The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, June 26, 1904, Page 19

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL He Miss Bertr one time now a is the wife ¢ d, ask them ans N Morgan's the world as a desultory 2 the > used to and hand- you n doubtfully sixteen k and laughing ndid. He’ 1 a Washington log- understand that just Mr. Morgan—er— he He is only dously becoming, red to the lady, and rgan left us to our chat. to the Orpheum ook seats at the table ide whether or not the eys are worth their salt— pensive salt ay—about that fabulous k that Miss McKinley upstairs 812 was suy to be paid here and that I guiielessly stated she was paid. Well, she w ave seen the bond. We have . up the information for = months to flaunt it afront f those kindly contemporaries who of the sin of credulity. Whett Miss McKinley is another question. The 1m folk would, however, take two at the same price any day they thet. So, I suppose, .she e been worth the money to ny rate, it was paid, for we bonds! not Bertram, ting, a figure, in walking suit, her round, g face against the fram- f her veil have to look pleasant rth it Miss comely sits her cool gray olive you ever u're hungry he began, as st came in for his loot. “I've You've not breakfasted,” I inter- . ringly. “Of course not. - seen lately has break- you tell me why? Just it makes me feel, a hungry hungry man!—to in- N how worse, a erview She expl posed, smiling sily at the artist's request, that sl had had a2 headache and didn't want any breakfast, but that she and Mr. Morgan were to eat after the inter- view. She had been very anxious about coming here. You see she had not been here for so long, and there were always people to confute who were looking out for you to lose your voice. And it was a pretty critical congregation—not par- ticularly the Orpheum’s, but the San Franciscans generally. There wasn't doubt that they were excep- ally musical here. Something like Orleans, in fact. Remarkably like New Orlean: now she thought about it. Thet must be the opera,” I ex- cle d w Orleans has had its opera just as the Tivoli has given it to 1 only for a longer period. And really found a public like San Francisco’s there?” Miss Bertram has just “played” New Orleans for two ks at their Orpheum. Wonderfully like,” the singer said, juite evidently the result of the same nditions, the operatic plenty that has vailed in both places.” And now, how do you like vaude- ville?—cross your heart!” I asked the former Bostcnian. ‘I'm crazy about it,”, she exclaimed, every bit of pearl in her mouth gleam- ing cheerful confirmation. “The work :LL-KNOW LER. BERTRA 3 ) "' \,5 Rl/ the pay is good and that ap- s to me just now Am 1 betraying confidence in saying why the vaudeville conditions appeal? —at least partly, a little ern home, ther and mother there who look to > love of a daughter for that which n no longer earn for themselves. t it%s another facet of the Ber- make-up and adds another glint shining cheerfulness that is its chief characteristic. “And how long have you been in vzu- deville?” I inquire. “Twelv eks,” replied the fair vau- devillaine, “And how long do you intend to stay in it?” I inquire again. Thiy v “About—well about as long as my husband’s patience holds out,” she laughed. “They have booked us to- gether next season’— “Wha-at!” “Oh, I mean in the same towns at the same time,” Miss Bertram ex- plained, “we don’t appear together in vaudeville for at least another season! So you see we can be together in that way. He'd make me leave the stage if we couldn’t. And that is right. I need him and-he needs me. I don't believe in these theatrical separations.” “What does Mr. Morgan play next year?” I asked then, after agreeing with Miss Bertram as to “theatricai separations. “He has a new play of Hall Caine's, “The Prodigal Son.” It was written for Mr. Morgan,” his wife told me. Then she put her finger to her lips and said, “But it's rather a secret yet,” so you need not say that I told you. “Isn’t it rather fun to do this?” Miss Bertram suddenly asked me then. “You must see lots of queer people—mercy, don't say that! But I was telling Mr. Morgan this morning—he was putting ice on my poor head, by the way—that your kind of work must be lots of fun. It must be fun to be clever enough to do it, isn't it?” “It is,” 1 replied much?”’ “I meant it,”” Miss Bertram avowed soberly. “I have a little daughter— you'd better not put that in, though, it spoils business—who has a talent for writing. She wrote a book review that was really fine.” “Ah! Henley’'s daughter,” 1 ex- claimed; “the niece of W. E. Henley? Miss Bertram nodded assent, and then told me something of her former husband, the actor Henley—"Ted,” the weak and gifted flower of the Henley fiock. Something also she told of the crippled W. E. Henley, friend of Ste- venson, poet and litterateur, and of the other brother, “Tony,” artist, also with the queer, unmanageable genius of the family. They lovedl her, Helen (this she did not tell me), for herfine kindness to their erring brother, and seeing her, I understood. He died after they had been married four years. feelingly; “how “Was this in your Bostonian days?” I asked. “Partly. T was first one year them, and then another two,” the sin‘.