THE SUNDAY OREGOMAX, TORTLAXD, JANUARY 26, 1908.
mm
BY ALMA A. RODGERS.
THE small boy of Austrja celebrates
his Christmas with much the same
sort of Santa Claus as the patron
saint of the young American, "with the
additional feature of -a red devil. This
devil, who is called a Krampus, and
who seems to .be a forerunner to clear
the way for the good saint, visits all bad
little boys on the eve of December 6, the
feast-day of Saint Kickolo. .
Now, all little boys, irrespective "of
country, are bad, so the Krampus- gets
busy early. He was on his" rounds In
Vienna as soon as he had time to throw
a long, red gown over his working
clothes and cover up the' day's grime
with a grinning false face. For his jires
t'hee being requlKcd in so many places
at once, the Krampus is compelled to em
ploy aids, who, however, are so perfect
ly representative .of their chief that rib
urchin with a guilty conscience the nor
mal condition of the small boy can pos
sibly detect the difference. T,o grown-ups
the. work-hardened hand that closes over
the silver coins you must notfail to prof
fer as a peace-offering, explains. Does
not age always explain, and find therein
Its bitterest penalty?
The devil carries a chain which -clanks
terribly as he approaches, and under his
arm a bundle of switches: When he
'called at our house he was accompanied
by an "angel" robed in white, with long
white hair aureoling a white mask with
a wonderful" smtle angels smile, whereas
devils grin and ve,ry pink cheeks. The
ncavy snoes protruding from the em
broidery ruffle of the angel's petticoat
proclaimed the visit he had made to his
mother's wardrobe to fix up for his
lark.
For a. week or more before Saint Nicko
lo's 'feast, the shop windows are full of
little red devils with tails and horns and
lineaments of so fearsome an apsect that
they must certainly strike terror into the.
hearts of the trusting little ones who
crowd the pane. Nevertheless, so great
is the fascination of the terrible, it is
the ambition of each child to possess the
toy. and -I have seen more than one
chubby-faced youngster trotting- along
with a little devil gripped proudly in one
hand and til's mother's in the other.
On Saint Nickolo's Eve we went down
on the street to look for the Krampus.
because, having been very .good and
worked faithfully, and being strangers,
and Americans at that, we - feared he
might not think it polite to call. There
was a slight buzz of the unusual In the
air. Eager groups of children whispered
together and then darted off. One little
hoy was excitedly declaring something
to his companions. We stopped to hear.
He had seen the Krampus It was true in
his mother's -kitchen not ten minutes be
foreshe gave him money and he didn't
use the switch and he clanked his chain
there, can't you hear it coming?
The children' were fled. We continued
to walk up and down peering into courts
and turning corners in the hope of sat
isfying curiosity. But we got not a
glimpse of him until he appeared at our
"wohnung" by special permission of the
' housebesorger. who is old and disillu
sioned and fonder of her bottle than the
sports of Saint Nickolo's Eve.
Abundance of Holidays.
T believe every form of monarchy has
always recognized the necessity of fur
nishing amusement to the people". The in.
ference is obvious.. In Austria are so
many feast days and holy days that I
wonder how anybody but the church of
ficials can keep track of them. Not long
ago there was a holiday when everybody
went to the cemeferies and said prayers
for the dead, 'accompanying them with
floral offerings.
The Christmas celebration' includes
three days 24th, 25th, 26th the 26th be
ing the chief day. and the eve the proper
time for the Christmas tree. The Christ
mas tree Is much used, and the holiday
markets everywhere in the city are full
of them. In the yard of the Karolinen
Kirehe near our dwelling there must
have been at least 1000 little fir trees
Mffered for sale. ' On one side of the
church, which is a very ordinary one.
Is always a -vegetable market, where the
pcustint women sell the produce until 10
o'clock in the morning. When, two' weeks
inVvious to Christmas, all the rest of the
churchyard whs occupied by the Christ-,
mas trees, it did not seem possible that
they could be sold. But' on the day be
fore Christmas not one remained. The
prices ranged from a krone (20 cents) for
a tree two or three feet in height, to 12
. of ir. kronen for a line large one, fitted
Into pieces of wood to keep it upright. .
lilke Oregon J-'lr.
