...
ttifj t nt a 1 1 a nittjiiat him4;: Auuiwr .ho, nms,
Omaha Young: Men's Christian Association and the Work It is Doing
i
r
RGANIZATION end organised
effort are found In every part
of the complex life of twentieth
century America, but there are
taw organ Ixatlons that look
after the physical, mental and
o
tiioial welfare of theli members, keep them
In employment and -attend to the develop
ment of their children. Tet there ara Insti
tutions that succeed In doing all thla, and
Omaha pomtMi such a one. It la the
Young Men's Christian association.
With a magnificent home building at
Seventeenth and Harney streets end a
force of about fifteen aocretarlea, the
Omaha ifssoclatlon maintain physical, ed
ucattonal, religious, employment and boys
departments, not only for the benefit of Its
members, but for the city at targe. And
the Oate City la not unapprectative of thla
great work, for the cost of the new WlO.OOo
building, grounds and equipment, which
have been In ese slnca the spring of 1907,
was largely subscribed by Omaha residents,
regardless of their creed and connection
with the association. The homo of thla In
stitution, which, though broad-minded and
nonsectarian, la fundamentally religious. Is
visited dally by many people from other
cities and states, who are Invariably sur
prised at the extent and scope of the work
done. There are reading and game rooms,
two gymnasiums, a swimming pool and
bath rooms, a pool end billiard room, a cafe
and lunch rooms, the latter known as the
Spa;" lecture, club, study, recitation and
office rooms, and 102 dormitory rooma.
General Secretary B. C. Wade, who la In
general charge of the association work,
says that with the five new men who have
Joined the secretarial force within the last
three months the rank of the hired work
ers will be stronger during the coming
season than ever before.
$
Loral Work Haa Units.
"A year's experience has demonstrated
that work In the new building la to be ap
proximately threefold larger than In the
old," Fays Mr. Wade. "In a general way
this will hold true aa to property cost, num
ber of members, dally attendance" at the
bulld'ng, amount of current expenses, etc.
Resii's In some departments are already
beyond threefold, while other have not
yet acquired momentum. While the general
work and amount of current expenses will
lie three times as great, the amount neces
sary to he raised by subscription will not
be seriously larger than before."
Tor Its support the association depends
upon membership fees, dormitory, locker
and other rents, educational fees and sub
scriptions. It has been stated that the
average member pays about EG per cent of
the actual cost of hie membership, tho
balance being covered by aubscriptlons
made toy citizens and business men and by
other Incomes to the association. During
tho year ending April 30, 190S, the general
expenses of the Omaha, association were
about 46.000. so It la evident that a great
work must be done In the community.
Approximately J.SCO men and boys belong
to the association In this city, the boys'
membership of over TO) making this the
largest junior department In the country.
And yet among the 2,000 senior members
of till 3 essentially religious Institution at
least one-half are not members of a church,
and tie church members comprise Protest
ants, Catholics, Jews and followers of
other beliefs. All of which Indicates that,
while r.n aggressive religious policy Is pur
sued, no attempt is made to force the
What the
TJNICH. Aug., 1L In my last
letter to The Bee I made some
comment on the Royal Opera
at Covent Garden, London, and
intimated that more would fol
low. We had the unusual pleasure of hearing
a dlstlnrulshed amateur, a society woman,
make her debut In "Faust." She used the
stage name of Mme. Edvtna. but her real
name Is ths Hon. Mrs. Cecil Edwards, a
sister of Lord Kensington. She sang with
a lot of style, which she doubtless received
from her teacher, Mr. Jean de Reszke.
Her voice waa very satisfactory and her
acting was far from uninteresting. The
Mephlstopheles music was sung by Mr.
Nlvette at very short notice and aung
devilishly well, actually and figuratively.
He was a very appropriate and orthodox
presentment of the person of "his satanlo
lowness," judging from the slight acquaint
ance we have with the gentlemen In ques-Clo-
Mr. Marcoux was ths basso an
nounced for the part and he Is a great
favorite. We had an opportunity of hear
ing him on a later date, of which we were
very glad. Of the artist Sammaroo I bad
heard a great deal, and I expected a great
deal. Nor was I In ths slightest degree
disappointed. Seldom have I heard such
lovely high rich baritone sounds, full-orbed
and glowing. His work marks him aa In
telligent and upright singer.
In the name-part we had the delightful
Bond. There Is not the ripe, red luscious
highness or the purple-goldan ray of mel
lowness In the voice of Bond, but It is
an Ideal tenor volca of that silvery,
"plerclng-sweet" quality (aa Mrs. Brown
ing would call it) which is delightful when
heard alone, and which through an ensem
ble like a sliver waterfall through moun
tain acenery, or like a crystal stream
through willow bordered meadows. Art
strikes the note when Bond sings. He is
singing not for you, not for royalty, not
for the gallery but be Is singing to Il
luminate, to unfold, to vitalise bis part.
