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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (March 27, 1904)
TTIE ILLUSTKATED BEE. March 27, lOOfc 2 Thb Illustrated Beb. Published Warklr by The Hw Pur l sti ng Company, Bee Building. Oinuhn. N b. Price, 6c Per Cofjy -Per Year, $.M0. Knlcred at the Omahii Pustofnce as H I'unil CIhss Mull Mutter. Kit Advertising Italic Address Publisher. Communications rilnJIiig to photographs T articles for publk-atmn fhnuld b." nd drcsitd. "Klltor The Illustrated lies, imaha." Ten and Picture Pointers Aurim ih ir1i(1 fratlval of the T I spring time, the fiMt of the I rrnrrc'tlon. liaH come ngain. und mankind, whether devout or no, Christian or pagan, fce'.s 111; Im pulse, the uplift of nature' new l?r. and wcYomea tho day accordingly. It I" ths Joyous fenst of the church, for It typ ti tin- foundation on which tho fal'h of the In -never is am i, the lire everlasting. Next Kunday all over the world churches wl.l ring with Rind anthems of praise nrrt re joicing for Mi triumph of life over death, for the victory of hope over the crave, nrd mankind. Imitating nature, will cone forth dirked In new garments and bravely show the Joy thut exists becimsn of the birth of a new aeiaon of seed time, and Ha promise of hitrveat. Old and young alike share In this sentiment, and the rp'rit of the day la as potent for the ttne hm for the other. The dlapluy of flowers und the pnrart.' of fashion la but an expression of the general rejoicing thut uecompunles the day, nil ore moat approprlute. Modern methoda In railroading are all In the direction of lessening the danger of wrecks, but the ureal fact remains .that the way to eliminate the human factor of the problem ha not yet been discovered. Men will make mistakes, and mlaluken often reault In mishaps. And. aa the equip ment of the rullroad la now on a wale that la really piguntlc, so the damage thnt results when a wreck occurs la likely to be huge. The pictures on another page were made of the wreckugn of two freight trains thut met In the yards ut Crete, Neb., recently. They show better than words can tell how the great engines are twisted and battered, and how the biff freight curs are knocked to splinters by the Impact. Fire broke out directly Hfter the crash, and for some little time the volunteer lire department of Crete hud Its hands full, but Ulna, the flames. Wnce Ihe muttering in tho far eist begun to take on the ominous turn that has eventuated Into a wnr. The Tee has he-n publishing each week pfl tines of the p op'e nml country In which the conflict la luff ing. These pictures hnve been accompanied by special artlclea. written by men fam I hp with the country, so that they have ben most useful. A new arrangement liaa now been made and hereafter pictures of ar'ual Scenes of the warfare will be printed. Thla Is by reason of an arrangement with Col. Iter's Weekly.' whereby the readers of Tho Hee will be given the benefit of the enter prise of that great weekly and Ita full staff ' of experts now at the scene of hoat'lttlrs I.n.t week some very excellent pictures of the scenes at Toklo on the occasion of the mobilisation of the mikndo'a army were given. Thla week the pictures are som takin at Chemulpo on the day the Jap:inesa fleet attacked and sunk a Ruaslin cruiser and transport. These are the first of the genuine pictures of the war to be puh'lahed In America. Seven Hells Not Struck The method of signaling the passing of the hours at sea is well known to tvery person who haa taken an ocean vovuge. Klght bella are struck every four hours, an additional bell being struck for tach half-hour. From 6 to 8 In the evening Is the second dug watch, but on British ships seven bella (7 30) of the second do? watch ore n. ver struck. AH other ships, even the Ameri can, strike these bells. lurlng the Napolconlo wan there win a great mutiny In the Hrltlsh navy. The crews of the Meets lying at Spllhcad and the Nore agreed to rise simultaneously agalnat their officers. The signal agreed upon was seve.i bells of the aeiond drg wutch. The mutiny actually began at the arranged time, but failed, the ringleaders being executed. Kver since then seven bells of the second dug watch has nvar . been struck on British ships, naval or mer cantile. A Bachelor's Reflections When a man gels married it is like Min ing u note to pay Interest all the rest of his life. It Is a great disappointment to a woman who gets married not tc have a secret Buf fering that would go well In a novel. A girl plans ahead for the time when she will have ti figure Ihe way a man dors when he will cash In endowment Insurance. A man might as well know how to play the fiddle us not to make a bluff at being a hero before the woman h woiibi to love aim. -New York Prtus, The Art of Song, Yesterday HRV lOl'S to her departure from the I'nlted States Adellna I'atU expressed her opinions on the popularity of the ballad and on the art of song In the following revised interview in the New York lnde h intent: The whole scene rises before me now, as cliurly aa It stood out when I was the little the very little child, alternately rigid and quivering with my first stage fright, thut anxious dismay which, In nil the years that hnve panned since then, haa never once failed to lie in wall for me us I went out upon the stage. They charged 50 cents for the tickets, small, red c.