere about it as to refuse a piece of
work for the sake of It.
Sadie K. Kaiser.
SI WIN'S 1WST I.M1H DKNCl-.
l'.cvious Occasions I pon Which Oar
I lug Has llccn Insulted.
From the Philadelphia Press.
Forty years ago, during the Lopez In
surectlon, when the Spanish frigate
Ferrolano fired on tho American steam
er El Dorado, under President Pierce's
administration, the Secretary of the
Navy sent a fleet to Cuban waters with
instructions that "If any ollicer of a
ship of war be present when an outrnge
of the character mentioned is perpe
trated on a vessel rightfully bearing
our flag he will promptly interpose and
relieve the arrested American ship, pre
vent the exercise of the assumed right
of visitation and repel the interference
by force." Secretary Marry nt the
same time notified the Spanish Minister
that the shots fired nt the El Dorado
constituted "an act which, If done by
the order of Spain or sanctioned by her,
must be regarded as the assertion of
a right to exercise a police authority
over our commerce upon the ocean,
which will be resisted at every ha'.aril
by the Government of the United
States."
This vigorous language was used at
a time when England still claimed and
exercised the right of search; when we
still conceded it for the suppression of
the slave trade; when In four weeks. In
lSf8, thirty-three American vessels
wore boarded In West Indian waters
by Brlttish naval vessels engaged in
suppressing this traffic, and when with
in ten years Lord Palmerston, In the
most truculent fashion, had reaflirmed
the British right of search. Step by step
our Government Insisted upon tho abol
ition of this right, grounding Its argu
ment on the decision by unanswerable
logic of a great British admlrallly
Judge, Lord Stowe, in 1S17. Ry its
action In the Trent ease Great Bri
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tain abandoned the right of search al
together. Spain the Only Insulter.
No nation practices It to-day. For
twenty years the only power which has
offered this Insult to our flag is Spain.
In 1X73 the Virglnlus was seized. The
Ellen Rl.puh was boarded May 15, 1877;
the whaler Rising Sun was visited and
searched May 22, 1X77. In March or the
same year the Edward Lee was fired
upun with "grapeslmt, Icanlster and
shell." All tin-so were "disavowed,"
"regret expressed" and orders tele
graphed from Madrid to the Governor
General of Cuba and Spanish naval offi
cers to respect our flag and obey the
provisions of the treaty of 179B, now
Just a century old, In which our vessels
were protected from search or moles
tation except In case of war. Three
years later, In 1.8S0, occurred the case of
Merrltt, Newcomb, Geojgo Washington
and Haskell.
Again there were "disavowals" and
"regrets," and the Insurrection of Yara
In IS78 being ended by the pncliiratlon
of Captain General Blanco In 1SK0, In
terference with American, vessels has
been less frequent; but It has been re
placed by n tedious Interference with
our commerce. For fifteen years Illegal
and onerous tonnage duties have been
exacted. Harbor dues have been as
sessed contrary to treaty. The "equal
ity of tlags" provided by treaty was for
years drilled and delayed. Custom
house regulations were en furred with
grlevlous pertinacity. Amerlcuncltlzens
have been Imnrlsoned for trivial of
fenses, like Itev. A. .1. Diaz, a Baptist
missionary from this city, Imprisoned
six years ago for holding a religious
meeting.
Our government In dealing with the
last flagrant outrage on the Allianca is
hound to consider It in the light of the
past aud the long provocation offered
through forty years. "Disavowals" are
cheap. "Itegrets" are easy. They are
followed by new outrages. Indemnity,
a salute lu Havana and the removal
from the Cuban station of the com
manding otlleer who filed on the Alli
anca are the least which should now be
demanded.
TI1K SOIL STILL KKMAIXS.
.Mr. Cleveland's Oruculiir Prophecy Is
Verified Despite tho 1 act Hint Soil Is
About the Only Thing Left I nder Demo
cratic Maladministration.
Correspondence of The Tribune.
