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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 18, 1900)
16 THE ' SUNDAY OREGONIANr PORTLAND, NOVEMBER 18, 1900. A t-J ft. ABMaKBBBMBBHBBBsnRBtaMaHaHnamHlBBBBk "" " 90 J2L Av . jL 4Mli Safes' Vs'o fa""3BJ mlf f ' 1113 In tbe Library". Her In Immemorial peace Borrow finds a swift surcease, -And Care knits her "ravelled sleeve" With the dreams that poets weave. Here the vines that Virgil trained Hans -with clusters purpls-vslned; Here the ilex start to view Murmuring- sons that Horace knew; And that famed Banduslaa font, m Crystal-clear, as nu Its wont. Bubbles over with the clee Of a lilt to Lalace. Here, from his Arcadian wood. Pan, half seen, half understood. Pipes his -wild bewitching strain Till the Dryads dance apaln. Charlemagne comes hunting here, Roland, too, and Olivier, Hark! the music of that horn "On FontaraWa's echoes borne." O4d-world phantoms, dearer far Than the new-norld's creatures are Let the glittering riot pass, Hlc manet felleUa. John Paul Bocock. in Not ember Critic THE COSMIC PHILOSOPHY Irof..JpUn yislce's Theory of the Prolonged Infancy of Mnnlilnd Other Late Publications. Professor John PIske, whose historical Jlnd philosophical writings are noteworthy contributions to the world's thought, has long been prominent among the. Ameri can advocates of evolution and the Spen cerlan philosophy. Thirty years ago he arrived at the discovery of the causes of the prolonged Infancy "of mankind, and the part played by it In determining hu man deelopment. In "Outlines of Cots mlc Philosophy," which has met cordial welcome wherever disciples of Darwin, Goethe and Spencer are to ba found, Pro fessor Plsko not only fully absorbs Spa cer's views, but rearranges and con denses them and amplifies them, espe cially as to tho part taken by the pro longation of human Infancy In originat ing social evolution. The chief difficulty which most persons find In accepting the doctrine of evolu tion as applied to the origin of tho hu man race is that of realizing in Imagina tion the kinship between the hlfitoer and lower forms of Intelligence and emotion. Critics ask h6w it Is possible to imagine that a race possessed of a godlfke Intel, lect, a keen aesthetic enss and a lofty soul should ever have descended from a race of mere brutes. Again they ask how can a race endowed with great ca paclty for progress be genetically akin to those lower races of which even the highest show no advance from one gene ration to another. Introducing these con siderations, not so much to confirm the theory of the descent of man from an ape-like animal as to illustrate the true point of view which the evolution of humanity should be regarded. Professor Flske says: The chief differences between cUUlzed man and the other members of the order to which he belongs are psj ehotogical differences, and the Immense series of psychical changes to which they are due has all along been deter mined by social conditions. The all-Important contrast, therefore. Is not between man and other primates, extinct and contemporary, but between civilized man and primitive man The lowest contemporary man, whose social organ ization has never reached any higher form than that of the simplest tribal community, exhibits but scanty traces of the god-like intel lect, the refined tartes, or the lofty soul which we are accustomed to ascribe to humanity In general as Its distinctive atti-bates. Human ity, zoologically considered, exists today, to which these attributes cannot be ascribed with out a considerable strain upon the accepted meanings of our words. Zoologically, tho Aus. trallan belongs to the genus homo, and Is therefore nearer to us than to th gorilla or gibbon; psychologically, he Is in many re spects further removed from us than from these man-like apes. Ko one will deny that the Intellectual progress implied In counting up to five or six. though equally Important, Is Immeasurably Inferior In quantity to the sub sequent progress implied In the solution of dynamical problems by means of Integral cal culusen achievement to which the average modern engineer is competent. But in going back to the prime'val man. we must descend to a lower grade of intelligence than that which is occupied by the Australian. We must traerse the immensely long period during which the average human skull was enlarging from a eapaclty of 35 laches, like that of the highest apes, to a capacity of 70 Inches, like those poet-glacial European skulls, of which the one found at Neanderthal is a specimen, and which are about on a par with the skulls of the Australians. And when we have reached the beginning of this period possibly In the Miocene epoch we may fairly represent to our selves the Individuals of the human genus as animals differing In little save a more marked sociality from the dryoplthecus and other ex tinct half-human apes. We may represent primitive man a an animal In whom, physical and psychical eh&ngee hiving hitherto proceed ed pari pascu. Intelligent had at length ar rived at a point