The San Francisco call. [volume], April 14, 1910, Page 8, Image 8

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
THURSDAY
c San Francisco Call
JOHN D. SPRECKELS Proprietor
CHARLES NY. HORNICK General Manager
ERNEST S. SIMPSON Managing Editor
Addreaa All Communication* to THE SAX FRAXCISCO CALLL '
Telephone "KEAHNY SG"— A*k for The CelL The Operator WUI Connect
You With the Department You Wish .
BU3IXESS OFFICE and EDITORIAL ROOMS Market and Third Street*
Open Until 11 o'clock Every Night In the Year
MAIN CITY BRANCH 1651 Flllnfore Street Near Post
OAKLAND OFFICE-46S 11th St. (Bacon Block). . j $&s»•?\u25a0£*££?£ IS?!
ALAMEDA OFFICE— I43S Park Street Telephone Alameda 551
BERKELEY OFFICE— SW. Cor. Center and Oxford. . .Telephone Berkeley 71.
CHICAGO OFFICE — 1634 Marquette Bldg. -C. Geo. Krogness. Advertising Ast
NEW YORK OFFICE: — SOS Brunswick 81dg.. 3. C Wllberding. Advertising Agt
WASHINGTON NEWS BUREAU — Post Bldg. . -Ira E. Bennett. Correspondent,
KEW YORK NEWS BUREAU — 516 Tribune Bldg..C C. Carlton, Correspondent
Ferricn Offices Where The Call Is on File
LONDON. England... 3 Regent Street. S. W.
PARIS. France... 63 Rue Cambon . . „
BERLIN. Germany... Dnter den Linden 3
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Delivered by Carrier. 20 Cents Per Week. 75 Cents Per Month. Dally and Sunday
Single Copies. 5 Cents y
Terms by Mall, for UNITED STATES, Including Postage (Cash With Order):
DAILY CALL (Including Sunday). 1 Year ........ •* 80 5
DAILY CALL (Including Sunday), 6 Months *\u2666•?•
DAILY CALL— By Single Month ••••.J?2
SUNDAY CALL. 1 Year $2-50
WEEKLY CALL, 1 Year' $1-00
FOREIGN t Daily 18.00 Per Year Extra
POxT . rK - Sunday $4.15 Per Year Extra
tLiiAuh f Weekly v $1.00 Per Year Extra
Entered at the United States Postofflce as Second Class Matter
ALL POSTMASTERS ARE AUTHORIZED TO RECEIVE SUBSCRIPTIONS
Sample Copies Will Be Forwarded When Requested
iiail subscribers in ordering change of address should be particular to gIT«
both NEW and OLD ADDRESS in order to insure a prompt and correct
compliance with their request.
MRS. E. L. BALDWIN, representing the California club; did a
useful and timely service for San Francisco by her luminous
exposition of the Hetch Hetchy water rights controversy
before the State Federation of Women's Clubs
in session at Santa Barbara. The industrious
propaganda financed by the Spring Valley
water company had been able to create a mis
taken prejudice on this subject by appeals to
lovers 01 natural scenery. These are excellent people, altogether
honest in their ways of thinking, but the}' have failed to understand
that in this instance the information on which they formed opinions
came from a poisoned source and was wholh- misleading.
Mrs. Baldwin
and the Hetch
Hetchy Question
Xow the only- concern which the lovers of natural scenery can
have in this matter is with the extent and nature of the change pro
posed to be made in the Hctch Hetchy valley. All sorts of wild talk
and misleading stuff in this relation have been given currency by
agents of the Spring Valley company, and they have succeeded in
creating some alarm among excellent and' conscientious ' people.
Mrs. Baldwin thus explains what is to be done :
The greatest argument which concerns us is beauty of the valley,
and the water scheme development will mean simply the difference
between a meadow and a lake. We are not going to flood it 3,000 feet
<\cep; Nve will only take a little off the bottom. There is not a sequoia
tree within miles to be injured, and the trees in the meadow are only
oottbnwoods and cedars. It will simply be a mirror to reflect the beauty
and aot one fall will be injured, save one 20 feet high.