Washington, March, I'll. In the poli
tical campaign of 1X84 Mr. Blaine made
an address at Ijogansport, I nil. He
was Introduced to the audience by Ben
jamin Harrison In substantially these
words: "We have, as presidential can
didates this year, two gentlemen of
literary attainments. Concerning him
who will address you on this occasion
I need nut speak in detail. His ad
dresses In congress and elsewhere, his
books nnd his letters on national ques
tions you have all read. Of the gen
tleman representing the Democratic
party I shall simply say his utterances
of a literary or political character are
found In two simple declarations; one
delivered at an agricultural fair In the
east 'The soil still remains;' the other
in a public document 'A public office
Is a public trust.' "
At the time Mr. Harrison uttered
these statements they were strictly
true. Since then, however, "ghoulish
glee,"" innocuous desuetude," and a.
few other aphoristic nuggets have
fallen, like Minerva from Jupiter's
brain, from the corpulent president's
not very active mental workshop.
Whether his administrative policy
proves a failure or a success; whether
the tolling masses of this grent nation
are permitted to survive these perilous
times or not; whether the magnillcent
manufacturing Industries built up un
der the protective policy of the Republi
can party shall be wholly swept out of
existence or not; whether the proud
flag of the republic shall be permitted
to float triumphantly over land and
sea or not, and whether a government
of the people, by the people, and for the
people shall be perpetuated for the
guidance and admiration of the world,
It will remain a matter of sincere grati
tude that In spite of all Democratic In
capacity and egregious blunders, "the
soil still remains."
Stories That the Best Living Writers of
Let us turn aside and view another
picture. In November, 1890, before the
atmosphere, disturbed by the political
cyclone which swept over this coun
try, had been calmed, he who now oc
cupies the proud position of governor of
the state of Ohio, in a personal letter to
the writer, uttered a sentiment and
Indicated a far-reaching statesmanship
that will place him In the front rank of
publicists. With the composure that
characterized Neptune when, looking
out upon the Mediterranean, he beheld
his watery domains tossed and stirred
up from their lowest depths by the
winds which Aeolus had released to
gratify the unrelenting hate of cruel
Juno toward Aeneas, William McKln
ley declared: "The future Is secure If
we iare wise and firm."
Wisdom and flrmnesB,"twln attributes
of true statesmanship, are essential to
prevent people from being carried about
by "every wind of doctrine." For yearB
the storm has raged. The ship of state
has been tossed about like a toy on the
billowy deep. Untold millions of prop
erty and numberless lives huve been
sacrificed, Indescribable suffering and
destitution have been produced, and
the faith of mankind In the perpetuity
of republican government under such
circumstances', scarcely less trying
than those existing during the stormy
days of tho great rebellion, has been
put to the severest test. Amidst the
fury of the storm and above the din of
conflict comes forth the. assuring- deel i
ration of Ohio's patriotic governor -"The
future Is secure If we are wise and
firm."
True Conception of Statesmanship.
Tills political oracle deserves to be
placed by the side of that other oft
quoted, widely circulated statement of
an honored Buckeye statesman, deliv
ered under conditions of almost su
preme despair, "God reigns, and the
government ut Washington still lives."
Confidence In God, coiilldeiice In man,
conlldence In the right must enter Into
the true conception of the statesman.
In the language of Tennyson, "On God
and Godlike men we build our trust."
Such men are towers of strength which
stand four-square to all the winds that
blow.
While we may not agree with the poet
In his exalted tribute to the character
of the Duke of Wellington, we may be
Justified in asking thut bis excellencies
may descend to posterity, und that
While the ruees of mankind endure,
U't this great example stand
Colossal, seen of every land.
And keep the soldier tlrm, the Htutepman
pure,
Till in nil lands uml thro' nil human story
The paths of duty be the way to glory.
J. Fralse Richard.
Thackeray Silenced Carlyle.
In her "After Five Yearn In India,"
Mrs. Wilson tells a story about Carlylo
and Thackeray. Several artists at the
Royal Academy dinner, sitting In the
neighborhood of these great men. wero
expressing their enthusiasm about Titian.
"His glorious coloring Is u fact about
Titian," said one; "and his glorious draw
ing Is another fuct about Titian," cried a
second.
So they went on till Carlyle, who had
been listening In silence to their rhapso
dies, interrupted them by saying with a
slow deliberation, which has Its own im
pressive emphasis: "And here 1 sit, a
man made in the image of God who know
nothing nlwut Titian, and cure nothing
about Titian and that's unother fact
about Titian."
Thackeray was sipping claret at the mo
ment. He paused and bowed i'ourieoiily
to Curly le. "Pardon me." he said, "thut
Is not a fact ahoiu Titian, Iiut it Is a
fact a nd u lamentable fact about Thomas
Carlyle."
