The times dispatch. [volume], September 15, 1912, Image 20

About The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914

Image provided by: Library of Virginia; Richmond, VA

                
B e u I a h Bentoni
Edmondson, A m er ican
Indian, Intends to Be a
Grand Opera Pnma
Donna Some Day
/f COUPLE of years heticc the music
/~W lovers of Niiw York, or Boston, or
-* Philadelphia, or Chicago may be ap
plauding rapturously a hew Mary Garden, tis
red of race as the other Mary is white.
Over in Par:. , where they put the finish?
ing trills oii the songbirds of grand opera,
there is a HCiv arrival, a beautiful Indian girl,
whose voice is of ravishing sweetness. She
is there to take her post-graduate, course in
the Paris School of Expression. She hopes to
return as a singer of ackuou ledged talent?
perhaps one of the world's new generation of
prima donnas, with the Metropolitan flaunt?
ing her in the faces of Covent Garden and
the Pans Graiid Opera, while the im?
mortal Oscar talks passit ttatc love and undy?
ing devotion through his iinmbrtal hat.
Foolish hopes/ Oh. no! Beul ah Ben
ton Edmondson, Cherokee princess, Indian
maiden, whose beauty rivals that of many a
famed helle of the white race, and in the
whits beauty's own style, is taking the routine
course to the heights of fume, trodden by so
viany v hi fail at last. But she has behind
her already <i measure bf attainment which
comparatively few possess; and the chances
are that she will sin ced where hundreds of
others have pitifully failed.
THER 13 Is something exceptional, It would seem,
about the women of th& Cherokee nation, espe?
cially '.m rcspSct t>> their singing voices; und
Beul ah Bdme-ndson Is h prlne? at of the Chero
Ur- s. <i<-! ;endant ? : one >?( the tribe's most noted chiefs.
It may ho rmly thai the Cherokees hiiVe long been lu
advance of other Indians In thtdr adoption of the white
man's ways, education and inversions, Hut. as far back
ns nearly twenty years rtgo t!...r.- <-nmc out of Vinltn,
In the then Indian Territory three :?! ti rs,daughters of
*'.d ?. i.t-f niucjue.ket, v id w-;e remarkable for their
exquisite beauty atid their exceptional musical talents.
They had n strong dash ol the 1 i French voyager
blood In them >; earlier aneestry, and t>air complexion
was by no means the coarse brownish-red thut goes
with the full-blooded Indian. They were, however, as
far fiom the white .sk:-i a-< they were from the red. Tho
best phraeVto iesorlbe them was olive-copper, with tho
roses of their' white blood glowing on their cheeks; und
In theii eyes were all the slumbering tires of the Indian,
mingled with th.. Lutln,
R ifie, the eldest, most nearly verged 0-1 the Indian
typ*, and her particular metier was not vocal, but tho
piano. Carrie, the youngest, was a lithe bronze Diana
with a mellow contralto which heeded only the training
Princess Reuln!!'? will recl-lve l<i make it on?- of the
fcplendid voices of the; operatic stage. Tho other sister,
of commanding appearance arid unusual loveliness, pes
aessed a soprano of singular rktngu, sweetness! and volatile,
so pure and crystalline that t;,.- chandeliers and globes.
In halls and churches where they sang rung In resonant
1 ord whenever she accentuated tho rich timbre of a
1 cite she sbunUed;
THE THREE SISTEKS
of the east, hut not
h<ard the andiene? :i
: ?' .1 1! v
?
have been steadily profiting by
education, such as only the ? ?
hive been able to enjoy or wise
1 , lejacttjet slatera, at .1 tim< ?
an unusual " compltshm^nt for
pllshed atonographera'. It was 11
ICHIgll' I, III a way. to be the safeguard ugaiimt
? ?? ? '. !? rl mi whli h. in this form of no nie trade or
ruining, Is Insisted iipu'ii for the son* of the royaj Hohen?
