Springfield weekly Republican. [volume], September 02, 1909, Page 6, Image 6

About Springfield weekly Republican. [volume] (Springfield, Mass.) 1851-1946

Image provided by: Boston Public Library

                
6
THE INDUSTRY OF THE SPONGES
AS EXERCISED IN GULF WATERS.
Greek* Are the Divers for These
Stranger I’rodncts of the Sea.
[Written by Xdj.t Hart Wood worth for
The Republican !
Ten years ago the sponge flats of Key
West and adjacent keys numbered nearly
400 boats and employed several thousand
men. making this port by far the largest
sponge emporium on the globe. These
sponges were secured by “hookers”, —two
men. the "rower" and the "hooker." com
prising the crew of each little boat, or
"dingey." To wooden rods from 10 to 40,
or even 50, feet long, three-pronged iron
hooks were fastened, with which the
“hooker" wrenched the sponges from the
rocks after locating them by aid of glass
bottomed buckets.
These are simple in construction, a glass
replacing the wooden bottom of the bucket,
.-.nd answer fully the purpose of the glass
bottomed boats of the Pacific coast,
through which each bit of moss, rock, or
.. PW- * — -a x 1 AuLffin.
BWwL jlnwaaai^^
ISSj&isQi. SS^X&^sSfSl^ti
SPONGES DRYING: TARPON SPRINGS.
sea feather glowing with vivid color, be
comes a part of a fairyland in which frag
ments of rainbows are carelessly scattered.
As the depths are spread out before him
it is doubtful it the matter-of-fact
"sponger" ever becomes quite insensible to
their enchanting beauty, though his work
may be competing as he leans above
the sea garden thinning out the sponge
beds and selecting or rejecting at his
pleasure. This mannner of sponging con
fines itself naturally to comparatively shal
low waters; but many of the most desir
able sponges prefer depths where distance
lends, not alone enchantment, but security.
Key West "spongers" will not change their
tome method; and there is bitter rivalry
between the "hookers" and the “divers."
It is but a few years since a local sponge
buyer brought the first diver to Tarpon
Springs; an initial movement that resulted
in giving the town a foreign aspect and
changing its commercial importance. The
search in the gulf waters was more than
successful and scores of Greeks flocked
in. From this small beginning the indus
try has grown to its present proportions,
eclipsing Key West and making Tarpon
Springs the largest sponge market in the
world. From ®O to 1000 Greeks are em
ployed regularly, divers from the Mediterra
nean coasts who find the gulf an easy
field after the perilous depths of the in
land sea. The finest gulf sponges grow
in from 60 to 80 feet of water, while
Mediterranean divers go down 250 or even
3»M> feet. Silk sponges, the finest known,
are found at these depths, tiny specimens,
the size of the folded hand, bringing $2.50
or $3, while a bale of these rarer goods will
sell for S6OOO. So tremendous is the pres
sure of the water at these depths that
it is not uncommon for the blood to burst
from the head when the diver comes to the
surface, and the helmet is removed. After
long cruises of several months, half the
divers in the Mediterranean fleets are
sometimes victims to this fatal pressure.
“That is why we like host here." explained
' one. "it is nothing, nothing, just safe as
walking on the floor."
“But are you never afraid down there
alone under water?"
"Afraid? No. the fish are afraid of me.
The water magnifies; even the sharks keep
a respectful distance. They look me over
sometimes and call me dangerous. There
might be trouble with the pumps, there
might he a little hole in the rubber suit,
and then?—that is the last, it has hap
pened."
The sponge boats on the gulf are built
like those on th, Mediterranean, deep
chested vessels not easily wrecked, the sails
ieaning instead of upright. “Double hand
ed.” said an owner, "they ride on the sea
easier and stand anchor better." When this
employment wns it its infancy others saw
in diving an "easy" way to get a living
and were initiated into the deep-sea mys
teries, hut to no purpose. They were not
physically equal to the work, nnd to-day
diving remains where it began, with the
hardier Greeks who were to the manner
born. They are exceptionally strong,
brown from long intimacy with wind and
sun. muscular rather than large, with keen
Mack eyes and kindly faces. It is sur
prising how '.veil they get on together, leav
ing home ties behind as they do and living
in groups., on boats or at restaurants.
Before the introduction of the American
saloon quarrels were nlmoat unknown,
among them. Since then. 1 regret to say.
that, in the four to six days in which
thefleeta are in port fitting up ready to sail
again, part of the crew will crowd as much
drinking, dancing, and gambling into the
time as an expert could hope to do. "That
is the trouble." said the ship-owner. “I
can’t depend upon my men. They will net
sail till the last rent is gone. Then they
solier off, set cheerfully to work,—to earn
money for another week, of carousal.”
There are cultured men among them,
liugnists. university men with polished
manners, and. rarely, a priest, the gener
cus-heartcd Methodists sharing their
church with the Greeks for the infrequent
service.
There are times when Floridians are
troubled over this foreign invasion, -mer
chants taking the home trade, importing
Greek delicacies, leasing the best street
corners, absorbing the most promising
saloons, and opening restaurants galore
where you may enjoy (?) rhe smoked olives
while your octopus steak is cooking, it
is true that they are dazzlingly energetic,
yet there are but 15 voters among them,
while the cost of living for the IWO men
puts $20,000 monthly, into cinulntion. It
is certain that the sponge industry has its
limits, that its persistence threatens to
deprive the state of "ne of its chief sources
of revenue. Accordingly laws have been
nnactcl limiting flic taking of sponges to
the months between October nnd May lest
the year's right of way hasten their cer
tain extermination.