A Hearty Sill lilulloil.
From the London Lady.
There Is to hand an amusing anecdote
about Mr. Tree's little pi-ycar-old daugh
ter, Viola, who was recently acting before
the queen at Balmoral. Her majesty gave
the child a lovely pearl and ruby brooch
as a souvenir, und. pleased with Viola's
dainty grace, held out her hand for the lit
tle girl to kiss. Viola, all unsuspecting,
grasped the queen's hand and shook it
heartily, and there was much unliiscmciit
among those present.
Many Speakers of 1 nsllsh.
The Knglish language is now spoken by
13u.'K),oiij people. Though our langunce
contains, according to .Max Muller, mi.imu
distinct words, the chaste and modest
Milton used but S.umlof them In his works,
and even Shakespeare did not draw upon
over 12,m.
Gathered in the
World of flelody.
Some thoughts of a clever contribu
tion to the Chicago Herald will inter
est many Scrantonians, even though
they will not have the pleasure of see
ing the Abbey-Grau company in their
own city: "It has been predicted many
times," he writes, "that the princely
salaries paid opera singers and the
enormous cost of the music-drama
would presently lead to the utter col
lapse of these stupendous grand opera
Seasons. A company In which there
are at least a dozen persons, each of
whom receives a larger honorarium
every season than is conferred upon
the president of the United States by
a grateful treasury department, Is a
pretty big problem for any manager
to solve, particularly when It Is re
membered that this cost is only the be
ginning of un enormous outgo, or veri
table bottomless pit of expense. Most
of them have failed signally to eluci
date that problem In a manner satis
factory to themselves or to those
patient cattle, their creditors. Nye
and Maplcson, of London; Marctstck,
Slrakosch, Hess, Ihe American Opera
company management and then the
German opera syndicate found the
operatic Jordan a hard road to travel.
This year the tiiiniiclal results are said
to be belter wllliout any falling away
In the artistic elements; and If (leuer
alissiino Abbey is able to achieve so
much when all the world Is silting in
financial sackcloth and ashes, waiting
for a coy mill' iilum of prosperity that
does not hasten Its upproach on ac
count of any wailing that may be
heard In the land, be must be regarded
as the chief of Ids clan.
...
"That one opera tent should cover
such an array of distinction as Is in
cluded lu the personages of Maurel,
1'lancon, the lie Keszckrs. Tumagno,
Scalclii, .Melba, Kaines. Xordlca, San
derson and many othersof sterling value
Is a startling commentary upon the
risks that must be assumed by those
who enter upon this expensive business.
The fact ulso suggests the demand
of the time for great and commanding
organizations. One or two stars in a
milky way of mediocrity will no longer
sufllee. The public Is willing to pay
big money for a show, but it is a sine
qua non that the show should be big.
"It Is an interesting circumstance,
and one calculated to stir something
more than ordinary race or national en
thusiasm, that nearly all the Important
womr-n In the company are of
Kngllsh speaking nativity, tind most
of them hail from America. Melba
is an Australian, but Eames, Not
dlca, Sibyl Sanderson and De Lus
son owe allegiance to the Stars and
Stripes that stand well at home, no
matter what may be thought of them
abroad. The preponderance of Knglish
speaking divas in a French and Italian
opera company Is rather an odd cir
cumstance, particularly in vb-w of the
fact that for many years the Latin
countries have lather monopolized this
function.
"Just why the American men do not
e.pial the American women In song is
hard to determine, nnd yet it Is true
that not one of our tenor or bass class
has ever won general distinction in the
broad Held of grand opera. If Myron
Whitney had given over singing "ltud
dicr Than a Cherry" which was his
battle piece early in life he might have
become a great basso. It would be in
teresting to know whether this failure
Is in the air or is due to some lacking
quality In the men themselves." Who
can say?
