Springfield weekly Republican. [volume], December 12, 1912, Page 12, Image 12

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

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SCHOOL AND COLLEGE NOTES
WHERE BOYS AND GIRLS FAIL.
BANEFUL MODERN INFLUENCES.
Address by Julius Tuckerman in Me
morial Church —Schools Cannot Do
All the Traininß.
Julius Tuckerman, head of the modern
language department at the central high
.whool. gave an able and interesting ad
dress Sunday at Memorial church on
•’The unseen educators.’’ That the schools
of our country should not be given all the
blame for the shortcomings of the coming
generation was pointed out along with
some of the pernicious influences that par
ents allow to corrupt children of the pres
ent day. The laxness of parents who seek
to protect their'boys and girls from respon
sibility for wrong-doing and from all forms
of disagreeable work was severely crit
icized. A point of especial interest in the
address brought out the evils of college
luxuries that have come to lie an all too
important part of high school lite. The
following are some of the more important
features of Mr Tuekerfnan’s address:—
President Hadley of Yale, in his last an
nual report, makes this significant state
ment: ”0f the men who have been at
Yale who have gone wrong in after life
n surprisingly large portion were boys
who during their course here had some
rule or regulation slightly relaxed in their
favor for reasons that seemed good at the
time. Of those who have made distin
guished successes an equally large por
tion were boys who at one time or an
other, took penalties for their mistakes,
which seemed to them hard and to then*
parents unjust."
Sometimes this love takes an almost in
sane form, as when the two parents strug
gle for the affection of a child, each parent
striving to outbid the other by gifts and
favors. No more pathetic sight can be
imagined, for it is sure to lead to disaster
to the destruction of the very object of
their mutual affection. Unconsciously the
child learns to play one parent against the
other with character ruined in the process':
for character is not formed suddenly by
tile spectacular eloquence of paid revival
ists and far-famed choirs, but rather by
slow, uninteresting daily effort in the home.
To what extent parental affection may
go can nest be seen in the life of luxury
and pleasure which is more and more in
evidence among our young people.
Extravagant Pleasures of Our High
Schools.
Autos and dances, dinners and theater
parties, these have become a necessity of
life to too many young people. College
pleasures have invaded the high school and
even the grammar school. These young
jieoplc have their clubs, their house par
ties, balls. • with taxis, orchestras and (
flowers. If future histories in writing of
the rise and fall of this republic should
point to these things as among the causes
of the decay of the nation they would be
only recording the facts, for with such a
marked departure from Emerson's advice
of "plain living and high thinking" to the
modern high living and no thinking we
cannot expect to fare differently from oth
er nations that have strutted their hour
upon the stage of the world and have gone
forever.
Of what use is it for teachers to urge
upon young people the duty to work, the
noral loss involved in idleness.when parents
take pride in providing for their offspring
so that they will never have to work. The
expression "have to work" has acquired
an odium in the minds of the young. They
look for something easy and pleasant, short ।
hours and no dirt, preferring $8 in "sal- |
ary" to slll in "wages." The unseen forces ■
of social ambition sweep them out of their
orbits till they become satellites, content
to bask in the sunshine of another, instead
of being themselves fixed stars. Parents
should teach their children to regard work
as one of the privileges of life, that to de
prive a child of the chance to work is to
stunt its moral as well as its physical
growth, for laziness is not an inborn, but
an acquired habit.
The home is the place for work quite as
much, if not more, than the school. A
good deal of the serious work of men and
nearly all of the serious work of women
is done in the home. To regard the home
as the place of laziness and indulgence is
to slander the most powerful moral force
in the world. It is rather a place of disci
pline and no parent should be willing to
give up nearly all the moral supervision
to the school until the despairing cry
comes: "I can’t do anything with my
boy.” And then comes the saddest rem
edy. if remedy it be. namely, the private
school,—that product of social exclusive
ness which should have no place in a true
democracy.
The association in the schoolroom of
young people from different walks of life
involves no real danger to the habits and
manners of any child: it rather breaks
down foolish prejudice and snobbishness
and is not only a splendid intellectual
stimulus, but is calculated to train young
people how to behave in a world of all
kinds of men. If refined parents will take
care of the associations of their children
out of school, they will have nothing to
fear from the associations in school.
Democracy of Public Schools.
The public school is a republic in minia
ture, not unlike the great republic outside.
Children that are to get along together as
men and women in a state must learn to
get along together as boys and girls
in school. The public school's so
cial precedence is determined by the
alphabet and not by Bradstreet’s, a
prophecy of what, let ns hope, the nation's
social register will ultimately be. A pri
vate school when limited to students of
one particular social class has a mirowing
influence on character, and is therefore
wrong in principle. The fashionable
school, like the fashionable church, should
have no place in a democracy. Exclusive
people exclude themselves more than
others from the moral influence upon them
selves of exercising the virtues of helpful
ness for those that are less favored. When
a large percentage of men of wealth send
their boys to rich men's schools and rich
mens colleges we shall continue to seo
in the future employers nut of touch and
out of sympathy with their employes, men
who think they are better than their fel
lows because they are more refined in
their tastes, when in reality they are mere
ly fastidious in dress apd food, men who
think that the resources of the country are
theirs to dispose of as they see tit.
