The evening world. Newspaper, October 4, 1920, Page 17

J story, with plotures, by Will B. Johnstone, will appear on this pa Don't fait to read itt Where Are the Famous Songbirds of Yesteryear? Gerster’s Passing Recalls Notable New York Debuts Lights in Old Academy of Music Turned Out to Check Enthusiastic Admirers of Hungarian Soprano on Opening Night. By Marguerite Dean. of yesteryear? a HERE are the vole W ‘The question will recur to many a New Yorker with a motnory more than an inch long, after reading the recent announcement of the death, at her villa near Bologna, of Mme. Etelka Gerster, coloratura woprano of the old school and the darling of New York in thq days when Col. Henry Mapleson’s first nights were celebrated at the Mustc, down on Fourteenth Street, and in one box Mis, im another Mra, Belmont cademy of Astor held court, Etelka first appeared here more than forty years ago—on Nov. 11, 1878, to be exact-—as Amina in “La Sonnambula.” twenty-one years of age. Born in Hungary she had studied under Mme Marchesi, and had been received with acclaim in Berlin, London and St. She was then just Petqraburg, before coming to New York. It 19 seid that no one, with the exception of Jenny Lind and Patti, ever created such a furore among this city’s music lovers. On the night of her debut the audience refused to Jeave the Academy until it had shoated itself hoarse and the lights ‘were turned out, then rushed en masxo to phe stage door to catoh @ glimpse of the diva, and cheered her into her carriage, The purity and olarity of Her voice was matched by her daz- vitng technique, She sang in “Lucia,” “Puritani” and other typical Italian operas—it was their day. She went on tout, and American cities had hysterics over her. When the Metrp- politan Opera House opened, in the ‘autumn of 1883, with Mmes. Christine Nilsson and Sembrich—he latter here for the first time—the Academy of Music had Patti and Gerster, But of all songbirds beloved by Americans, poor Gefsters fights ended most quickly. “She didn’t last tong, did she?" summed up Mme. \Melba when We Were discussing oper- atig careers two years ag Gerster jasted five glorious seasons in New York, Then news came from Burope of her. grave {llness. Her life was caved, bit her beautiful, soaring voice ever again was heard in its pristine perfect She came again, In 1887, tor a concert tour under the «nanage- nent of Henry EB. Abbey, ‘but the ex- periment ended Gisastrously, Once nore she visited America, in 1906, fut it was only to teach the art of which she had been an uncrowned queen, She taught in Berlin for tears. New she io dead, at sixty- three suat a your Ago, Almont to a An a D day, her contemporary and rival, Adelina Patti, died at seventy-six. Patt! and her asilver-pure voice, Patt! and the thousands per perform- ance she asked for and obtained, Patti and her three husbands, Patt @nd her chameleon hair, Patti and her eternal youth—how well old New York remembers this little black-eyed prima donna, who was a child of its pavements and made her debut at thegAcademy of Music when she was omy sixteen, to return there’ as the musical sensation of the winter of 1881, She made her home at the Hoffman House for years. Her fare- well tour took place In 1904. “The most perfect voice of the nine- teenth century” was conceded to her by the critics, knd she !s said to have earned $4,000,000 with it, Her dia- monda, often worn in this city, were estimated aa worth $1,250,000, and “no one ever has sung me, Sweet Home’ a@ she did,” mourn her ad- mirers, “The Swedish Nightingale," Chris- tine Nilsson, is another of ‘the van- tghed voices*of yoateryear, She gy now seventy-seven years of age. She first appeared at the Academy of Music as Elsa in “Lohengrin” In 1873 and received a tremendous ovation, Blue- eyed and golden-haired, frail and fairy-like of figure, her voice and her beauty made her beteved everywhere, Flowers were thrown at her as she drove through the streets. Marguerite in “Faust” was another of her favo- rite roles. She also sang here during the season of 1882-88, Years after the death of her first husband, a French- man named Rouzeand, she merried a titled Spaniard,” Count Casa di Mir- anda. He died in 1902, and hia wife has lived in Europe for the many Maxims ofa Modern Mata Marchal ''¥ the reaction from the rose- colored glasses of the honeymoon a man and his wife ure likely to put on blue ones, and only the years teach each to wear a pair which cor- eects detects in—the other, Vanity 1s the most maligned of vir- tues; it acts as a spur to charm, a sweetness in the cup of victory and a buffer to defeat, ‘rhe castest ttle thinf any man can dio 18 to Make @ promise to @ woman, ond the next eastest thing Ingo break ib What no woman can resist: a new hat, a fruit salad with whipped cream, « man who runs away, What no man can resist: @ new recipe for home brew, @ baseball ex- dra, a woman who ts a fool, Firet love 1s like green apples— temptatioy swiftly followed by tribu- Jaton. The man every womah yearns to marry millinery bills but who ALWAYS notic To some, this seavon's dem|\-sem!