where variations In It would sooner be seized on by natural selection than variations In physical structure. When among primates possessed of such an intelligence, tbe family groups temporarily formed among all mammals began to become permanent, then we must say that there began the career of hu manity as distinguished from animallty. For countless ages our ancestors probably were still bat slightly distinguished from other primates, save that their increasing IntelU. gene their use of weapons, and their habits of combination, rendered them more than a match for much larger and stronger animals, la the later Plteeene times these primitive men may have come to bear some resemblance to the lowest contemporary savages. Human remains and relics of the still later glacial period supply clear proof of such aTesernblanes; yet the absence of any Improvement In vrtap pona and Implements for many ages longer thews that as yet there was but little capa bility of progress. Of the career of mankind during the SO09 jears which would seem to have elapsed since the era of the cave bear and woolly rfclaseeros, we possess many 'ves tiges. But everything indicates the most ex treme barbarism, nowhere does there appear a trace of anvthlng like even the rudest civiliza tion, until we reach that comparatively recent epoch antecedent to the dawn of history, but accessible to philology The partial restoration of the Aryan mother-tongue enables us to go back perhaps a desea or fifteen centuries be yond the ace of Homer and th Vedas. and catoh a few glimpses of the prehistoric Aryans an agricultural race completely tribal in or ganization, but acquainted with the use of met als, and showing marks of an Intelligence, de cidedly above that of high contemporary bar barians like the Kaffirs. At the stmt time the deciphering of hieroglyphics on Egyptian mon uments reveals- to us the existence In the Val ley of the Nile of an eld and Immobile civiliza tion, organised on a tribal basis, like that of China, already slaking in political decrepitude at the mde&&ea. era. at whiah. we first catch sight of 1L OI th "beginnings of civilization BOOKS on the Nile, and also. Indeed, on the Eu phrates, and of the stages by which the 'Ary ans arrived at the lntejleolual pre-eminence to Which their recovered language bears witness, we know absolutely nothing. But even if we 'were to allow 29,000 jeara for these proceed ings an Interval nearly seven times as long as that which separates the Homeric age from our own time we should obtain but a brief period compared with the countless ages of unmitigated barbarism which preceded It- The progress of mankind Is like a geometrical progression. For a good while the repeated doubling produeea quite unobtrusive results; but as we begin to reach the large numbers the increase suddenly becomes astonUhlpg. Since the beginning of recorded history wo hae been moving among the large numbers, and each .decade now witnesses a greater amount of psyehlcal achievement than could haTe been witnessed In thousands of years among pre glacial men. Bueh a result Is what the doc trine of evolution teaches us to, anticipate; and It thoroughly confirms our statement that. In point of Intelligence and capacity for progress, the real contrast is not between all mankind and other primates, but between civilized and primeval men. If w take the thousands of centuries during which the human race lias cov ered both the Eastern and Western Hem ispheres, and compare with them the en iw, . attan If rnrfljH ,in WstMv tire duration of recorded human hUtory, , ..it v..,. v., -.fit-v.!. we shall liave-set -before us a profitable ,hiBf r ,flH , rt.n.ni- says Professor Fisko, "during which man has possessed sufficient intelligence to leaea traditionary record of himself Is but an Infinitesimal fraction of the period during which he has existed upon tfie earth. It Is but fair to conclude that, during those long ages of which none, but a geologic record of his existence re mains, he was slowly acquiring that su perior intelligence which now so widely distinguishes him from all other ani mals. Throughout an enormous period or time, his brain-structure and Its corre lated intellectual and emotional functions must have been constantly modified both by natural selection and by direct adapta- Hon, While his outward physical appear ance has undergone few modifications; and of these the most striking would seem to be directly or lndlrectlv con sequent upon the cerebral changes." (Heughton, Mifflin & Co., Boston.) 