Another of the unseen educators is
doubtless the church, but the church has
Jost a large share of its influence and in
some communities it can be said to have
little or no influence. This is due to a
variety of causes. Other institutions have
taken up the work of the church, and with
the decay in the observance of Sunday it
may become, in time, as in other coun
tries. a formal organization for a formal
worship only. Our strongest young men
are not attracted to the ministry, because
i he ministry does not offer as broad a field
for the exercise of their activities as other
professions. The ministerial office is too
much apart from the world to appeal to
vigorous young mon. Nor are the minis
ters so free to speak and to exhort as they
might bo. To limit themselves to reform
ing matters of personal habits and amuse
ments while keeping silent on certain grave
economic questions is to weaken their own
authority in the community as real moral
reformers.
School No Place lor Religious Instruc
tion.
The school cannot, and ought not if
it could, take up the religious instruc
tion. This properly belongs to the church.
The public schools are to be sure "god
less'’ in the sense that no religious in
struction is given in them and it is well
that they should he. Let us hope that
America will not repeat the mistake of
the old world by dividing the pupils ac
cording to denominations and having
priest, pastor and rabbi come into the
school on certain days to give instruction
in the various creeds. As long as in
every city dozens of different spires rise
the thing is at least impracticable.
NEW YORK ALUMNAE ORGANIZE
To Work for the Million-Dollar En
dowment Fund—Plans for Reaeh
ing Possible Contributors.
The Smith college alumnae of New
York city and vicinity are being or
ganized. in order to cultivate that
field for the campaign of the
$1,000,000 endowment fund. A commit
tee of seven members, with one of the
trustees, Mrs William 11. Baldwin. Jr.,
1887, as chairman, has been appointed by
President Burton for this purpose. Three
subcommittees of 10 members each, with
a chairman from the main committee, are
at work in Manliatian. Brooklyn and the
New Jersey suburbs. These committees
will not appeal to alumnae, but their task
will be to study the field, to know wiiat
possible givers are most likely to respond
and hbw they mav best bo approached,
and to make use of every bit of influence,
direct or indirect, which any New Yorker
connected with the college may possess.
They will aim to put President Burton in
touch with givers other than alumnae, and
by suggestions or direct influence to make
it possible for him to interview them un
der the most favorable circumstances.
According to this plan more than 30
alumnae are serving on active committees.
But there are already about 650 names of
alumnae and nongraduates in the card
catalog, which the New York committee
is seeking to make as complete as possible.
The plan which has been adopted in or
der to utilize the resources which this body
of alumnae represents, and to further
rather than duplicate the appeals made to
alumnae for the fund by their classes, has
been to request each class president to ap
point ;• leader for her class in New York.
These class groups are felt to lie the foun
dation for the work.
A meeting of class leaders, at which 12
classes were represented, was held No
vember 14, and their work was outlined.
The class leaders are not expected to ap
peal to alumnae, except by the direction
of their class president or the alumnae
fund committee of the alumnae associa
tion. Their task is to rouse enthusiasm,
to gather in suggestions about givers other
than alumnae, and to secure for the main
committee any aid which any member of
a class group can give. The main commit
tee will serve as a clearing-house of in
formation. Gifts from alumnae will be
credited to their classes and also to the
New York committee, but the primary ob
ject of the New York organization is to
cultivate the field of givers outside the
alumnae body.
The finance committee of the Smith col
lege club of New Y'ork plans to raise
$3168 by a “mile of nickels," distributing
ribbons a foot in length, each to hold 12
nickels. It has been suggested that the
SBOO,OOO which must be raised in order
to secure the contribution of $200,000 from
the general education board should be I
divided geographically in such a way as
to make the share of New York state
$300,000. Of this amount there has been
raised so far in New York city and vicinity
about $87,000, including $72,000 which
was secured as a result of President. Bur
ton's recent visit to New York. The re
cent pledge of $60,000 in Buffalo brings
the total for the state to nearly half the
desired sum. and the New York commit
tee is determined to secure the other half
as soon as possible. The register of un
dergraduate gifts bv classes for this week
is as follows: 1913, $9508; 1914. $9033;
1915, $3531; 1916, $570; students’ mite,
$1439: Hatfield house and the houses of
Miss Maltby, $34; grand total, $24,116.
MOUNT HOLYOKE COLLEGE.
Suffrage League Meetiufr.
A meeting of the suffrage league
at Mount Holyoke college was
held Saturday afternoon in. Assembly
hall, at which Miss Emily Pierson, state
organizer in Connecticut, spoke. She
said in part: I am glad to speak to col
lege girls because to them above all comes
a great obligation in the woman move
meut, because we owe our very existence
as a college to the early forms of this
movement. Certain it is that higher edu
cation for women is due directly to the
early suffragists or, as they were called
then, tho “women’s rights" women. To
be a suffragist I have concluded that one
must belong to one of two classes, those
who have suffered wrongs which it seems
to her society ought to remedy, or those
who have enough imagination and sym
pathy to understand the sufferings of oth
ers. As college women we ought to be
long to the second class. Among the
people who want to make things better
we find a great difference in the way of
working for results. Only those who go
beneath the condition and try to remedy
the cause really do constructive work. M'e
may compare the present situation to a
great conflagration. There are some who
rush to the fire, others to the alarm box.
The ballot is a small thing in itself but
it means the power to check the confla
gration which is raging. We are con
stantly being made aware of the hideous
conditions which exist in our cities to
day. Experience has shown that men do
not have the interest in these things as
women do. simply because it is in the
nature of woman to be vitally concerned
with the protection and care of human
life. When only men are in the elec
torate. candidates for office put in their
platforms things which interest men, such
as the tariff and banking laws, and these
things are essential to our nation’s wel
fare. but what do they omit? Ever}’ kind
of thing which first interests woman. I
am not saving! that men should be blamed
for being interested only in the things
which they are, but simply showing that
government works by an appeal to the
electorate, not by an appeal to the non
voter. The ballot will not bring a mil
lenium, but it will tend toward it. The
men named for office will care _ for the
things which women want. It will wake
men up and. what is more, it will wake
women up. Together they will try to
solve the great problems that are before
us to day.
