The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, September 1, 1901, Page 18

18 THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1901. NEW BIBLICAL DRAMA WITH SPECIAL MUSIC AND A BELLINI OPERA. BY BLANCHE PARTINGTON. + - COMPOSER OF THE INCIDENTAL MUSIC TO “A VOICE IN THE WIL- DERNESS,” THAT IS SAID TO BE ORIGINAL AND IN KEEPING | WITH THE SPIRIT OF THE DRAMA. 2 HE incidental music of “A \'Glce} in the Wilderness,” the new bibli- cal drama at the Central Theater this week, will be of special in-| terest. Mr. Louis Homeier, the leader of the Central orchestra, is the composer and seems to have evolved something at once original and in good | keeping with the spirit of the drama. This is by no means Mr. Homeler's first work of 4he kind, by the way. He wrote the incidental music to “King Lear” and “Louis' XI" for W: E. Sheridan, and is o the composer of a number of re- a fine “Salutaris” To Mr. Homeier ligious works, notably and several offertori js also owing the first introduction of Wagnerian music to San Francisco, in 18%2, at Platt’s Hall, where he gave a series of concerts with a fine orchestra of forty musical enthusiasts. The ac- companying and illustrative music of “A Voice in the Wilderness,” therefore, | scems to be in good hands, and the few ains I have heard will certainly add nterest to the performance, the “Hero- dias Barbaric March” and the “Anthem | Superna,” more particularly. S One violinist and two harpists is the curious combination of the Vailee trio of | women players that will be ape of the| week’s musical numbers at the Orpheum. The combination sounds perhaps more curfous than beautiful, but the trio has | been something of a rage in the East, and whether ‘musical or novel remains to be| seen. Miss Lucille Saunders, the - contralto who hes made so favorable an impression with Orpheum audiences, is to be heard | again this week in some new ballads. Miss Saunders is very well worth listening to from a conversational as well as vocal | standpoint. She has had a varied experi- | ence on the operatic stage both in Eng-| land and America, and has much pie- | turesque gossip about it that she retails | in a very pleasing volce and fetching| fashion. Miss Saunders was a pupll of | the celebrated Mme. Lagrange in Paris, where she studied for three years. She made her debut with the famous Carl| Rosa Opera Company, then at the height of its reputation, and sang ‘the three parts of Frederick, Siebel—I am not sure of the third—all in her first week. She bas interesting stories of W. S. Gilbert | to tell, with whom she spent a happy | season or two at the Savoy Theater, and | to whom she gives any credit due to her for her exceptionally good enunciation, Gilbert having told her one @ay at re- hearsal, Jo her profound embarrassment, | that her work might be good If anybody | only could tell what she ' was - singing about! Since that time she ‘has taken care they shall. Her later work in! America with the Metropolitan Opera Company is too recent to need resurrec- tion. b ety It gives me pleasure to announce the re- | turn of Mme. Julle Rosewald to the city | after an absence of four years. It will | be gratefully remembered by ‘many prom- | inent singers that this once famous go- prano of the Henry Abbott grand opera company was for eight years one of the foremost vocal teachers in San Franclsco, and it will be good news to the vocally inclined"to know that she will again re- sume her teaching here. Among those who owe their inspiration to Mme. Roge- wald are Marie Barna, Carrie Milzner, | Alvina Heuer and many other good mu- sicians too numerous to mention. . e -u The Rev. J. L. O'Nelll for his lecture to-morrow evening at the Metropolitan Temple on Savonarola has been fortunate enough to secure the valuable vocal as- sistance of Rev. Father Sesnon, the ona- time Lohengrin of the operatic stage and now affectionately known as the “‘singing priest.” With his lavishly interesting sub- ject of the splendid old Italian frate:and Fether Sesnon’s songs Father O'Neill has wmnly provided an interesting pro- 1ing gramme for the evening’s entertainme . The coming week at the Tivoli will se the revival of one of the two most impor- | tant of the Bellini operas, to wit, “Nor- | ma,” a work comparatively seldom heard | here ofving, perhaps, to the exacting na- | ture of the title role. Barbareschi is cast | for the part that I understand is a par- | ticular favorite with™the pleasing singer, | and one that certainly affords opportunity | for her marked dramatic power. Pole- | tinl’'s pleasant and comfortably sure con- tralto will be heard in the part of Adal- | isa, Castellano assumes the role of Pol- | o and Dado is cast as the archdruid, | with any number of fine bass arias to in- | terpret. The ““Casta Diva” is something to look forward to, also. In the alterdating