The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, April 17, 1904, Page 19

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, APRIL 17, 190z 19 & Sar scagni, the Prin- Jimmy lla of the 5 ete., Miss promised . the kitten face—1 nt triangle s shcer® beauty. its Y ugliness, through K" —insured the something repared for t e of Miss de ¥ s . Imagine wun- « r ivoli soubrette a tiny philos r petticoats, a pocket f f not the daugh- T t least the rench man of w of the hedral—who her may but ts fluent nunciation e. It im- f the in- x her French origin B obtained it | an English Miss explained; “then we ave a great deal. We came to times before I came to st on business a canal with came fi the Pa I said “Then le lady with su- choked down a no! This is papa,” birdlike little trip stage—to match her the mantelplece. She h a distinguished looking of 4“ or thereabouts. 'k young?” she rippled. usly proud of papa.” is as proud of his daugh- small soubrette returned with a tiny moue ‘Oh, no! Why should he be? He says” she laughed, “he wonders how he ever came to have such a pair of mediocrities as myself and my sister in the family.” Oh, he does!” 1 returned. *“And what is papa? It seems that papa is a writer of distinction, largely journalistic, but otherwise distinguished. As Miss de ippe kept the secret of the family me I can only apologize fof the im- politeness of my form of eddress. It asppears .also that papa had literary views for his offspring. His daughter's account of his system of education would at least point that way. TIVOLI SOUBRETTE OF DISTINGUISHED FAMILY. B | = nk!” she said, “my sister and I Voltaire Rabelals, when € 11 years old. So we d > st Later, when the would have been”—she lifted ately arched brows— he would not allow us to read that implies so much,” - I re- did de everything he could for Felippe put it. papa seems to have done In the book talk -that ubrette avowed a strong Schopenhauer, discussed and Hegel, and decided that Shakespeare is sometimes ‘“‘more Shakespeare in German than he is in Englist She confessed to a weak- ness for Lombroso, Montegazza other psycho-physiologists of the Ital- he s for n school, owning that she had read them in French, as she did not read fluently in Italian. French literature we glanced at, Flaubert and De Mau- passant of the moderns, Moliere and Racine of the classics, deciding inci- dentally that French is the only lan- guage in which those things that should be said, or that we have decided may be politely should not be said, said. Of the French translations of Sir Walter Scott’s novels Miss de Fe- lippe believes that they “necessarily lose the ruggedness, the strength, the simple grandeur, the Saxon—in short, the original.” “The Pickwick Papers” she has read ten times, for the Eng- lishness of their humor and charac- ters. In short, Miss de Felippe has lived with and loved mush good liter- ature Such a little butterfly of a thing she looks, too! Think of her mischievous baby Bronislava of the week's ‘“Beg- gar Student” in the connection. Nor should I give Miss de Felippe more than twenty-four or twenty-five years of experience off the stage. It was then that I said: “But I cannot make you into a Santuzza!” and then that I dis- covered the Phillips connection. Miss de Felippe laughed and tripped into another room to bring evidence. “It is there in black and white,” she said, and put into my hands a book containing programmes and the like. And there it was, “Pletro Mascagni, di- rector: Santuzza; Dora de Felippe; at the Auditorium, Chicago, December 20, 1%02." “I'm just a pocket Santuzza,” laughed. But there was something besides the Mascagni programme--something that made me look up with a question. Then Miss de Felippe blushed, and Miss de Felippe laughed, and Miss d= Felippe sighed as she said: “I did not she mean to tell you that I had been mar- ried.” It was a very patient, sober, sweet little face the small soubrette turned to me as she told me then that she was the widow of "Robert Francis Phillips, artist and brother of Stephen Philiips, the poet, and son of the Canon of Peterborough Cathedral. They lived in New York for three years, Phillips painting and illustrating for Scrib- ner’s, McClure’s, the Herald and other papers, Mrs. Philllps singing in con- cert—only, though, on condition that she spend the money so earned entire- ly on herself; posing for her husband and living happily with him the life of Upper Bohemia. It cameé to an end one day, when the brave young husband fell ill, and three days afterward died. “I try very hard not to remember too much,” the little lady ended. “And Stephen Phillips,” T suggested gently, after a pause, thinking that now T understood the sad light that sometimes shadows Miss de Felippe's beautiful eyes. And they are beauti- ful—iong, gra | & - rised and long lashed, clinging curiously to the upper eyelids, set under delicately crescented brows. “Stephen” Mrs. Phillips delighted to talk of. “Stephen is a great ‘leo’ in London,” she said. “I think he should be the poet laureate. And he is only 38 or 39., You have read his work?” “Most of it,” I said, “all the plays.” “Have you read the smaller poems? 