The Annual Christmas Sale.
A Christmas sale for the benefit of the
student alumnae building fund was held
last week in the gymnasium,
about $260 being cleared. The sum for
which the alumnae and undergraduates
are working now is an additional $25,000
voted upon at the alumnae meeting last
June, as a result of the plans given by the
architects showing that this extra amount
would be necessary to erect a building
adequate to meet the needs.
BRONZE TABLET DEDICATED.
In Honor of Mrs Julia BHMngs, a
Benefactor of Northlleld Seminary.
A handsome bronze tablet placed in the
home science building at Northfield semi
nary at East Northfield in honor of Mrs
Julia Billings of New York, who gave
the building about seven years ago, was
dedicated Sunday with simple cere
monies. The tablet was presented by Mrs
I,aura Billings Lee of New Y’ork. wife of
Fros Frederick Lee of Columbia univer
sity. and a daughter of Mrs Billings,
and she made the presentation address and
unveiled tbe tablet in Hie presence of the
students of the seminary and invited
guests. Tho exercises were held at 3.30
Sunday afternoon and included, in ad
dition to the presentation, an address of
acceptance on behalf of the trustees by
Mrs \V. R. Moody, wife of the presi
dent of tbe boanl, and several songs by
tbe students. The ceremony was set for
THE SPRINGFIELD WEEKLY REPUBLICAN: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1912.
I Sunday as it was Mrs Billings 77th
birthdav. The tablet is a very attractive
one. 50 by 30 inches in size, and records
the gift of the building to the seminary
as a memorial to Mrs Billings, who is
tho witlow of Frederick Billings, who was
president of the Northern Pacific rail
road. __________
NEW BUILDING FOR DARTMOUTH
CENTER OF STUDENT ACTIVITIES.
W. F. Robinson of Boston Presents
College AX ith Building for tse of
Dramatic, Literary, Musical and
Other Interests of Dartmouth Men.
Special Dispatch to Tho Republican.
Hanover. N. 11.. Wednesday, December 4.
Dartmouth college will be enabled,
through the gift of SIOO,OOO from Wailace
F. Robinson of Boston, to erect a buHHing
unique among men’s colleges. Robinson
hall, as it will be known, will be given over
exclusively to the use of student organiza
tions other than athletic. It will, in
be to the intellectual and artistic acthities
of the undergraduates very much wnat the
new Dartmouth gymnasium is to their ath
letic activities.
The considerations actuating Mr Robin
son in his gift are in part stated in a
letter written by him to the trustees:
“Upon careful examination of your require
ments.’’ he says. “1 find that your student
organizations, with the exception ot athlet
ics, are in need of adequate quarters where
their activities may be properly concentrat
ed and efficiently eontroled. As a man ot
affairs, whom a business of over more than
a half a century has taught the value ot
organization. I believe that, suitably housed
and provided with the means for the con
duct of their business and for the social in
tercourse incidental to the activities of
young men of similar tastes and abilities,
these activities should present a strong
counterpoise to athleticism on the one hand
and to social on the other. They would thus
afford a just balance of intellectual ami
artistic expression ns against bodily prow
ess and muscular skill."
To meet the need which ho perceives.
Mr Robinson offers to provide SIOO,OOO for
a building to be located at the south
western end of the campus, next to col
lege hall—the student commons and club
—and on the present site of Sanborn hall,
one of the older dormitories. whi< h will be
moved to provide room for the new build
ing. Architecturally. Robinson hall will
provide a transition lietween College hall
ind Tuck school and will complete the
development of the west side of the cam
pus as far north as the Hitchcock estate.
The student publications will be housed
there and offices will be provided for the
managers of the musical and dramatic
chibs, the outing chib. the debating union.
Palaeopitus. the band, and various other
organizations, whose habitation has in the
past frequently been a student’s room.
There will be club-rooms for a student
organization which for some time past has
been in process of formation at Dart
mouth and whose full development is
now made possible. This organization,
for which a name has not yet been chosen,
will be constituted from the membership
of the college musical and dramatic clubs
and the various literary and artistic groups
in the student body. Its purpose will be
to make permanent the often purely oc
casional existence of such bodies and to
yy eld them into a working unit whoso
distinct function it will be to arouse and
cultivate the finer appreciation of art, mu
sic, literature and drama and to express
that appreciation by actual production.
The belief of the giver, that such a
building will afford strong counterpoise
to any tendency toward overathleticism
seems well founded. It will, in the eyes
of tho undergraduate, lend dignity ami
distinction to intellectual pursuits. It
will, however, prove of value in another
direction. Mr Robinson states one of the
conditions of his gift as follows: “In
order to insure the continued democracy
of the college, I wish to make the con
dition that no organizations shall make
use of the building except those in which
tho qualification for membership is proved
ability only.”
This means that the club foundation
intends to make opportunity for the meet
ing of men of similar intellectual interests
without regard to the social considera
tions which are necessarily a large factor
in the choice of members in college frater
nities and societies. Evidently the
democracy here aimed at is that kind of
democracy consonant with the effort of
American colleges to put a premium on
brain power.