This is a plain statement of facts, none of them -disputed. Mrs.
Baldwin might have added that the unimportant change in the aspect
of the valley which she described was sought to be made for the
highest uses of a population of a million people, residents of the cities
on San Francisco bay. Their imperative need of *an adequate water
supply is conceded, and. their right to make ( a really negligible change
in the natural features of the Hetch Hetchy valley should not be
denied either for sentimental reasons or in obedience to the prompt
ing of a selfish monopoly.
In the same relation San Francisco extends her thanks to' the
supervisors of Tuolumne county, who have gone on record officially
in favor of the San Francisco plan. The Hetch Hetchy valley is
part of Tuolumne county and this testimony from men on the spot
is welcome as well as important. - *
THE city of Spokane has outgrown that stage of civic, evolution
wherein valuable franchises are given away by the municipal
governing body or sold for bribe money paid to the officials.
The city council in Spokane* has adopted a
policy that excludes the possibility of bribery
for the grant of franchises, and leaves the
decision to a vote of the people. The Mil
waukee and North Coast railway wants certain
franchises in Spokane and makes loud objection because the council
has decided to submit tfie question to the popular vote. In comment
on the situation the Spokane Spokesman says:
The objection of the Milwaukee and the North Coast, therefore, to
leaving their franchises to a vote of the people is distinctly character
istic. It is what any one informed on the subject might expect. It
fimply means that these roads are asking Spokane for franchises which
ignore the people's rights and interests and expect to get them by exert
ing pressure on the council. * * * »
The council, however, in its decision to leave the granting of the "
franchises to the people of Spokane, by a properly regulated referendum
vote, has placed a serious obstacle in the way of the railroads.
In effect it has said, "If what you ask' of this city is to the city's
interest* you should have no objection to leaving the question to the
city voters/ *
In thus insisting on a vote of the citizens upon a question which so
closely concerns them, so that every voter may express his opinion by
secret ballot after mature deliberation, without coercion and according
to his own convictions, the council stands upon unassailable ground. In
forcing the railroads to forsake their usual methods and adopt those more
equitable and direct, it is pursuing a policy which should have the
approval of all disinterested and pußlic spirited citizens.
If this system had been in force in San Francisco after the fire
there is not much doubt that the United Railroads would have g6*t
its permit to put ia overhead trolley wires on moderate. conditions
that would have proved far' easier for the corporation than standing
the cost and wear and tear of the graft prosecutions.
From the civic point of view the Spokane plan removes the most
powerful and dangerous incentive to bribery.
Removing
Temptation
to Bribery
ROOSEVELT has announced that he will speak at the national*
conservation congress which will meet in September on some
date not yet fixed. It would be a great thing if Mr. Taft
should make an address to the same body.. The
president has always been "a convinced and
loyal follower of the policy, not
withstanding the fact that members of his
cabinet have been conspicuously identified with
the opposite policy of wasteful exploitation to fatten private greed.
Mr. Taft, unwisely, we think, has been disposed to resent criticism
Df these members of his cabinet, and he is inspired, no doubt, by a mis
taken sense of loyalty to his friends: Indeed, Mr. Taft is- obviously
impatient of all criticism of his administration, no matter how well
intended, and is disposed to sulk in'his tent. He did not like the out
spoken declarations of the Indiana republicans in their platform, and
he has in consequence refused to visit that state during the present
campaign. • 4^V
Mr. Taft is conscious of his own honest intentions in regard to
the Roosevelt policies, and in this view his resentment may seem
natural, while at the same time its exhibition is most impolitic.'
The Indiana republicans are every bit as honest in their way of
* thinking about the Payne tariff, for instance, . as Mr. Taft can be.
The president should realize that "there is room here for treasonable
and sincere difference of opinion. He should keep in touch with the
people. The Chicago Tribune Jhus summarizes the situation as to
Indiana and Senator Beveridge :
There arc distinguished msn in Washington who neither think ac
How Taft
May Restore
Confidence
EDITORIAL PAGE OF THE CALL
Perfectly Natural Anxiety
Senator Bcveridge does nor believe that the rank and file of thc^jarty
are behind him and those who think as he does. .