He la actually ths character he plays. I
was simply delighted at hla Interpreta
tion of the characteristics of this well
known part. When be opened the first act,
I thought I should be disappointed, for the
voice sounded a trifle querulous, almost
approaching thinness, but thoroughly In
keeping with the old man who found noth
ing In life after all his study. When Bond
emerged as the young Faust, leaving be
hind him the vesture and garb of the old
doctor, be left behind also the voice effect
and henceforth his singing glowed and
gleamed, and in the celebrated "Salve
Dlmora" fervently wished that the musical
world might Just once listen to that gem of
art. and thsa methought that only the few
would aee It anyhow. You see Bond does
not nrcDare the people, by much pantomimic
Ml
suggestion, for the fact that he Is going Sammaroo, all in one work, while Zucchl
to sing a high C, No, he merely happens nj Kavarrini were not by any means un
to have a "C" Incidental to his aria, and equal.
he sings It and leavea it when he has sung Tll Puccini's beautiful "La Tosca." based
it and goes on. and you are wont to take on tIle f4I)lous Sardou play. Mile. Cavalier!
the darllcg little mastcrslnger In your arms lh, UUa role Tnl, woman has been
and hug him for his love of art Jeered at somewhat In Now York, but
No. Bond could never hold a high note u x &m not tntire)y mistaken In my Juig-
agalnst a stop-watch, striding down to the mpn, he hM B(jme t iaccoij before
footlights meanwhile, with eyes riveted or, hp u mn n(, nof fatiaJ
the noisy gallery. Never! because buuci
Is a patrician among singers. His art is
artistic. Oh, why won't students and pro
fessionals take Instruction from such an
artist Every time he sings he ts giving
ths choirtst Instruction. Imitate his style,
his smoothness, his legato, his nuances, his
diminuendo. Now I can hear soma people
say. "Oh, yesl If I only could study with
blra what Joy!" Bosh! You wouldn't learn
a thing. Because, you can't be a fine
cabinetmaker until you have first learned
oarpentry. Lsarn to "saw" straight, learn
to -"plane" right and then we shall see.
Now here. I will give away a great losson
free to every slcg?r and would-be singtr
and student of singing In Omaha. I say
Chrts'l.in faith upon any one.
Billiard and ron ran be played at the
aisnrtstlnn building by members and their
friend without the disagreeable features
encountered at the regular pool rooma of
the city. Two billiard and four pool tablea '
are set tip In a l.irg room In the basement
and these are kept busy during the part
of the day when the men are nut working.
Members of the boys' department are not
allowed fo play nnd no smoking Is per-
mltted. In fact, all the virtues of these
two games of skill are preserved and they
are played in the midst of clean surround
in gs.
Wade sad His Stan.
All matters of business and management
connected wnh the association and Its work
are controlled by a board of directors,
which Is made up of representative men of
the community. In direct oversight of the
work Is the general secretary, B. C Wade,
who has been in Omaha with the associa
tion since liH. He Is a native of Wisconsin,
a printer by trade, and will complete his
twenty-first year of service In association
work this fall. In .direct charge of the
office is R. O. Babcock, the business secre
tary, who has until recently been an em
ploye of the Nebraska Telephone company
in Its business and other offices for tea
years and has had ample training for his
present position. The religious department
la In charge of L. T. Croasman, who ar
rived In Omaha about two weeks ago to
take his new position. Several years of
general and special training have been
apent by Mm in preparation for association
religious Work.
"Although no new features have been
devised for the coming year, the usual work
will be followed up with special vigor,"
said Mr. Croasman. "and the regular Bible
classes, Sunday afternoon meetings , end
other features will be In operation."
Religion Sane mmd Wholesome,
The religious branch of the work la sane
and wholesome, and la conducted so as to
attract men to the highest standard of
Christian manhood. Practical religion is
always in evidence, and where the church
and Sunday school foil to interest the young
man, the association steps In and bridges
over the difficulty by getting him actively
engaged In doing things.
A supper served at actual cost to the
Bible students is a weekly feature, the
many classes adjourning to small rooma
In the association building for the study of
their various subjects after the meal Is com
pleted. This Is one of the most popular
phases of the activity of the association,
upwards of 100 men sometimes attending.
Among the boys the attendance Is even
greater. Training for Bible and Sunday
school class teachers is given In a teach
ers' training class which Is Intended to
co-operate with the churohea. This is a
characteristic of the association's work, the
church, school and home always being con
sidered in its efforts.