Though his brother is a graduate of
Dartmouth college in 1855, Mr Robinson,
the benefactor of the college, is not him- |
self a college man. He was born in Read- ’
ing. Vt., 80 years ago. Going as a. young ■
man to Boston, be has for many years .
been identified with the large business
enterprises of the city. Despite the fact
that on the 22d he will celebrate his 80th
birthday, he is still active in the direc
torate of the United shoe machinery com
pany and the First national bank of Bos- t
ton. His native place owes to him its I
town hall, newly erected, and his kindly
interest has extended to neighboring com
munities. His gift to Dartmouth, how- <
ever, is indication not only of generosity, I
but of foresight, and a keen appreciation 1
of definite needs in modern undergradu
ate life.
THE CLASS DAY OFFICERS.
Williams Seniors Hold Election of
Men to Take Part in Exercises nt
Commencement.
The annual class-day election of the
senior class of Williams college was held
Saturday afternoon at Williamstown. The
election took up the greater part of the
afternoon, and there was an entertainment
similar to those given at college smokers
in connection with it. The officers elected
included those who will take part in the
class-day exercises at commencement and
the permanent officers of the class. The
elections follow. Class-day president,
Richard V. Lewis. Jr., of Irvington, N. Y.;
marshals, Philip B. Heywood of Worces
ter and J. Guy Prindle of Williamstown;
class-day committee. Edward L. Freeman
of Central Falls, R. L, Sidney M. Michael
of Buffalo, N. Y.. Jerome F. Page of
Batavia, N. Y., Allen M. SehaufHer of
Highland Park, 111., and Frederick A.
Victor of New York city; poet, Oliver W.
Poll of Denver, Col.; ivy poet. Charles R.
Hart of Buffalo, N. Y.: class orator,
Dwight C. Pitcher of Ithaca. N. Y.: ivy
orator, Henry G. Hotchkiss of New York:
orator to lower classes, William M. Troy
of Williamstown; pipe orator. Calvin P.
Vary of Newark, N. J.; library orator.
Ashley W. Dickinson of Duluth, Mich.;
I>ermanent secretary. Henry W. Banks, 3d,
of New York city; prophet. Frank P. Ab
bott of Goshen, Ind.; prophet on prophet,
Henry Dearborn of Rye, N. Y.: editor of
(lass book, John B. Gibson of Waterloo,
N. Y.; managing editor of class book. Cus
ter M. Jones of Newton Center; historian,
Merritt H. Smith of New York city; pho
tograph committee, John D. (’ampbell of
Chicago, 111., Francis S. Mygatt of New
York and Edward H. Williams, 3d, of
Woodstock, Vt.
HONORS FOR DONALD E. DUNBAR.
Winn the Gambrill and Ricardo
ScholarNhipN at Harvard.
Special Dispatch to The Republican.
Cambridge, Monday, December 9.
Donald Earl Dunbar, 1913, a graduate
of the central high school, Springfield, has
been awarded the Gambrill scholarship of
$525 by Harvard university. This scholar
ship. founded in 1,876, is assigned to the
man of highest standing in the senior
class, and is usually accompanied by the
Palfrey exhibition of SBO, a prize founded
in ISIS, "to be given to the most dis
tinguished scholar among the members of
the senior class,” Mr Ibmbar also won
! the^ Ricardo prize scholarship, amounting
to $350. in competition with graduates ami
other students in 'the department of eco
nomies,
Mr Dunbar is a member of the Phi Beta
Kappa, having been elected in the junior
eight last year, and is now second marshal
of that society. He also represents Phi
Beta Kappa on the student council, the
organization which has supervision of stu
dent interests and activities. He is chair
man of the committee on scholarship of
the student council, and on the committee
for the celebration of the 15()th anniversary
of Hollis hall, the dormitory in which he
lives.
DR VAN SICKLE'S COMMISSION
From the City of Bridgeport—
Thorough study to be Made of the
Educational System.
Springfield has been honored onee more
in educational circles through the appoint
ment of Superintendent James H. Van
Sickle of the local public schools by a
special educational committee in the city
of Bridgeport, Ct., to conduct an investiga
tion of the schools of that city with a
view to suggesting improvements in the
present system. Dr Van Sickle has had
the proposition under consideration since
last July, when a letter was received from
the superintendent of the Bridgeport
schools asking if lie would undertake the
investigation. After securing at once the
unanimous approval of the local board to
his entering upon the work at Bridgeport,
Dr Van Sickle held a series of conferences
with the Bridgeport men. which resulted
in his acceptance of the commission about
a fortnight ago. Dr Van Sickle will employ
about six assistants in the work, the
amount of which is quit'' too much for one
man to undertake. He spent Thursday
and a part of Friday last week in Bridge
port mapping out preliminary plans for
the economical accomplishment of the
work by his assistants. The city of Bridge
port plans to spend in the neighborhood
of $20(10 on the investigation, out of which
sum Dr Van Sickle will bo required to pay
his assistants. The work will probably
occupy the months of December and Jan
uary, and at least half of February.
The aim of the Bridgeport schools in ar
ranging the investigation by Dr Van Sickle
is to bring them to the highest possible
degree of efficiency in all departments, and
with this aim in view the investigation
will cover thoroughly the entire system
from top to bottom. The inquiry will ex
tend even lieyond the borders of the actual
educational system into the industrial con
ditions of the Connecticut city upon which
tile needs of the school department are
based. Dr Van Sickle has complimented
Springfield by appointing Egbert E. Mc-
Nary, superintendent of the local voca
tional school and director of manual train
ing in the schools, to take ebarge of this
part of the work.