3XIIS. BROWNING'S POETRY. Definitive edition Added to the Cam bridge Poet' Series. The high standard of the Cambridge paets Is maintained In the definitive edi tion of the poems of Mrs. Elizabeth Bar rett Browning, just published. The text followed Is that of the latest comprehen- slve English edition, and as Mrs. Brown- penduous genius could never perish. I lng sought to give more than ordinary ' inwardly awarded him double Immortal weight to certain words and phrases, her I lty." (Doubleday & McClure Co., Ner Italicising and capitalization nave Desn followed, The appendix Includes the more Important of her earlier work, that which may properly "be classed as Juvenlllta, bui. which Is, Invaluable as showing the early hnf of hpr Intellect and llhistratincr the development to the high standards of later I years. The plan of the volume is tnat Followed In all the Cambridge editions, 'he hesdnotes to Individual poems and croups of poems are restricted for the most Dart to biographical and bibllo- graphical detail. .In the notes and lllus- J trations, which form part of the appendix, I the editor has made a survey of some of the characteristics of Mrs. Brown ing's poetry and of those qualities of mind which especially distinguish her. A short biographical sketch of Mrs. Browning, by Harriet Wators Preston, serves as an Introduction. Mrs. Brown ing began writing verse when she was LASHED BY LIVID LIGHTNING. yiMaWraysSfcCcrC- 1 1 Mi i , h'i " it . ,... -. rw. - . Tir'i i a MILLIONAIRE AERONAUTS CACGHT IN A TEMPEST. Twentieth century sports may make the most dangerous pastimes of the nineteenth seem like child's play. Now that the multl-mllllon aires of the United States are Importing, as has been reported, the new airships that have proyen successful In France and Germany. It Is easy to anticipate the consequences. Picture men swept In the swirl of a seething cyclone through countless acres of llghtping-lashed space, with the deadly fluid all about them, out of their reckoning and cut off from the smallest glimpse of & human habitation by the roll ing blackness of Cimmerian clouds I . S years old. Her father' was proud of the precocious talent which he soon detect ed In her and "did his bst," as she confessed, to "spoil her" by printing a his own expense, 50 copies of her epic in four books, on the "Battle of Mara thon," whleh was completed at the ripe age of 13' Mrs. Browning was almost entirely Self-educated. The history of her mental development during the first 20 years of her life, says Miss Preston, "may bo summed up- In a very few words: Astonishing avidity and aptitude for learning, omnlverous reading, and no reg ular training whatsoever. "There la no J. Eround for regarding her poetic genius M as an inheritance either from her formid able father, or from the weak and shadowy mother, who died soon alter giving birth to her eighth son; and In trjing to trace the genesis of her signal endowment, we flnd ourselves driven back upon fanciful speculations concerning the large .general Influx of 'Intellectual day,' which appears to have visited our plan et in the first of the- century now end ing. More persons predestined to great eminence In their various lines were born between 1S00 and 1810 than In all the next six or seven decades." (Houghton. Mimin & Co., Boston.) Recollection of Napoleon I. "Memories of Countess Potocka," is an unusually vivacious and attractive vol ume In which the Countess, a member of the Polish royal family and an enthusi astic patriot, gives her reminiscences of people and events. Apart from her pic ture of Napoleon and of many otner fa mous historical characters, this journal reveals a naive but charming personality, Gallic In Its clever quickness and percep tion, yet withal that of a nature always pure and womanly In spite of the times and surroundings. One gets to feel Very . ., . ... ,,. of. ,D,rti Intimate with the author after reaaing . .Z.tr ,i v,n ..,. v. mmni her frank tale of how, after tho usual marrlasra de convc nance, she tried to arouse her husband's Interest and plaue him Into showing more affection by writ ing a loi e letter to herself and dropping it where he must find It. Many portraits, views and facsimiles make an Illustrative series of pictures. The recollections of theCountess go back to 1791 and the days of the Polish revolution. She devotes much space to her recollections of Bona parte, whom she met at Warsaw dur ing his Russian campaign, pf course, the Poles were In sympathy with him. and many of the Countess' relatives held high positions In the French Army. Of. her first meeting with Napoleon she says; "So many portraits exist of this aston ishing man, his history has been so much written about, all the stories told by the children of his old soldiers will live so long, that the generations to come will know him almost as well as our selves. But what will be difficult to grasp Is how deep and unexpected the Impression wa which those felt who saw hlfh for the first time. As for me, 1 experienced a sort of stupor, a mute sur prise, like that which seizes one at the aspect of any prodigy. It seemed to mo that he wore an aureole. The only thought I could form when I had re covered from this first shock was that such a being could not possibly die; that such a mighty organization, such a stu- York.) Nnpoleon nt Ills HeiKlit. "Napoleon III at the Height of His Power" Is the fifth volume of Imbert dej Salnt-Amand's series devoted to tn It Is a court oi me secona jsmpire strikingly strong and clear outline of the subject. The events following the war with Austria