For the non-churchman the Sunday after
noon meeting la especially intended, al
though many of the moat regular attendants
are church members. Only the best speak
ers are secured, there is usually special
music, and following the meeting a "fel
lowship luncheon" Is served in the lunch
room of the building, where new men and
old meet and get acquainted. This has
been characterised as the brightest spot In
the association's work. In addition to ths
Bible classes In ths building, several are
Musical Critics of
Its a great lesson because It is a lesson that
has been banded down for 400 years. Bond
knows it. Listen: Perhapa you can't sing
like Bond. You would like to. Well, get
ready. You can learn a big part of the
lesson In Omaha. Don't try to see how
high and loud you can sing every time you
practice. Sing your scale slowly and work
for great smoothness. Work diligently to
glide gently from one tone into the next
without the slightest suspicion of "slur"
on .the one hand or "Jar" on the other.
Dig earnestly until people wonder at your
"diminuendo" or power of diminishing a
tone. Look la a mirror and see that you
are not singing as though you had the lock
jaw, nor yet, as though you were chewing
gum. Be honest with yourself. There are
other lessons, but that is enough, if you
work It, to keep you fully occupied for
awhile, and you can do this In Omaha Just
as you could abroad.
So much for Bond, and hla art, and
the Inspiration he imparts to one who goes
to learn In a quiet sober studlou i manner,
not with hysteria of ecstasy, but with
serlouxness of mind.
It was a new "Faust" that we saw that
evening. The production was so great that
the opera (of which I was almost tired
before) was glorified and exalted.
The old "Barblere dl Bivlglla" was
another rejuvenated delight. It waa given
In London Just ninety yeara ago (and then
It waa I years old) and It was "as fresh as
a 1-year-old!" I told you of TetrazzlnL
Sammaroo waa the "Figaro" and a Jolly
good one he was Indeed, I have spoken
above of his singing. In the part of Basills
we heard Marcoux, (already alluded to)
and his voice is the most wonderful thing
In Its way that I have ever heard. It
would be porhaps strange to apeak of an
Ideal bass, but he la most emphatically a
real one. Some bavaes have so much
baritone' quality that at times you know
not In an ensemble which voice is bass and
which is baritone, if five or six baritones
were singing you would still hear the bass
of Marcoux. It is not like an organ pedal;
it is like a powerful ringing metallic string,
if that means anything to you. I learned
something about the bass voice while
listening to Marvoux. It Is deep, ecp, so
deep, but never wide or spread. In
tellectual depth but not unemotional. In
the part of Bartol we had that splendid
artist, Mons. Olllbert (pronounced some
thing like Jhee-lce-brr, not Gilbert, as I
have heard It spoken In Omaha.) You
have heard this man iu concert at the
Auditorium, but never have you really
beard him until you have sat listening to
him in opera. He is a cp'.emlld singer and
a masterful actor. Think of that castt
Tetrazzlnl, Msrcoux, Glllbert, Bond,
movements whun she sings are frequently
exaggerated, but while It may be true aa
some London critics say, that there la only
one who ever could sing that part, and she,
Terntna, there la nevertheless no possible
dental of the fact that Cavalliert created
a very positive sensation the night we
heard her. She acts on the stage aa though
she had never lived or moved or had her
being anywhere else. I say tbis after
much deliberation. Put her name down,
you will refer to It later, unless, as before
stated I am utterly misguided. The trying
role of Baron Soarpla was done ts the life
by Slgnor Scotli. liuu you a'.so have
beaid la Oiaabo, la "i'sgUnccl. J bllve
Yt
. - V- '
Standing J. C Pentland, physical Director: W. D. Harper, Employment Secretary: I T. Croasman, Religious Work Director: R.
Sitting J. W. Miller, Educational Director; B. C. Wade, General Secretary; E. F. Denlson, Boys'
OMAHA YOUNO MEN S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION SECRETARIES.
conducted in mills and offices under the
direction of the religious work director.
At present there are three such classes,
and a number of new ones are planned for
the coming fall and winter.
Though the workers of the association are
tousy enough at homo, they do not fogret
the activities in foreign countries, and over
$400 was paid toward ths support of W. W.
Lockwood at Shanghai, China, during the
past year. Mr. Ixx kwood la In charge of
all the Young Men's Christian association
work at that point, where a new tlOO.OOO
building was opened last November. Judge
William H. Taft making the principal ad
dress as he did at ths opening of the
Omaha building.
Club Life of Ae Association.
The average Omaha youth probably does
not know that In the educational depart
ment of the Young Men's Christian asso
ciation he can join practically any kind
of a class or club that he desires. In sptte
of possible ideas about mere arithmetio and
spelling classes, the department offers a
wide range of studies at about the cost of
maintenance, and offers to organise new
classes If there sre ten sppllcants. A var
iety of clubs are also popular features,
among them being electrical, literary, de
bating and reading clubs. New clubs ars
organised as often as there is a demand
for them.