“A sponge." said the Greek merchant,
“is alive, but cannot walk. It is between
the atiimnl and the vegetable., or rather it
is a mixture of the two. We have a Greek
word that expresses it perfectly. For yon
English it, is like this—zwphyres tzou
phytes.) The fleets are out from one month
to six weeks, or longer. My last fleet. jit>t
into port—there are five or six fleets in
now—were out three months. They brought
In sponges that sold for $11,200. Of course
some do not do so well. The men work .on
shares. The diver gets three shares, iln*
life-line attendants iv; shares each, and
liie rest of the crew one share each. One
of my fleets was out 45 days atfd each
share was $75. Another was out 53 days;
i he shares were $l3O. and the diver’s share
amounted, to s3lX\ not bad for less than
two months. I have one diver who has
worked for 35 years. It is not called
healthy work. A certain form of paralysis
of the lower liml>s often result*, the cir
culation below the . waist being almost
stopped, at times according to the depth of
the water. When it is too deep it rs al
most impossible to pump enough air to pro
vent the rubber suit from squeezing him.
He may not realize this till he is drawn
up, when his legs will bo paralyzed and
the rubber seem to bo driven into them.
We have a diver in the village with this
form of paralysis, and what is strangest,
when he is in his diving suit under water
he can use his limbs as well as ever. Gulf
divers often stay down four hours, in the
Mediterranean four minutes is the usual
limit. Never more than two divers hen?
in one boat, at home there are often 12.
The cost of our boats averages about SIOOO
each, but we have better ones of S3OOO,
S4OOO and even SBOOO. Diving fleets ar»»
always out in pairs—the deposit boat
(really a commissary boat) on which the
13 men of the fleet live,' coming in from
the diving boat at. night to sleep and the
diver’s boat with its four then, brie to manage
the pumps which are constantly throwing
down the air. the life line man. and boat
man who may assist him and the diver."
Donning the diving suit is no simple df
fair. The diver drops down as far as pos
sible into the India rubber armor, thrust
ing in an arm and shoulder at a time,
after which he is lifted by the rubber col
lar and vigorously shaken down into the
depths, fiery much as a frosh pillow slip
is adjusted. His hands arid wrists are
thoroughly soaped in order to slip through
the rubber nt the wrist which must be so
light that water cau not penetrate. Tbe
collar is double, the helmet being firmly
screwed to the ether portion. This helmet,
weighing 25 pounds, has two valves, one
of which the diver opens and the air rushes
out giving an impetus to the form with
in or forcing it forward in rhe manner
of tiro swimmer. Two weights of 12*^
pounds each are adjusted, one to the chest
nnd the other opposite between the
shoulders. A belt is drawn snugly about
the waist, thus giving the-chest the first
chance for air if necessary. The brass
or iron solid shoes weigh 14 pounds each.
Signals between the diver and life-liner
np — — —n
-■ fat i ' i
m *
w - ' w '*•-
•
Hot SL/ ‘
I I
* Mt"''
SPONGE DIVERS AT TARPON SPRINGS. ELA.
arc agreed upon, one pull meaning per
haps.—" Send down another sponge bag;”
(no,- "Send down a knife;” or .three,—
"Haul me up." Then the direr goes
down the ladder outside the boar, carrying
n hook and a netted or openwork bag with
nn iron ring in the top which, open* .aud
Simla, or “stretches.". .
Sponges are pulkid froili ,tlte rocks -with
mm-li effort, at 'limes bringing with them
rhe coin of the realm, shew, sea fans,
feathers and brunches of coral with .their
strange fantastic loveliness. Hollow rocks
lie iiism the sen floor amPthe diver snarehes
eagerly for an aperture, tha* xvill pdniit
his body. Black shadowe in the walls
lend to caverns u hcre while sponges groxv
with no ray of light t« give tiieni color
and never before n disturbing'footstep.
When the-quest lw*com<js too strenuous or
tiie bag will hold no mori'. xrfben.Hie sun
is low and the sea clouded^ wafer plants
nnd painted rocks blending iu a white
hurt, the diver signals and is. raised to
the surface.
When gathered, sponaes are filled -with
dnrk fluid nftembliug moliisses, und Culled
pure. This is wrung from them or, fdac
ing them upon thedeck.they arc traiupjcd
upon, the earn 'out. und'thh spbrige
dies. Kraals are often built neur shore,
THE SPRINGFIELD WEEKLY REPUBLICAN: THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER 2, 1909,
hi which’ the cargo may be secure while
tides hasten. rhe Wansiiig process. Fleets
Usually prepare their mcrr 'natel’te at sva.
scraping off tlm outer skin, beating out
the .“meat." soukffig. cleaning, drying and
stringing tluit.diey ma? be ready for nue
tiop when landed. Those of the same
kind, and size'.are'placed upon strings of
unifwni length, four set and To inches—
the number upon a string depending upon
the size of the growth. Reaching port
they wait the market day. after which
they are re-sorted. clipped, and a few are
bleached... All buyers declare, however,
that though they must bleach in order
to supply the demand, a sponge is al
ways injured by the precess. The En
glish insist upon bleached goods nor are
they averse to the more showy diatudnu
dyed article.