That churchyard was a very delightful
place to linger in while the firs lasted.
We always contrived to pass daily and
Inhale the delicious balsamy odors that
reminded us of rhe. firs- of Oregon. There
was a holl(Jy stir, too, that drew many
p cple. The peasant men and women
busied themselves selling, and fitting
crosspieces Into the tree stems, standing
tiu-m upright as soon as fitted, so that by
day the place looked like a miniature for- 1
est. At night the trees were bunched in
large heaps, with the additional protec
tion of an encircling rope and an unsleep
ing watchman. Coming borne from the
W agner Ring at nearly 1 A. M. we would
find him moving about, or sitting by the
red coals of his gypsy fjre, in the latter
Instance a mere silhoutte, against the
dull -glowing.
The stream of concerts and musical per
formances of every kind flows on without
any appearance of diminution, .-though I
am told that after January begins dancing
will take place in the diversions of the
Viennese. The 'fashionable . season for
opera and kindred attractions must there
fore be neaf its close, but the Philhar
monic concerts go-on, and the opera is a
fixture, and perhaps the only difference
to the public will be that of less difficulty
in securing seats.
Popular Concerts.
The weekly Thursday afternoon con
certs at the coffee-house in the Volks
garten are good 'almost beyond belief. The
orchestra of forty or so Is not equal to
the Philharmonic, but if one cannot al
ways have cream, there are times when
milk Is very acceptable. It costs one
krone to get in here, and another one
before you get out, for you must order a
melange, an Ice or a beer, and there are
fees for checking wraps. The programme
for December 12 will give an idea of what
may be heard. It reads.
POPULARES ORCHKSTER .KONCERT
Im K. K. Volksgarten
(Dirigent Ktistav Gutheli)
PROGRAMM. .
P. ' CornMiuff
Ouverture zur Ooerr.Der Barbler von Barilad
I van Beethoven. Sechste Sinfonte iPastorale)
(in five movements!
F. Smetana Aus Bohmens Hain und Flur
(ninionische iJichlunK)
L. van Beethoven Wiener Tanze
R. Wagner ; . .
Ouverture zur Oper: Der Flietrende Hollander
I think; I have said before that this
place is always crowded with'a very ele
gant company of people. It has the best
coffee-house music in Wien. The atmos
phere, -too, is not so bad as in other
places, for though smoking goes on, there
are revolving ventilators in the ceiling
that give circulation of pure air from the
outside. ' .
Devil That Goes After
AllChildren Who
. Have Been Naughty
Richard Strauss,
Idolized
as:Greatest Composer,
Yet Scorned by Others
Poor Imitation of Japanese.
"Madam Butterfly", is still running
at the Hofoper, but it must be said
that the presentation falls much below
the Hofoper status. It is lavishly and
beautifully staged, as everything in
the imperial playhouse is, the voices
ere as usual, the gowns are very ele
grant, and the orchestra is, as always,
close to perfection.
But it is not truly Japanese. I
must say the Ravage company gave a
more artistic performance last; year in
Portland than the Madam Butterfly we
saw here. The Oho Cho San vas in
comparably better than f raulcm
Forstls rendering: of this difficult and
charming- role. Madam Samowsky (I'm
not sure of the spelling) was a true
butterfly in her conception of the
spirit of the part. That is exactly
where the Viennese artist failed.
Though she has a beautiful voice
which she uses to advantage in Occi
dental roles, she seemed to have very
little idea of anything Japanese. Her
best work was in the .love scene with
Pinkerton and with her child, two situ-
jsaNsafc mm- -issf!
I . . .Tie8 V tfSV 1 ,
by Viennese ' H -FrKlr I
37npu&y Sj
w rni i MBS
uiST : -S''!B"1-
at ions that strike the .universal chords
of the heart.
The Japanese manner with the en
tire 'company was so stilted as to be
at times almost ludicrous. They did
not walk Japanese, .wear their kimonos
Japanese, or - in fact have - real
kimonos. These were the creation of
an art dressmaker (the court artist, a
man) whose determination to "im
prove" upon the real Japanese'garment
resulted in a sort of a modified hquse
gown, iac-king utterly the long grace
ful lines of the kimono.