PAINTING FOR YALE ART SCHOOL.
•‘The Old Man’s Story” Presented by
the Adee Family—Gift of S. F. B.
Morse Portrait.
A painting by the French artist, Hugues
Merle, entitled “The Old Man’s Story,”
has been presented to the Yale art school
in New Haven, Ct., by the Adee family
of New York city, after one of whose
members. George Adee, of the class of
'66. the Yale boat-house is named. The
painting! is said to.be worth SIO,OOO.
Thatcher M. Adams, Yale, ’SB, has
given the art school a portrait of S. F.
B. Morse, class of 1810, inventor of the
telegraph. The portrait was painted in
1855. ; ln .
YALE WINS SYRACUSE DEBATE.
Springfield Boy Among Those Who
Help Eli Io Victory.
Y'ale defeated Syracuse in debate at
New Haven last week, upholding the af
firmative of this question: "Resolve that
industrial corporations doing an inter
state business should be regulated by a
federal commission with powers similar
to the interstate commerce commission.”
Edward M. Porter, sou of William P.
Porter of Ingraham avenue, a senior at
Yale, led the debaters of his college to
victory. Mr Porter is president of the
Y'ale debating union.
YALE MAN A RHODES SCHOLAR.
George Van Snntvoord of Troy, N. Y„
who was graduated from Yale last June,
was Saturday at New Haven, Ct., unani
mously chosen Rhodes scholar from Con
necticut.
DR TING COMPLAINS.
Says That Chinese Students Are Treat
ed Badly I von Entering This Coun
try,
Chinese students and others entitled to
entry to the United States are treated
with contumely and disrespect, according
to Dr Ting T. Wong, chairman of the
Chinese boxer indemnity fund. Dr Ting
in addressing the federal schoolmen’s club’
made this statement, and thereby lias
created a discussion in educational circles
in Washington. Dr Ting declared the ex
aminations of his fellow-countrymen were
close to barbarous. He urged, if they
were to be scrutinized on landing here,
that the examination be made in private
and not in the view of the crowd. This,
he intimated, was due his people because
of their advance during the- past few years.
Ten years ago. he said, his country was
"backward, very backward." but that this
fault was being corrected. "Ten years ago
China had only tiyo government schools,”
he said, "and those were very poor anil
scarcely worth the name of schools. In
lltlii we had 52,(550 schools, 1.635,334
panils. 89,766 teachers and 69 boards of
education. Dr Ting was graduated from
the university of Virginia.
AMHERST COLLEGE.
Triangular Debate to Be Held Friday.
The seventh annual debate of the tri
angular association of which Amherst,
Williams and Wesleyan are the members,
.will be held on Friday evening on the re
call of judges. One of the Amherst
teams, consisting of Stilwell. 1913, and
Long. 1914. with Heinritz. 1913, ns alter
nate, will meet a Williams team in College
hall on the appointed evening. The other
Amherst team, consisting of Cross, 1913.
and Agard. 1915. with Plough. 1913, as
alternate, will debate tit Wesleyan on the
same evening.
Amherst Freshmen Dine,
The Amherst college freshmen banqueted
in undisturbed joy Saturday at. the New-
American house in Boston. After an ex
citing day on Friday, when Rider, the
class president, was captured by the .soph
omores. to escape after a lively set-to in
which an automobile, a sheriff and shot
gun played active parts, the freshmen
slipped out of Amherst by special train
for Boston early Saturday morning. Au
even hundred men out of a class roll of
lim; sat down to a feast. Saturday night,
marked by triumphant speeches. Amherst
songs and cheers.
Amherst Sophomore Hop.
The 11th annual sophomore "hop" at i
Amherst college was held by the class ot (
1915 in Pratt gymnasium at Amherst Sat
urday with great success. With about 85
; couples in attendance, the hall was well
I filled, but not too crowded for easy danc
ing. as in some other .rears. The affair
was one of the prettiest yet held by any
second-year class at Amherst, the decora
tions of light green and white proving un
usually effective.
OF MUSIC AND MUSICIANS,
i
NEWS, CRITICISMS, NOTIONS.
OPERA SINGERS IN BOSTON.
Emmy DcMtiiin’M Great Performance in
“Madnine Butterfly”—-Mary Gar-
den'aMelodramatic ToMca.
Mary Garden sang the role of Floria
Tosca in Pnecini's opera for the first time
in America nt the Boston opera house on
Monday night. Philip Hale, the Herald's
musie critic, said:—
There was naturally great curiosity to
see and hear Miss Mary Garden in the
part of Floria Tosca, and especially to
see what she would do in the second act
of this raw-head ami bloody bones melo
drama. For Miss Gardea lias her own
ideas ami the courage to express them
in an original manner. In whatever
part she lias taken here she has been
interesting, “amusing" to use the word
in the meaning known to the Faris stu
dio. It. mattered not whether her concep
tion and composition of the part were at
variance with the traditions that came
down from the libettist and composer. Her
authority is so great that for the time
being her impersoiiation seemed the true
one. Her ingenuity is equally great, ami
she could defend skilfully her variations
and digressions. And if she by some mad
A l ''
'Wi
I - w
al A w?
-< M 1
EMMY DESTINN.
Ine of the most illustrious grand opera
singers.
^Photograph copyright by Mishkin. New York.]
caprice were to take the part of Bruenn
hilde on Monday and Arline on Wednes
day, tlie occasion in either case would be a
joyous one.