The ovation with which the music
lovers of Italy have greeted Mascagnl's
new opera, "Slvano." will, the Phila
delphia ltecord thinks, occasion a de
cided stir throughout the musical
world. The influence of the school of
young Italian mnestros Maaeagnl,
Leoncavallo and Puccini Is, it de
clares, certainly increasing in Italy,
the home of opera. If not in Germany
and France. The triumph of "Sylva
110" Is doubly notable lu the fact that
It has caused a deeper Impression than
cither "L'Amleo Fritz" or "I Hant
aan," which followed tho fame of
"Cavallerla Rustlcana." Despite the
intensity of Leoncavallo's "I Pagll
accl," Mascagnl has seemed to be the
most promising of the young1 compos
ers. The character of his new work
can scarcely be determined from the
meagre cablegram, but the absence of
the oustomnry chorus, while the cast
Is restricted to three singers only,
would suggest lu Itself a farther stride
away from the operatic traditions of
the past and the foreshadowing of a
distinctly new type. The Italian trio
were at llrst hailed as Wagnerltes; but
the Influence of Meyerbeer has recently
been recognized In their music dramas.
A new type. If evolved, would hardly
be In the Wagnerian mode,
...
Kngelbct't Unmperdlnck, the- oddly
named comnoser of the charming fairy
opera of "Hansel and Gretel." was
born In 1S."4. and studied music at
Cologne nnd Munich and In Italy. For
a year or two he was a professor at
the Conservntorlum of Harcelona, and
In 1SS7 he returned to Cologne. Ho
was an ardent Wagnerian, und In the
festival weeks nt Hayreuth Is one of the
most devoted visitors. Since 1SS0 he
has belonged to the teaching staff of
the Hoch Conservntorlum at Frunk-fort-on-the-Maln.
Still, his nume would
probably never have bovn heard of out
side of his Immediate circle but for tho
enormous success of his fairy opera,
founded on the tirlmni story. Tho
music follows the style of Wagner; his
Influence Is recognizable throughout,
nnd even leading motives are not want
ing. Nothing could be more powerful
and touching In music than the evening
blessing at tho close of the second act,
nnd though Humperdlnck may bo re
garded as a dlsclplo of Wagner, the
muslcnl critic of the Philadelphia He
cord thinks he has Imbued his music
with a very striking and unmistakable
Individuality.
.
The chulr of the First Presbyterian
church, to the number of twenty-Jlv?,
was tendered a delightful reception o.t
tho reHldenco of Mr. and Mm. A. K.
Hunt, on Jefferson avenue, lant Thurs
day evening. This la a most excellent
way of Bhowing ne.'s appreciation of
the services of a volunteer choir, and
If more ohurohe would follow the ex
ample of tho First Presbyterian church
in this re poet, It would not be as diffi
cult a matter to keep a choir together.
It ta too often the case that the choir
hears nthln but criticisms from mem
bers of the churches, and never any
show of appreciation. It la no wonder
therefore thai churches And It a dlffl
ouH matter to keep a choir toreab.tr.
Interesting Notes About Husiclans
At Home and Abroad.
Less fault-finding and mors encourage
ment would work wonders In the music
of every church.
.
The prominence of the persons having
in charge the testlmotval recital to Mr.
Carter at Elm Park chuirch next Mon
day evening, insures a treat success.
The large number who attended the re
citals of the two seasons lire anxiou
to show their appreciation ol Mr. Car
ter's efforts. The programme te a very
choice one, and the partlclpaute In
clude the famous contralto. Miss Cath
erine liloodgood, Miss Lillian Gutherlc,
soprano, Mr. Wooler, tenor, and Mr.
Thomas, bass:
Organ Fourth Organ Concerto. ...HamM
Contralto O Don Fatalie from Don Carlos
Orgun Selection from Tannhauser.
iiass (a .My Little Woman Osgood
Hi) Knglish llallad.
Soprano Selected Songs.
Organ Funtusle lie Concert.... Friedreich
Tenor The Sailor's Grave Sullivan
Organ lleligious March (liiilmant
Contralto (iij Disappointment. .V. Harris
(b) I'Wearlng A'V'a...A. Foot.)
Organ Annie Iaurie (varied) Uuck
1'Jnt ranee by Linden street doors until
S p. m., after which Jefferson street en
trance. Let the ottering be most gen
erous as a mark of your appreciation.
MIms liloodgood, the contralto, is a
lady about 'l years of age and of a
commanding llgure. So popular is her
work and voice that this season's dates
are lilled. Her recent dates nre with
Mine. Hlauvelt at the Kinghamtun and
Memphis festivals and the great Cana
dian festival ut Toronto. Miss Dlood
good's first appearance in Scranton will
be at lilin Park church next Monday
evening.