The explanation of this is simple. These distinguished men do not
keep in touch with the people. Perhaps the affairs of state absorb so
much of their attention that they are compelled to do themselves this
injustice. Perhaps they have a reluctance, not unfamiliar in the great, .
to hear what is unpleasant though true.
The Tribune is not disposed to analyze their state of mind. But the
Tribune permits itself to point out, as it has' repeatedly pointed out
within the last few. months, that such a state of mind among its leaders
is the only grave danger confronting the party today. And it is a grave
danger. • \u25a0
Mr. Taft should not permit his resentment to keep him out of
touch with the people. The criticism of his administration is not
directed at him personally, but the impression has become widespread
that a mistaken loyalty to his friends has led him into, stubborn
alliance with the enemies of. popular rights. It is not too late to
remove that impression by getting in line with Roosevelt and
divorcing himself absolutely from those injurious alliances with ele
ments which are justly under suspicion.
EIXALLY, after long waiting, the interstate commerce commis
sion has put the traveling public in the way to, get some relief
from the monstrous exactions of the Pullman company. The
beneficiaries will not get that relief immedi
ately, but it must come in due process of law
after tedious litigation, prolonged by the ingen
uity of corporation lawyers skilled in the inven
tion of pleas for delay. That is all there will
be to the defense, because the justice of the commission's order -will
not be. seriously disputed except in vain endeavors to postpone its
effect.
Chiefly the order of the commission recognizes and gives effect
to the very material difference in value between the accommodations
of an upper and a lower berth. The uniform charge for these accom
modations has j always been indefensible. It is a rank injustice
inflicted on the traveling public because the corporation has the
power, or at least' exercises the power, to make its o\vi| rates, solely
with the view to its own profit.
This is an intolerable condition, which the interstate commission
now seeks to remedy. Its effect is seen in the huge dividend which
it enables the company to exact, if not to earn. ;.
It is the unfortunate vice of our system of jurisprudence and
practice that the commission's order can not go into effect except
after prolonged litigation. The right of appeal from the order may
not be denied, but the trouble is that final judgment may be long
postponed by the leniency of courts in tolerating lawyers' devices
for purposes of delay. v
Justice for
the Pullman
Car Company
~p-HE occasional dancing party of
I the late icason is hailed with de
light by the younger set and the
Presidio hops are growing in favor.
There was a reunion last evening at
the Officers' club when the genial
hosts greeted more than 100 guests in
the pretty clubhouse. The hops are
notable in" any time of social activity,
but now that the large dancing parties
are relegated to the past the dances at
the post. are events to be numbered
among the* most important on the de
butante's calendar. The decorations at
the dance were ferns and flags.
Among those who were present at
the dance last evening were:
Col. and Mrs. John Lieut. PfeU
Lundren l«Jeut. Burm
Lieut, and Mm. Har- Meut. Barkley
old Naylor Lieut. Schwab v
Miss Marie Lundeen" Lieut. I'oKe^ , . \u25a0
Mies Helen Chesebrouph Lieut. "Emnions
Mlfs limes Keeney Lieut. Orel .!
Mini Kate Brijrbam. Lieut. Bergin
Miss Augusta Fcute ' -
,• « •
The wedding of Miss Genevieve
Walker and William P. Burke will be
an event of the. day at the Roman
Catholic cathedral in Philadelphia. The
wedding will be a brilliant affair with
a large reception afterward at the
home of the bride. The ceremony will
be performed by Archbishop Ryan. The
young couple will go abroad on
[honeymoon, and their friends here will
; not see them tor. many months. <
- . • • . • ~ " • '" -
Mrs: Prentiss Cobb Hale entertained
at one of'; the .prettlestJ of .the ;spring
luncheons 'given yesterday at her home
in Vallejo .street. '. The complimented
guest of the. occasion was : Mrs. Carroll
Buc*k, and .a-' dozen; friends, were
to meet * the .* charming matron. The
decorations were, lilacs- in the spring
colors, v \u25a0-- ' ;
1 .\u25a0' ; - \u25a0•-.\u25a0. • \u25a0 ' .»'.-'\u25a0
Miss .Genevieve Harvey, who" has
been visiting her grandmother, Mrs.