In the first act of "Tosca” she played
with delightful lightness. She was
neither the somber tragedian nor the
frolicsome soubret. She was an ap
plauded woman of the stage, passionately
in love with Mario, jealous and easily per
plexed. ready to scratch out the eyes of a
rival in a tempestuous fit, quick to forgive
and thus be the more adorable. And she
sung Puccini’s music, conversational and
lyrical, coquetish and sentimental, in the
right vein. She sang, by the way, chiefly
in French, her own French. I'believe
she sang the "Farewell to art” in the sec
ond act in Italian, but it was not easy to
distinguish the language, for her enuncia
tion was most imperfect, although she sang
the music with much taste and with un
exaggerated emotion. Her first act was
excellent throughout. Boston has never
seen a better one.
If "Tosca” is to be performed at all—
and it is one of the most inartistic operas
in the whole repertoire—it is perhaps best,
after all, to perform it in the most melo
dramatic manner, so that the characters
may be seen as Sardou’s puppets moving
to Puccini’s music: so that sympathy need
not be wasted, for sympathy with any one
of the characters will then be impossible.
Milka Ternina ennobled this act by the
nobilit v of her own performance; she ac
complished a difficult feat: she raised melo
drama to tragedy. Miss Garden was melo
dramatic throughout, but admirably melo
dramatic, always interesting, often engros
sing. and there were a few moments when
she, too. wore the tragic mask. She was
fair to look upon, graceful in gesture, ex
pressive in song, often convincing, and
especially in the scene after the murder.
Her voice was colored skilfully and its
lower tones were employed with thrilling
effect. Miss Garden has not been long in
the part. Paris has applauded her. hut
last night saw the first performance in this
country.
Some who object to any expression of
strong individuality on the stage—when it
runs counter to their preconceived ideas—
have taken pleasure in saying that Miss
Garden is not a singer. This is nonsense.
Her voice may please some and displease
others; but it is often beautiful in dra
matic expression: there are tones that
thrill at the time and haunt the memory.
The “true method” is often lost on the
other side of the footlights in dramatic
moments. There are singers whose
method is flawless, but it does not cross
the footlights. T.ast night, as on previous
occasions. Miss Garden showed conclusive
ly that she, too. could sustain a fine melod
ic lino and infuse lyric passages with dra
matic significance.
Tn blowing out the candles, she forgot
to light the two that were to be placed
one on each side of Scarpin’s.corpse. This
is mentioned lest someone express surprise
■■t Miss Garden's departure from tradition.
In order that the onera mar be gs melo
dramatic as possible, we all prefer the
lighted candles, and they should be large
and imposing.
A Most Illustrious Artist.
Art of a different kind is possessed by
Emmy Destinn. who snug the role of
Butterfly in another of Puccini’s operas on
Friday. November 29. Mr Hale then
said: —
Would' that there were more operatic
singers with the voice, the technical skill
and the musical and dramatic sincerity of
Miss Emmy Destinn! The world knows
little .about'her except that she i# one of
the most illustrious artists now giving
vitality Io operatic roles. In Bohemia, her
own country,, she is praised for her lit
erary attainments and her flaming patriot
ism.' Here we know her only as a singer.
Respecting her art. she does not descend
to sensational advertising. Taking a part
that others have taken before her. sho
does not find it necessary to chatter about
lur “own conception” of the character;
she has nothing to say about the "psy
chology” of the part. As yet she has not
acquainted the public with her views on
the subject of diet, nor hns she discussed
the recent election. She is not n woman
of “unique personality," who incidentally
sings in opera. _
Her voice last night was of golden qual
ity, and the subtleties of her art and the
generous outpouring of her glorious organ
were never more irresistible. What infinite
variety in expression! What delicacy and
lightness in the more playful moments!
The fleetness of expression in the conver
sational music might have been envied by
Auber's favorite prime donna, fascinating
in “Le Domino Noir.” or in another of
his sparkling operas that first of all de
mand elegance in diction. And in the
more emotional scenes of Puccini’s drama
this voice, was now caressing, now vibrant
with passion.
Never did Miss Destinn allow the audi
ence to forget the Japanese woman in the
thought that an occidental operatic singer
was impersonating her. Let it be granted
that in some respects the Japan of Puc
cini and his librettist is no more the land
of the mikado and his people than the
Japan of Gilbert and Sullivan. It is not
necessary to dwell op this subject. The
moment a country enters into opera, it ac
quires operatic manners and customs.
Opera is the most meretricious of the arts.
Let us accept the illusions, the deceptions,
the absurdities. A Japanese might look at
Butterfly's room as represented on the
stage last night and smile and say: “It's
a beautiful scene; it is effective; but let me
point out to you why it is not faithfully
Japanese.” For operatic purposes the
room was Japanese, and especially so to
those who had never been in Japan.
Madama Butterfly is a loving and de
serted woman, who. to suit the conven
ience of dramatist, librettist, composer, is
for the time being a Japanese. Miss
Destinn lived the life of this woman. She
brought the tragedy—a universal, not a
Imai, tragedy—home to the rapt spectator
and hearer.
THE ORPHEUS CLUB CONCERT.
Fine Singing by tbe Chorny and the
Contralto, Miss Christine Miller—
The First Appenrnnce in Spring-
Held ot the Violinist, Miss Irma
Seydel,
The Orpheus club, under the direction
of Jolin J. Bishop, gave the first con
cert of its season in this city
last week Wednesday in Trinity
church, crowding the choir seats with its
hundred and odd singers and the pews
with its attentive and enthusiastic listen
ers. Trinity church has proved an excel
lent place for concerts on account of the
fine organ, of which effective use was
made in two numbers.