-‘ replied. “Did you begin with them?” I asked. “Dear Miss Bertram replied. T gan, if you please, with Herr Hein- rich Conried—came out here on my first visit with him in “The King’s Fool." " ), really?” T cried. *Tell me about it. It was, of course, an operatic com- pany “Yes,” the singer said; “not very im- portant, not at all famous, pretty poor financially. We had to wait not a few times for pay day; we always got it, though. But I think we did some pret- ty good work. Ah, if I had only done as Mr. Conried advised!” “Worked hard, I suppose?” Miss Bertram nodded a wistful “yes"” and went on then to say: “Mr. Conried taught me all I know, and if I'd done a8 he told me I should have been—well, not in vaudeville. He wanted me to study for such parts as Fritzl Scheff tekes, and—who knows?” “Who knows?” 1 echoed. “Yes, 1 tsed to walk for ried two hours a day—" “To walk?” “Yes, like this,” Miss Bertram laugh- ed, and she got up and ambled across the room, even as you and I would if we were told to trot for an audience. It was very funny, not funnier, how- ever, than to see her lift her arm as I suppose you and I would for critical company. “And Mr. Conried does not forget his old friends,” Miss Bertram went on to testify. “He has time for every- body. I went in to see him not so long ago, and, busy as he was, he would hardly let me come away. I must listen to Caruso on his phono- graph—"' “Oh, Conried, how could you!” I cried. t's not tad,” the singer laughed, “I knew the voice in a minute.” “Well, you were with the Bostonians after that?” “With other things between.” “And it was while with them that you did the chief role in Oscar Weil's opera?” “*A War Time Wedding,’” yes,” Miss Bertram said. “We did it first at the Columbia. It's such a pretty opera. You know it?"” “Better, I know its composer,” I said. Then I told Miss Bertram that Mr. ‘Weil had said very nice things of her work in the opera, whereat she re- joiced greatly. “If 1 had only worked!” she sighed then. “But there., I've had so much trouble. One can’t, you know, play seven times a week, rehearse, travel, and then study for bigger things and be in an everlasting peck of trouble at the same time.,” er no,” Mr. Con- with - I N SOPRANO, FORMERLY QF “THE BOSTONIANS,” TELLS OF HER LIFE IN VAUDEVILLE. “You look happy enough now—" “I am,” she said, and you would have belizved her. “I was never so happy in my life. You know—Mr. Morgan and I liked each other for a long time be- fore—but you don't want to know that.” “Don't I!” Then she told me she had been a widow for five vears before she had married Mr. Morgan—nine months ago —and several other interesting things not for publication, ending up by ask- “Are you married?” “You should be,” she decided; “it's the only way to live.” “Thank you,” 1 said, “T'll think about e . ABUNDANCE OF GOOD FEATURES ARFE BILLED FOR LOCAL THEATER! The Columbia will be “dark” this week after a season of unprecedented brilliance. The opening attraction after the two weeks during which the theater will remain closed will be Ethel Barry- more, who comes in a delightful com- edy, according to repute, entitled “Cousin Kate.” 45N e Mrs. Leslie Carter in “Du Barry” down at the Grand Opera-house still continues one of the season's sensation- ally successful engagements. This will be her third and last week. o a7 The Tivoli has the success df its ca- reer in the excellent “Robin Hood"” now running. Its run promises to be indefi- nite. oilie e White Whittlesey, whose name has frequently floated this way in favorable comment of late, begins his usual sum- ' mer season at the Alcazar to-morrow ‘evening. Mr. Whittlesey’s play will be the attractive comedy in which Robert Edeson was last seen here, “Soldiers of Fortune.” S T The poor burlesque of the week at Fischer's makes evident what a really good company the burlesque house has gathered together. “The Mormons” owes all of its scant interest to the players concerned. It is, however, en- livened with some excellent specialties. suii ey, The Central will present a religious” drama this week for a change, entitled “The Power of the Cross.” $7 e Valerie Bergere, the piquant young woman who appeared to such ad- vantage in “Billie’s First Love,” a little sketch done at the Orpheum a couple of years ago, will head the Orpheum’s bill this week in a skeich called “His Japanese Wife.”” Miss Bergere, whose Japanese girl In Belasco's playlet was — famous in New