The last scene is somewhat modified,
perhaps on the side of art. for in
stead of committing hara-kiri in the
presence of her child, Cho ChoSan here
sends the baby out to play and dies
plone. , Not even Pinkerton .appears,
though his voice is heard calling to
her. m
Mrs. Pinkerton, who may be remem
bered in Portland as a'modern woman
with a voice, here is actually . comical.
She wars a coetume of 50 years ago.
und says never a word, just looks in
on things once or twice, and then trips
away in her balloon hoops, as thin and
prim as any New England spinster of
.Mary VVilkins' creation.
Strauss Idolized and Scorned
We neard Dr. Richard Strauss con
dut one of the Philharmonic concerts
recently. The Strauss name seems to
be idolized by the Vienese, past and
present. The author of' Salome and
many other works, who is no relation
to the composer of the Blue Danube
waltzes, was received with such rap
ture . that, he certainly can be termed
an idol of toduy. The people shout
ed and threw their hats in the air and
compelled him to return and bow his
tall personage again and again, and
thun again. His conducting has been
very popular for years in Germany and
Austria. Francis Richter considers
him the greatest conductor he has
heard in Europe, with Herr Schuch, of
Dresden, a close second. Dr. Strauss
manner is quiet yet very vital. His
ins-trumenls melt Jnto one voice, with a
smodthness and ,brilliance of nuances
than only a master conductor can com
.mand. Numbers by- Spohr, Wagner. Drbussy
and Strauss constituted the pro
gramme. The Strauss composition,
which bears the title of Symphonia
Domcstica, was performed for the first
time by the Philharmonic Orchestra,
though, not its' initial presentation.
Some of it was beautiful, but other
parts were painfully Strauss-esque to
ears not educated to the long succes
sion of frightful dissonances he makes
and calls music. I am assured by those
who know that it : Is music, too, but
as for me there were times' when I
felt h had let loose all the discords in
Pandora's box.
However, Strauss must be a, great
man. for people hold exactly opposite
opinions of him. I have heard him
characterized by musicians, "as the
greatest of living- composers. - a king
of music. the creator of a new era.
On the other hand the" devotees of the
classic smile with scorn when his name
is mentioned, for it Is synonymous
with the . breaking of rules and the
disregard of tradition. The judgment
of another generation .will probably
be required to settle his. status with
the world maybe several. But there
is no doubt about his being popular
in his own time and with his own
people.'
W inter Weather.'
While On Christmas topics I forgot
to mention the weather. H is worth
while, too, -because on Christmas day
it was exactly like that pf Oregon.
The sun shone brightly, and the uir
was as mild as early Spring. Then
4it turned cold, tried to snow and end
ed In rain, which in turn has been
succeeded by skies so gloomy that on
the day of this writing (December 28
AV2A TISS A C&MJZf&U.
we had to turn on the light at noonday
In order that. Francis Richter's teacher
could see the notes of his music.
Last year at this time the ground was
deep in snow. At least two Oregonians
are thankftll for each day that' the
mercury veers away from the freezing
point. Our best efforts fail to keep us
comfortable even in mild weather with
the. wretched heating apparatus these
people use. It is almost Incredible, but
it is true, that - well-to-do people do not
have fire. The houpe-inspector and his
wife called one cold evening when we
were huddled around the oven. In the
course of the conversation he expressed
his astonishment that we had a fire, and
remarked that they, had made fire but
twice this Win.ter. When I told him with
fine sarcasm that this was not really a
fire, we were only trying to have one.
he seized the poker, raked up the handful
of coats reposing in the tiny firebox, de
clared the oven would be. red hot in three
minutes, and at the expiration - of that
time in all seriousness requested me to
put my hand on it to prove it. Knowing
from past experience that the experiment
could bo made with perfect saftty, I did
so. The- tiles were about lukewarm, and'
at a distance of three feet no- radiation
of heat could be felt. But even so much
is luxury,, according to the European
standard. '- .'
BOXES OF WHISTLES" IN CHURCHES
A GOVERNMENT bulletin on the
manufacture .of .musical instru
ments, just out, sliows that the
liirccst and most expensive and most
crfect .of all instruments for "the pro
duction of harmony, the pipe organ, is
peculiarly a product of Massachusetts.