J. W. Miller Is the educational secretary
and has had thorough training for the
place. Previous to coming to Omaha he
had charge of the office and enrollment
departments of ths largest business college
k. the Pacific Northwest. Besides the
with Geraldlne Farrar as "Nedda." His
singing waa, of course, most admirable and
bis acting would have satisfied the most
unmusical dramatic rrltio. I have neither
time nor space to mention every good deed
in these operas nor every good doer. I can
only pick out the torchlights, and I must
mention Garlln, who in "Tosca" and In
"Madame Butterfly" (Pinkerton) achieved
great success. This artist waa entirely an
Unexpected pleasure to me. His voice Is
a noble, luxuriant tenor and his singing
together with his voice thrilled me with
enthusiasm. Never shall I forget his sing
ing nor that of Scandlanl (Sharpless,
United State consult, In the first act of
"Madame Butterfly." Those two glorious
voices soared over the tumultuous
orchestral waves, like huge eagles over an
Atlantic storm. It was worth coming from
Omaha to London to hear. Another lovely
singer was Madams Le Jeune in thst
tendorest of tender parts, Suiukl, Madame
Butterfly's faithful servant. Oh, Suzuki,
how you made our eyes weep, end made
our hearts sche sore unto breaking for
you "Poor Madame Butterfly'" For the
fifth time I have heard this tragic story in
music, and I want to hear it at least a
hundred times more, even if I should be
carried out sobbing; and I shall alwaya
want to hear Madame Le Jeune aa Suzuki.
In the part of Cho-ChoSan, t the
"darling little child-wife" of "that devil
of a Pinkerton," we had the never-to-be-forgotten
privilege of hearing Mile. Emmy
Destlnn. When in Berlin last summer,
everyone said "you must hear Destlnn; she
is the greatest of all the singers." We
could not hear her then as the season was
yet young when we left, but although It
was told us by a Lcndon manager that
she had closed her London season we saw
afterwards an announcement that she
would sing four days later. Of course, we
stayed specially for that. And how glad
we were that we had done so, Destlnn
stands on the mountain of art. looking
straight at the sun. She is a great singer;
she Is a great artist; but through all she
Is a great womanly, loving, living creator.
Her alnging is so wonderful that she seems
to sing because she cannot express just
what she wants to otherwise. Her manner
is so direct that it seems as though she
were asking you all the time, "Is It not
aoT" Talk about convincing! I car.r.ot
describe this glorious woman's satisfying
work. I can only sit down under a linden
tree and let the memory of it come stream
ing through my thoughts like warm sun
shine, through the branches. We have now
heard three Mozart operas here in Munich
and I will make special mention of them
next week. THOMAS J. KELLY.
IV Tit K TWILIGHT OP WARNER
Bayrewth aad the Feetsplel Gloom of
lost,
BAYREUTH. Aug. .-Few Americans
visit the sacred Fesupielhaus at Bayrcuth
in these days. In two audiences of about
l.KO persons each The Bee's correspondent
estimated that there were not over k)
speakers of the English tongue, and of
these a goodly percentage surely hailed
from Great Britain. Passing through the
'crowds in ths entr'actes one could hear
occasionally a few words of English, and
none of either French or Italian. At least
a dosen of the Americans present were
residents of Paris, where Van Dyck and
Grandjvan were singing in "Lohengrin"
and "Tristan and Isolde." A dozen more
were professional singers who were study
log Wagner parts wlih Reuss-Belcs or
clinging hopefully to the suburbs of Wahn
frled la the hope of, receiving a summons
before the throne. But ss Cosima Wagner
lay lil the doors of ti e v. 11a weie sealed,
wall el-(fried and L. a brai berc lb
... lY W ;.V.-,:i' ;
M ' W
classes and clulba, there are lectures, en
tentalnment and practical talks conducted.
This fall a aeries of three lectures will be
delivered at the association building by Guy
Carleton Lee, Ph. D., LL O. Last spring
banking, automatic telephony, electricity
and wireless telegraphy were the subjects
of practical talks, and nine life work talks
on what It means to be a members of a
certain profession or vocation were deliv
ered by prominent Omaha men.
To aid business men in searching help and
members and friends in securing an Im
provement or change in their occupation,
the association maintains an employment
department In charge of W. E. Harper,
who has been In association work since 1900
and In Omaha since 1906. Common labor
positions are not handled, the department
confining Its activities to filling and finding
offloe and other positions. During the
twelve months endng April SO, 1908, 645 ap
pllcatl6ns for positions and 3 40 applications
for men were received, and SSI places were
filled.
la the Oyra.