Eleanor Martin,: for the last- few; weeks
and incidentally has been the incentive
for> several parties. . returned to Del
Monte yesterday. Mrs. J. Downey Har
veyVwho had also s been a.vlsltor.at the
Martin home, retumed-a few- days ear
THE SA'TOT SET
li&r to Del Monte. Miss Harvey is the
recipient of numberless beautiful en
gagement gifts; and in particular has
a charming collection of cups since the
announcement of her betrothal to Ward
Barron.'
:.':.« \u25a0 • »'..
The friends of Majpr General John
F. Weston's^ famhy are regretting that
the day has been set for their depar
ture for the east^ Miss Kathleen Wes
ton. Is one of the moat popular as well
as attractive girls, in the army set.
and the news that "she will leave next
Sunday has caused no end of deploring
comment among her friends.
:• *• •
Mrs. Arthur Mac Arthur Jr., who has
been visiting her parents, Admiral and
Mrs. McCalla, at the family home in
Santa Barbara, has returned to her
home in Annapolis after a delightful
stay in the southland. -Mrs. Mac Arthur
is a favorite in the service set. ,
.• \u25a0 ; -\u25a0• •. .\u25a0. \u25a0 • ;'\u25a0.•' :
: Mrs. Samuel Blair and her daughter.
Miss Jennie Blair, are being enter
tained at several small affairs this
month prior to their departure for Eu
rope. They will leave the first week
in May for the east and | will pass a
short time in New York before sailing
abroad. • ;, .
• • \u25a0\u25a0 •
I Miss Barbara Small has been visiting
In Sacramento and has been the feted
guest at several of the , recent affairs
given by the younger, set in that city.
Miss Small is a frequent visitor in Sac
ramento and has a large circle/ of
friends there. During her recent- visit
she has been the house guest of Miss
Estil Stevens. . . ' V •
\u25a0.\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0- :/ - : ; '.: •. :. \u25a0•/ " \u25a0'\u25a0• ... '. '": "-.
Miss Blanche Partington is going out
of, town for a few days and will be
the house guest of the Jack Londons
at Glen .Ellen over the \ weekend.
Antongothers who -will enjoy out
ing at the London summer .home are,
Mr. and Mrs. George Sterling. •
\u25a0; • '£:': .'\u25a0'\u25a0 ":.-' : '', \u2666"\u25a0 '-I * - . *v :" - , \u25a0\u25a0
'Mre. Charles Dillman and her daugh
ter. Miss Corinne' Dillman, have re
turned to their home In Sacramento
after a pleasant visit. in this city. Mlsb
Dillman is . one of the . most popular
girls In the. group, that makea frequent
—Chicago Daily News
ACelestial Agitator|
O. H. FERNBACH
(Much of the general rns>«edness at present ex
hlbitfil hj various members of the human rao*
is attributed by many to the proximity of Hal
ley's comet. — News Item.)
t
What makes the people act so bad?
The Comet.
What fills me with a feeling s>ad?
The Comet.
What makes my best girl bid me hence,
Refuse with scorn my love intense
And say I look like thirty cents?
. The Comet.
What makes our city pas perverse?
« The Comet.
What makes them for Calhoun re
hearse?
The Comet.
What almost made them deem it meet
The trolley Incubus to treat
To outer tracks in Market street?
* The Comet. >
What tries to block our water scheme?
\ The Comet.
What seeks to choke Hetch Hetchy'3
stream?
The Comet.
When -Ballinger knows what we need.
What makes him turn us down with
speed
And only corporations heed?
The Comet.
What l put Joe Cannon on the blink?
The Comet.
What fakeworm bit Doc Cook, dye
think?