The continued supremacy of the Bay
ytAte in this department of instrument
making, which, of course, partlcularly
concerns the churches of every Ameri
can city, is risht in line with the tra
ditions of American musical history.
Pipe organs were introduced for the
ilrst time in North America at Boston,
Hlid. as was the way in colonial times,
vigorously opposed, since there was
Mill larjre debate among the Puritans
as to whether music was of God -or of
the devil. The running tight that last-
'd for a century or more in eommuni-"
4ios of New Kngland and the Middle
Hates as to whether the church organ
might or might not be properly used in
worship seemed somehow to be basrtrt
on such misconception as that of the
worthy mechanic who complained to
a Scotch clergyman: "i have no objec
tion Uo the organ, hut I understand
whenever the organ is brought in there
is to be an attack made on the doctrine
of the atonement."' As late as 176- a
subject for public discussion at Har
vard College commencement was. "Does
Music Promote Sanation?" and al
.though the matter was decided in the
affirmative the decision was not
leached without much bitterness of
spirit.
lespite or perhaps because of in
tensity of the feelings engendered by
such arguments the leadership in the
manufacture of pipe organs seems to
have been preserved by the Jiew Kng
land capital from early days 'down to
lior. when, according to the census
lMilletin Just cited, 137 pipe organs were
constructed in Massachusetts. The ag
gregate value of these was. $520,887,
representing about 25 per cent of the
value of all made in the United States
and by far the largest percentage of
high-priced organs since two . other
states, Illinois and Ohio, made as many
pipe organs but of a far smaller aver-,
age value. The church and concert or
gans that come out of Massachusetts
workshops averaged about J3800 each,
wliile the average for the whole coun
try was only $2200. y
Behind the making of these pipe or
gans there is a long line of trade tra
ditions dating from the first American
church organ built in Boston, in 1745 by
Edward Bromfleld, Jr. This man, only
an amateur at the business, planned an
instrument of 1200 pipes, but, dying at
the early age of-23, he left the work
only partially completed. Professional
organ building in this country began
at Boston in 1752 in the shop pf Thomas
Johnstone.
To guide the efforts of the earliest
American organ builders good models
were already at hand. Pipe organs
"boxes of whustles," - as the Scotch
called them were brought to these
shores long before they were made
herei At Portsmouth, N.- H.,' is still
played the oldest church organ in 'the
United States, one that was imported
from England in 1708 by Thomas Brat
tle, a noted citizen of Boston and one
of the founders of the Brattle-Street
Church. U was left at his death in
1713 to the church bearing ills name
the condition that if this Puritan body
did not accept it the instrument was
to go to .iving's chapel, representing
the Church of England in New Eng
land. Brattle street politely but firmly re
fused it, and the organ was installed in
Boston's Episcopal Church, later to be
sold' to a chapel of the same denomina
tion at Newburypnrt.. and finally to be
set up in St. John's Chapel at Ports
mouth,' where during the peace confer
ence it pealed forth its notes of "peace
and good will, to men." It is only a.
little organ, of course, as compared with
the big ones of today an affair eight
feet two inches high, five feet wide and
two feet seven inches deep but it was
well made originally and it has had good
Care. It is probably more often examined
by curious sightseers than any other mu
sical instrument in the United States, for
everybody who goes to Portsmouth wants
to see the first specimen brought to this
country of the glorious instrument which
Abt Vogler invented.
Another very famous pipe organ from
abroad was installed in New England at
a mnch later Bdate. and at a time when
American manufacturers were doing cred
itable work, though not yet equal to that
of the Germans and the Fench. About
midway in the Civil 'War Dr: Oliver
Wendell Holmes, whose interest in" music
was very keen, wrote an enthusiastic
and often quoted description of the first
big concert organ to be set up in this
country, one which was made for Bos
ton's new Music' Hall by a famous Ger
man firm.
That installation in 1S63 was the be
ginning of American interest in .the pipe
organ as used for ' other than church
purposes. Since then large, concert or
gans have been put up in New York-.
Cincinnati, Philadelphia and many other
American centers of musical . activity.