York, should be pecu- liarly. well fitted for the part. & il e Trask and Rogers, minstrel lights, and Lamont's Australian trained cock- atoos will shine at the Chutes this week. & e The California is dark, August for the 1904-1905 S g LS CHAT ABOUT PLAYERS AND THEIR MOVEMENTS AT HOME AND ABROAD to open next ason. Louis Mann, recently of Weber and Fields, signed a contract recently with C. B. Dillingham. by which he is to be starred for five years, beginning next season. The vehicle used is to be a straight comedy without music. Mrs. Patrick Campbell produced, in Camden Town, England, June 6, a new play called “Warp and Woof,"” writ- ten by the wife of the Colonial Secre- tary, Alfred Lyttel ton. The play, writ- ten to draw attention to the overwork and the temptations of shop girls in large dressmaking establishments, while being clever and earnest, is said to be overdrawn. Jules Murry has selected Max Fig- man to play the part of Sir Reginald in “The Marriage of Kitty” and he will be starred in conjunction with Bettina Gerard. Mme, Bernhardt is to produce a play, called “Varennes,” ‘in Paris next fall, in which she is to assume the character of Marie Antoinette. Marie Cahill's new production for next season is to be a musical comedy by Edwin Wilton Royle, George V. Hobart and 8ilvio Heine. John 8. Duss, the band leader, is to take his band to Europe next season to fill an engagement there. “The Merry Wives of Windsor” was revived at His Majesty’'s Theater in London last week with Ellen Terry as Mrs. Page and Beerbohm Tree's Fal- staff. The advance sale of seats for Richard Mansfield's three nights’ engagement in St. Paul aggregates over ten thou- sand dollars. Aubrey Boucicault has been selected as leading man for Margaret Anglin next season. Madame Rejane was bcoked to be- gin her London season last week in a new French play. Ada Rehan’s season will be for only sixteen weeks, coflnmencing in October, and she will play only the large cities. “The Country Girl,” “The Twelfth Night” and “The Taming of the Shrew” will be included in her reper- toire. y The story of an industrious press agent in Denver recently that Maude Fealy is to be Henry Irving's leading lady next season has met with a strenuous denial. Mr. Irving’s leading N The fine “Robin Hood” at the Tiv- oli this week almost recociles one to the fact that there will be no grand opera this season. Almost, that is, especially -since the rumor that Herr Conried is to bring the Metropolitan Operg-house company here in the sprifg seems likely to be verifled. It is a truly excellent production, from all points of view. Never before, for example, have they counted such a singing cast for comic opera as they have this week given to “Robin Hood.” Barron Berthald our Con- tinental neighbors spread upon the grandest of grand opera. He goes back to Bremen after this season to do Tristans and things there. Vocal- ly one could ask nothing better than Mr. ‘Berthald’s Robin Hood. John Dunsmure brings a fine broad basso to the role of Will Scarlett, using it moreover in a jovial, ample fashion that leaves no doubt as to his re- source. William Schuster, who has the role of hi# life in Friar Tuck, still sings a good song, and Arthur Cun- ningham’s barytone is as reliable as ever. One forgets, too, what a really good little tenor Teddy Webb is. One could go a long way before finding an ensemble like that furnished by these artists. Dora de Fillippe still possesses the most valuable voice among the women. It is full and pentrating and Miss de Fillippe sings with all her heart and soul as well as a good level head. Kate Condon, the new contral- to, is & very comely dameel, besides being a charming singer, and is also an unusually graceful actress. Edith Mason has more taste than voice— mayhap also more voice than she makes use of. But Miss Mason has still the engaging personality that made her so well liked in the South- well opera days and is a welcome member of the new company. The chorus is simply admirable. Male and female voices alike are of the desirable sort, excellently bal- anced, well trained. They sing with all the spirit in life, and Mr. Steindorff is to be warmly congratulated on both the technical excellence of their per- formance and the enthusiasm with which he has inspired the singers. The scenic side of things, costuming, set- tings, ranks with the best of the Eastern productions of the kind, and Ferris Hartman has covered himself with glory as a stage manager. Af- ter this production of “Robin Hood" it will be more than ever difficult for the comic opera road company to “‘make good,” nor will it be easy.for the Tiv- oli to live up to its own levels. It looks “mighty lak” the best thing the Tivoll folk have ever done. A word of the new comedian, Wil- lard Sims, who has the famous role of the Sheriff of Nottingham. Mr. Sims