The Comet.
What's rushing Aldrich to the block?
What makes the votes give such a
shock -^
To G. O. P. 'round Plymouth rock?
i The Comet.
There's nothing v wrong with us it's
just •
The Comet.
You bet it doesn't pay to trust
The Comet.
Cheer up! When things seem all awry
Its useless, quite, to pine and sigh.
Since Halley launched across the sky
That Comet.
trips to town and is always extensively
entertained here.
Mr. and Mrs. T. Z. Blakeman are In
town and will remain for several weeks
longer before opening their summer
home in^ Sonoma county.
General Oscar Fitzalan Long and
Mrs. Long entertained at an informal
luncheon given yesterday at the Fair
mont for half a dozen friends.
Miss Kathleen Finnegan has been
enjoying a visit at the country home
of baron and baroness yon Schroeder at
San Luis Obispo. Miss Finnegan went
south a few days ago accompanied by
Miss Janet yon Schroeder for an outing
at the country place. ' ' \u25a0•.
Mr. and Mrs. Eugene da Sabla have
returned from Santa Barbara with Miss
Vera de Sabla and Mrs. Clement Tobin
and are at El Cerrito. The family will
remain here probably for the remainder
of the month.
- • _'- \u25a0 • \u25a0 ' •
There will be a large audience of
society, people at the lecture to be
given this evening- by Mrs. Lloyd Os
borna. The. talented speaker will talk
about Robert Louis Stevenson as ex
plorer and; adventurer in the South
seas. The lecture will be given at Cen-
Mrs. Caroline Johnson Rlxford. who
has been visiting her sister, Mr» W W
Sargeant at Los Angeleai for t'hft "last
month, returned to her horr.« in this
city yesterday.
. Mrs. Josiah R.Hbwell entertained at
an informal tea given yesterday at the
Palace, for. lo or 12 friends.
Mrs. Milo Potter and Miss Nina Jones
who have been staying at the Palace
for several days, will leave this after
noon for their home in Santa Barbara
but are expected to return within a
fortnight. Mrs. Potter and her daugh
ter came here for the wedding of Miss
Suzanne Kirkpatrlck and- Allan Mac-
Donald, but the postponement of that
event changed.' their plans for an ex
tended stay in town- •
AN ATTEMPT TO PLACE
MAUD ALLAN
PORTER GARNETT
THE only trouble with Mr. An
thony's strictures on the dancing
of Maud Allan as-it relates to the
music ia that lie" does not go far
enough.
We ar*» being treated at present to
one of thoae edifying exhibitions of
provincialism that recur with such a.
rhitrtnlnjc periodicity In fan Francisco
— -pfrlmp* Urn mo»t complacently opln
lonsit**il'community on the face of the
earth in matt*™ nf nrt generally and
of inuHtc in particular.
On*> van UA\'r< no »junrr*l with those
who h«vn flocked to «e«> Miss Allan,
who t« uhdOtytitfdly mm exceptionally
i>i"ii< Imit rttrictrj t»Mt tli" itppnrrnt dl»
ji'tpJHun to flXitlt her b*yotld her de-
Itrti l« ••"! <inly provincial but crassly
\u25a0ttipldl
'I'hn point n i l,afl(»« In fh* f '>rifrf»v*rs.v
provoked by Mr. Antti&ny'* r«vJ«w li
whether All** Altitn'j .i^c** niuitrßt-
Inir work* by Cft#J>!fl nun OthW com
pomrn nrf n l«»Rl!l»in«<» eomptilTMnt \*>
composition* of i. in,« m tl tit*iy unre
lated to •iiinriiif.. Whi\» »*klr»« th«j
• tiuni with Mr, Anthony, tmi\t,t Wt«vir
art fthd •>tli«t» ttiu t Wiey nt* ti"l i-xU
imnt« nrt. I would ««• «»l|| ttttth-r nml
stnt* that they »r«i nii ofify h:i*»il on
a faisn conception »t tit** ptos9t rela
tion of (larulnic to munlc, but on a
fal«« conception of th* relation of
the art ot (lancing to th«« nrt of music.