The original one in Boston had an event
ful history. Through the later years of
the Civil War and hose succeeding it
was frequently usejd. Many of the most
famous of American musicians of the
'70s delighted to play on it, though it
had its defects. When, however, in the
early '80s the symphony concerts began
to crowd Music Hall, . fhe organ was
found to take up too much room. In
1SS1 it was sold to Willinm Grover, who
presented It to the New England Conser
vatory of Music, then occupying its his
torical quarters in Franklin Square,
where Lillian Nordica and many other
famous musicians received their train
ing. The conservatory management
found that the largest of 'American con
cert organs was more or less of a white
elephant. They had no hall big enough
for it. and as there were some technical
objections to its mechanism, no good
reason, appeared for building a hall spe
cially to shelter, it. Finally the metal
and lumber in the bigrgan, which was
in reality as far -ahead of its time as
was the Great Eastern among the steam
ships, were sold to local instrument-
makers and reappeared doubtless in
smaller and more, usable instruments. .
The "New England conservatory un
doubtedly benefited by not attempting to
keep the famous' instrument, for when,
a few years later, a removal took place
to .the admirably equipped conservatory
building on - Huntington avenue, one of
Boston's merchant princes, Eben D. Jor
dan, equipped for the uses of the school
and the visiting musicians who find in
Jordan hall the finest American concert
hall, one of the largest and most com
plete pipe organs ever put together. This
instrument, built in Boston and provided
with every possible facility for musical
expression, stands at the modern end of
the long line of. pipe organs that have
been constructed in America since Brom
fleld's imitation of an English pipe organ
firsft scandalized the more rigid Puritans.
It. was built in the intelligent technical
way in which the census bulletin, just out,
states that "almost every pipe organ is
practictlly built'-to order to -accord with
the architecture or acoustic, qualities of
the room or auditorium in which it is de
signed to be placed." The same institution
of .musical education has altogether 14
pipe organs in daily use by pupils and
teachers. This is more than double the
number of organs contained under any
other single roof in the world.
In spite of eraly complaints that "the
service of God is most grievously abused
by the piping of organs, ringing of bells
and singing and trowlling of chants from
one side of Ihe choir to the other, with the
squealing of chanting choir boys and such
like abominations which are an offense to
the Eord." much of our eaTlier 'American
music was written for the pipe organ.
John Knowles Paine, a professor, for many
years at Harvard, began as an organ vir
tuso. as did Horatio Parker, now profes
sor of music at Yale, and one of the most
famous of American composers. Dudley
Buck, whose fame and popularity were
certainly national in. the days .when men
wore Dundreary whiskers, ' was one who
delighted in the opportunity afforded by
the big blow pipes in Music hall.
TO KEEP YOUR GOOD LOOKS, SLEEP
Little Jim Jones read his composition in
school- It was so very poor that teacher
declared she would have to write a note
to Jim's mother-about it. "Go ahead an
'writer to 'er, ef you -wants to. I doan
care. Mother wrote it herself."
A WISH woman who knows all the
- secrets of the professional beauty
. has turned her attention away from
the complexion and the, color of the hair
and is making a study. of sleep.
"Sleep is the most important aid to
beauty in; the world," she . says, "and 1
regard the beauty nap as an 'alieolute
essential to a woman's good look?.
"Lack of sleep will make a woman otd
and 'yellow, while plenty of sleep wili
make her young and gay." Most women
think it is enough to sleep at night, but
the beauty sleep taken during the day is'
immensely Important.
"The woman who Bleeps sufficiently .will
have hair, that keeps its natural color;
her eyes will sparkle and her skin will be
clear, her step will be elastic and her
voice will keep its pretty, even tone
Every one knows how quickly a woman's
voice lose its youth. That Is on acepuni
of the lack of beauty ' sleep. .
"Faces can keep young if their owner
will keep rested.' 1 have a beautiful pa
tient wlro makes a study of looking rest
ed. She always steals a beauty sleep be
lora dinner.
' "A very luxurious patient of mine is in
the habit of giving her face a beauty
bath. She uses diampagne and milk and
she daubs her face with a little sponge
saturated In the mixture. Then she takes
a short nap, and when she awakes she
is as bright asa button.
"It isn't necessary -to spend a great
deal of money for the facial bath. A
dash of diluted cologne would do almost
as well as champagne - and milk, and
there are nice lotions of violets and spir
its of cologne -that answer the same pur
pose and can be made at home.