To the mind of the average Individual,
the gymnasium, swimming pool, and physi
cal department Is tho only thing recalled
by a mention of the "Young Men's Chris
tian Association,' yet It Is only one of five
big departments. An Idea of the extent of
Its work may be gotten from the facts that
there were 1,679 men and boys enrolled In
gymnasium classes last year, and about
27,000 swims and 93.0U) baths were taken
during the year.
A prominent feature of the winter
activity is basket ball, and thirty-two
The Bee and the Sun Hear
honors of the house amid the festival
scenes.
Wagner's dream of creating a national
German drama for the German people has
been realized at last at Bayreuth. The
audiences have become almost exclusively
German, and chiefly Bavarian German at
that. Berlin amiles In a superior way at
Bayreuth performances. Vienna, In spite
of her rage at Felix Wclngartncr for dar
ing to make cuts in the mighty scores,
continues to believe in Itself. Dresden
Is satisfied with the graphic conducting
of Schuch, and Munich, though it sends
a few hearers to Bayreuth, keeps faith
with Motti, Fuchs and Ita own Prinz
Regenten theater.
It Is by no means remarkable that
Americans have dropped Bayreuth from
their consideration. Of certain character
istics In the performances which have
helped the development cf present condi
tions something shall be said later. The
town Itself and lis enterprising, high
minded cltisens are not a llttlu to blame.
They have not treated American visitors
with overpowering cordiality and they are
receiving them now not only with coldness
but positive Intolerance. This attitude, let
it be understood, exists openly in official
circles. Americans are not needed here any
more. Bayreuth has an immense German
clientele. The scats are all sold six or
eight months before the festival begins,
and those who attend the performances
come not as disinterested spectators, but
as devotees, in many cases even as
fanatics. Let the Americana stay at home.
What do the;-, who riare Jean de Rezzke
above Von Bary or Burrlan, know about
Wagner?
It may be that some Americans are still
contemplating a visit to Bayreuth, where
the body and, alas! also the spirit of a
Titan of music sleep In solemn silence.
Those Americans ought to know some
things .and here they are. Unleis one has
personal acquaintance with some one living
in Bayreuth and can make hla arrange
ments through that channel he must en
gage his rooms months in advance and
only through the Wohnungs Comlte, or
residence committee, which manages all
the available apartments in hotels as well
as private houses.
Tliis committee furnishes the applicant
with a printed form asking whether hotel
or private house Is preferred and atating
the bottom and top prices for each. When
this form has been filled out and sent to
Bayreuth the applicant receives another
form telling him that a room at such a
place has been allotted to him at the price
named.
The accommodations are seldom thor
oughly good, and most of them are down
right bad. Furthermore, paying the high
est price does not save one. He may find
himself allotted to a closet up four flights
of stairs In a noisome flat or in a fairly
good chamber in a private house. If lie Is
dlDsatlsfied and goea to the office of the
Wohnungs Comlt he is curtly Informed
that he had made a contract and will have
to keep It. If he wishes to change his
place of abode he must pay for the one he
gives up.
Food In Bayreuth Is poor. The restau
rantswhich may be many blocks from
your allotted abode are of the type onu
tlnda in remote German villages The
prices are not high, but one would willingly
pay more to get something appetizing and
to eat in a pleasant place. The txer Is of
most distinguished character. No other
beer could or would have It. And the out
ward aspect of the town Itself Is one of
combined antiquity, sloth and negligence.
There was a time when Americana were
willing to endure all thla because they be
ll ved that In Bayreuth they would hear
Wagner reverently, beautifully and truth
fully la U file ted. b: that ttm has uil
r
match games were played last season.
There will be no state league ct association
teams during the coming season, according
to present indications, as the minor teams
cannot afford the expense.
Several expert swimming exhibitions,
athletic. contests and other public events
have given the public an opportunity to
see the big gymnasium and other equip
ment, and regular gymnasium elasses have
been oonducted ever alnoe the big building
was opened a year ago last spring. Swim
ming, boxing and wrestling classes have
also been a regular part of the physical
department's work since the present
quarter were occupied. Nineteen year of
service In association work Is ths record of
Physical Director J. C. Pentland, who has
been with the Omaha association for six
years. He is a carriage maker by trade,
and has made a number of handsome game
tables and other furniture and equipment
for the building.
'Home" Comforts Enjoyed.
Over 100 men ere comfortably housed In the
dormitories on the fourth and fifth floors
of the association home at Seventeenth
and Harney streets. A very pleasant and
homelike room can be rented for $8 a
month with heat, light and bath privileges,
while other rooms rent for as much as STT
a month and accommodate several mem
bers, who are the only persons allowed to
occupy the dormitories. The rooms are in
such great demand that there is always
a large list of men waiting for them. In
addition to the domltorlea, a rooming and
boarding house register Is kept for the
benefit of all young men, whether mem
I yet us consider for a moment the perform
ances of "Parsifal" and "Lohengrin" of
August 4 and 5. The Parsifal was Burrlan,
who was as interesting as a wooden Indian.