. All art, to be BUch. If created alono
must stand alon*. Thin Is not to nay,
however, that music Khali not b<» writ
ten to words or to the movement* of
dancing; nor does it connote a denial
of the fact that lyric poetry implies
music, and In. therefore, a fitting
framework on which to weave musi
cal compositions. But it Is mere •. In
solence to put words to the catch
penny intermezzo of Mascagni. Al
though the relation of the words to the
music in Debussy's setting of Maeter
linck's •'Pelleas and 'Melisande" Is in no
sense comparable to the relation of
words to music in ordinary song or
opera, the fact that the two factors
were not co-ordinately created seems
to me to negative Lawrence Gilman'3
labeling of "Pelleas and Melisande" as
the "perfect music drama."
One need not indulge in the fatuity
of comparing the arts, but it can bo
said of music that it is. so to speak,
the most artistic of the arts. In othei
words, music mu«t be suggestive. All
the other arts put instruments of abus
in the hands of their practitioners;
that is to say. they put in their hands
the means of making statements,
which is only another "way of express-
Ing the Inartistic. Thus we have state
ments on canvas, statements In prosb
and verse (never in poetry), state
ments in marble and bronze. In music
alone it is impossible to make state
ments, although, unfortunately, we see
certain persons doing their utmost to
•transcend the blessed limitations of
this most discreet of arts and endeav
oring' to wrench it into a directness,
that is inimical to its very nature.
Walter Pater pays: "All art constant-"
ly aspires toward the condition of
music • • • in its ideal consum
mat* moments, the end Is not distinct
from . the means, the form from the
matter, the subject from the expres
sion; and to it. therefore, to the condi
tion of its perfect moments, all the
arts may be supposed to tend and as
pire."
Dancing is primarily an art of sug
gestion, .and as such it I* closely al
lied to music; but. unlike music. It in
susceptible of a degrading realism. Its
function Is to create beauty and to sug
gest emotion by means that other arts
can <not compass; it can act as tha
legitimate complemer.t of only such
music as Is .composed for dancing. How
beautiful an art it is within its proper
limits is only just now beginning to
be understood in this wonderful new
country of ours. "Dancing." says Ar
thur Symonds, "in which the performer
Is at once creator and Interpreter, per
formed faultlessly and by a dancer of
temperament, is as beautiful in Its own
way, as a performance on the violin by
Ysaye." No description of dancing as
a medium for the expression of emotion
can surpass that to be found In "La
femme et le pantin." by Pierre Louys,
and I recommend It to those who would
comprehend the subtleties of the art.
The only legitimate function of art
is to suggest; It is the only possible
function of music. All art should be
an evocation: music must be an evoca
tion. Says Stephane Mallarme, "To
state is to destroy, to suggest is to
create." Now when an attempt is made ,
to expand or supplement the import
of music by dancing not created with
the music itself, such dancing becomes,
not a legitimate complement of th«
music, but an illustration of the
music and, as such, it is not pure art.
Any attempt to extend the value of
musical rhythm. Intended to be suf
ficient in itself, by a visualization of
the rhythm is an, impertinence. It
gratifies a large number of persons foe
the reason that in going. beyond the
limits of the evocation, it is a move
ment in the direction of the statement.
PERSONS IN THE NEWS \u2666 |i
MAJOR ROBEET HOUSTON XOELE of th«
United States army If a guest* at the Strat
ford. Major Noble Is well known on this coast
and spent 12 rears in this city. Be was aid
to General Shatter In Cuba and was with Taft
and General Smith in the Philippines. He has
recently been' stationed In .Tancoarer and is
now on leaTe.
WILLIAM H. HANSON of Redwood Cit.r will
leave for an extended .tour through Euror* oa
April 25. - His wife and his stepdaughter.
Mrs. George Frlsble. will arcompany him.
• • •
J. M. McGEE of OrpTlUe, Mr. and Mrs. VT. B.
Clancy of HlTerslde and C. .W. Barton are
among the recent arrlTitU at the Fairmont.