"The beauty nap is a thing that must
be oultivated. Getting up too early kills
the bright eyes of many a woman. It is
a good thing to lie in bed as long as you
can. -
"Falling asleep is easy if you know Its
science. Counting sheep as they jump
over a wall will not put you to sleep,
but .cool air will speedily make one
sleep?. - -
"Open the windows so that a gentle
breeze strikes ycfur face, cover yourself
up warmly, sniff a little perfume and you
will drop asleep. After you have formed
the habit" you will not need the, perfume.
"A New Jersey beauty has an open-air
sleeping pal lor where she. takes her daily
nap. Winter and". Summer. It is on the
sheltered side of the house. In this quiet,
cool spot the bea.uty sleeps. -
"She has a Japanese bed. all'matting
and rugs, and over this in W'iivtur there i
an abundant feather bed. with another
feather-bed for - a coverlid. The result
Is a delightful beauty nap at a minute's
notice. .
"The pillow nap is something new. It
is specially noted as a complexion nap.
. "The essehtials are pillows, dozens of
fhem, all -heaped upon the couch In such
a way as to rest the nerves. The pillows
are filled with various compounds.
"One of my patients has three little
rose-leaf pillows which she places under
her . head. She calls thfnt . ear pillows.
They are just about the size-of tiie hand.
"She has also three square pillows filled
with pine needles?, loosely packed, and
she has several clover-top and lavender
pillow?, These are shaken up daily and
placed in. a warm spot to coax them to
send out their fragrance. -
"I tell my patients to heat their pillows.
A hot pillow is a great comfort. The hop
pillow, which is covered with a red flan
nel cover, can be heated very hot and
used at the back or the feet, wherever
the tired ache may be.
"Kose pillows should be kept cool; their
odor comes out best when .they are cool
and slightly moist.
"Green is the soothing color for the
beauty nap. I advise my patients to
have a green room.
"It does one's looks no good to sleep
cold. The pretty woman who lies down
witli cold feet and who drops into
troubled sleep still shivering will not
benefit by her sleep.
"She must have a pair of warm" slip
pers, lined with down, and her coverlid
must be warm.
"The odor of pinks sends many a wom
an to sleep; and when a patient cannot
afford to buy fresli pinks daily for a head
rest I advise her to make a spice pillow,
which answers the purpose quite as well.
It is almost a soporific; it lulls one t
sleep instantly.
"The important thing about restoring
one's beauty by sleep is that the body
shall rest thoroughly. The woman who
sleeps with her hair in papers is -not rest
ing; her scalp will he tired. The woman
who does her hair up tigTitly before going
to bed. who braids it closely or in any
way tires tho scalp will wake up with
wrinkles in. her face.'
"The mind is a very inroortant factor
of the beauty nap. -Don't - worry iT you
want to sleep -sweetly.
"Don't go to sleep thinking ugly
thoughts. Only the sweetest and most
agreeable fancies should engage the
mind in the five minutes before one drifts
away to dreamland. The woman who
cries herself to sleep will wake up with
gray hairs and deep lines in her brow.
"In the great retreats where women go
to become young they make the patient
exercise before going to bed. Bodily ex
ercise of the most vigorous nature is part
of the programme.
"An American woman who went to a
German cure expecting to be petted and
pampered as when at homo received a
rude shock. Insomnia had been her com
plaint from girlhood. Hearing of the cure
she went to Germany to take It.
"For breakfast this pampered child of
luxury had a. cup of coffee, some cold
ham and brown bread.
" 'I cannot eat a mouthful,' she com
plained. " 'So much the better,' said the direct
ress. "The coffee was only a substitute,
mostly burnt wheat; and as for the
breakfast, you are better oft without
eating.'
"Her exercise was quite unconventional.
On raw days she was set to washing
the inner side of the windows, and on
warm days she was told to sweep the
garden, walks.
" "It nearly killed me," said she' in re
counting the tale to an indisnant -audience
afterward.
" 'But did you recover from your in
somnia?' asked some one. -
'" -Recover!' said the woman with a
laugh. 'I never thought of it once :fter
1 got there, I was so mad and so tired."