? Hon s In ' Jerntany,
Mian Edmbndsnn, In her day. has hart the advantages
' a f ill cours? hi t - Cherokee National Female S?rr/
nary. at Tahlequah; where, she graduated, Her vo)rf>i,
ven then. gave, iivlilen c f>f its range, and tier eiroujfl^
lances made It easy tor her to utilize the oppotl inllhrs
ir c ulture whl . own d her In the east. She wentjlo
Huston and tie:,- itjudied ::i a school of expression until
. lie crad latcd
l",,r a iifiie; her rn desty forbade h< r -., rfreahi 'f the
world triumphs which appear so readily accessible do
mnny a ?Irl less highly gifted She returned to * >kla?
ma nnd opened a studio m Muskogee.
Hut a ycai :? Occupancy of it left her restless n)id
insatlsficd, Shu was in no need of the jrtcomc It earned
to r. however deslrabh money might be; and. conscious
? ?' her power?; st-, was in constant need of the larger
scopi) rc'iulrc.l .'or their full development and exercise.
She fought out with her craving fur a whole year;
then she decided that, whatever the measure of her
unifies, It was due them that she make the endeavor.
In the latter part ,,f July .-' . closed her Muskogee studio,
hastened on to New S'ork and early In August sailed
IH r arrival there has added to the American colony
I ho most picturesque figure that hau lieft? itcch lor some
your* Sh.- is of n,. ollve-broiuo complexion which was
bo attractive a feature in the beauty of tho three Blue
jacket princesses, and hei lineaments are ,t,e rather
aqullli.?der which belonged i" the youngest ol those
three girl- ||er eyes, hk. all ? hen ke, ryea. are huge -
ami dark, nllcriiiUely brilliant iti the :- (Iren and deeply,
tenderly languorous. Clad in ordinary . lothes, st.. ;? tin
Unusually handsome girl, oho who will turn the heads of
people on the street. Atitt-d hi bet native costume, she
Is the embodiment <>f the popular, romantic dreams oi
Indian lovi i IK ?
It U . :.!}? during these more recent v?nrs that this
country lias liteii learning to appreciate at their real
value the talents which have laid so lonit derma it and
unused in :: . Indiai wards There In no Small likeiil.1
that the lime is near at t and when a new "Natoma" ?
whether or hot Vl.CtOI Herbert write the music and J'.:u
Bedding the words Will have Its native-born Indian
prims donna foi the leading role, an i perhaps its whole
company or Indian fingers to .airy the cast
The remits of the IIUO census have shown a marked
infusion bi v. dte liloo I I ait . tho India . tribes surviving!
and have shown, to... a marked gain In vitality, appar?
ently directly attributable to the mingling of the strains,
it would stem thai the story of humanity s Improvement
In the gi> m American ''melting pot, so notable a feat n ?
of the Kuropean peoples who have emigrated to this
continent. Is even more mark? II) tr... In the case of the
lndliin-i and th- w bit,, a
CIIKKOKHES ARE VIGOROUS
Thr once-revlled "squaw man." so ofterl detested by
the early westerners as o,,- who na-1 forsaken his g-ds
und degen-rated almost !?? barbarism was giving to Hie
Indian the biood strain needed to tit him for the futufe
Of Industry* civilisation, health and longevity T-.-?
? ?
?
stltute ai.S per cCnt of th.- total of Indiana in the
lontlnental United States T - v slallatlcs show that
not only are t:,?:. r. ? ? children born In the mixed
marriages, but thai a Idrkei proportion of thou- born
survive in maturity, The census deduction Is that,
ultimately th- full'blooded Indian Is destined to !n>
uppearance, ami (hat at a date not far distant
-
t lost Obvious In Oklahoma, Miss Kdrriondson's ow n
state, where the Indian population is not only largest
it.Sjb In 1910?litit most a.Ivan...1 In civilized Ways
of living.
The standards 'l ere, jn countless families whose Indian
blood Is e|:ner predominant or distinctly noticeable, havo
lust I
? f educatlot
the
paid by so many whites fbi their ambitions In ihn
?
?
ample prospcrlt) warrants th- ?? itjay A win 1? pe
Is glowing up In comfort and culture whose native
Indian blood has been modified of iate j-ars by the
n..st vim- strains of Swedish, German, English and
American white blood.