-.rda, wl Ich, before the dour keeper received the lu.st of them, had ad mitted thousands of mus lovers to the old MetrNilitan hall in New York. How vast, und how distinguished, that first audienei my first audience seemed to my childish eyes: When I came out to sing, there was not enough of me to be discerned upon the broad stage; so a table, that had lx-cn brought from the wings, served for tiny Adelina's pedestal of song, liaised lor the moment in spirit, us well as height, the needful bravery flowed In upon me; und I sang with all my heart sang "Casta Divu," fiom "Norma." until, at the end, the great throng seemed to so mad in Its applause. They cnll it out to me; they :. touted to me, i. ltd the women, in their enthusiasm, began to come to the stage to give me the Jewels they wore. Mow they sparkled, and how Adellna, half distracted by the glittering, proffered v nis, forsook her pedestal und gathered u; her sudden riches, her baby hands at Lot overflowing with rings and brooches. 1 kept them all; and I kept, too, a hand ful of the small red ticket, which are among the treasures of my home. When, in later concerts, more Jewels und trinkets were poured upon me, 1 scarcely cari-d for them. I whs already wealthy in gems und guld beyond the dreams of a child, or even the needs of a woman. It wus very eaay to spoil . me. Indeed, what child would not have been spoiled who, with the admiration of multitude dinning In her our, believed her voice was Inexhaustible, 1 1 ml liens in Its power und Its range. The Puttt of the later years owes all that ahe became to her father und to her teacher. The most familiar question I hear today from women who ure Interested in my singing, or who have daughters of whose voices they ure proud, is: "Madame Putti, how high do you sing?" Aa If the altitude of the note that could be reached were the be all and end nil In the art of music; as if the human voice, which comes from the living throat, were the product of some machine, whose limit need only be tho Infinite number of vibrations at which sound becomes Inaudible to the human ear. 1 never sing higher than L; throughout this tour the highest note I have habitually sung Is C. Hecuuse of my moderation be cause of my moderation alone I have been nble to preserve in all Its fullness und Its ' roundness the middle register, which is the bone und sinew, the heart und the very se'ul, of the singer's artistic power. So many wrecks 1 have seen, so many promise of grandeur unfulfilled, so mufty reaJlxa tions of grandeur miserably abandoned. And all becuuse the singers were eager to be misled by the popular cry for something over which it ahull wonder instead of those true things of the singer's art, through which it shall feel and thrill and live. Yet it is uo natural for her who has the strength inborn to rejoice In its exercise. As the child, I felt that high C wus far below my compass; und I tried my strength, more und more freely, more and more con fidently. At length, hi one glorious hour, with the chill Intoxication upon me of the lofty heights of "Sonnunibula." I soured to V, ubove the high C, for which the muatc, as written, calls. I was above the clouds In the pride of my achievement. And there my father found me, as he hurried in upon me, his face both anxious and angry, with rebuke within his eyes such ns he reserved for the mure heinous of my sins. "Adellnu," he exclaimed, with his utmost sternness, "If I heur you slug thut note aalu 1 will'nevcr speak to you." "Oh. father," 1 rejoined, wholly una bashed, "that F Is very easy for me." "Remember," he auld, solemnly, "that F, for which you try ao hard und make so little of when you have reached it, is the enemy that lies In wait for ull the beauty of your voice. Ring F ubove and your father tella you that you will become mute below." Hut Adellna, lth the sublime Imperti nence of childhood, knew more than Ade lina's father. She sang F ubove to her heart's content, until, suddenly, her voice In the middle register wus vanishing. Ah, then, there was catastrophe and gloom. Heboid. Adellna In terror moat pro foundafraid, us for her very life; pitifully wondering whether there could ever be a resurrection ; for fifteen long and dreary days a silent thing uixin the glad earth's face. Very humble she was, and docile und obedient, when her father, reluctantly re lenting, permitted hor to sing again among the detipised lower notes. The Kbsou, which was learned then, was learned for ull the