for the liberation of Italy are described. -The Emperor was satis- fled with the events of 1860 "Pursuing tho current of his cosmopolitan schemes and humanitarian policy, he dreamed of a "moral and material solidarity between ull nations, a sort of European federation, and fancied himself called to realize thanks to the principle of nationalities the visions of the Memorial from Saint Helena. To his mind, the private Jnter ests of France came second to the gen- FPP8" eral Interests of mankind at large. . . . He' fancied that he would never have anything to dread at the bands of Italy and -Prussia, and believed that In the court of Berlin he would find a useful auxiliary for that emancipation of Venice which would complete, his unfinished pro gramme of 1S59." But what a rude awak ening he had at Sedan! (Charles Scrib ner"s Sons, New York.) - Robert Oraage. John Oliver Hobbes' new book, "Rob ert, Orange," Is the sequel to "The School I for Saints' It takes its title .from the J name of the hero of the first nopL Epi- gram and philosophy do tiot hinder or exclude romantic incident. A novel which starts with the problem of a high-minded hero and hrerolne unconsciously commit ting bigamy, and which keeps its stage moving with Princes, Dukes, Lords, In dies, statesmen and. bishops, can hardly be open to that charge.- Disraeli was a strong salt of humor In "The 8chopI for Saints." and In "Rebert Orange he Is much taore dominant. The characters are of Individual and original type. (Fred erick A. Stokes Co, Xew YorkJt Interast In Rooae-relt' "Work. Governor Roosevelt's election to the Vice-Presidency will undoubtedly -awaken new interest In his literary productions, which with the exception of the mono graph, "Oliver Cromwfell," are issued In a new edition with a biographical and critical memoir by General Francis V. Greene. Governor Roosevelt's most nota ble work is, of course, "Tbe Winning of the "West," & picturesque and compre hensive narrative of the early history of the great states of the Middle West and Southwest. The Governor's success as historian, economist, soldier, hunter, au thor and Governor give? hope that in him the Vice-Presidency will be rescued from Its wonted oblivion. (G. P. Put nam's Sons, New York.) B.0QK NOTES. , Mtsa Lilian Waiting Not a Mentber of tbe nnhlst Sect- In a recent issue oi the New York World, In an article on, "Bablsts," a new Oriental sect, the statement was made that Miss Lilian Whiting, the author of "The World Beautiful." Is a believer in "Batolsm," and one of the latest to re turn from Syria. As the publishers of Miss Whiting's books. Little, Brpwn & Co.. Boston, state that this assertion Is e,bsolutoly .unfounded. Miss Whiting bad never even heard tho name of "Bablsm" until her return from Paris, and she has nevor l5een to Egypt or Syria, but divided last Winter between Rome and Florence. She was born and bred In the Episcopal Communion, to whose faith she Is unfalteringly-allied. "Tom's fioy,M by the aqthor of 'SIIss Tansey's Mission." A story of love, sep aration and reunion with the Income of a large eutate to make the second honey moon happier than the first. (Little, Brown & Co., Boston..) George Bird Grinnell Is a popular writer of frontier stories for boys. "Jack Among tpe IndlanB" depicts the life of a white boy among the Indians In the days when herdB of buffalo roamed the Western plains and Indians lived by hunting them. It Is a healthy story of courage, dating and adventure. (Frederick A. Stokes Co., New York.) W. A. Fraser's text on Arthur Hemlngs Illustrations have made "Mooseva and Others of the Boundaries" a book of Im aginative Interest. Each knows the Ca nadian wilderness with the thoroughness of long familiarity, and together they have vividly portrayed the world of the trackless Northern forests. Carcajou, the Wolverine; Mooswa, the Moose; Muskwa, the Bear; Black Fox, the King, and the various other fur-bearing anlmalB are the dramatic personae of a story which de picts animal life from, the inside. (Charles Scrlbner & Sons, New York.) A faeclnat:ng story for children, glv'ns a great deal of valuable' Information about Indian ways and customs Is "A LIUle American Girl In India," by Har riet A. Cheever. From India the chil dren make the long voyage to England, and thence to America. The wonderful sights of the great Indian city of Bom bay are described In a vivid and slmp.e manneh. The volume Is prettily Illus trated by H. C. Ireland- Lttle. Brown &. Co., Boston.) In "A Private Chivalry," Francis Lynda opens with a picture of a Colorado min ing camp, from which the reader Is taken to Dener. The chivalrous hero, who is working out his own salvation In shite of enemies and temptations, becomes in volved In a myutery which holds- the In terest of the reader. (D. Appleton& Co., New York.) "With .Malice. Toward None," by Olive Beatrice Mulr. A gloomy tale ofTjnre qultcd love. The heroine had "beautiful teeth, but her hair was a perfect glory a rich bronze." (Rand, McNally & Co . Chicago ) , "Scouting for Washington," by John Preston