Edyth Walker as Kundry forced out pierc
ing high notes and acted like a woman
scorned even before the stainless knight re
jected her.
The American was Clarence Whitehill,
formerly of Mr. Savldge' forces, a re
spectable, honest performer without dis
tinction. The KUngsor. Berger, was a
mediocrity. All the small parts except the
first and second flower girls (Frieda Hem
pel and Bella Alten) were In much worse
hands that at the Metropolitan. Carl Braun
sang Titurel with a noble tone, and there
was one superb interpretation, that of
Gurnemans by Dr. Felix von Kraus. Here
indeed is an ideal Wagnerian Interpreter,
a singer of glorious art with a sonorous
and pliable bass voice of beautiful quality
and a mastery of emission, phase and
enunciation guided by a complete and
poetic appreciation of Wagner's drama. If
Bayreuth could provide a cast of such
ringers It would be beyond criticism, but
Dr. von Kraus was alone, and the super
iority of his art did not seem to Impress
Itself upon the audience.
In "Lohengrin" the principals were even
worse. Mme. Flolscher-Edel. who achieved
a brilliant failure at the Metropolitan,
sang Elsa. She has Improved backward,
with great rapidity. Dr. Von Bary. a fat
and plegmatic tenor with a good voice
and a most deplorable Ignorance of the
art of singing, was the Lohengrin. Max
Dawlson of Hamburg, was a marvellously
1 bad Telramund. Edyth Walker played
havoc with the music of Ortrud. but Allen
Hinckley, a young American, sang the
King respectably. The best slnirlng was
that of Nicola Celse-Wlnkel of Hamburg,
as the Herald. In so far as the principals
were concerned the performance was below
the standard set In America by the Castle
Square Opera, company.
But now let us see the other side of the
picture. "Parsifal" was conducted by D?.
Muck, lately conductor of the Boston Sym
phony orchestra. His direction of the
work was that of a master. The scenery
and management of the stage and tha
groupings of the people were quite a good
as thty were In New York, but not better.
The orchestra was excellent, but not flaw
less, and the well known effect of the
sunken and hooded orchestra pit l a1 Its
usual value. The chorus, pickf d fr.im the
best materinl of Berlin, Breslau, Dresden
and half a dozen other cities, sang mignli
cently. Such accurate intonation, such
phrasing, such enunciation, are never heard
In New York.
EUgfried Wairner conducted "Lohengrin"
In a style brat desirlhid as lioe-J minted.
There was no firmness in lis grip of lis
forces, and precision and unanimity w. rs
both frequently absent from the perform
ance. Hut the staging of the opera, for
which Mr. Wagner was chiefly responsible,
was beautiful and even Inspiring. The
scenery was designed not only with great
stagecraft, but with a fine fee'lrg f r
pictorial art, and the rich and harmonious
color scheme of the costumes wus admir
able. The arrangement of the action of the
many people on the stage was worthy of
the study of stage managers all over the
world. The mass effects were splendid In
their composition, while the charac erlza
tlon of the action of groups snd cf indi
viduals waa masterly. Every one in the
chorus had somettitng special to dj, but
every item was perfectly fitted into the
general scheme Only with a very intelli
gent chorus and many rehearsals oou'd
such results be reached. They could never
be attained In the conditions surroundings
a New York season.
The singing it the chorus In "Lohengrin"
was even belter than It was In ' 1'arsifal.'
O. Babcock. Business
Work Director.
Secretary,
bers or not, and no fees ars charged. Com
plete Information about only the best
places to roum and board Is available, so
that many a stranger In town has been
directed to a suitably home.
When the roomers at ths building are
hungry, tbev don't have to leave the as
sociation home to get a bite to eat. A cafe
and "spa" or lunch room are maintained
In the building, and meals and lunches can
be procured for from 6 to 35 cents. An ex
perienced cateress Is In personal charge of
this department, and It Is operated with
the Intention of paying expenses, but no
profits. Besides the regular dining room,
which accommodates 100, there are four
smaller private rooms, which are in great
demand for banquets, private dinners and
meetings.
Share of tho Boys.
And, of course, the boys have their place
In the big building, and a mighty fine
place It Is, too. There are eleven large
rooms on the second floor which the junior
members havs for their own exclusive
use, and the gymnasiums and swimming
pool are open to them at stated times. The
membership Is one of the largest. If not the
lsrgest. In the country, and Is active and
enthuslastlo under tin leadership of Ev F.
Denlson, the boys' work director. A
thorough believer In boys, Mr. Denlson's
whole association experience haa been In
thla branch of the work, and connected
with the Omaha boys since 1906. He was
formerly at Ottawa, la., where as a part
ing memento they gave him a beautiful
gold watch chain.