Gulf sponges arc of three kinds. —grass,
yellow, and wool. Local names vary: for
instance, grass sponges may be vailed
"wire" tn another port. Woo' sponges rank
higher and are always salable. Grass
sponges are hollow and circular, natural
baskets often sold intact for plant holders
or waste baskets. In quantity they are
cut in pieces and used by the navy for
cleaning ammunition, by liveries also, and
for packing delicate substances. There
are grass sponges at the exchange that
are over three feet in diameter and two
and a half feet- high. .While these are
hollow,, yellow sponges are well cushioned
natural hassocks, soft to the feet and
pleasaiitly yielding. They retail at $2.50
each. Wool sponges, smooth and satiny
to thertouch, are most in demand for bath
ing purposes. A fortune awaits the in
ventor who will utilize the clippings which
collect so rapidly that they threaten to
menace the public health. Mattress
makers cannot use them,—they mat too
easily, a quality that combined with Uieir
noninflammability might commend them
for other purposes. Hundreds of cords lie
about the sponge houses, whole streets
are sown deep with them, and loads are
dumped into the hollows and marshes out
side the town.
The unique feature of Tarpon Springs,
if we may except the intermittent boiling
springs from which it takes its name,
is the auction held regularly each Tues
day and Friday morning at the sponge
exchange. This is a large compartment
building with a high fence that shuts away
the curious or covetous. It is-on the. shore
of the Anciote river and you may count
a full 100 sponge boats perhaps as yon
wait, —and read their suggestive names if
you can—“ Holy Trinity." in the Greek
retidering. "Glytcmncsini," “Sappho,”. "St
Goo." or ."EvaugoJista.” If is Tuesday,
each imycr is alert and the auction is about
to begin. The wares are brought from tlie
exchange and piled upon the platform,
ouch pile representing several hundred dol
lars, and eager buyers crowd In to look
them over. ’ lying experience has made
them keeg judges of quality ami value. Con
uoisoours tm*X' are nnd need be, for gpongeg
may,not be we zlied before buying. The
auctmmbr is ready for hide, yon wait the
usual noisy demon st ration and hour no
sound. Each bidder holds a tiny wote
bonk in which, after dwp thought and
careful vtudp ho writes his hid. tearing
out th" Leaf wllfeh. h<- luindg sltMUly to the
auctioneer. WJieu the l>M« are all in they
are looked over ami ike highest amount
.len'l to.the ".spongers" who.'accept;, or re
ject w! thf hunches are carrie'T bn<k into
the tmifdjpg. “Nine hundrerl nnti sixty
.five dollaysl’ No. they bring more Fri,
day." nnd Angelo ligiits his pipe nrfd goes
whistling, to bis boat, quite eatisfied to
retain Irk treasure. Goo.il* that are »old
‘are thr<{Wri irtfo high-ruckefl wagons unit
enrrted up" town la the pricking Ikiiiscb
When they are re torted, clipped arid packed
In hales of from' 10 to 100 pounds. The
usual weekly tales amount to from $15,000
to $20,000, with extra demand and supply
at- times, [taring the first, week- in
February 527 )iw v. dh were sold.
Artificial sponge g- ning has been tried
at the month of tiie Amlote river, where,
of all places bn the Gulf. conditions seem
i most ■ favorable for s tecess. Nearly two
years .(22 mouths) are 'equired for. the
growth of the sponge Hi' a titty cutting,
J firmly nip hored aiu: er dei ted. to the re
quisite marketable sire Planting’file beds
I is a delicate process, the seedling refus
ing to .grow if.kept > it o f the water, more
1 than an hour, and I / >'t boats are m ri
tn transfer the Rving embryo. This cx
[•erimemal cultuneis - '.event, the sponge
garden being yq in infancy. that re
sults caun it be. pre : i safely. Tho-e
most familiar with Ei- form of sea life
are confident, however, that it can be done
and with certain profit.
SOCIALISM BRIEFLY OUTLINED.
A SERIES OF SHOUT ARTICLES—IV.
Is Socialism Desirable.
i [Written by Jopx Hall for The Republican.J
An apologist for capitalism who lives ill
Pittsfield says he “despises the type of my
argument” and refers to me as one with
"obliquity of mental vision;" "obtuseness
of moral sensibility;'' "unfair;" "demagog"
and "pettifogger." Better men than
I have been called worse names than
these by bigger men than Harlan
H. Ballard, and all for telling the
truth. Tlmre is .. satisfaction, how
ever, in knowing that 1 can meet oil
his objections and : m a kindly spirit correct
him ii: his errors; indeed I intend to do so.
Thvt> sere no doubt many mhers - wim
would like to answer him. So 1 will write
to-day as 1 promised on the question, "Is
socialism desirable?'
I want to say to begin with, that we are
under no obligation to show that social
ism would be a perfect state of society. We
justify the new order if we are able to
show with reasonable certainty that it
would be a great improvement over the old
order.
Nou then, we ask. for the social owner
ship of the implements that are socially
requited in industry, and the right of the
workers to tile opportunities to work,
which, is to-day denied.
Thousands aiid thousands of men and
women this country over are denied the
light to the. opportunity to labor: are de
nied the right to produce the things that
they suffer and starve am! die.in need of.
T here is only ohe condition upon which
the capitalist class conduct.industry, and
th.it is that out of the energy of the work
ers there must he a surplus given to the
owners, and if that surplus is not forth
coming, then the doors close even if the
nation perishes.
,W 6 would own the tools of industry so
cially necessary, as social property. We
would give to the Ismis aud daughters of
the. human- race the right to the oppor
tunity to work and the right to the full
social values that they produce.
ft is just as necessary that the people
own the means by which they provide
their bread, as that they own the means
by which they elect a governor.
Socialism means industrial democracy.
Industrial democracy means that the peo
ple will own and control industry, and
.conduct it in their own best interests.