True. An historical story pf the Revolution. It Is full of spirit apd dash. (Little, Brown & Co., Bpston ) "A Furnace of Earth," by Hallle Er mtnle Rives. A stupid study of the emo tions of a mprbld joung woman, who decided not to 'marry her betrothed, be cause, the spiritual feeling she -entertained for him was Insufficient. (Camo lot Co.. New York.) "The Soft Side," by Henry Jame A volume of short stories, containing soma of the best work Mr. James has done. All the stories are good. (The Macmll.an Company, New York) ''The Duke of Stockbridge," by Edward Bellamy. A romance of Shay's rebel on. The adventure and roma'nee of. the offi cer in th6 Continental Army, who led "this revolt, and who loved a belle in Western Massachusetts, form the theme of the novel. Bellamy wrote this before "Looking Backward." (Silver. Burdett & Co., New York.) "The Heart of the Ancient wooa, oy Charles G. D. Roberts. A romance of the alliance of peace between a pioneer's daughter In the depths of the anc ent wood and the wild beasts that felt her spell and became her friends. (SI ver, Burdett & Co.. New York.) "The First Capture," by Harry Cas tleman. A story of the Battle of Lex ington. (Saalsfield Publishing Company, Akron, O.) THE. MAGAZINES. Genera Editor' Warning Against an International Policy. Marc Debrlt. editor of the Geneva Jour nal, writes In the International Monthly, for November, upon the various con gresses held b? European nations under thP pretext of setting aright tfle wrongs brought about by conquest. He treats of the famous Congress of Vienna, and of later conventions. Evidently the writer considers the appeal to a Congress of Nations the last resort tot- weak or op pressed people, for the Judges are the strong, and decide questions solely from self Interest He warns the world against ah International police. The feature in the current number of The Critic is easily the first Installment of "The Forest Schoolmaster," a serial novel bv; Peter Roeegger, which should, through its rare simplicity and the fresh ness of its appeal, fc-eadlly win a corner in the reader's affection. At the out set, certainly, the story is redolent w.th nature both inanimate and human. The .Nbvember North American Review opens with a masterly article by Captain A. T. Mahan. TJ. S. N., on "Asiatic Condl-Mi-.no nrt Tntornatlninnl Policies." In which ! he endeavors to show what the United States must do to maintain ita Influence In the councils of the nations under the new conditions Created by the Eastern crisis. Robert Donald, the editor of the Mu nicipal Journal, of London, contributes to the Review of Reviews for November an article on "Trusts in England," de scribing the modus operandi of effecting industrial combinations there, and giving specific instances of many such combina tions formed within the past two years. Notable articles to appear in Scrlbner's Magazine In 1901 are: "TheHegularArmy," General Francis V. Greene; "Russia of Today," Henry Norman; "Stage Remin iscences," by Mrs. Anne H. Gilbert; new articles on "The Workers' Walter A. Wyckoff, and stories and contributions by J. M. Barrie, Theodore Roosevelt, Richard Harding Davis; T. B. Aldrich; William Allen White, Ernest Seton Thompson and others. The Thanksgiving number of the Satur day Evening Post. Philadelphia, eon tains "The Leaders in American .Diplo macy." by John W. Foster; "The Onward March of American Trade." fcy Frank A. Vanderllp. and a number of o.ther articles .and a plentiful supply of fiction. Music All hall the glint and glow of grace. The feast of style and reason, Together met'to open up The operatic season. All hall the front Of bowling swells (And those who wish to class so) Bowed down to Jfelha'a treble and De Hezske's mighty basse. Wallace Irwin In Ban Francisco Examiner. GRAU IN SAN FRANCISCO Opened to a Brilliant bnt Cold Audi ence Houae Trro-Thlrda Foil for Wnirner. The most fashionable audience that was ever drawn to an auditorium. In San Fran cisco assembled at Morosco's Grand OperarHpuse last Monday night to greet the Grau company. It was a ?10,QOO liouse. and an audience of some 3030 people, who behaved as thpugh Grau opera were an every night affair in San Francisco and 'CANNONBALLING" A CURVE. DANGERS OF THE AUTOMOBILE. Talk about the "Chicago Limited" and "Empire Sta,to Express"! They are "not In It" with automoblllne. aa practiced by some of the multi-millionaires of the .East. The rail way trains In question go faster tl)an the autos. It is true, but they glide over straight, well-laid and ballasted steel tracks, while the automoBlHers. so to speak, go at break neck pace oer oil sorts tna, conditions of roads, getting a fair stretch hero and a rocky course there; bumping over big boulders, skirting deep ditches, darting around so-called curves that look more lfka acute angles, and dashing pellmell among numerous oth$ ve hicles on drives already crowded beyond the danger point Several persons have already been Injured by the autos. and already a cry has gone up o er the recklessnefs of the mill ionaire drivers and