bill, “Mignon,” of the prettiest things will be Repetto's Filina. I at least like it better than any- | thing else she does. Repetto’s dramatic | line is dainty comedy, and as hopelessly | ineffective as her Lucia is from fphe | histrionic standpoint, so is her Filina \s delicately charming. It is instinct with | the very spirit of patched and powdered coquetry, and the little singer looks like | a rare bit of Dresden china to add, im- | portantly, to the effect. I have not heard | Collamarini’s Mignon, but it is said to | be one of her best efforts. Poletini, who gave us a charming Mignon last year, is to sing the part of Frederick, with its ever-popular “Gavotte”; Russo will ap- pear as last year in Wilhelm Meister's part, and Nicolini will also repeat his good work of last year as Lotharlo. R There will be a small concert given in Oakland next week (September 10) at the | Unitarlan church that is deserving of | favoreble attention in that it is the first public effort of a new trio, consisting of Miss Helen J. Hagar, planist; John R. Lewls. violinist, and Lovell Langstroth, ‘cellist. ~ The last-named musiclan has | but lately returned from Brussels, where he has studied to ‘good purpose under Jacobs, the famous ’cellist, and he is a young player of whom almost anything may be prophesied. The young artist has played almost all his life, first under the | tutelage of his father, J. A. Langstroth; then with Loufs Heine of most musical memory, and then with Fred Gutterson, th> Tivoli's clever 'cellist.~ Mr. Langs- troth had a good technique when he left here, but both technique and mus:cal spirit have grown and deepened wonder- | fully since his European experiences, | among which were a couple of seasons with the famous Ysaye orchestra.* The young Oaklander also had the honor of instructing Cesar Thomson's daughter and frequently playing in trio with the celebrated violinist himself. Mr. Langstroth will have one of the | most beautiful - instruments to play . on that has ever been heard here, a Stradi- varius of simply gorgeous tone, that does not yet belong to him, more's the pity. T understand its owner would consider $3500 for the cello. Miss Hagar. is a well-known pianist In_Oakland ‘musical circles and is a_ thoroughly capable and earnest musi- clan, and Mr. Lewis is one of Henry Hey- man’s best pupils, who did some .very good and musical plaving last season. The trio will be assisted by A. H. one | Cogswell, barytone, and the following pro- gramme has been arranged. » Third grand trio .Raft Allegro agitato, allegro assal, adagletto, finale, -+ Logatelli Sonata Langstroth. Mr, Aria (Faust) ... Mr. Cogswell, (a) “Depart” (b) ‘‘Retour’’. “My Sweet Repose'’ . has “*Oh, {sn’ Bulletin. JOHN D. SPRECKELS, Proprietor. SUNDAY ¥ Address Communications to W. S. LEAKE, Manager . ve eveceieensesss..SEPTEMBER 1, 1901 KGR ......ooeeveneaenenneenn Market and Third, S. F. THE RIGHT TO COMBINE. : HE Examiner varies its vile attacks upon the police by crying out for the right of labor to combine as an offset to the incorporation of capital. It surrenders its own editorial space to the reproduction of an expression from an- other paper on that subject, of which it seems to consider the following sentence to be the. pith of the whole subject, for it lavishes black letter type upon it: : ? “It is primarily important, in order to obtain clear views of the existing situation; to Gl phasize the statement that labor unions possess a legitimacy equal to the right of incorporation for the purpose of conducting business, and that, in common with all other associat.ed effort among men, have their foundations laid deeply in the inherent right of man to enter into asso- ciated relation for the accomplishment of legitimate purposes. Whoever denies this nght 18 either guided by a very enfecbled intelligence or prompted by motives as base as those which lie at the foundation of all tyranny.” It would be rathér amusing to see the Examiner try to find any one who denies to I.a\bOf the right of combination. Certainly it is not the Emplayers’ Association, nor the corpor?tlonsy nor the individual employers. No one is disputing the right of labor organization—that is npt in issue at all—and the fire-eating leaders and their organ zre simply = deceiving labor, to its great injury, by a brazen pretense that such is the issue. ! The issue is the equality of responsibility between capital and labor in their organized form. “Incorporation for the purpose of conducting business,” being confessed by the Exam- iner to be the same as the organization of labor into unions, let the responsibility be made the same. At present the union has no legal status. It can neither sue nor be sued. It may mfl.lct ruin- upon individuals, set the law at defiance by violence, blockade trade, destroy the prosperity of a community, and