Men for a long time desired political
democracy that the?- might establish gov
ernments which would be to their own in
terests. and while political democracy has
not always given men freedom, it is bet
ter than any other form of government
that the world has tried, and those who
have lived under a political democracy
do not wish to go hack to despotism.
If men conducted their own industry
we may suppose that they would aim for
two things: First, an abundance of the
best food, clothing and shelter: second, the
least outlay of lahqr tn secure the best
food, clothing and sfelter, and other social
needs.
A man will work now bitterly hard for
poor food. poof ; ddthfbg and poor shelter.
. Socialism would «ijko it possible for him
to have the best of these things with rea
sonable effort and also io have leisure to
cultivate and., qnjoy hfmself in other direc
tions.
All men of reason are willing to admit
that society would be greatly improved if
we had no bitter poverty, no hunger, no
nakedness. . no human beings who., were
stunted and filthy because they could not
secure the wherewithal to make and keep
themselves wholesonje.
The lust for good things make men
thieves, liars, often murderers, suicides,
maniacs, prostitutes. Read th* history of
crime and satisfy yourself that the vast
amount of crime can be traced to the de
sire of men to secure . the comforts and
necessaries of life oy a place in the world
that will enable them to secure these things.
If the comforts and necessario, could be
procured by reasonable effort we have rea
son to- -believe that the great bulk of
crime and misery would disappear from
the world.
In their effort to secure leisure, men
would make use of rhe most highly im
proved machinery. They would not desire
to have any man do a menial task which a
machine could be mgde to do.
It is comwled that the object of all hu
man effort, the end of progress, is to secure
a high-grade human being, a human being
well developed physically, mentally nnd
morally. Leisure and proper training
would enable all men and al) women to
develop themselves to their highest [lower
in physical, mental and moral attainments.
We perceive even now that the happies:
community is the healthy, intelligent and
virtuous community.
Industrial conditions to-day make and
mold the people and they prevent ,hem
from becoming highly intellectual, physic
ally strong an-| morally just. Socialism'is
desirable because it would afford the peo
ple an opportunity to become all that is
desirable from a human point of view.
Next Sunday I will write on tlie "So
cialist meaning of classes."
Joh.x HaU.. Ib.
If est Sprinflf' M.- Auf/utt 26. IPJ3.
SOCIALISM AAD SIIdES,
To the Editor of The Kopub'tiean -.—
I have read the series of articles on
socialism by John Hall. Jr., aud nm very
ninctf interested. ' I have also read the
criticism bj Harlan H. Ballard, and am
surprised. He objects to the sta-temeut
. that all production is carried op for profit,
and cites the nu t that the farmer grows
some vegetables for his own consumption.
The farmers grow some corn for their
own tables, but what part of the total
corn crop of the Vnited States was raised
with this object in view? Mr Bullard finds
it difficult to admit that "lite -hoemaker
does not intend to make a good honest
pair of shoos." His knowledge of shot
making must he very slight. The higher
priced shoes are usually made, so as to
.retail) their shape as long as the hotlom
wears. Sole leather ittuer-soJes, toe-boxes
and heel counters are generally used for
. this purpose. But in medium null low
priced shoes, such as the average citizen
pears, these are very seldom found. An
inner sole made qf sole-leather, cemented
together and covered with iheeseeloih to
hold the stitches is the usual foundation
of it shoe costing less than $5. Heels pro
made of skivings and cement and an outer
lift of sole lea tiler for a finish. When
this outer lift wears'off water will' loosen
the thin ahocts of akivings am] the "good
। honest shoe" is commonly saW t« be made
of papor. which is. practically true. . Mr
Ballard's other points merely;shhw a ten
dency to quibble over small things.
' \ ' Ix rrjtrsTEn.
Spr.iiifffidd. Auftitl (
The steamer Kaiser Wilhelm def 'Grosse
arilved at riymbtith, Ertg.l • Monday from
New'York. White off tile batiks of New
foundland she collided "TWtlr : a 7<l-foot
wlwie that evidently was aslmp on -tiie
syiface of the wntor. The whale became
impaled on tie '■'« bows nnd all its
efforts to free itself *ere futile. Finhlly
(he stcutper had to go full, sbeed astern
in order to get clear of tb* dying levia
than.
’ ABOUT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.
THE “UNIT SYSTEM" ORGAN.
Air HopC-Jortes n-nci His Expectation*
of RevnlntHiniring Both Organ
nnd OrS-tiestrol Mnslc.
The- efwial interest in this city in all
Hew developments hi organ building Ih-
I caiiso of tlie projected new city hull in
। which place is to be left for an organ of
; large size, draws attentiontothoreceiitdcni
l-ou-ilion of tlie great Hups-Jones organ
i ::i OoemeGrovc, N. J., het orc the national
; : m <>f organists assembled: tlißrc.
; Witl'.oul. umjerraking at this instance to
i protiouncc upon the inerits either of that
: organ in of the revolnt-iou.iry system which
!it cuibod;.-, s[>ace may bo given to the
! ixtmor . mir.v dai:ns made bjs^n- inventor.
Sone i , iii;: : has alreaiiy been -aid of the
Hope-Jones organ. Concerning which there
is so :i me :: difference of opinion among
orgmi;.-;.^. bisiegardiiig miiior and tech
nical points tn.' essential things are: tl •
An ixireinely. inter.-e wind pressure: (2)
: the iinlosuro of .-lii pipes in swell boxes;
i (3) the so-called «i••nl.h-tonch by which an
; extra [U-essure on any k •r forces it down
: into subsoil,, so । , s p.—,k. aud brings out
। new resources of I n.e.