is an easy and ingratiating comedian, with enough of a voice and a most useful face. He is distinctly clever. Altogether as the Tivoli gives it, you can afford to see “Robin Hood” an- other half dozen times. . But about that grand opera, We get none at the Tivoli this year—only grand comic opera. The Conried ru- mors are “splendiferous”’—but rumors. Still, let us pray. And now, would not this be an excellent year to bring up the New Orleans French Opera Company—to the Alhambra, Mr. Greenbaum? or to the Majestic, Mr. Bishop? San Francisco is not used to going without its grand opera. It won't like it. It would like the French opera company, if that com- pany’s reception on its last visit here some years ago is aught to go by. At any rate the Metropolitan company does not come—if it does come—until March next. There is almost all of a season between now and then. Most gratefully, I think, some of the time might be used in listening to the New Orleans folk. The company, last season, accord- ing to report, touched its high water mark, though bad business manage- ment made the season they gave in New York financially a failure. They have a repertoire, too, seldom in- fringed upon by the Italians, so that singers, operas, methods also, would be new to the local audiences. There is again the Henry English Grand Opera Compan: that for some years has been promising a season here. This, Mr. Savage, is acceptable tim Or are there any wandering Azzali, Lombardi, or other such grand Italian opera companies, that will come here to sing, split up and leave their Collamarinis, Bar- bareschis, Russos, for our after grati- fication? or, perhops, bring with them a new “La Boheme,” with an Agostini to sing its hero role? 'Tis a good time to come, and meanwhile the opera hungry must possess their souls in patience and take the good “Robin Hood” the gods have provided. P avage There is a small list of recent addi- tions to the music of the Congressional Library in Washington that comes to make one more than a little envious. It includes historical collections, the complete works of Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Handel, Mendelssohn, Pales- trina, Corelli, Purcell, Schubert, Schu- mann, et al.; full scores of rare and well known operas—'‘Astorga,” Adam; “Norma,” Bellini; “La Dame Blanche,” +- Rl lady of last season, his daughter-in Jaw, will continue to hold that position next season also. Annie Russell is to star in Australia for sixteen weeks and her repertoire will include all her former successes and also a new play. The engagement begins in the spring of 1905, after Miss Russell has concluded her San Fran- cisco date. William Norris is reported to have made a great success in “A Business Man,” by Lee Arthur, author of “The Auctioneer,” which this play strongly resembles. b It is"reported that Jack London's novel, “The Sea Wolf,” is to be drama- tized for Richard Mansfield by Char'es Henry Meltzer. Boleldieu; “Mefistofele,” Boito; “Eu- gen Onegin,” “Pique Dame” of Tschai- kowski; “Eliza,” Cherubint; “Der Cid,” Peter Corneltus; “Don Pasquale, Donizetti; “Hulda,” Cesar Franck “Ruslan i Ludmilla,” Glinka; all of the Gluck operas; Die Koenigen von Saba” of Goldmark, and Gounod's “Queen of Sheba Halevy's “La Juive” and “La Reine de Chypre”; “Zampa,” Herold; cent d'Indy; “Armide,” Lulli; “Joseph Mehul; all of the Meyerbeer operas some of Offenbach: “La Gioconda” of Ponchielli~the only modern Italian opera; Rossini, “Le Siege de Corinthe”; Ernest Reyer, “La Statne”; Rimsky- Korsakov, “Sadko” and “May Night" “L'Etranger,” Vin Saint-Saens, “Phryne,” “Samson et Dalila’ Smetana, ‘“Die Verkaufte Braut”; “Fernand Cortez,” Spontini; much Verdi; all of the Wagner « and most of Weber's: also, I believe, the only Hugoe Wolf opera, “Der Corregidor.” And this is only a small prgportion of the fuil operatic coliection. Then there is a formidable list of operas with pianoforte scores, oratorios and cantatas, orchestral rhusic in full score and chamber music. Further, these is an exhaustive collection, of musical biography, history, works on harmony, on the physics and philosophy of music and the like. With this enviable list comes the fol- lowing letter that, in the belief that its facts may prove of use to some m cians, as they will be of interest tc I print. The invitation at the cl make full use of the library and facilities is open to all musicians: pera. score all, to its Dear Madam: By direction of the Librariam a copy of the “S ses of the Library of ¢ from the Librarian’s report fo year), assuming your particular interest sibly in that section of the list wh hibits the accessions in music. 