finally bring its own members to beggary and want, and not be compelled to respond in damages. It claims the right to exercise the powers of government, .and to do things that only the executors of the law can do and some they cannot do. Yet it is wlthogt status, and though an organization is an incorporeal body. It is as completely subject to the will of one man as are the people of an Oriental autocracy. This man orders the union to break con- tracts and they are broken. If the court seeks to enfGrce these contracts, there is no legal en- tity against which to proceed. The Examiner indorses these breaches of contract by command of union leaders, but if the empioyers or corporations had broken the same contract it \\;ould be out employing special counsel and taking the employer or corporation into court for punishment and the exaction of damages. Sensible laboring men must see that public opinion will not indorse the position that unions have a right to break contracts, and also the power to punish employers for the same act. 3 $ This serious phase of the present labor troubles here and in the East is impressing such thinking men in the unions as have not completely abdicated their rights as freemen in favor of their leaders. The Labor World, published in Pittsburg as the organ of the International Tin- Workers’ Protective Association, and the Pittsburg District Mine-Workers’ Union, and the Pat- tern-Makers’ Association, all of which unions are affected by the strike ordered by President Shaffer of the Amalgamated Steel Association, does not agree with the Examiner that it is right and honorable for a union to break a contract at the command of a leader. The World says that to get the strike at all Shaffer had to compel the unions to break contracts that they had .made with their employers, that were entirely satisfactory to the laborers, and that for this compulsion to a dishonorable act he should be impeached. That labor organ accuses him of tyranny in pun- ishing the unions in the Western steel mills because they kept their contracts inviolate and re- fused to strike. Among the twenty-four counts in its indictment of . Shaffer, he is accused of bringing wreck and ruin to the men whom he forced into dishonor and idleness. That is the outcry of labor against its own degradation by the tyranny of its leader. It is the voice of union labor in distress caused by the irresponsibility of labor organizations. Let the laboring men themselves insist that their unions have the same legal status as incorporated cap® ital. Then their leaders become legal trustees of their affairs,and for such malfeasance as is charged against Shaffer and as has been committed here by irresponsible leaders, any member of a union can resort to a court and punish his trustees for injuring him. Let it be understood that men®an combine for any purpose, without special permit of the law, so long as that purpose affects them alone. But when the purpose affects others, and the combination assumes to maie and break contracts, to deny to men their lawful right to labor peaceably for the support of their families, the combination becomes an outlaw. To make it pldin, no public officer, deriving his authority from this city, the State, or the United States, dare interfere with the humblest citizen to deny or impede him in his labor or his freedom of con- tract. This high function deaied by the law to its own officers is being hourly exercised in this city by the labor unions. They stone and shoot at citizens of the United States who are peace- ully laboring. They fire on teams, teamsters and barns full of horses® and their keepers. They violate the maritime laws of the United States by boarding chips in the harbor and making pris- oners of their crews, taking them ashore, compelling them under threat of death to swear allegi- ance to the union, and then beating them into insensibility. They are exercising authority which Government dare not, and the Examiner scales the sublimest eminence of lying by the pretense that those who object to this are opposed to the right of labor to combine! Publication Office........cuv.. — IDLE SHIPPING. OMPLAINT is made that the Atlaptic Ocean trade is at a standstill, and ships are idle in the harbors of that side for lack of cargoes. This means that Europe is gorged with our goods for the present, and trade must wait for consumption to catch up with the supply. None can tell how long the wait may be. If greatly prolonged it may produce stagnation of trade and bring about some of the effects of a panic. While this is the condition of deep-water commerce on the Atlantic side, on the Pacific there is no evidence of decline. Even in spite of the efforts of the strikers who criminal]y inter- fere with the movement of commerce and have tied up a large fleet of ships in this harbor, the out- going Oriental and Australasian ships carry full cargoes and return laden to their capacity. Our trade with the East and the islands of the sea is quite distinct from the Atlantic trade with Europe, and it is probable that the season’s statistics will show a steady growth of that _com- merce in all of our Pacific ports. This situation is a revelation of the individuality of our commercial interests. They lie to the westward. Atlantic interests lie to the eastward. The respective populations, with which the two coasts are in commercial intercourse, differ as widely as the points of the compass toward which each coast looks for its trade. 