1 like so much ‘The Wife’—strange how a man can feel, know such things.” “Strange how a man could paint Malatesta’s sister,” I added. “I saw his ‘Ulysses’ in New York—" “How was it?” “Oh, farcical,” she exclaimed. - *“The gods behaved like mortals, the mortals like immortals, and the whole thing was utterly without dignity or illusion. I wrote to Stephen about it.” “Mr. Phillips’ gods of the prologue are rather farcical,” I ventured. “It was all that way,” Miss de Fe- lippe protested. “No, I'm forgetting Miss Coghlan’s Calypso. That was splendid. I wonder if she would think me impertinent if I would tell her so— she comes here this week?" “I think not,” I decided. Miss de Felippe showed me then pho- tographs of another brother-in-law, an eminent barrister; of two charming young English girls, Phillips’ sisters, and at last of the Canon, a head fine and venerable. “Your relatives,” I began— “I know, and there are more,” she laughed. “I have an uncle a famous violinist—great friend of Brahms; an- other who was president of the Music and Art Exposition—with Princess Metternich—in Vienna. And I—" she e = e shrugged dolefully again her expressive little shoulders. “But you were a Santuzza with Mas- cagni,” I reminded. “Yes, until we met our Waterloo in Chicago,” she laughed. “How.was that? We were so curious here about it.” “Too much Madame Mascagni,” Miss de Felippe nodded wisely. “Ah!” “Madame was always in the box of- fice, everywhere, ordering, arranging. She would insist on taking away Mas- cagni's share even before the money was counted—what there was of it. And the season was, oh frightfully badly managed. Judgments, arrests every night. In Chicago they had to lock up the tenor and myself in a back room for fear they might arrest us and prevent the performance. They, Mr. Heard, that is, who took us there, served me, little me, with a writ for $25,000 for leaving Chicago without per- mission! And the Italian Consul had had to send us all back to New York! The business was excellent in Chicago, too, crowded houses and great success. But the management! Then there were other people besides the company who knew what Madame Mascagni's ‘porco Americano’ meant!” As to the Mascagni company, of which so.much has been said, Miss de Felippe said that there was an ex- cellent tenor in Schevazzi, and a Santuzza that overshadowed Calve's in Capelli’s. She gave a very acute and apt defense of her opinfon. Her own position in the company, in her own modest words, was ‘“general utility person.” “You were with James Powers later?” 1 suggested then. “In the ‘Princess of Kensington,’” she added. “Oh dear, but I must tell you one of the criticisms—the critics were very kind to me. This one wasn't, but—it was funny. He said: ‘Miss de Felippe has a charming voice, and so on, and acts very well, but—but she might be Jimmy Powers’ sister, and they'll have to fight it out between 'em.’ He's very ugly, you know.” & “It's my nose,” she decided, cheer- fully, as I came away. NEW ATTRACTIONS ARE TO BE SEEN AT THE Everybody will be going to‘ the Ma- —_— & Jestic Theater this week, Manager Bishop’s new uptown temple of the drama. With strenuous effort they have succeeded in pulling the theater into shape for its opening to-morrow evening, and the house is said to be a model of beauty and convenience. Isabel Irving, in “The Crisis,” is the opening attraction. e Rose Coghlan returns to the Califor- nia to-night in “The Greatest Thing in the World.” o e s It is nécessary only to say that Kolb and Dill, Barney Bernard, Maude Am- ber, Winfield Blake, Flossie Hope and Gertie Emerson will be at the Grand Opera-house yo-day. They do “Hoity Toity.” ¥ The Columbia has /what promises to be an attraction of the liveliest in the Four Cohans, who will produce this week their successful farce “Running for Office.” PR A “The Frisky Mrs. Johnson” will be produced at the Alcazar to-morrow evening. . s e Fischer’'s announces & change of bill for to-morrow evening, with “Chow Chow,” a new burlesque. Ry e The Tivoli continues its fine produc- tion of “The Beggar Student.” ® g W “The White Squadron,” naval and thrilling, will be presented at the Cen- tral this week. o e Ethel Levey, who in private life is Mrs. George M. Cohan, hag been cor- ralled by the Orpheum for the current bill, and brings several new songs. Wil- fred Clarke in his playlet “No More Trouble” headlines the bill. R e Alberta Hadley and Helen Archer in “The New French Maid” lead the Chutes bill. SRR U5 0 PLAYERS WE KNOW AND THEIR MOVEMENTS IN AMERICA AND ABROAD Encouraged by Nance O'Neil's New England