owners of tjp vehicles. Automobjllng may yet become a nuisance and a public menace. Melba, Saleza, Edouard de Resaske and Plancon the common or garden variety of vocal entertainers, says Ashton Stevens In the Examiner. Why It should have been a cold night I cannot fathom. Tho singers were there In a cast that would make Lbndsn or New York envious; th;e orchestra under the baton of Manclnelll was beautifully and unobtrusively good;, the big audi torium was filled to a comfortable over flowing; and the wantonly costumed ushers made ewer mistakes than ever before but thpre was a chill In the at mosphere that -never entirely thawed. There was applause, to be sure, but it was of the dignified, perfunctory sort, de void of shout and boo thunder. The women djd not promenade between acts and there was'a hU'h in the talk of the men who crowded the foyer. For a big opening it was the quietest In my experience. There was nothing like. the spell and thrill and glitter of the old Pattl nights; nor was there an approach to the last time, or the time before, that Melba sang here with a company In finitely Inferior to the present one. It seemed to be a house afraid of itself, that sought safety in silence; -and the spirit of the audience went over the lights and affected the singers. Soprano In the Limelight. In the first place, ''Romeo and Juliet" Is not an opera to strike sparks. It gives the soprano a glorious opportunity to bathe In the limelight and It gives the tenor about as much chance as William i Shakespeare gave Romeo In the original drama. That Is all. The rest have few endeavors that really matter In the way of Individual glorification. De Reszke as the friar, and Plancon as Capulet could not help but be good, but their perform ances were only promises of what they will do when their talents and tempera ments are given bigger vent. I went to the .show with a bookful of adjectives and a head ready to dlz with excitement, but I .came away rom It as apathetic as -the rest of the crowd. The only feature that I can absolutely rave and gush about Is the orchestra. We have heard surpassing bands, but not better than this. Manclnelll plays It as a master handles the keys of an organ. His bandsmen are absolutely plas tic under his beat. The orchestra was there, always; "but it was your subcon sclence rather than your conscience that noted its presence. Never have I heard a big orchestra so perfectly subservient and subsidiary to the lyric interest of the music drama as this one. It caught to the last note that wonderful blend of passion and religious formality that char-nrterizt-ft Gounod's score. It was never excessive, obtrusive, and .never waiting. Exquisite Vocal Machine. And now fortle.singlpg. Melba was. the Juliet, and well as cold as her au dience. Melba can do better than this. She is more than an exqu'slte vocal ma chine. I have heard her sing the Mlml of "La Boheme" with a tenderness to make an audience weep. But she was cold last night, for all her delicate phras ing and birdie tone. Melba is npt a great actress by natural temperament; she has little subtlety and no capacity for stress, and frequently she has the over-consciousness of the prima .donna. She was absolutely stage-conscious last night in the "balcony scetie. Not that Juliet's mezzo voce passages were not intoned with" fragrant art and as clean and clear as a flute to bear but the warm, human quality -was missing. The most passion? ate figure in the respectable drama was made out to be as calm as the cucumber -of commerce. It was singing singing in tho first water but notT acting; not chax actertzatton,' not Melba nx. her admirer among whom I count myself npt the Jeast would care to remember her, Salesa, the tenor, started Romeo In a white, anaemic voice, but warmed up rousingly as tho night grew. He pipes a note that Is as clear as a Crumpet, despite the nasal Influence of the Parisian school, and he acts as well aa roost singers act, in the styffed, padded fashion. The good actor is not made In the tenor's image. For Edouard de Reszke there is nothing but superlative praise. He is an artist from sole to bonnet, with a voice so rich and warm as to shame a cejto. What there Is in the role of Friar Laurent he voices and figures with Impeccable iden tity. There are dignity and splendid sym pathy In his work. a Greateat In Late-Tlciea. an 'Frartclscp Chronicle. Very few people, perhaps, know that the cast of "Romeo et Juliet" last night was in the matter of principals the great est the opera has had in late times, if not, taken as a whole, the greatest it has ver had. When Mr. Grau plays in New York or London he does not put Edouard de Reszke and Plancon together in the bill, and, aa a fact, if anybody wants to heap a greater group of voices' together in that opera, be must have them spe cially created, for they cannot be found anywhere. " We heard Mine. Melba before in Juliet. She is quite a remarkable example of hard, intelligent work at a great ambi tion. She has won th& place next to tbe most wonderful singer we know anything