singer's life. The fond, firm care of my father was sys-tctnatlr-Uly observed by the teacher to Whom 1 owe all the skill thut I possess, l'euple have said that Brakosch was my teacher. He never was. He tuught tne a, few operas and a few ballads; that was ull. My first teacher, my only teacher, was my half brother, Kttore Harlli. It was he who saved my voice. He never forced It; he never permitted me to strain It. And yet he taught nie all that could Ik? learned in the Italian rchool of singing. Today, no teacher of the true Italian school lives except one man. 11c Is Alfredo Harill, the son of Kttore, to whom his father bequeathed all his great wealth of knowledge. He is teaching now In Atlanta, Ga.; but, If I can Induce him to come to lndon, Knglurid and Kuropo will gain what America must lose, If then- is ever to tie a renaissance of the perfect Italian art. Today, he' alone can teach It; I'attl alone can sing It. liut. In those other days, it wa the style of Mall bran, Grlsi, Mario, Uoaiu, Kressoiini of ail the host of famous singers whose inimitable technique echoes, faintly and sweetly. In the memories of the old. They were great singers, then grrat In spirit u well as In their gifts and in their art. ll is pleasant now to think of thoso living Miigers who. in tneir regard ot othe:s, perpetuate the Hue traditions. No cue then who luid uttain.d to fame would linJ a word to say that was nut kind und, often, more than generous. Among them all, one ot the loveliest natures was thut of Jenny Und. Her whole life through, she was the same sweet, enthusiastic soul. Every year, for very many years, 1 have sung in Covent Uuiueti; it la one of the delights of my life. Only u little while before bhu died, while 1 was Kinging In opera at Covent CS;irdcn, Sir Arthur Sullivan saw Jenny Und in one of the boxes. He hastened to her, and his first word wus: "Se you've come uii the way from Mal vern to hear Haiti tonight?" "1 wouldu't miss her," she answered. "Hut," rejoined Hullivun, teaming, "Uo you not tlunk Nutuon tine?" "Oil," was her reply, "Nllsson Is a won deriul singer, but, lor me, there la on:y one Niagara Fulls; and there la only one I'utti." And, a moment later, Sir Arthur was a( my side, eager as a boy to tell me of the charming inutile of Jenny Und. The singer who preserves und cherishes tenderly the best thoughts und the best impulses is the singer who is most near to the hearts of n.eu und women. W hy, if 1 glance buck over my career, it seems to me that, all my life, X huve. been singing ballaua those Mon-a of the people whicti, because melody and woidi have been purely wedued in some deep, strong, enduring euunieut or paaHion of humanity, remain ever certain to luid their way lo the depths ot the people s soul. My ilrst fame came lo me with the singing of "Home, Sweet Home," "Coming ihro' the Kye," "The laast Kose ot buiiiaier" and "Wilhln a Mile." 1 huve been laithful to them, as the Kugiish speaking worn! has Lk'cii faith ful. Now, wherever 1 go the requests that pour in by letter or by word of mouth ure never for a cuvaiinu; they are always a plea lor the old, dear songf, like "Kathleen Mavourneeu," "The Labi Koac of Summer" and "Home, tiweet Home," which huve. lingered through the years In the affections until the limbic, lovely as it is, is beautiued Willi the tender, lambent lutlo of Bome be loved past. Thty aro sonars that have reinulod ever ucar to me. Vet, once, 1 sought to forsake the loveliest among them all "Home, Sweet Home." My critics of the press told me, and the world, that 1 was forever singing thut hackneyed uir. Kvery concert at which Pulti was heard meant the Inevitable "Home, Sweet Home;" it seented they dis approved, and ttiey lold the public and the ainger that the public disapproved. .1 made a grand lesoive. 1 would refrain from singing "Hume, Sweet Home," and 1 would give iny audiences, in its stead, Cuniiug Thro' the Kye." Firm in the resolve, 1 came upon the stage; and 1 aang, for the last of the encores, "Coming Thru' the Rye' with ull the expression It lay within my power to give. And then the tumult! The entire audience, with one acclaim, de manded "Home, Bwcet Home." I resisted; 1 refused; 1 prepared to depurt. Hut the audience never gave one sign of wavering, or of leu trig tne hall, until it should bear me sing the sung that told of its dearest thing. I had to give way; und never again did 1 dream of forsaking the most loved of Knglisli baiads. When I begun lo slug, the ballad was the choice and the right of all the great sing ers. From Jciiuy Littd, throughout the pro fession, there was no one wlione supreme test of fjcling und expiration was not acknowledged to be some of the people's songs. The popularity of the ballad iu the I'nlted Slates may have waaed for many years, as It has recently grow.) large again; but in Kngland It haa never changed, tut never lessened. The really good English and Today aiiiKer8 are heard, apart