Tin women win. ,...me ,,f this mixed stock are very
often beautiful, and always Intelligent and domestic In
their ta??s
Sui h a hower of race as Miss Edmondson Is. and thi
?
voice that constitutes an exception among th- women of
every nation. The possibility of an Indian Mary Garden
.. ... strong now that, <?-.?,-, though this'beautiful candi?
date f'T Operatic honors were to fa 11. the future Is sura
to priivlde others until one appears fit to wear the crown.
ots can t let women
Want tlit.'in, wtili?ut
.inl with lih.loiioc??'1
iVr tin- I ilsltioil tin:
ii!i<l will pro'vi
lin Rill
?
1
p'iisiiu "it' rbnringr
mm in Uta back i?l
I.til thn whole
i-uiglil tlown to
li rulorntticnl
in-kli?1, liyjiini
II except tllQ
ii I: in ttio future.
liiiH? with s.'.n will wclRiinio Kbtd
?Ith ih< nnthijflK in ..f DillllonalrfH
: iv. mill Iii.)...- with R? conti) wilt
inn ili.- irold pi ii to Imitation?, and
bh irimurrhc it i"->t hopponod : ?
About (be same lime, In the early dog day a,
some girls on Ihla side of the ocean made
little fad of wearing thblr brothers' socks:
boasted "f the coolness to their friends; proved
they'd stay up without carters?although not
a single brother, thus tar. has learned how;
hnd soort hail hundreds of emulators Looming
i 'In' half-Hose business.
V At tip seashore, notably Atlantic City, other
A tilting Innovators, bathed with ho so<k? at ail.
and were tlirllilngly popular until the beach'
\ guards ruled I hem oft as Improper.
\ 'I'll.- rabies rushed the joyful hows to Paris
\ ar: i fashionable women over there cut loose
\ n.-hi iiivaj on the half-hose adventure, [lilt
\ It failed. No ..oe knows, as yet, whether the
\ . reedj machinations "f ihn gold Stocking
~&r-J manufacturers, about to launch their boom,
[ hipped to.- pretty practice in the bud. or
VJL 1 niihei Parlsl ? women aren't built thai w?y.
v / Bui lh' next edition of in.- hose stage told of
>y the barelegged j?.vs amid surf ?l Atlantic,
*U Forthwith lo'/.ens ..f stocking's which had
chlined male he,.i ia. .es at every seaside re
,tjjj soit in I :....,- went into discard, aid o?t
bloonied their contents in Cdj : mill; and
balplals.
?Ii i-- gnind!" CxclalmCd the famous l.ioctor
t.1hn,rllor, ami the e<|iia)ly famous Professor
llaymoiul "U'e hnvj made an Investlglilloli of
Uns delicate btil important subject. II i> ccr
lstlit ihsi I i per cent of the young girls whbse
health 's weak v ill he restored th vigor If they
will discard their deadly stockings,"
Yu-i sec, it ..11 enhio about natural!}, ami lor this
one iln.e at leiir-i, the doctors h?v< approved a novel
faahldu Hut their approval was rieetj.rlli a con
demiiulion of "ho did one, which dates bi;? i to the
period of Ouncn Flli'lilicti . in FnglSnd, for it was
welcomed, wlih delight, the" Italian ud
vennicer of IndiisiVy who first showed It w.i pos?
sible in cov<-r the leg ' eatl.v as well a.- warmly, bor
centuries '1.klug has been accepted by nil as an
article of uppf.rel nit llnrmlei as It is essential,
tm tin ran" principle, prnceiedlng pitilessly, the
,?.? linve condemned underwear OS. being prone
to rnrilcu the skin forfeit its normal activity In hro
f.iitil ,? the beidy It happens thai fashion bus done,
Its In.st. late)', to co-operate with the doctors; ami
r\- outcry now is loudest from the guardians of
morality, Who charge that women have already
, ; rip i'd beyond 1.mcy's irreducible minimum.