- Copyright, 1920, by The Pytss Publishing Co, (The New York Evening World.) ses when she puts on a new ha walking-sRirt 1s a disgrace; to some, it is @ blunder; to some, merely an advertisement. . A man can overlook a woman's lack of beauty, and even admire her wtupidity; but what he ean néver pardon i# her fondness for sticking « geodie of wit or of truth into the bubbles of illusions he #0 loves blowing. Definition of an optimist; @ man who chooses @ wife thirty years than bimselt. ‘ Those Nights Belmont Held Court in Different Boxes —Patti and Nilsson Contemporari MapceLia, sememen row years of her retirement from the stage. Of all the old time prima donnas Mme. Marcella Sembrich has had the longest caree From her debut, in 1888, to as late as 1915, when over- worked herself and became seriously ill in her efforts for Polish war reltef, New York heard her lovely voice in opera or concert—she has been called the “Paderewski of the vocal concert stage.” She has just sailed for Pu- rope to see her home at Nice, where she has not been since 1914, Year after year she delighted Metropolitan au- diences, not retiring even from the operatic stage till 1909. Some of her favorite roles were Rosina in “The Barber of Seville,” Mimt tn “La Bo- heme” and Violetta in “Traviata.” Four names are illustrious in another group of the song birds of yesteryear--though one of them, Melba New York audiences when red with the Chicago Opera Company in 1918 almost as much &# when she made her debut, twenty-five years earlier, at the “There were four of us, self told me, “Nordica, Cal and I, Nordica ts dead. wonderful singer and a great, woman, She had a marvellous voice; {t had been trained perfectly and she was so thorough, so Intensely thor ough, In every role she unde “And Calve! Is she sing" Oh, I believe she was In concert a year or two ago, I always admired her tre- mendously, I cannot tel you how much, Resides her yoice she had such The garry would be be it every day for not ringing up fares, 89 gmiie, if you do not pay yo€ do not tempt the him, ike women do Copyright, 1920, by The Mes Pubtishi “ec 1D you ever see such weather as we @re having? sald Mrs, Jarr petulantly, “1 do declare one doesn't know how to dress for it. If one goes out In one's figure » to turm® out to be rainy or nd if one wears heavy cloth- ing it's sure to turn. depressingly warm!" “The weather suits’ me all right,” said Mr. Jarr, “and I'm going out in my figure, as you oall it, The papers say it will be Dright and warm to-day.” “You can't depend on what the papers say,” sald Mrs. Jerr. “I read that it was dangerous ta go downtown account of anarchists setting off bombs—or threatening to, which 1s the same thing. Mr, Jarr remarked mildly he couldn't see how cranks’ letters and actual bomb explosions were the same thing at all, “A lot of people should mind thetr own business!" interjected Mrs. Jurr but whether she meant Mr. Jarr ancrehists or crank letter writers she did not explain, Hut then she addec that she thought one's life was just as much in danger from reckless taxi- cab drivers ax from anything else in a great city t y be as dangerous to ride as to walk,” Mr, Jarr suggested, “but any- way walking !$ cheaper.” “Oh, one can often ride for nothing in the street cars," replied Mra, Jarr “If you get in at the front door and the ‘conductor doesn't see you taking your seat—he often doesn't ask you for your fare—you men can read a paper or look around indifferently as if you had paid your fare, and the con~ ductors seldom’ do ask you directly. But a good way is to hold your fare, hidden In your hand, and !f you are asked for it you can hand ft over as ff you had forgotten about it.” You don't mean to tell me you'd be dishonest about five tents for fare?" asked Mr, Jarr. “There's nothing dishonest about it if the conductors don't ask you for it, .there?” replied Mra. Jarr. “That's yat they are paid for, and when you dishonesty, don’t for- Ea Seauctore are When Mrs. Astor and Mrs. & wonderful personality, such fire and dramatic power.» “Ba: toa, I admired. I under- stand shé has fetired. But she & beautiful voice, “I know that I have the most beau- tiful voice in the world,” Melba con- + eluded with magnificent candor, “and 90 long as I know that I shall keep on singing. But there were four of us—where can you find their equals among the votces of to-day? I do not know of singers who can be compared to them." To, which Geraldine Farrar, all- American prima donna made. spirited answer: “It {a ohildish to say that all the great singers belong to a past generation, This generation has de- veloped @ New and most interesting type—the singer-actor, 50 per cent voice and 50 per cent, dramatic talent. Galll-Curet has a phenomenal voice, the most luscloug voice we have heard in a decade, Miss Garden is.wonder- ful. Rosa Raisa has a most beautiful voice and shows promise of great Frieda Hempel haa a lovely and knows how to uso it mar- vellously in many roles, In concert there is Alma Gluck. “When Melba sang,” Miss Farrfr omcluded, “they said ‘she's not as good as Patti’ But what did that matter? She was To-day, When I sing they say ‘she's not as good as thr MeMa.' But