141.) The Division of Music in the library was set apart in the reorganization of the library the last flscal in 1897, when all the music that had accu- mulated since the foundation of the. library in 1800 was given into its custody. With the exception of a few rareties, the collection was almost entirely the result osits under the copyright law. For reasc nnected with the history of copyright legisiation only a por tion of the music entered for copyright between 1783 and 1818 was In possession of the brary; but that lssued s 1819, so far as representing the press of the United States, was represented in a collection which was fairly comprehensive, and, of course. unique. Of European publications the library in 1897 pos- sessed very few prior to 1891, and these prin- cipally works by American composers. Since 1891, when protection under our ecopyright laws was extended to the works of foreign authors, the collection came to embrace music h foreign publishers c d thus to enter tion, As all the Continental countries s to musie, with the exceptjon of Austria-Hungary, Russia, N: way and ‘Sweden, have been included in protection, and as publishers copyrighted the majoi publicatior:s (and frequently works by Russians, Austrians, etc.), the Library of Congress, under the in- ternational copyright law of 1891, came to acquire a very exiensive and representative on of contemporary European music , however, thers and a very constd- erable expenditure to in pe of the collection in order to make it a center of Tesearch to the student, critic and historian of music. The accompanying list, although only a select one, will show to some extent the character he acoulsitions which have resulted in pursuance of this policy. In the report of the Librarfan for the past year the collections in the Division of Music were thus briefly d ibed “The Library of Congress now good working collection of fundamental to the student of the history prot making important contributi: e European the musie £ and theory of music, and the collection of music is no longer limited to that which has come from copyright. In order that it should contain representativ f the best printed scores ¢ d standard materfal, the al c sers have been ete editions, so far as they have been published; and those of the mers notable modern masters have been acquired present their com- cantata, orches! opera, orator chamber music. “Special attention bas also been paid to early American psalmody, civil war musie, and to serial publications of a historical char- acter, such as the Denkmaler der Tonkunst in Oesterreich. Finally, efforts have besn made toward the acquisition of dramatic music in full score, that the student may consult the standard operas in their original form and ac frst source.’” Such gaps as necessarily still exist will, is hoped, disappear as the plans for a system- atic development of the collection are carried into effect. On July 1, 1903, the total number of volumes and pieces of music in the Division was esti- mated at 366,735, being an increase of 21,224 over the preceding vear. In addition, the. division had in ite custody some 4700 vol- umes and pamphlets dealing with the history and theory of music. Not included in this , enumeration was instructive material estimated at about 6000 volumes, pamphiets and pleces, since set apart in a special section of the col- lection. The accessions during the past ten months would bring the grand total of the collection to the neighborhood of 400,000 items. This collection will be made as freely acces- sible as any other in the Library of Congress, and the Library of Congress is now the Na- tional Library of the United States. entirely free and accessible, without formality. Re- garding itself as having a duty to research, wherever originating. it s also quite ready, within its capacity, to answer inquiries ad- dressed to it by mail It would be gratified at any opportunity that you may afford it to be of service to your own investigations. Very respectfully, Life on Arid Plains, ” A complete- solution of the myste- rious strength of desert plants will prove of great ecomomic value to the United States aside from the important information it will give regarding the fundamental processes of protoplasm. In former times bands of roaming Indians inhabited the desert regions of the Southwest. They lived in com- parative abundance, and yet the .oun- try wes no less arid than it i= to-day. Doubtless trey obtained food from the plants of the desert just -~ easily :s the Papago Indian obtains drinking water fror: the barrel cact ‘White men can do likewise as soon as they understand these plants, and will find many practical uses for the cactus and yucca., An understanding of the source of strength of desert plants will also enable the farmer who jrrigates his semi-arid land to judge how much water to apply and how often in order to gain the best results. It will also help him to develop alkali and drought-resistant types and thus to reclaim. new areas.—Na Geo- graphical Magazine,