successes, efforts are being made to bring the talented Californian and her company to New York for a spring season of Ibsen. She.was book- ed at the Herald Square Theater last season, but owing to the disappearance of her financial backers the engage- ment fell through. hy Richard Mansfield has abandon ‘“Parsifal,” owing' decided to to the * number of stock and traveling com- panies that are now producing it There are now six traveling companies playing “Parsifgl,” and the play has been produced by five different stock companies. It is reported that Wagenhals & Kemper will star Frederick Warde and —— B b O A AR Kathryn Kidder next season. Virginia Harned revived “Iris” in Philadelphia last week, and-devoted the Saturday performances to ‘“Ca- mille.” After trying and discarding three plays in one season, success has at last beamed on William Collier in Richard Harding Davis’ comedy “The Diec- tator.” Margaret Anglin and Henry Miller will play a special engagement in “Ca- mille” at the Hudson Theater next week. “The Royal Chef,” a new musjcal play, was produced with great success in Chicago last week. Another hit was the Ade Luders musical comedy, the “Sho-Gun.” Kyrle Bellew, who made a great suc- cess of “Raffles,” has been engaged for the all-star revival of “The Two Or- phans,” in which he plays the part of the Chevalier de Vaudray. Next Sep- tember the actor will be seen in this city- George M. Cohan of the Four Co- hans, who are at present in this city, announces that he will star next sea- son in hig latest musical comedy, “Lit- tle Johnny Jones.” Mr. Cohan will be supported by a company of eighty, that will include Mrs. George M. Cohan (Ethel Levey) and Mr. and Mrs. Jerry J. Cohan. A duel with swords that rivals the staircase fight in “A Gentleman of France” is a feature of Ralph Stuart’s successful production of “By Right of Sword.” The all-star revival of “The Two Or- phans” has met with tremendous suc- cess in New York, where it wiil fiil an indefinite engagement. The east, truly a notable one, is as follows: Chevalier Maurice de Vaudray....Kyrle Bellew Count de Liniere: Frederick Perry Picard E. M. Holland Jacques Frochard. Charles Warner Pierre Frochard.. _James O'Neil Marquis de Prisieo. Doctor_of the Hospil M. de Mailly.. Stanley Jessop M. d'Etrees -Stanley Hawkins Martin B. Batton Gibbs Antoine. George S. Stevens Lafleur . Officer of the Guard. .Basil West f the C 4 nieres ..Grace George -Margaret Illington .....Annie Irish Elita Proctor Otis .Clara Blandick Louise Henriette Countess de Linieres. La Frochard. Mananne. Sister Ge: ..Clara_Morris Julle. . ona Howlson Florette. ignon Beringer .Corinne Parker -Lucy Miliken Richard Mansfield is due at the Co- lumbia Theater next month, supported by an immense company. This is his first appearance here In over nine years. Cecelia Loftus is reported to be seri- ously ill in Buffalo with scarlet fever. Her place in E. H. Sothern's compaay has been taken by Dorothy Hammond. Edna Wallace Hopper has left the legitimate to fill an engagement in vaudeville in a sketch entitled “The March of Time,” by Cosmo Gordon Stewart. It is reported that Julia Marlowe and E. H. Sothern will appear in London in June in “Ingomar” and “Romeo and Juliet.” Forbes Robertson and his wife, Ger- trude Elliot, left for England last week. They will return in the fall for another tour, during which they will present “Othello.” Lulu Glaser, who was playing an en- gagement at the Montauk Theater, Brooklyn, was ill last week with la grippe, her illness necessitating the cloging of that theater from Tuesday to Saturday. Another on the sick list was Law- rence d’Orsay, who became ill during a performance of “The Earl of Paw- tucket” in Philadelphia last week. ‘William Gillette closed his season last week in “The Admirable Crichton” and is going to his country place in North Carolina. Next season he intends to produce the annually promised “Hame let.” N Wi John B. Schoeffel of the Tremont Theater, Boston, has secured the man- agement of Nance O'Neil for a number of years. LTt Trixie Friganza, who is remembered in San Francisco for her “Widow” in the “Prince of Pilsen,” is to play a similar part in the Luders-Ade musical comedy, the “Sho-gun.” F e e The tragedy of “Ajax” has recently been presented in New York, in the original Greek, by Greek residents of that city. 5y Percy Haswell will star next season in “O Kiku San,” a Japanese play by Alfred Rowland Haven, which won the Here is the Schumann-Heink pro- gramme for this afternoon at the Tiv- oli. It is useless to advise going if you are without a ticket, as the house was sold out days ago. Let those re- joice who have this last opportunity to hear the most human, the most glorfously voiced singer of them alil. And here is the programme that we £hall hear: “Die o Junge Nonne. (Franz Schubes “‘Standchen’” gespraech,” (b) ‘‘Fruehling: Grolle ," (@) “Die Schumann); (a) ‘‘Liebestraum.” (b) two songs with viela obligato, ‘‘Gestilite Sehnsucht.' “‘Geistliches Wiegen!ies (e) *““Wie bist du meine Koenigin,"" (d) ‘““Meine Liebe ist Gruen'" (Jobannes Brahms): two songs with organ, (a) “Psalm” (Rebjing), (b) “Sei Still”" (Raff) ’ Erda scene from “Rhefngold.” (b) Waitra scene from “Gotterdammerung™ (Wagner). Ysaye, who is booked for fifty con- certs in America next season, may come here. His manager announces that the famous violinist will be heard in all of the principal cities, and is not San Francisco the greatest of these? But we shall not have Mr. Ysaye with thd Boston Symphony or- chestra, with which he will first be heard in Boston, Philadelphia, Balti- more, Brooklyn and New York. Nor shall we have Mr. Ysgye with the Scheel Symphony orchestra of San Francisco that has melted, into thin air. The Scheel symphony season, by the way, for this spring has simply melt- ed. It was talked of, settled, then simply dropped, and the whys and wherefores we know not. Once again the impermanency of the thing “per- manent” has been demonstrated and San Francisco again left stranded on the symphony shore. It seems, sadly, that the baton will be thrust either upon me or Mr. Zech—and I don't know which would be worse. One is left everl without the energy to shout “To the rescue!™ CRRY T Miss Caroline Halsted Little, who has recentlyreturned from three years of study in Paris, Frankfort and Mu- nich, will give a song recital on Tues- day afternoon at Century Hall. Miss Little is well remembered for her promising work at the Beel Saturday pops of some years ago and has been encouragingly handled by the Munich critics in her recent werk. She stud- ied in Munich with a teacher rapidly coming to the fore in Madame Regina de Sales; in Frankfort with Stock- hausen for German lieder, and in Paris with Madame Calvo-Pecciotto. Miss Little’s programme runs inter- estingly as follows: W “‘Die Foulle” (Schubert); “‘Frueh- Schumann) ; *Verborgenheit' (Hugo ‘Traume Durch die Dammerung” R. ‘Schmerzen'' (Wagner); “Rose Arfa™ —‘‘Marriage of Figaro”’—(Mozart); _‘‘Les Larmes"" erther’'—(Massenet); ‘A Vesta' —+“Polyeucte” —(Gounod): ‘‘La Foletta” Mar- chesi); “My Bark is Bounding Nedv” (Balfe): “Love’'s Young Dream' (Tom Moore); ‘My Mother Bids Me Bind My Hair" (Haydn); enta Ballad”—*Flying Dutchman”—(Wag- ner). prize in the Fawcett pliy contest in Baltimore. « s . Lewis Morrison intends to retire from the stage for a year, after which he will produce a new play. Mr. Morri- son’s “Faust” has brought him a for- tune. e 8@ Owing to the great success of Ben Greet's “As You Like It,” the produe- tion of “She Stoops to Conquer” has been postponed. . s . Probably the only statue of the late Sol Smith Russell in existence is owned by George L. Baker of Portland, Or. The statue was given to Manager Bak- er by the late comedian, and ever since the manager has retained it as a mas- cot. So far as known there were but two of these statues made. The sculp- tor was an ardent admirer of Mr. Rus- sell living in San Francisco. One day while Mr. Russell was filling a date at Portland an immense barrel was delivered at the stage door, and upon being opened it was found to contain one complete statue and the fragments of the second. That was the first time that the comedian saw his counterfeit, and realizing that it would be useless to carry the ornament around the coun- try with -him he gave the statue to Mr. Baker. The figure, which repre- sents Mr. Russell as the poor relation, has been a mascot to Mr. Baker ever since. —_—————— ANCIENT WAR ENGINES DISCOVERED AT METZ METZ, Gérman Lorraine, April 16.— Several catapults—ancient engines of war, such as were used at the siege of Troy and in the campaigns of Julius Caesar—have been dug up here from ground where Roman legions, Germaine warriors, Gallic tribes, vandal hordes and invading Huns in turn fought great battles. Though much has been writ- ten about catapults, few have ever been found to give an accurate notion of that primitive artillery. These examples are rude and ridicu- lous in modern eyes, though they were formidable, indeed, in their day. They consist of wooden frames or scaffolds in the fashion of a monster crassbow, with a sort of trigger to hold the leather “string” until the proper mo- ment to let it loose to drive at the enemy an arrow, a spear or a plece of rock. These catapults are a striking object lesson in the progress made in the art of war, especially in ordnance. Pro- Jjectiles used in the experiments made by the Lorraine society of Metz were hurled 990 feet. One of these pieces of artillery of the great Caesar’s period would cut an in- significant figure beside the 139-ton gun on Sandy Hook, which throws a 2400- pound sixteen-inch projectile twenty- cne miles—more than a hundred times as far as the catapult sends & Bit of ‘wood or stone.