When the campaign to liquidate the In
debtedness on the new building was started
All opera connoisseurs know the difficulty
of these choral passages. They were sung
here without a flaw in the intonation and
with exquisite phrasing, study and color.
These comments should serve to ninka
plain the nature of Beyreuth performances
of today. The spectacular features of the
dramas, even those which may be called
musically spectacular chorus and orches
trareceive adequate treatment, and these
features are potent in their Influence upon
the Beyreuth public.
To the thoroughgoing Bayreuth Wag
nerite ' a "performance of one of the great
music dramas means handsome scenery
and costumes, a splendid orchestra and
chorus, clear and even violent enuncia
tion of the text by everyone on the stage
and Intelligent action. No demand Is mude
for an exposition of the nyjslcal content of
the work except by chorus and orchestra.
So long as the principals act and hammer
out the outlines of all the words in their
text they may sing in harsh and disagree
able tones and distort Wagner's wonderful
melodic phrases as they please. No one
cares. And yet these people believe that
they are hearing all that the great genius
left for them to hear.
In this extraordinary want of regard for
the vocal melody of Wagner'a works ties
the pronounced difference between the
American - ai-d the German attitudes to
ward these great creations. For whatever
Berlin, Dresden, Frankfort or Munich may
say about It, their opinion about the true
method of Interpreting Wagner has been
formed under the Influence of Bayreuth,
and the belief of Bayreuth Is the doctrine
of Cosima Wagner.
New York and the rest of America have
a passionate love for the solo music of
Wagner, and that love grew out of an
Intimate acquaintance with this music
made through the art of such singers as
Lllli Lehmann, Heinrlch Vogl, Emll Fis
cher, Marianne Brandt, Jean de Reszke,
Nordics, Tornina, Van Rooy and others,
whose names are familiar to lovers of the
music drama. Bayreuth has never heard,
and today would not wish to hear, such
performanrea of "Tristan and Isolde" as
the Metropolitan opera house has known.
On the othor hand. New York has never
heard suii orchestral and choral art In
these dramas as Bayreuth, even In these
days of the ducadence in Germany of the
art of singing still hears.
Here at the fountain head of Wagnerlsm
it Is an unsiiakahlo belief that America
knows nothing of the true spirit of Wug
nerlan Interpretation. As a matter of fact,
which can be incontestibly proved from
Warner's own writings, it is Bayreuth, not
America, that misunderstands the regen
erator of the lyric drama. In New York,
among true music lovers. Richard Wagner
is worshiped; Lere tlu devotees kr.ee! be
fore the allar of Cosima and Siegfried
Wagner. What Wagner wrote about the
correct method of interpreting his works
Is forgotten and only what Cosima and
Siegfried say about it is observed.
Bayreuth makes the radical, the fatal
mistake of believing that Wagner placed
upon the "death pale paper" all those ex
quisitely beautiful and passionately sig
nificant phraaas for the solo voices merely
as conceptions never to be realised. These
phrases are here sung in coarse, unmusical
tone, are chopped Into scattered and music
ally formless fragments, and are violently
wrested out of their organic union with
the text. Wagner's cantilena or, as he
called It. "melos" exists only In the or
chestra and in the 'chorus, if the first
oboe sang one of these phrsses as the first
tenor does he would be ejected from the
festspielhaus.
All this, too, U the result ef deliberate
practice here, and not the outcome of un
avoidable conditions. The Wagner singers
bout a year ago, fbe- boys we arrmiig
the most willing workers, and they raised
almost U. by their urn efforts, 400 ef
thn hustling for subscriptions.
The boys' gymnasium elasses, night
school, Bible classes and Sunday afternoon
meeting, which are conducted with the
oo-opera4Jo of the bore themselves, are
among the regular features. Last season
a strong basket ball team, the Kangaroos,
played fourteen games and wen nine Of
them. An annual feature with the boys Is
the summer camp, when front twenty-five
to fifty get together with several secre
taries for a ten days' outing at a nearby
quiet lake. The ISOt camp Is now lo
cated Bear Valley, Neb where a good lake
promises plenty of fun under competent
leaders, and the last few days of vacatlo.
will be wiill Invested.
Co-operation with the home and the pub
11a school Is one of the chief aims of tin
department, and aside from the usual
Young Man's Christian association sec re
tray and tent at the last high sohool cadel
encampment, this wms forcefully shown
during the last year In the state boys' con
ference, a number of mothers' conferences,
the grade school ethletto meet and the
nature study olub.
Thirty -four delegates from Omaha, Lin
coln, York, Hastings, Crete, Fremont, Co
lumbus and other Nebraska towns attended)
state boys' conventliMt, and ths entire ex
pense was borne by the Omaha lads, Ths
mothers' conferences are oonducted by Sec
retary Denlson In an effort to bring the
association and the horn closer together
and to discover the needs of the bora.