This is a very loose and inadequate state
। meat mid the Ocean Grove organ is full
! of technical devices wliiili organists from
* all parts of the country have been study
' iug with mteiTst. I'ov example, there-is
Ho drawing of stops—insl '.id there are stop
keys arranged in a setuii-iretilar manual
above the others. The merhod of stipply
ly wind-pressure is ipivc) and not easy to
describe. But.. the essential thing so far as
the public goes, is hot how the organ is
.made, hut ivjjat it .can. do. and here very
large claims are made. A lack of sonority,
or rather of that thrilling intensity of tope
has always, been eluirac(erisrie of the
organ, arid perhaps has both helped and
limited its pqpylarity.' As the sacred in
strument par excellence it "has always, to
be sure, been extremely popular., blit it is
apt to lose ghmnd in. proportion ns it
' comes in competition with instriiriicuts of
higher v»ltitge, to use the language of the
centup'. The qrghn-tbrie is rbiind arid mel
low. except as mistaken ideal makes it
harsh mid screariiing or sickly and quaver
ing. but it 'lacks the powerful editing
vihrmiey of the orchestra. Again, in expres
sion' it'is essentially tint, which is not meant
to bo derogatory but simply descriptive.
Something iuay be dohei—too much often' is
iidUe with'the swell box, and fine sweeps
of crescendo'and diminueudo are possible.
A single voice, too, may easily- be made to
stand out above the rest by putting it
on another inmnial.
But in general the organ is a-.musical
.republic where everything is on a level;
there is not the pronounced individuality
that we have come to look for in modern
niusic-iin the orchestra, for example, with
its independent tone musses capable of
any required shading, and its expressive
solo instruments: Corresponding qualities
the "unit system" undortnk— to give,
.by intensifying the tone, developing the
swell box-principle, and giving the finger
more chance for expression. As to
power the success of the Ocean Grove
orgmi is unquestionably though relatively
small, it is called the most power
ful organ in the world. It can
be heard "Mocks away,” and is said to
make n large orchestra sound weak.
Specially remarkable is the tremendous
diapason far below the compass of the
lowest instruments of the orchestra, and
so potent that the building shakes. So
much is simply descriptive of what has
been done—let the inventor Robert Hope-
Jones be hoard as to the future of the
organ. In his address given the 19th be
fore the organists at Ocean Grove he
stud:—
The organ Is now st a most Important
period ip itj history. It .is going to; be
introduced and become prominent in secular
work. I predict that within 2b years, an
orchestra. aS we know It to-day will not
attract attention. In 20 years from now
you will hardly he able to point to a
single orchestral concert unless it has an
orohestrat organ behind it as Its chief com
npuent. We are on the threshold of verv
Idg things in the organ development. You
will not understand me if you are acquainted
merely with church organs, or the
church organ having two or three
fancy tone colors introduced and called
—most, absurdefily calle.d--a modern concert
organ. I am speaking of something entirely
different--of the "orchestral unit organ*’
This Instrument produced tone—as this little
model before you proves-shat are far more
colorful than any tones obtainable from modern
orchestral instrunients. It also produces n
great variety of. tones not yet heard from
either the organ, or orchestra. The range of
expression from each of Its voices fs In
defiultely greater that! the range of any
of the present orchestral Instruments.
The traditional use for an organ -in con
nection with the orchestra has been to em
ploy It to furnish background or bodv tone,
occasionally. The use of the modern orchestral
mitt Organ will be much greater. Its strings,
will be used to supplement and enrich-oc
caslonally to supplant the strings of the
orchestra. Its wood wind will slmilarlv he
emjtloycd. in connection with the flutes,
oboes anti clarinets, and the tone of its
.brass win be Interwoven with that of the
’ individual brass instruments. The "orehes
[ Hal unit organ" adds to tlie other instru
ments a variety, verve, thrill and fire that
no multiplication of known orchestral Instru
ment can produce. The leader of the
orchestra will no longer play first violin—be
will play the "orchestral unit organ."
It Is absurd indeed that wo should have
pipes In our organs that have no expres
slon.. Every pipe should he Inclosed. What
would we think of music produced by an
orchestra tn which half the players have
been told the.v ivere never tn use exnres
stmt but were always to either’ plnv full
power or to remain silent: We are' none
the less absurd when we leave our pedal
organ and groat organ devoid of expression
power. If swell boxes be made of cement
ami if the shutters lie placed on the top
immediately over ihe side Instead at one
stile, we loose nothing by Inclosing every
pipe in the organ, and wo gain enonnouslxc
When these swell box shutters are laminated
ami tilled with the .new patented sound
trap inlnta we are able to reduce the tone
of the" stops to practically nothing, there
fore the need for putting soft stops In the
orgntr disappears.
Is Brunnhlldc Hernlcf
Some knotty problems (hat may be re
ferred to tint ibiss iii psychology are raised
by the famous Wngtiorian pritna donna
Mme Jolihnna Gadski In an article in the
current Harper's Bazar oil “The heroic
qualities of Bruniihikle.” “The question
of iiitel'imtntirin," she notes while wait
ing for the ink to begin to run freely from
। her pen, "is always a cause of disetts
! sion." It is indeed. Here is Frau Gad
ski’s cimtt'ibtitiori to t'onlroversy i—•
Isolde mid Brunnlillde we hear spoken of
as the “Iwolr" roles, amt It seems to me
that cspoi billy In the ease of BrunUhllde
there is imieh mlsutiderstandlng of this word
heroic, llrnnnhllde. ns I feel her, -does not
begin heroic, but. ber-omes so’ with the devel
opment of the draniq. Ami this (dea of tlie
I'onsimitly hei-oh- Brnunlinde seems to me
not only untrue to the' text, but lacking In
that dopolopment of chariwtei nnd cliinnx
which makes > the character live. That first
•ry of hers from, the bights of Valhol is
the expression of, glad, strong routh. It Is
elemental a cry of Nature Hhe hah no
conception of mortal sorrow or love. She has
tin' eternal nncolored youth of the gods.