To open the concert the club sang with
organ accompaniment the duet from
“Israel in Egypt,” "The Lord is a man
of war.” Its vigor suits well the lusty
character of a male chorus and the organ
gave additional body and sustaining pow
er. As their closing number they sang
the favorite “The Lost Chord” by Sir
Arthur Sullivan, ending with full volume
of tone, reinforced by the organ.
The club also sang three interesting
Indian songs by Charles Wakefield Cad
mau, with pianoforte accompaniment,
“From .the land of the sky-blue water,"
“The w’hite dawn is stealing,” in which
Walter Marsh sang the baritone solo, and
“The moon drops low.” Harry H. Kel
logg played the accompaniments for all of
these numbers.
The chorus without any accompaniment,
which ha-s always been rather a specialty
of the Orpheus club, was represented in
“By Celia’s arbor,” by Horsley, and "Fair
maid in the vale below,” by J. Herbeck,
and J. J. Bishop’s pretty setting of "O
my love is like the red, red rose.” of which
the last-mentioned evoked much applause
and an armful of red roses for the com
poser-conductor.
According to its usual custom, the club
had engaged soloists to assist. Miss Chris
tine Miller, contralto, who has sung here
before, and Miss Irma Seydel, the young
violinist, who has recently made her debut.
Miss Miller has now become one of the
lending contraltos of the country, singing
everywhere in oratorio and concert. She
sang last evening “Pleurez, pleurez, mes
yeux,” from Massenet’s “Le Cid,” and
two group songs, the first group consist
ing of one by Kurt Schindler, one by
Shading and one by John A. Carpenter, a
Dorsetshire dialect song.
The second group contained some dia
lect songs, too, “Candle lightin’ time,” the
words by Paul Ijiurence Dunbar, and the
musie by the late Coleridge-Taylor and
”Gae tae sleep,” by William Arms Fisher,
the group elosing with ” ’Tis Spring,” by
Harriet Ware. In response to repeated
recalls Miss Miller added another negro
song.
The young violinist, Miss Irma Seydel,
proved a source of wonder and delight to
the audience. Her selections were such as
to tax her technical powers severely the
"Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso,” by
Saint-Saens, the Sarasate “Faust Fan
tasie,” and a group of short numbers con
sisting of the familiar E flat major noc
turne by Chopin, a minuet by Beethoven
and a mazurka by Zarzycki. playing an
additional one after each appearance to
satisfy the persistent audience. Miss Sey
del has certainly accomplished wonders
for her years; she has already acquired a
brilliant technic and plays with taste.
How much she will develop as she comes
to maturing and emerges from the influ
ence of her teachers one cannot predict.
It seems probable that she will become
one of our foremost violinists.
Brahma a Pure Romantic,
The same critic also has something in
teresting to say about Brahms:—
Mr Balling (conductor of the Halle con
certs) seems likely to do something to
brighten up yet more for us the once dull
and obscure countenance of Brahms.
Brahms is already a popular composer
with us, and we should not wonder if his
Symphony in D had the greatest part in
drawing together last night’s fine audi
ence. But when we English people are
serious we are apt to be very, very seri
ous, and we have been for a long time
taking Brahms too seriously. He is, it is
true, in the formal sense, the last of the
great line of classical composers. But he
is by birth and in expression a richly ro
mantic composer. If into his hands has
fallen the heritage of Beethoven, he is
still the true son of Schumann, the warm
est-hearted of the German romantic com
posers. Viewed as a classic only, he is
but a fine mechanical figure, whose joints
do not at all work easily. His blood is
infused into him from another source.
Beethoven is the true, vital master of
classical form, tbe one master of in
sistent, unchangeable rhythm.
Brahms must, like all the romantic
writers, find his life in his variety. Fresh
and vivid and glowing, ,his music needs
must be made before the warmth of life
is in it. In the closing movement of the
symphony last night his abounding, run
ning, streaming life was more fully real
ized than hitherto. The second movement
is the most difficult to give with full life.
One felt last night that between its slowly
moving melodious limbs there was still a
lack of harmonious warmth and sympa
thy. Sometimes a melody would stand
forth with salient warmth, or a towering,
energetic figure would thrust itself out
bravely, but they seemed to stand out
against a cold and vacant unharmonic
space. The first movement has an ideal
quality that is unique. But it cannot
fully be realized by a classical, reverent,
treatment. Something nearer and more
vital is necessary. It was n little gloomy
in its opening notes, and warmed up only
gradually. Before the close it rose to
superb hights, and the dying away of the
coda was the finest thing of the concert.
Other Note and Comment.
That the present governmental subsidy
is insufficient to the needs of the French
National opera is brought out in the gov
ernment reports on fine arts for hist year,
just published, says Musical America. The
situation grows constantly more difficult
and a continuance of things on the present
basis for more than a few years longer
seems impossible. It is suggested as a
remedy that the state should either in
erenso the subsidy or remove some of the
restrictions making it necessary to provide
free seats for various officials, and produce
so many new operas every year. etc.
“1 should like to make a plea to young
American musicians to study woodwind in
struments and the horn." writes Leopold
Stokowski, the conductor of tbe Philadel
phia Orchestra, in a letter to the Y’iolinst.