7 ¢ We are interested in the absorbing and éxchange capacity gf Australasia, China, Korea, Japan and Asiatic Siberia, and the politics and economics of those countries interest to us than the affairs of Europe. are of far -greater A constabulary raid in a country town in Massachusetts brought to light a considerable quantity of whisky snugly stored away in rubber boots, and ii the announcement of the fact does not stop the drinking of secret liquor in that locality it will be _because the people like gum in theirs. It is announced that the professors of the University of Chicago have come to the con- clusion that the use of titles is bad form, and hereafter they will address one another as Mister. It is not announced how they will address the President, but probably they will call’ him “old hoss.” e While New York is in the throes of a municipal campaign a report direct from London says that Croker is enjoying himself in England by learning how to play golf, and it may be the. old man is going to quit politics and organize a society Tammany to run the 400. Reports from London are to the effect that not all the Americans who visited that city. this summer are millionaires, for it is said there are quite a number of them there now who are are broke and without enough money to get home. : : The prolonged drouth in the Eastern States has been followed by such severe fainstorms that the people are now considering what is the best form of praying for a let-up. Bt LS T e L There is a story that in Philadelphia they use snails to clean window panes; so it /appears the old town is really getting a move on. R e 4 THEATRICAL MANAGERS BY GUISARD. OFFERING A PLETHORA OF GOOD ATTRACTIONS. o+ — VENERABLE ACTRESS WHO RETURNS TO SAN FRANCISCO AS THE QUEEN DOWAGER IN “A ROYAL FAMILY,” GIVEN AT THE COLUMBIA THIS WEEK. WHICH WILL BE 0 old and young playgoers alike, indeed to every generation of play- goers that can be represented in an audience, the appearance of the venerable actress Mrs. G. H. Gil- bert this week at the Columbia is an event of supreme interest. I had the | pleasure of meeting her on her arrival | during the week and of satisfying myself that she looks hardly’ a day older than on her last appearance here with the Daly company Such a dear, fragile, nervous little figure she s, with only the sparkle in the still s to tell of the marvelous vigor that has carried her through her brilliant long life on the boards. Mrs. Gilbert is unmistakably of the gracious yesterday. She has the gently courteous and leisurely | do all things needful, and time to do them well. She has the manner of the ideal Duchess—or Queen Dowager, as she will be this week—that is, exactly the manner highnesses should have, but commonly don’t. 1 do not think the modern regime can be quite to Mrs. Gilbert's liking. The | Sunday performance, the Sunday rehear- | sal, are quite out of her repertoire; the problem play she dislikes—including “Mrs. Dane's Defence” and such; the modern | novel with its intimate handling of the | relations of men and women she consid- ers superfluous and so on, and ome is persuaded to the gentle old lady’s belief in seeing her, the exquisite product of those days when these were not. Her opinions of actors and acting, on the other hand, are characterized by the ut- most modermity of judgment, and she has kep. wonderfully in touch with what actor-folk are doing and playwrights writ- thing T used to do,” she but not quite so much of said quaintly, it.” I_ Mrs. Gilbert ~ppears this time as sup- port to the charming young actress Annie Russell, in R. Marshall's roma Nl ¢ Royal Family.” She has the part of the Queen Dowager, and expresses the utmost content with the role, and the play, and her young friend Miss Russell, with whom she has been associated for some seasons. She hopes we shall like the play as well as she likes it, but, be that as it may, there is cnly one greeting for Mrs. Gilbert, and that is “heartiest welcome to San Francisco.” . ‘With the premiere of “A Voice in the Wilderness,” the big venture of Belasco & Thall at the Central Theater; with An- nie Russell, Mrs. G. H. Gilbert and a host of clever players at the Columbia Theater in “A Royal Family”: with Jo- seph Haworth and the new stock com- pany at the Grand Opera-House, and an Oscar Wilde play, “An Ideal Husband,” at the California, there should be little reason to complain of the theatrical menu for the coming week. .