of, and in getting there she has performed a feat worthy of the highest personal admiration. Most prima donnas have had temperament to help them, and that Is al most If not quite, half the battle. Mme. Melba haB had to overcome the lack of It n a great measure, and yet sho Is there, one of the most delightful Interpreters of the greatest and most difficult music She is not a very passionate singer, but Gounpd's Juliet Is somewhat more sp'rlt uelle than Shakespeare's' Juliet, and that Silver voicp Is what It Is written for. Mme. Melba is Just at the height pf her charm and she promises to hold it for many years yet. Grau, the impresario of the opera com pany, came out of his box smiling and affable., "1 was a "magnificent audience, and tbe singing was worthy the asem blago,1' said "he. " 'Romep and Juliet' has not been sung better anywhere. I am satisfied." L. Du Pont Lyle Inhe Call: The scen ery was sufficient, though decidedly below a Parisian standard, aa Mr. Grau must know very well. The programme furnished the audience was a thing of'loathlng and abomination. It was with difficulty one could discover tbe printed cast .burled as It was, under the advertisements of o'l heaters, wh sk!e3 end complexion tonics. When people pay seven dollars a seajt they should be spared such an Infliction as this. The Secpnd Tiiglit. , The Chronicle: Grau finds it easier to' pay out. a fat fortune In salaries every r night of, the season than to account for such situations as the one he faced last nlgbt at the Grand Opera-House. Not one of the singers In his company is so praised, and particularly In this city as Mme. Gadskl. and yet she sang last even ing to something like two-thirds of a liouae. Society decided that; the second night must. In the line of tradition, be an "off" one and so ltwas In the matter of box office receipts, but no,t in an artistic sense. The enthusiasm and the appre ciation was out of all proportion to the audience and the first-nighters would not have begrudged twice l a seat for some of the electric atmosphere that made "Tannhauser' a joy from the mo ment Walter Damrosch raised his baton until the curtain went down on the last act. Van Dyck Is said to be the greatest Wagnerian tenor. No one who heard him last night will dispute it. His voice has a warmth and sympathy and a softness In Its powerful tone that are exceptional in such dramatic singers. Gadski Is in more brilliant voice this time than she has ever been. Her voice la clearer, even more flexible; her con trol of It more complete; her phrasing more finished, and her ppfse much more certain. She has grown every way. A picture as Elizabeth, her warm, clear tone rang out to every nook, and comer of the house, and sfa did not Once show strain or effort or go beyond artistic 1 discretion 'n tne delivery of her music une oj the most agreeable v results of the opera was Susan Strong, the Ameri can prima donna, who sang Venus. Al ready he ranks well up, and she is in measurable sight of tbe leading place. She has a voice of great volume, and it Is rare tp find such volume with such clear, sweet tope and genuine quality. Her Venus was quite effective, even with Van Dyck m the scene, and Gadskl after. David Blspham everybody expected to prove himself in opera, and there was quite a -personal pleasure to many to find all their anticipations more than real ized. It was a charming, artistic performance- he gave so full of sympathy and feeling that few singers have won such a peculiar human Interest from an audience f The orchestra save token of its splen did balaoco and training In "Borneo and J Juliet, under Manclnelll, but last night, in the grip of Damrosch and in a score that gave full vent to tenal coloring and. absolute dramatic expression, it "was aim- ply overwhelming. Until you hear a Wagner ppera 'rora Damrosch you, nay no notion of what one really means, bow delicate, sensitive and human the co called complexities may be made out to he Mr. D;ararosch8 recent heart-to-heart, talks on the operas were clever and a tertalalng, but npt entirely necessary. He explains better with the batpc. The climax in "Tannhauser" was reached In the close of the second act. The saptet and ensemble wrung shouts of admiration from the most sedate auditor In the house. Men got out Into the aisles' to glvo their applause bigger swing, and finally, when the curtain had gone up half a dozen times and Damrosch ap peared with the singers on the stage, there was a noise that could have been heard in the Potrero. So thrilling was the entire conduct of this great scene that many strange things happened. A neighbor of mine reached out over tho w)de aisle and clasped hands with a stranger. Damrosch, a dignified director with out a fake n his repertory, threw down his leader's stick whsn the last note of the act had been sounded, and applauded with both hands. SWEDISH VOCAL QUARTET. Informal Afternoon of Sonar Last Thursday. The Swedish Quartet, which has been delighting audiences at the Metropolitan this past week, gave a ve.ry pleasant and informal