Tallie Morgan is working hard for
the success of the children's musical
festival that will be held In this city
in June. He expects to have in his
chorus between r00 and li'H) children,
win will sing some splendid music. One
chorus of over a hundred voices meets
every Saturday afternoon at Conserva
tory hall, and other branches will soon
be formed at Hyde Park. Providence,
Lunmore and the South Side. There is
no doubt whatever about the success
of such an undertaking, for every one
will want to see and hear the children.
...
Tomorrow will close the engagement
of the quartette at the Second Pres
byterian church, and W. C. Weeden, of
New York, will take charge of the
music for the coming year. Hundreds
who listened to the charming and cul
tured voice of Miss Slee will miss her
greatly. Mr. Tom. Reynon, the tenor,
hns been engaged for another year, it
is the purpose of forming a male voice
quartette.
...
Mr. Chase, an organist, of Sedalia.
Mo., has been engaged to succeed
lieorge Xoyes fiockwel at the organ of
the Second Presbyterian church. Oct.
1. The announcement was made last
Sunday at the services.
...
Quite a number of our local musicians
nre nt work preparing for the Wilkes
l'.arre eisteddfod, which will be held
in June. John T. Watkins is organiz
ing a choir to compete for the chief
prize.
...
The report that Mr. Carter had re
signed his ixisition at Kim Park church
Is without any foundation, and Miss
Dreaeer will complete the ear fur
which she was engaged.
...
SHARPS AND FLATS:
Hubensteln left J3no.ilnl.
Whitney Mockridge is singing in Lon
don. Franz Kummell has been playing In Lon
don. Puderewskl will return to America next
November.
Theodore Thomaa w ill spend next sum
mer In Kurope.
Mascsgnl's new opera, "Sllvano," has
but three roles,
Hnfael Josefy will give a series of con
certs next seamen.
Sousa's band Is on a western trip. Ull
more'g band Is down south.
Rossini was a rapid composer. He wrots
"The Barber of Seville" In eight days.
Gustave Kerker and Richard F. Car
roll are at work on a new comic opera.
Von Suppe intends to bring out a new
opera next season, his first in eight years.
Humperdlnck's royalties this year from
"Hansel and Gretel" will amonnt to $50.lK.
The "Rape of the Sabines" Is the tltl
of a new opera by Dr. M. Franclscl. of
Hoston.
Adellna Pattl has selected "Crlsplno de
la Comare" for her tirst performance In
London.
The famous St. Stephen's church choir
of New York has been disbanded owing t
hard times.
The spring season of the Abbey & Gratl
Opera company at the Metropolitan opera
noma will begin April 15.
A violinist, Herr Rurmester. who is said
to ho a second Paganlni, Iihs achieved
much success In Berlin recently.
Of Mascagnl's three operas, the "Cav
allerla Rustlcana" alone was a success,
und evon that has proved ephemeral.
Herr Oenee, the famous composer and
librettist of light opera, who Is seventy
years of age. Is seriously 111 at Vienna.
Queen Victoria is fond of opera, but It
Is said that she heard a "symphony con
cert" tha other day for tho tirst time in
thirty years.
Kd Jnkobowskl, the composer, will place
his wife, an American whom he recently
married, under the vocal Instruction of
Maivlicsl, of Paris.
William Poplow. an Knglish lyric Wnger,
celebrated recently his one hundred and
second birthday. He Is etlll singing, und
11 is satd Ilk voice Is strong and sympa
thetic, i
The Wagner opera season In New York
has been a ftnanolal success. Walter
lamrosch's share of the profit amounted
to $25,0111). The total receipts were about
$lft),000.
A Vienna letter says tho elder Straus
himself has grown oo old to direct and
very seldom appears in public. Thy suy
thatitho dear old waits king Is very sensi
tive as to his age and dyes his mustache
and hulr a block Jt,
French newspapers claim that Christine
Nllsson will return to the operatic stage.
It will be remembered that the great
Swedish slngnr bade farewell to public
life tu IMS. A year before she married
Count Casa dl Miranda In order not to
be separated from h4s daughter. It Is said
that she will only be beard In Europe.
The singing In Russia that Is, In the
Russian church is confined entirely to
men. AU the monks are singers For a
thousand years Russia has been learched
for the beat voices among the monks, and
they are brought to the most Important
eentera. As no person can baooms a print
in Russia who Is not tho son of a prtsst
(Uie parslh priests being marrlei). In
nearly all tha tratolng has gens on from
aga to age.
1 - 1 .