I If is not till the very end that Bruun
! hilde becomes truly horoief— ’
As the wedding party moves off she
stands alone trying to solve the tragic
snystery, then Toftecta sorrowfully that all
th« wisdom- n! her gndboml st>e has given to
Siegfried. In this moment of her snger
Hagen tepigts. .hey. to he.trav Siegfried. “I
wJH awengc thy wrongs," he says tn her.
And: Biumihlldi’, oven though het* love is
turned tn hatred, egelalms. ‘.with' scorn,
'*t>h Singfrled—thou'" ;Then she- betraih
Siegfried t« Hagen, telling- him thill- tn
protecting the Item, against his enemies.she
left tils brink unguarded, knowing that lie
would neVor.Aoe fmni tba.foe. The supreme
moment of.the Urania la when Brunnhllde
romre, .after ?legfrtotl's death, jo. under
aland all The vision of the, gndtless re*
fliruk throngh tlw mfraild of «ne lore of
(life wmnnn. nntr Hit!tcvtht •that she goes tn
meet .him. after Uentli. she rides- Intw the
fiiuwes of his (onerrU- pyre. -It la an 1 »ee
BrunfitiPde, devewptng from the- laughing
child of the gods through the toes of her
godhood aud the birth of her womanhood
Into the goddess woman, hecoming complete- ।
ly heroic tn losing both godhood and the |
happinneas of 'her womanhood.
Hut is this not the sophisticated modern
com iqnirm of tin' hernie which has been
evolved in an unheroii age. an age of
uovcl-rirltin^ of "ehnrneter-stiidieS." "f
moral problems, of optimistic endings? la
the days when Brunnhilde lived, heroism '
was a miieli simpler affair. Or consider ।
the godlike Achilles howling like a spwiled •
I nby nr sulking in his tent? On the whole
th- account of Brunnhilde. “the. glad I
strong youth." given in the first extract I
seems to qualify her as a heroic character
from the outset.
Other Note and Comment,
Oscar H.'imruetstein’s .educational ope-a
season began Monday evening. August
30, at the Manhattan opera house, in New
York. The initial opera of the season was !
Meyerbeer's "Le I’rophete.” in French. I
The title role was sung by Lucus. -
who, during tlie past season, has appeared ;
in it in Paris. It also served to in- ,
trodtico to the American public Mme!
d'Alvarez, a - Spanish contralto of the ■
Royal Antwerp opera. Others in 'the
east wus Leroux, tenor; I.askiu and ।
Nicolay, basses. Carasa, the young'
Spanish tenor, will make his debut in '
“Aida" on Titesday evening. Alice Baron. '
late of the Paris opera, appeared ;
for the first :ime here in the title role. ,
Mme Sbyer was tlie Amneris and Mr i
Pignataro the Ambhasro. The American i
basso, Henri Scott, on this occasion i
made his first appearance as a member I
of Mr Hammerstein's company, sing- :
Jug Rairitis. Marguerite Sylva made ;
her American debut as a grand Opera i
singer in the title role of "Carmen" on ;
W ednesday evening. Mr Iluffauit. a Fnin h i
tenor, now to New York, was the Don
Jose.. .The. Micaela will be another new
comer." Mine Walter-Villa, add the Torea
dor Luskin. "Lucia." which will be the
Thursday etening bill', will present an
other new singer. Mme Laila Miranda.
With her will appear another next Italian
tenor, Domenico Russo. Others in the
east will be Pighataro. Ventfifini nnd
De Gruzin. "Aidn.” with Carasa nnd
Mme Bnron. will ly repeated on Friday I
night. The Saturday matinee bill will be
"Trnriata." with ’ Mme Miranda hs the;
heroine, and another new Italian tenor,
Signor De Berhnrdic ns Alfredo. Mr Pignn
taro will be the father. . "Le ’ Prophete” '
will bo repeated Saturday, night with the :
saute cast as on Monday. Maestro Sturani. j
who last season was the musical conductor 1
nt the Philadelphia opera house, will con- i
duct the performances.
The scheme to establish grand opera in ■
England on a national basis is. assuming i
concrete shape, says the London Daily
News. An anonymous gcntleinan. promi- !
neut .in financial circles, has intimated ■
that he is prepared to contribute £300,000 ,
for the purpose; while Col Mapleson. tlie
promoter of the scheme for a national op
era house, has £IBO,OOO promised toward
his fund. An endeavor, is being made to
amalgamate the two funds. Col Maple
son, in an interview, stated that the offer
of. £300,000 had been made conditionally
on the provision of another £200.000. “My
idea." Col Mapleson said, "is that we shall
build an opera house and issue debentures
for half a million. The security would
be the site and the building, and the sub
scribers would not ask for any interest un
til the institution was self-supporting.
What we want now is men like the duke
of Bedford, the duke of Westminster, or
some other great landowner, to give us a
lease for 99 years of a suitable site at a
very low ground rent. The prohibitive
ground rent of £BSOO. as in the case of
Aldwych theater, is absurd." Col Maple
son declared that the necessity for the ex
tension of Covent Garden market would
involve the demolition of the present op
era house.