« . . . It appears that the Grand Opera-House management found the “star and stock” | system so profitablesduring the late reign of Mr. Mélbourne MacDowell that it has been adopted as the regular policy of the house. Mr. Haworth is MacDowell's suc- ceeding star, ana will begin a six weeks" engagement to-mOrrow evening with “Roscdale.” Joseph Haworth made his last appearance here with Modjeska at the Baldwin Theater some five years ago, and has been starring in the East since that time in “The Ghetto,” “The Chris- tian” (as John Storm), “Quo Vadis" (as Vinicius) and others. Next week he will appear in the last named play, and “Richelieu” will follow. One of the most creditable amateur the- atrical performances that have been seen hereabouts for a long time was one given on last Friday and Saturday nights at The play was “Esmeralda,” the old ro- mance by Frances Hodgson Burnett and at the Baldwin Theater. | air of the day when there was time to | San Rafael in-the Gordon Opera-house. ;73 W. H. Gillette, and the talent employed was all local. The affair was under the direction of Miss Grace Fern, reader and | impersonator, and bore strong testimony | to the young lady’s unusual gifts as stage { manager, and the quite uncommonly good | material she has had to work with. | Tt will be remembered that one of the | chief characters in the play is old man | Rogers, an old farmer, very well content- led with the sma of incomes and “North Carliny w * and’ saddled with |a wife whose ambitions make his and his daughter's lives miserable. F. J. Crowley, in private life a lawyer of prom- | inence, was cast for this part and save | a rendering of it that for truth, restraint |and fine artistic feeling could hardly have been bettered by any but the best actors | on the professional stage. Civen the ex- | perience, it is quite certain that Mr. | Crowley, in such roles as Jefferson played, |or dramas of the James A. Herne kind, | could have taken a very high position in- deed among the actors of the day. Another very well assumed character { was that of Lydia Ann Rogers, that was acted by Mrs. Renebome. who gave the scheming, shrewish wife’s part with much power. Dave Hardy, the lover, and a rather ungratefulrole, was played with sympathy and refinement by Mr. Halley, who also shows a considerable histrionic ability, and Mr. Lestretto appeared as the Marquis de Montessan, giving an’ excel- lent interpretation of the character. In the cast, too, was Colonel Shakespeare, a direct descendant of the playwright of Avon, and also, courageously, like him a maker of plays. The Colonel was seen as Jack Desmond, and played his part in modest and manly fashion. Master John Verdenal gave an amus- ingly good sketch of the American spec: lator, Mr. Short was sufficient as a- brook, and the two nieces of Jack Des- mond were weil played by Miss Bowne and Miss Mamie Bowne. Throughout there was a wholesome familiarity with the lines, and Miss Fern is to be highly praised for her clever work with the | amateur actors. Miss Fern herself appeared to much advantage in the name role, particularly in those parts of the play requiring deep- er emotion. She is evidently naturally fitted for stage work, being sifted with temperament, dramatic feeling, a charm- ing face and figure and a very pleasing voice. It is on the cards that the ama- teur players may take their play to some of the smaller coast town, and any en- terprising charity in need of assistance wouid do well to ask their aid. “I'm glad to live on “Why are you glad? “Because I'd hate to have the alleged lump of ice the iceman leaves us melt before he could get around the corner.— Plain Dealer. —_——— Cholce candies. Tow-<ond's, Palace Hotel® —_—— Cal. glace fruit 50c per Ib at Townsend's." —— Special information supplied daily to business houses and public men by the Press Clipping Bureau (Allen’s), 510 .{(:mz- gomery street. Telephone Main 1042. * ———— Six children, three boys and three girls, were presented to her husband, the Greek priest of Dellgard in Servia, by Mme. Arangycl, aceording to the Pesther Liloyd. 'E‘(g,mee“ months ago she bore him trip- a short street.” { Are You “Of the Old World”? Everything pertalning to the New World may be easily and cheaply seen at the Pan- Amerfcan Exposition, and the best way to get to Buffalo s by the comfortable trains of the Nickel Plate Road, carrying Nickel Plate Dining Cars, in which are served Amer- fcan Club meals from 35c to §1 each. Book free, showing pictures of exposition buldings. Hotel accommodations reserved. JAY W. ADAMS, P. C. P. A, 3 Crocker building. Francisco, Cal. iSan .(