dilon. of course, hasn't pnld the smallest n|
lontlon to these worthy monitors of morals; still, she
has le i i, pattthv herself on the b.i< it for being a good
girl .ind trying to please thi doctors. But, Just ?.?.?hen
good) good> fashion was most proud of her unusually
naughty self, mcdlclno found that she- had sinned
i ortnllj above her underwear The .-or!iela -e.h. those
eternally wicked corseta! -wore made now so sheath
ill . ti .1 tin dragged down all a woman's Innards,
lied up all her circulation, stiffened all her joints,
paralyzed her spin, and prep.ared her for the sana?
torium
I neiden tally the ,p..-tors pointed out the terrible
fa. I th it her high heels made her a voluntary orlp
ple uui bee eneirniotin jml called for n female Ajax
? .. bear it" crushing burelen Awful consequences of
th.- two ll< i.i.i. iie? baldness spinal ntraln. nervous?
ness, shrunk thanks and corns.
WH. anyway, a woman had to have a dress on.
BiM (ltd she? The doctors had their doubts. They
cb?ldrrt se?> any dress t.. speak >?( In the decollete
which Is the glory of the mil with a personable fig?
ure. They declared! It wa? her liest bid lor pneumonia,
"?h! rill right,y sh<- responded; "I'll try to oblige.
And meanwhile ill git acclimated,"
Behold t .. peekaboo waist, designed after a model
cf the grunt lunar moth when it encounters a load of
buckshot. The doctors Invoked pneumonia a little l >udcr
than before, and so., nu.ly adjured her to put some
clothes on.
(She obeyed; loaded up with all the furs she could
lltlj :il borrow, until a Moscow droshky driver looked
like n sylph beside licr. And. would you believe It? those
i trj same doctors rose right up and eorc she was
doing lor extravagant lust to contract; of all things,
pneumonia.
So there she is, from the skin out. from head to foot,
(.wii f ont to hack. inM'ie and outside.' condemned as
the horrible example of habitual suicide. Her past, with
its Iroh-cago corset.-, its :.|g panniers, its dozen petti?
coats, its billowy iloopsklrlH, its populai bustle and its
lowering coiffures. Is lio more appall.ng than her pres?
ent of a lag. two earrings and a hank of hair. Vet It
s well to note that nil He- women who risked their
.... health wearing farthingales, powdered hair,
stomachers ami multiple Dutch petticoats are now dead.
Th.it precisely what will lihppetl to all the women of
today, with their sheaths and hobbies. t..<ir peekaboos
and their high heels; It is what win happen to the
wearc::. In she future, ol tho solid gold stocking.--. An
In reusing percentage of Ihein will persist in living past
l?l and lau--'hing In tlie doctors' grim and grouchy faces;
but they'll only prove the rule.
Meanwhile, the records of medicine vs. fashion show
that tr, el isn't b single garment, Ornament or hairpin
women wear that h.i-n't had some doctors worrying It
like a dbg at n stuffed kitten.
The only It. ui of woman's dress that has thus f;-.r
escaped scientific condemnation was Bye's llgleaf. And
(ho modern scientist would have found that garment full
oi phylloxera, If Adam didn't chase him ort of the
bh rden.
Albinism is Everywhere
N ABBINO Is a person or animal with the nb
H< u ? of color in the hair ,.r eyes, or both. This
Is also found In many birds, and It Is not very
uncommon we see or hear .f a While blackbird, or a
white crow, or some oilier bird or foul Which Is very
Itlghi; colored Iii its natural state.
No people are ns frequently albino as the Arizona
IStinl Indlnns, who are very frequehtl) white-haired
and plnk-ey . I
It In asserted that litis results from Ihr absence of
coloring matter, in all the animal kingdom this ren?
dition seems to exist;
Certain fowls show tin- sam.dltion. a number
at prairie chickens have been ?hol ihat wer,, perfect
albinos.
A few robins and English sparrows, and occasion?
ally a white redblrd, are found In different paits of the
country, and they re always looked upon as remark?
able freaks in nature but an- in r.tvt unite common
Sonn ilorlsts declare albinos exist among Mowers,
and that white Specimens come in man) llov.'i rs that
are naturally of high colors.