what doca that matter? I'am To-day. To-morrow, when wo cla are dead and forgotten, some women that all wor may sing better than olther of us. the street car But what will that matter—until To- morn Jarr. uM 0, (The New York Evening World.) poor man.” “Mrs. Kittingly says she bh pays a ta in the street car the conductors ask her for it she gives them a smile and says noti- ing, and she says smiling at the con You LooK AS PRETTY AS A ROSE! STUNNING ! It! is the title of Noal R. O'Har MY HUSBAND IS RUNNING OR CONGRESS = their either, “But maybe they did,” said Mr. v ductor says * “That's a queer way of looking At you just smile agal it," said Mr. Jarr, cuse “1 don't see why,” said Mra. Jarr. ‘oh Mr. voice with the smile wins. ductors seem to please them because #0 many people fuss with them aud aten to report them.” ‘Well, I never heard th beat,” de. y n are like that, cadging companies out talk.” sat Mrs. c fuss with the conductors, declaring they had paid maybe they hadn't, Jarr, “but it er manners on thelr part conductor # didn't hear And If the con- id I get your f ? and says ‘oh, ex- and you say and smile once conductor your nickel Jarr, “th five cen’ Ear'y Pictures of Stage Notables PICTURE NO. 5—G TT EVENING WORLD has secu and actors taken before they had at screen. 2 Se ee Se rw ne are kiddie pictures. Address your list to Editor, Magazine Page, Evening World beginning next Wednesday, the correct Save the clippings In order to check up your answers with the announcements, identifications will WHO THEY ARE d over thirty portraits of actresses c the stage or @in pick out. Once a week, be publshed BABIES. URING the week The Evening World told the story of happy little Mary Victoria, who was found on a doorstep the night before Christmas. The people who took her into their home have learned to love the little one and are having serious discys- sions about the future and “are un able to decide what college she should attend.” The child has been happy tn the lovely, comfortable home and her foster-parents have found @ joy that had heretofore been unknown to them tho love of @ little one, According to the history of this »uby, the mother had died and her father was anxious to have some kind couple take her into their hearts and home. Somehow I can’t help wishing that there were more couples itke the one that has cared for Mary Victoria, ‘The Mttle human being came to then out of the Nowhere, ‘Nhey gave her (shelter and parental love, the thing whe most necds. In return she gave them all the pleamite and sweetness of childhood, and the satisfaction that they were doing a worthy thing. It was a joyous arrangement for all Parties concerned. When | think of the ghiidieas couples on the one hand, ami the thousands of orphans or half-orphans on the other, it seams a pity, @ loms for both 1 with I could go into the matter with every couple who ean care @r a Uittle cblld and who don’t, | would like to talk to them something like nr Do yon know what you are miss Don't you realize that the one r your interest alive and outh 16 to have youth about Have you ever thought of the great happiness that comes with the knowledge that through you # » soul i saved suffering and Ilave you ever thought of the fine ivie Interest in the community that ou oun show by taking care of one of its dependent ones? Have you ever felt the warmth of « hay good night kise and its cling: ing arms about your neck? Have you ever heard the little prattle or the laughter of @ wee one Ses” DOOLS TINS FOUND ana[years gone by? Have you ever re care and become a part of you? to the future with ¢ up w you > find you alone ami could lonely? Have you ever reasoned that in where there are no chil much an hour the \greatest blessing — Th and comfort in the world Is a young ne eatimated Delicious Economy! T is easy to make this wonderful pudding from left-over bread crumbs.. The trans- formation into a delightful dessert is due to Runkel’s All-Purpose Cocoa, You'll find the easy recipe on page 28 of “The New Cocoa Cookery’’-—the famous Runkel cookbook, now revised and enlarged for your benefit. Write for a copy today. RUNKEL BROTHERS, lac, Cae Maters of Runtels Almond Barsand Fr Net Bare 4 = 450 Weet 30th Street New York City l NKE LS i) Runkel’ AllPurpose Cocoa | Drinking. Baking =! Cooking ie ~The Language of Sports hhext humerous essay, It will be man or & young woman roght there te cheer you up and comfort when you are weak and waa ay to couples who can a child in their home without one now. Such lowing much, if they only knew Copyrtant, 1920, by The Press Publishing Co, (The New York Rrening World.) The child at large—there are that has made you think of years many of him. He ta lett to the of chance through no’ fault of lected on watch- own. He js a community ‘ng @ lite being grow under your public burden, and all he needs parental love of just such ‘And finally, have you ever looked could give It, but who withhold (t i age creeping Yes, I can't help wishing ce every child now cared forpy the public In every home good that would result cannat _— COCOA Y . anyon ee ee ae, ace eer ee eran et gyn SS inn <r! ee ore ee ee &