from their share in oratorio, only in ballads at the great roncerts; and Just at present the popular taste for the ballad is more pronounced in Kngland than ever before. The truth Is that the whole world loves those sweet und simple songs, and every nation has some one melody which is as priceless to its heurt as the notes are fa miliar to the eur. When In frozen Russia 1 used to sing Hossignol," the people fairly went mad. Oh, those Kusaiana! They would rip the tropic of Capricorn off the earth und fling It to you for a belt. Never have I seen such lovers of music aa Russia holds. I sang there for niuo long seasons, nnd I remember very well Governor Curtin of Pennsylvania as our minister. She who was admitted to be the great singer was the guest of honor at the court. Alexander II., to whom I am Indebted for the highest order of merit In Kus-vta, joined with his wile In the most gracious hospitality. When my hours had been sung I must always go to the box occupied by the czarina, and sliare with her the tea she brewed In the samovar, which was there for her service. And the people one mar veled how they could And the wealth they were so eager to saorilUe for music. On the occa.-dou of my benelit every season 1 have stood ankle deep in (lowers that were Hung, not by the rich, but by the poor, hungry students; und that at a time of the year when a rosebud, tied to a simple fern leuf, cost J1.25 at the florist's. With the Russians, the love, or, to speak accurately, the passion for music, Is not with the rich alone nor with the poor alone. It Is in the pulse of the whole people. I remember tho generals General Tolstoy, General Zimmerman, Prince Oldenburg Scores of such distinguished veterans who made it their custom to await my arrival, after the opera at the time of my benefit, at the Hotel Deniouth. Backed by an avenue of flowers on either side of tho staircase, they formed In line, old soldiers on parade, facing the diva with the same standi front and kindling eye with which they had faced their country's foes. No sooner had I alighted from my carriage than my guard of honor seized ine and raised me aloft, bearing me proudly on their arms up the broad stair of the hotel, those who had missed the glory of the burden crowding close, merely to touch the hem of the singer's skirt. And all the while my husband would stand awaiting me, in mortal terror of some harm, and crying out: "Don't you break her, gentlemen! Don't break hert" Apart from the ballads, the music I sang then is, as a rule, the Italian music I sing now. But my heart is given over almost completely to Wagner. Wagner's music la my second religion, as Italian music was my first. Iiinds and seas are no bar be tween the beauties of my religion and their faithful devotee. I go to Haircut h. I go to Munich, I go wherever the marvelous cycle Is given, whenever It is given. I love it; I love It. And yet I do n it sing it; the music of Wagner is too great a strain upon the voice, I have not lost my affection for Italian music, but in jny affections it has lost the first place. I would go any distance to hear Wagner; but whether or not I wouM go to hear Italian music would depend often upon the quality of Its Interpretation. One can usually hear Wagner well interpreted, but it is the perfect ensemble which an Italian opera of the first class immutably demands. It one hear an Italian opera now, she may have the opportunity of listening to one good singer, or, perhaps, two. And the Italian opera of the first clans demands not only that all shall be good singers, but that all shall comprehend both their re lations to the orchestra and their relations to one another. A single weakness makes the crumpled rose leaf, and all charm of enjoyment vanishes from the delicious dream. The world docs not hold today the singers who can Interpret the beauties of Italian opera But with Wagner individual singers suffice, and if one understand the infinite and varied beauties of the har monies and the plan whereon the master framed them, the. music of Wagner re mains a perennial Joy. Neither of the two orders of music has helped the other. I can scarcely believe thnt any one has learned to appreciate Italian music ta tter than he did by reason of a true understanding of the mimic of Wagner. I do not speak of those who merely profess to admire or to understand Wagner those who feel that it is necessary to dit'hire a liking for something which cognoscenti inuorse; poseurs surn as they must be beyond the pale of recognition. P-ut even for the genuine, the intholic Iwver of music, there serins to be a line of de marcation drawn letwetn Wagner music and Italian music which, while it pennit him to enjoy both, docs not enable him to enhance the enjoyment of one through his comprehension of the other. Another uxi m may la-long to other arts; but. In music, I find tliis oiif aM'lies to others as strictly as It applies to nie.