1 1
aebool Boy Tavka Fart,
Almost all of Omaha's pubUO grade
schools war represented In ths athletla
contest held last June In ths association's
gymnasium, and the sohool teachers felt
great benefit In their work from the
meet. The association also had represen
tatives at several schools la the spring
and early summer, teaching ths boys how
to play games during their recess periods.
Perhaps the boys' department's greatest
work this summer was the promotion of
the School Garden club, which was
organised last spring with 800 sohool boys
as members. A member of the secretarial
force who is an expert gardener has been
busily engaged ail aummer In teaching the
lads bow to grow things. And the policy
of the association in Its general work la
forcefully shown in this club, for among
the 800 members, who had gardens and re
ceived free instruction by the association's
representative, only a very few were mem
bers of ths association, the remainder belsg
outsiders, many of them poor, in whom an
equal Interest Is taken with the mem
bers. The school boys are not the only ones
who benefit by the association's open
policy. Ths paper carriers also get their
share, for about thirty-five of them who
live at a distance from the newspaper of
fices are allowed to sleep In ths boys' de
partment rooms on Saturday nights, si
they will not have to walk to the offices.
Ths cots that are used were donated for
the purpose by The Bee and the World
Herald. And In other ways, both great and small,
which the publio Is only just waking up to,
the Young Men's Christian association Is
putting Its Impress upon the community,
and It Is a notable fact that much is done
for nonmembers as well as members In an
effort to make a greater and a better
Omaha.
in Europe
of today have no vocal school simply
because for many years Bayreuth haa
proclaimed that beauty sf vocal tona was
Inessential to the true Interpretation of
Wngner. The drawing, not the color. Is
what Is demanded. In other words, tha
singers neglect the tone-producing quality
of the pure vowel sound and focus their
cntlro attention upon a rugged enunciation
of the consonantal outline.
This, ss the Sun has many times as--serted,
la diametrically contrary' to the
truest philosophy of singing ever preached
by any teacher, the philosophy of Richard
Wagner. The master over and over In
sisted that singing must be the translation
cf text Into vitalised power, that this must
be done by the musical tone and that the
primary source of the musical tone was
pure vowel sound. Wagner demanded
clear articulation of the words, but neither
more nor less than the Italians and tho
French have demanded It for three cen
turies. But Wagner cried out with great
yearning cries for a high and Insp'rlng
musical tone and for an Interpretation In
which this was sided by but not sacrificed
to an intelligible pronunciation of the word.
The true Wagner method Is the true Schu
bert method. But In Bayreuth this Idea Is
laughed to scorn.
The decline of German opera In New
York is traceable directly to Bayreuth.
This place has wrought the destruction of
German vocal art and there are almost
no real singers In Oermany today. New
York will nut listen to Wagner unless it Is
sung. In Oermany it is not regarded as
necessary to sing It and almost no ons
ler.rns to sing.
While Cosima Wagner lives these- condi
tions will probably not change, because
here her will is low. in Waiinfrled sleeps
the master. In the festspielhaus reigns
the young Siegfried. The atmostphere of
the place re-ks with selfishness, narrow
ambition and personal greed. All is for the
glory not of the dead, but the living. While
extant misconceptions of the true Inter
pretation of Warner continue that glory
is easily attained, and when Siegfried
Wagner, after a performance of "Lohen
grin." enters the theater restaurant laden
with flowers, he Is received by a concourse
of people standing and utterance of glad
shouts of acclamation. Almost does one
wonder that the Indomitable spirit of the
dead does not rise and with one fiery blast
of the old temper drive the money changers
from the temple. W. J. HENDERSON.
Pointed Paragraphs.
A woman is known by the acquaintances
she cuts.
Even the prude isn't averse to silting In
the lap of luxury.
Pride and prejudice make an unsatis
factory pair to draw to.
Wastn quickly makes way with the for
tune of a fast young man.
Marriage Is a poor eye opener for thotM
who are blinded by Jealousy.
Speaking of marble hes.is. It Is more
satisfactory to give than to receive.
Women may come and women may go,
but the bargain-counter habit goes on for
ever. ICven a ttrong-ridnded female dislikes
the idea ot standing up for burself in a
street ear.
It's strange how many people are ready
to come to our aaslaiance when we don't
need them.
When a rich man Is seriously tll he ses
a lot of puopl standing around wailing fur
his old tbces.
What a lot of trouble some children seem
to have keeping their parents in the way
they should go.
One difference between a man and a mule
Is that the man does the most of his kick
ing with bis mouth.
You may hare observed that aa office
seeker is a man wbo shakes tho voters
hand b-fore the election and shake the
voter afterward. Olcaas Neva.