“There is great demand for good players
of these instruments, apd tbe salaries are,
in general, higher than the string sec
tion. For woodwind instruments I would
advise students to study in Paris or Brus
sels. For the horn in' Berlin. Leipsic or
Munich. But. in Boston they can find
players equal to, if not better, than any in
the world.”
Owing to the success which attended
Mary Garden’s first American appearance
in the title part in Puccini’s “La Tosca,”
she will repeat the performance on
Wednesday evening at the Boston opera
house. Miss Garden’s second appearance
for tho week will be made on Friday even
ing. when Massenet's "Thais” will be
sting. Again Mr Marcoux >vill be her chief
associate in the part of the monk,
Athanael. Fornand de Potter will
be the Nicias ami Jeska Swartz will
be Myrtalc. The wepk will open
with "La Boheme" in which Lucrezia
Bori will sing for the. third time in Boston.
On Saturday afternoon Mme Dereyne will
essay the part of Cio-Cio-San in “Madame
Butterfly” for the first time.
Julia Culp, the eminent Dutch lieder
singer. is announced to make her first
American appearance at Carnegie hall.
New Y’ork, January 10. Her tour is be-
A" A
LUCREZIA HORI
Spanish opera singer, now making her first
appearances in the United States.
(Photograph copyright byMishkin,NewYork.J
ing managed by Antonia Sawyer, a woman
concert manager.
Reger’s "Romantic” suite, in which the
composer depicts natural scenes, has been
performed by- the Royal opera at Dresden.
The Beecham opera company is giving
condensed versions of grand operas in the
English halls.
ORGAN FUND CONCERT PLANS.
Promise Elaborate Function for Open
ing New City Mall—Date Fixed for
February 10,
The opening night concert in the new
City hall, given in the interest of the or
gan fund, will be the biggest function
Springfield has ever known. A statement
to that effect was given out last
week at the close of a meeting of the
committee of 100 appointed by Mayor Ed
ward H. Lathrop to carry on a canvass
for the organ fund. The committee hope
to secure from $40,000 to $50,000 for the
new organ, and expect to raise a goodly
share of that amount by the opening night
concert.
The committee of 100 met in the new
hall at 3o'clockWednesday afternooiuHen
ry G. Chapin, chairman of the exzutive
committee, presided and about 30 <4 the
100 committee members were present, a
good percentage in consideration of the
hour. Mr Chapin outlined for those pres
ent the plan for the campaign as turned
over to him by the mayor. A permanent
organization was then effected, Henry H.
Bowman being elected treasurer and Ed
ward H. Marsh secretary.
The executive committee was empow
ered to go ahead with the preparations,
and secure the finest orchestral and vocal
talent that will be obtainable for the open
ing night, which has been set for Febru
ary 19. No expense will be spared in se
curing the talent, and there is little ques
tion but that those who obtain seats will
show a like liberality in their payments.
The exact method of alloting the seats
has not been hit upon, but the method in
general will be that of the auction, vari
ous people offering to pay so much and re
ceiving in return a certain number of
seats.
At the meeting there was manifested a
strong enthusiasm for the plan of making
the opening night a most elaborate social
function. There was at first some demur
ring by those who felt that perhaps the
elaborate and also expensive nature of the
entertainment might prevent the attend
ance of a large number who have as real
an interest in the opening of Springfield’s
magnificent City hall as anyone else.
These were made to see, however, that
the real object of the elaborate concert
is to make money, and it is no more than
good business to turn the entertainment
over to those who are able to contribute
freely.
Before the concert opens a reception wilj
be held in the magnificent foyer on thd
balcony floor. This is one of the finest
features of the entire building, being ele
gantly finished in polished hardwood with
elaborate fixtures. The chairman was au
thorized yesterday afternoon to appoint
committees to have charge of the arrange
ment of the hall, flowers, ushers, press
and printing, and a reception committee
for the reception preceding the concert.
The executive committee of the commit
tee of 100 is composed of Henry G. Cha
pin (chairman), George B. Holbrook, Mrs
George Dwight Pratt, Mrs Walter H.
Wesson, Charles H. Pardons, Mrs James
B, Carroll, John F, Ahern. Mrs Frederick
Harris, Oscar B. Ireland and Miss M.
Louise Stebbins.
TETRAZZINI TO SING.
The Most Famous of Coloratura So
pranos to Appear in Concert at the
Court Square Theater.
It is good news that the advance sub
scriptions already received have encour
aged Mr Engel to arrange for the concert
in this city by Mme l.ouise Tetrazzini
which had conditionally been projected.
It will be given at the Court Square the
ater on Friday evening, January 10, and
will be one of the most, brilliant musical
events of the season. She will, be assist
ed by two of the leading singers of the
Boston opera company, . Ramon Blan
ehart, baritone, and Jose Mardones, bass.
But a large part of the program will fall
to Mme Tetrazzini, who will sing some of
the brilliant arias with Which she achieved
one of the most sudden and dramatie rises
to fame and fortune recorded in the his
tory of music.
Au interesting exhibition will open Jan
uary 3 at the American art galleries, New
York. It will consist of the paintings, wa
tercolors. pastels, drawings and prints col
lected by the late Tadamasa Hayashi, the
Japanese connoisseur, w ho was chief com
missioner for the Japanese government nt
the Paris exposition of IDOO. In 1883 lie
bud established an art firm in. Paris, and
made his own collection of European mas
ters with the purpose of affording the ori
ental public an opportunity to become
familiar with European art.' His collec
tion contains fine works by the impres
sionists. Degas Monet, Jienoir, Plssaro
and others. ' ’