Antonio Ferrara, manager of the Italian
grand opera company of New York, has
engaged four more singers for the season
of opera at popular prices, which will be
gin at the Academy of Music in New
York on September 4. The new members
of the company are Eugenia Makaroff, a
coloratura soprano, who has sung at La
Scala and at the San Carlo in Naples;
Giuseppe Armanini, a lyric tenor, who
is now singing at Lucerne; Luisa
Villani, a lyric soprano, whose last
engagement was at the Teatro Cos- ■
tanzi in Rome; and Tallien Segura, a bari
tone. who sang last winter in Genoa and
Milan. The engagement at the Academy
is for a period of eight months, and the
prices will range from 50 cents to 51.50.
Performances will be given every even
ing. and there will be matinees on
Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Scrgi Rachmaninoff, the Russian com
poser and pianist, will make his first .
American appearances with 'the Boston
symphony orchestra in Boston, Philadel
phia and New York. He will be heard
here Noverher 20. Mischa Elman will
give his first New York concert on Jan
uary 20.
Fritz Kreisler, the violinist, will begin (
his American tour with two concerts in j
Carnegie hall on October 23 and 30. He
will appear later with the New York sym
phony and Philharmonic societies.
RESURRECTION OF MT PLEASANT.
History of an Attractive Part nt Am
herst That la Now Developing Alter
Yenra ot Neglect.
From Our Special Correspondent.
Amhebst, Saturday. August 28.
Classical Mt Pleasant, which for a num
ber of years has been in a decadent condi- :
tion, has suddenly awoke from its long ;
sleep and in a short time promises to be ■
the finest residential section of the town. !
Practically the whole property on the hill ;
in the rear of the old mansion house has
been sold within the hist few weeks to
various people who will build new houses
in the near future and improve and repair
the old ones now standing. Martin Thayer
of Philadelphia was one of the first
men to see the natural advantages of Mt
Pleasant. He married an Amherst girl
and. in 1825 began to build a summer
house on the south brow of the hill. But
his wife died before it was completed and
he decided to transform the proposed
house into a building to be used for school
purposes, but he never completed the
work. A year or two later Cliauneey Col
ton and Francis Fellows, graduates of
Amherst college, completed the building
started by Mr Thayer and built others,
lu 1827 they started the famous Mt
Pleasant classical institute which had a
faculty of six teachers ami at one time
it numbered about 100 students.
This school became known far and wide.
Among those who attended nnd afterward
became noted was Henry Ward Beecher.
The school prosia-red about seven years
when it' was disbanded. Shortly after
ail but the main building were removed.
In 1840 another school was opened in the
main building by Rev John A. Nash, nn
Amherst graduate in the class of 1824.
He established there the Mt Pleas
ant institute and business • college,
designed to fit hoys for business
or college. . Eight years after he
took bis son. Henry U. Nash, a
graduate of Amherst in the class of 1851.
for partner and he continued the school
as principal and proprietor for 2d years,
then sold his interest to his son, William
K. Nash, a graduate from Amherst in
1883, who conducted the school for about
20 years, when it was removed in 1902.
Since their the Nnsh property on ths
hill seemed to be "hoodooed." AH efforts
to sell one of the attractive houses, or
cxeellent Intilding lots were in vain. Ths
first man that dnfnd to buy there was the
I well-known lecturer. Ora Samuel Gray.
J The latter part of June he bought the
I red house. i ’filled, with a large lot
of Innri. and a little later he bought two
more lots facing East Pleasant street.
; About the same time Charlea R. Green,
i the statn college librarian, jrnnght the up-
I per cottage house with a large tract of
i land runnint east to Eart Pleasant street,
I aud Dr George E. Stone, who has for
many years owned a homo on the moun
tain. added to bis holdings by buying a big
clnink from tlie land adjoining his on the
south, Then Prof Fred Soars mid rhe
state college treasurer, Ffcti C. Kenney,
bought two large lots on the west slope
of the hill, south of Hr Stone's land,
and a feo days Inter I’rof Edward A.
White of the lioi'tieultural de]>artmeift of
the college bought the next one On the
south. Still further south. Mrs Esther
Jolies of Cambridge bought a neat chest
niit-s])arlod lot.
The most extensive buyer, however. Ims
boon Benjamin M. Warner, who is doubt
lessly one of the very best-known tobacco
growers of the Connecticut valley. ^Mt
Warner bought all the remaining lots on
the top of the hill and has already begun
to build n house that is to cost
over s<>ooo. and expects to start
several more small ones in the near
future. All of the other buyers of
lots bought to build and at least four of
them will begin this fall. . The mansion
house xvith the two or three acres ip front
which is still hold' hy Duane H. Nash,
grandson of the fniinder of the Mt
Pleasant institute, is not for sale. At
the base of the hill on the south, his
brother. Henry E. Nash, still lives in the
house which be bought a few years, ago.
that was built in 1872 by Prof Parker of
the agricultural college.
Mt Pleasant is cluse .to. the center of
the village and convenient tn the state col
lege.' It commands a magnificent vjew
of the valley and is well covered with
sturdy oaks arid chestnuts. A new easily
ascended road has rtow been -built over
the top and with the many new houses
that are being put up. there is no ques
tion that town water and sewer connec
tions-will, be demanded nnd can be niade
before spring.
GLEANINGS AND GOSSIP.
There appears to 'he more than one syn
dicate engaged in building hotels through
out the country. Des Moines, la., is ex
pecting to get a new mammoth fireproof
hotel from a New York syndicate which
is building hotels in Spokane. Seattle mid
San Francisco, and ha* recently erected a
big hotel in Portland, Me.