3. J. O'HOTXKKE, proprietor of a general mer
chandise store at Colnsa. accompanied by Mrs.
O'Rourke. is staying at the Argonaut.
' \u25a0 \u25a0 - •' \u25a0-\u25a0-.• • ' Vs.
B. B. MILLZH, traffic manager of the Oregon
railroad and navigation company, is at tha
Palace, registered from Portland, •
•• • .
B, H. MITCHELL of Sparks. Ner. : Peter Mc-
Cabe of Eureka and G. A. ' Barns of Sacra
mento are guests at the Manx.
.;\u25a0...-< - • • • \u25a0 \u25a0
©X, E. L. MATERS of Reno and Mr. and Mrs.
\u25a0 Frank Williams are among the recent arrivals
at the Argonaut. ... ; 
;.ij - -.-\u25a0 * . ;.:.•••.:•. -
W. L. WATERS and wife of WatMnvlUe are
staying at the Dale. Waters Is a prominent
fruit grower. ~oji fyv
* •\u25a0\u25a0''*.
J. BUPERT FOSTE2. president of the chamber
of commerce at MarysvUle, is staying at the
fit. Francis. , .. , \u25a0•.....
-\u25a0\u0084.."\u25a0" „•. • • -
C. L. MACKENKON of Washington Is a gnest at
- tha Stanford. ' ' . ; .•
: - . • ;. • •' \u25a0
MRS. r AXGEDIHI o f Spokane Is 'stopping at the
Stanford- ' / B&Sn&C- \ \u25a0
APRIL 14, IQIO
It is a commercially inspired concession
to the bourgeois mind which craves
statement and demands illustration. It
is not art.
Herein lies the weakness of Maud
Allan's truly excellent v*udevii>
"stunt." I translate the term from the
English of a correspondent of 'the Lon
don academy, whose letter quoted be
low will bear evidence that there are
other dissenters:
Only in England of the twen
tieth century would it be possible
to see the name of a serious artist,
as Miss Duncan undoubtedly is.
printed in -one line with that of
the successful performer of a
startling music hall 'turn.' In
view, however, of the heights of
gentility and refinement to which
our Increased delicacy of percep
tion ha 3 elevated the variety
state' 1 , perhaps I ought to assum«
that this apparent solecism Is. after
nil. the greatest of compliments.
The best opinion in London (which
In simply another way of saying the
opinion of the minority), while ad
mitting and admiring ' Maud Allans
t«rrp«lchorean address — as one is bound
to admire p.xpertness. be it that of the
dancer, the acrobat, the juggler, th*
boxer, the billiardist, or the b»!l
player— deny her creatlveness. One
English critic, who admires both
dancers, says: "There can be no man
ner of doubt that Isadora Duncan la
a greatef artist than Maud Allan, who
has but little faculty of Invention, but
little Inwardness, but little creative
ness." To Illustrate his point he of
fers an analogy (somewhat strained in
from though not In Import), saying:
"Walter Pater is the Duncan; D«
Qulncey. or, to be more accurate,
Thomas Browne is the Allan of litera
ture."
One does not assume too much in
accepting this comparison of Duncan
to Pater because, ,while we have not
yet seen her in California, the con
sensus of sophisticated critical opinion
is that she is not merely a dancer but
one of the really notable "serious" art
ists of our time. She has done better
than merely to contribute to the vol
ume of art; she has advanced art. which
is given to few to do, and which is
the only thing worth doing. In her
character as a creative artist it is
proper to bracket her name with that
of Pater, for she is to dancing as he
is to English prose; as "Whistler. Car
rlere and Degas are to painting; as
Rimbaud, Verlaine, Mallarme and Sym
onds are to poetry; as Vllllers de l'lsle-
Adam. Maeterlinck and D'Annunzlo are
to the drama: as Debussy, D'lndy
and Ravel are to music; as Rodin is to
sculpture. Like these "incomprls,"
Duncan is of the tribe of the great.