parlor recital nt X5 First street, last Thursday afternoon, Count Wacht meister and Mr. John MacKenzte being the hosts. The songs were mainly Swed ish. The famous song on a drunkard's funeral, composed by Bellman, who xiovr takes rank with the greatest of Swedish composers, was sung. This is an eerie thing, full of brilliant wit as to the words, which ill consort with the marvelous beauty of the melody. A new song by Grieg was also most Interesting to those present, since It represents the great Norwegian composer In one of his "off moods," being full of boisterous humor. It is a, musical parody on the Serenade, a cat on the roof In a stormy night being the leading performer. Other Scandinavian songs that were given enabled the listeners to study the difference between Swedish and Nor wegian humor, the former being charac terized by spontaneous, sparkling gaiety, while the lattor had always an under tone of constraint and sadness. The Swedish and Finnish national airs were sung, and also a very beautiful quartet composed by Count Waohtmelster, full of charming melody and difficult chro matic modulations, It is a lullaby, the words, which were also written by him, describing Nature and her merry crew falling under the sTay ot the gnome of sleep at the approach of Winter's cold. Another very beautiful song composed by Count Wachtmelster here In Portland was sung by Miss Marie Velguth, who was in delightful voice, and rendered It in most captivating fashion. Mrs. Sterling also contributed a jong that was much enjoyed by those present. Various solo numbers were sung by the Swedish singers, one of whom. Miss Stephanie Heden, was, a short time ago. one of the best-known sopranos at the grand opera In Stockholm. While there she had to undergo, an operation upon ber mroat, wmen resuuea in a compieio change of voice from soprano to contralto. The four singers are highly cultured mu sicians, with voices that blend delight fully, possessing rare clarity and sweet ness of tone, that Is characteristic of most Swedish voices. Miss Elen Syden is first1 soprano, Miss Llnea Peterson sec ond soprano, Miss Amelia Heden first contralto, and her sister. Miss Stephanie Heden, second contralto. They Inquired for Madame Jennie Noralll with much In terest, she having been one of their num. bet a few years ago. Local Mnstcal Mention. Those who remember Miss Gladys Jones ' as one of the most prominent contraltos of this cly a few years since, will be glad to hear her again at the First Pres-. byterlan Ohurch on Sunday evening. 8hi Is now Mrs. Thomas, and s here on a visit with her husband from Dulutb, Minn. The music at the Woman's Club next Friday afternoon, which Is In charge of Miss Susie Gambell, will include a so prano solo by Miss Ella Hoberg, and Hawley'B "My Little Love," sung by the contralto, Miss Berta Grimes. Among the Portland music-lovers who will enjoy the Grau opera season In San Francisco, are Mr. and Mrs. Richard Koehler, Miss QttUle Schuecklng, MJss Plttcck. Mrs. R. E. Moody and sister, Mrs Pontius Mrs. F. H. Hopkins and mother, Mrs. Woodward. Mrs. W L. Mac Ewan, Mrs, Sargent, Mrs. P. F. Morey, Miss Eastham and Mrs. Amadeo Smith, la Art Brutallstno-f As an instance of the brutalizing in fluence of art, Tolstoi relates how he once attended an dperatlc rehearsal and heard the conductor In trying to get a passage played correctly call tbe per formers asses, fools. Idiots, and swine. And he adds; "This nasty folly (the opera) is prepared not with kindly mer riment, but with anger and brutal cruel ty." Well, well! And yet the author of the "Kreutzer Sonata" Is sajd to be "pas sionately fond of music." and especially In the operatic forms. The Saunterer, In Muflc Trade Review He's blowine with all his might and can. Doreiy sur inc record ing band from rcro, There's many a big, healthy looking man who is weak lfi the lungs. Probably half or two -thirds of his lune surface barelv knows the contact of oxygen. He's the kind of man, who, when a cough attacks him, goes galloping down the road toward consumption. Many such a man has found strength and healing for weak lungs and tissues lacerated by coughing and drained by hemorrhages, in the use of Dr. Pierce's Golden Medical Discov ery. The healing power of this medi cine In pulmonary diseases seems little short of marvelous at times, so extreme are the conditions which it cures. The "Discovery" contains no alcohol, and no narcotics. "When I started to take year4 Golden Med ical Discovery writes Mr. A. P. Norotny, of 2eir York, N. Y.. Box 1417 "I had a regular consumptive cough, of -whTch I was afraid, sad everybody cautioned me and wsrned fit con cerning it. I war losing weight rapidly, was very pale and had no appetite, whatever. Now raj condition is changed eatlralr, I do not cough at all, have sained eight pounds ia weight, have recovered my bealtHy color, aad my appetite U enormous. I can recommead your medicine to everybody who may be ia seed of tbe same, as it is a sure care." Dr, Eicrce'a Pellets cure coostfpatiotu Bit Ke cn'1 US Believe. If.