William Jennings Bryan .is an un
crowned president nil right. October 39
is to be Bryan day at the Alaska-Yukon-
Pacific exposition at Seattle; and weljife
willing to wager that there will be plen’y
of folks there on that day.- Is there an
other man in the United States; riot in
office, who could-draw the people like this
one?
The 11th; annual convention of the na
tional. medical association, composed of
negro surgeons, ij.e'ntists and pharmacists,
is being held in Boston, with over ■ 3ft)
delegates attending. At the tame time the
national association of colored graduate
nurses are holding their second annual.con
vention. The negroes arc all the time do
ing things along many lines, and the dis
position to do them better is being mani
fested in growing -degree.
The postmaster of Detroit, Mich., has
advanced his superintendent of city mail
delivery to the position of assistant post
master. Charles F. Swan had - done, ex
■ceptiopal work, arid hesitated tn accept
promotion because as superintendent he
would be protected by the civil-service
Iftw. while as assistant postmaster he de
pends, at least theoretically, on the favor
of the local congressman. He need not
worry so long as Mr Denby is ip office.
The Berliner Tageblatt lias a curious
story to tell, apparently quite seriously,
of an Italian monk, Fra Andrea Grimaldi,
who crossed the British channel in 1751 in
a flying-machine of his own invention. He
biiilt a great “bird." according to a letter
lately found in a library in Bergamo, with
many wheels and much machinery, and
wings 25 feet long, and! flew, from Calais
to Dover. Vnluckily. the writer of thd let
ter goes on to say that Fra Andrea was
handsomely received by the king, which
rather spoils the chronicle. If King George
had recognized aviation as an accom
plished, fact England would hardly have
remained so skeptical down to the moment
of Bleriot's flight.
The Cincinnati post-office has begun an
apparently needed effort to stop the de
livery of mail to young girls under ficti
tious names. It has been found that many
are in the habit of receiving letters .in
this way through the general delivery
without the knowledge of their parents.
It is difficult to prevent this entirely, but
in cases where the applicants for letters
are known their parents are notified or
the mail Is sent to the dead letter office.
This is one phase of the general effort of
the post-office department to reduce the
general delivery to a minimum. Public
convenience prevents its entire abolition,
but it is undeniable that it is much re
sorted to for improper purposes.
"As between Europe and Emporia." re
ports WiMtam Allen White on his return,
"I am strong for Emporia." And a very
good sentiment it is—it is a real mis
fortune, to live in one place and prefer:
some onier. Mr White has a substantial,
reason, too. to give:—
Can you imagine a self-respecting Kansas .
farmer going around grabbing for bls hat all
the time to a man who has no other distinc
tion except that lie happened to have ou ।
a white shirt? No? Neither can 1. '.That's
one of the things that makes a man proud
of America—the fact that there is no pens
ant class here.
So long as it sticks to that kind Of Amer
icanism there's riot very much the mat
ter with Kansas.
The Daily Consular aud Trade report
is enthusiastic AVer the chance for Ameri
can automobiles in Spain. The chief argu
ments seem to be that the Spanish buy
few automobiles, so that the trade must
necessarily be in its infancy, and that 151
French cars are bought for four very
cheap American cars, so that American
trade is still more in its infancy. To
clinch the ease for optimism, "the use of
automobiles is restricted by. the high price
of gasoline and by the poor roads." Also,
it might have been added, by the preva
lence of donkeys. It is a grand field, no
doubt, but a total sale of $34(10 last year
is not enough to make it necessary to
enlarge American factories just yet.
The international aviation cup presented
by James Gordon Bennett for the speed
record at Rheinis falls very uppropriutely
to Hie American aeronaut, Gleuu H. Cur
tiss. since its design shows a biplanq of
essentially the same type as that with
which he won the race, though it lacks his
balancing device. A monoplanist might
have been somewhat embarrassed by re
ceiving a biplane emblem. The artist, by
the way, was lim'd put to it in designing
this trophy, which snows a xvinged figure
n-tintoe on n mountain peak, and balancing
on her liend what might be a set of book
shelves. One hand is stretched forward
in a vain effort to reach a smaller set of
shelves just beyond-her grasp. The 20th
: century is offering art some tough- pi'di
‘ lems: the Greeks did. better by putting
I Hermes’ flying apiwu'aiits on wings lit
i taehed to the heel, nnd not of the sort
i which stage lolk call."pructicaWe."
I ComiC.Zeppelln had retired from the
i army because of age when he took tip
nerohautics: his case shows how energy
। and initiative may be found late in life.
1 Yet it does rot altogether traverse Dr
j Osier's once famous theory, because he
, whs much interested in aerial navigation
I witch he Was young, and learned what
could bo learned from books. This, to ne
sure, wßs not a scriwus task—he would
hare hnd ample leisure for it after leirv
illg professional life. Nor is it likely that
he evolved in youth any original ideas fiir
xvhicb the more settled bruin of middle age
I would not serve. The point is that: lie
1 turned buck, when the time came, and put
into practice ideas that hud interested
him when ho was young. And is this not
the essential truth in Dr Osler's view?
The conservatism of healthy age is less a
matter of waning powers than of n fixa
tion of tastes and the accumulation of
I ideas nnfl hobbies. Few. men con do half
1 whnt thov Imre to do—it is but natural
. that in later years, if energy has not
I waned, they should b* dentine still with
| the projects of routh. If they seldom
[ break new gronafl. it is simply bwnaw the
' old ground is large enough.
i