But with whom, on the. other hand,
are we to bracket Miss Allan? The
answer .«eems obvious enough — with
Harry Lauder. Chevalier. Sandow and
Paulhan. Like her they are all su
preme In their various ways. This im
plies nrf. disparagement of Miss Allan;
ft Is merely an attempt to place trer In
the position of eminence to which she
cjearly is entitled. But when seated
securely on her proper, pinnacle with
Lauder. Chevalier and Sandow as her
immediate neighbors and Paulhan
circling gayly overhead, she may ob
serve that the distant peaks, on which
(with a strong binocular) she can de
scry^Duncan and other great artists',
belong to another range of mountain**
from which she Is cut oft by a vast
sea.
Skill and address she has in a high
degree, but • • • here is what Felix
Clay has to say In "The Origin of th*
Scene of Beauty" on the subject of skill
in relation to painting. It is a thing
for some "artists** to take to heart:
At the present day art has become
so confused with skill in drawing and
painting that a moderate degree of
dexterity in either 1* popularly sup
posed to make the possessor, ipso facto.
an artist; we can not even teach draw
ing in a school without Its being called
art teaching: although such drawing
Is In reality a simple and useful pice*
of technical skill, having the same re
lation to art as reading and writing to
literature.
A few slight changes in the wordlns?
would make this apply with equal
truth to any of the other arts. Th«
Inference from "the best opinion" Is
that Maud Allan has abundant skill:
she Is intelligent and artistic. Isadora
Duncan has. abundant skill: she is tn
tellectual and an artist. Th« one is
clever, the other exquisite. In Paris
they call Debussy "un.. cerebral" be
cause hla art Is intensely intellectual.
For the same reason Duncan might be
called "une cerebrale." Miss Allan,
however, would have to be called "une
cerebelleuse" because she represents
the refinement 'of muscular address
guided by an Intelligence that is not
unmindful of the gold of commercial-
Ism and the gilt of popularity. It may
be said, in fine, that her dancing is un
questionably artistic; but If Duncan
come* to California for tha esthetic
good of the community, as It Is to be
hoped she wilL it will be seen by those
capable of perceiving tt that her danc
ing Is art Itself.
Berkeley. April 13, mo.
Orore. v amoo* th» rec.at arrtrala at t&c. St.
Francla.
W ; If. GRAHAM, «O u op«'r,t«>, <* Saata Bar
bara. 1, am<mff tj,. ncnt trrlTtl , the
B^ RL^ 800Z * T ' • >«*\u25a0* « New Tort, is
arnon* the rectnt arrival* at the St. Francis.
• • •
R. MACXE2TZIE and wife ar« staying ,t th-
Stanford. MaeKensie ti a retired capitalist.
.•• « •
S. CHAPJCAIT Ad Fre«l S. Chapman, business
men of Portland, are gnests at the Palace.
• • •
L. A. CRASDALL, aa oil op*rator of _Lo» An-
S*i«. Is registered at tb« St. FraacJa.
. • • ' •
0. N. LUSSOIT, a daaler hi mirrors." is r«s!sterH
at the St. Francis from Nrw Tort.
h>' •;:i : f •• •
W. B. DE JAWATT. a real estate man of Co
ta»\ U rejUtered at tae Stewart.
• • \u25a0
1. H. PAGE, -a commission merchant of Port
land. Is staying at tie Palace <
* • " ' • •
LOTAL B. BTEASJT3. an attorneT of Portlaad.
Is registered at the Palace.
\u25a0 • • •\u25a0".- -,
O. L. O'DAT and frank Sander. Colorado mlala«
men. are at the Colonial.
•\u25a0 • •
W. S. TILLOTSOV, aa attorney of Baddiax, b
staying at the Palace.
MA3TIV G3JJ tls, a Plttsbms banker, la a -
guest at* the Dale. ">
DX. W. H. MWHT, a phjatelan af AtHram. Is
at the St. James. t
.--.*-.• •\u25a0•
WXX.L CXZSST. as actor, is at O« Bt. marts
with lira. Crewy.