The Oregon daily journal., January 21, 1912, Page 59, Image 59

THE OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL, i PORTLAND. SUNDAY MORNING, JANUARY 21, 1912
" ', ,.-..' ' ,
OnlcCelhcfHmS Donna,
A Daughter of
E
11 Tl
Who Satisfies the
Mind's Eye and Lends
Reality to One of the
Oldest and Most Popu
lar of Fairy Tales
APPARENTLY this is the day of the
ynf petite prima donna. For several sea--
sons there have come and gone the
usual number of heavy "Elsas" and massive
"Brunhildes," to say nothing of the uell-built
"Toscas" and amply girthed "Carmens." Such
as these have long been the staples of t'.e
operatic jtage. It would be a bore to have
to recall them. But how easy to remember
Fritzi Scheff and Emma Trentini, who gained
to many admirers in a few years that they
started out with their own companies.
' And, this season, it is undoubtedly true
that the smallest singer, Miss Maggie Teyte,
has caused the most talk.
There are several reasons, indeed, why
her appearance in America should be of rather
more than ordinary interest. She is Erin's
only representative on the operatic stage to
day, and she is the only English subject who
has made a first-class success at Covent Gar
den in recent yurs. In London, it has been
the rule that all nationalities except the natives
could get on, until she broke it.
IVhen she appeared in America, she
gave life to a fu ry character that has a place
tn the heart of every girl in the land. For that
matter, she was the embodiment of the one
heroine who has, perhaps, been most cherished
by the women of all times Cinderella.
.f- VERT girl loves to Imagine that some flay she
Li will be invited to try on the ittle slipper ng
I. y uratlvely, If not literally, supposing, in the
. .. former case, that she has big feet. Surely there
Is something that has endowed the story with a won
derful Vitality. At a remote period It came out of the
east, like all the other things we know about, and In
.the course Lot. about twenty-flve hundred years has
been adopted by nearly every nation under the sun.
About five centuries before the time of Christ the
legend was told of Rhodopls and Psammetichus, one
of the kings of Egypt. No version, perhaps. Is more
romantic. - . .
' Rhodopls was i Greek girl of wonderful beauty,
who, early In life, was a "fellow-slave ot Aesop, the
poet From serf to courtesan. In those times, was a
more or less natural evolution, through which Rho
dopls Went. 1
A native ot Thrace, she was taken to Naucratis, In
Egypt, where her name waa linked up with that of
the king, Psammetichus,' In the manner of a fairy tale.
BUI ner real romance wh wnn en a rax us, nroiner vt
Happho, the poetess of Lesbos
Cn
araxus purchased her
freedom and
married her, probably in spite of deter
mined opposition on the part of his family, much as if
me same trims- una- naoDenca loasy, ai any raw.
Bappbo herself was not pleased, because she wrote a
poem against Jtnooopis ana snowea
wed in other ways tha
P!treiAy.,t.5,-wmaic.h.-
sne was ratner consiaerauiy
, Possibly Rhodoois didn't much
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.pretty enougn to ne inaepenaeni, - , ::,.
Coming down a little closer to our own times, the
German story tellers of the sixteenth century got
hold of the Cinderella legend. They called the poor'
?:irl Aschenbrodel, and final y Grimm put her in hie
airy tales. w.... :v.-,
Next, in '. France, '. about a century, later, Charles;
Perrault learned of the harrowing fate from whloh the
younn; woman was saved by her pretty feet. "He called
her Cendrlilon, and put her story Into French. Madame
d Aunoy did likewise! but t waa Perrault's . version
that acquired universal popularity. ., ' , , , '
Cinderella, of course, waa the natural English evo
lution... And. thereby hangs another tale the story of
how Cinderella came to get glass slipper." Orlg
Inally the daln'y little thins was supposed to b mads
of fur. But in French it Is very easy to mistake,
"valr" (the name of an heraldic fur) for "verre."
This thing happened, and as the latter word super
ded the right one. Cinderella has been getting a
glass slipper ever since.
. Along about the beginning of the nineteenth 'cen
tury there was a great run on Cinderella literature,
and a large nunlberof little books containing the
story In poetic form, were put out. One version
appeared in London in 1S08. It announced that:
Of famed Cinderella
lu prose It toad known.
How by goodness and virtue
8he cam to a throne.
tsuch a lesson we cannot
Too often rehearse;
. bo, young- folk, now accept
Of her story In verse. , ..
"Both dead were her parents," It appears from
this version, and the two sisters she had were both
proud and ill natured.
They often went out ,
To the ball or the play,
Both dressed very btndiomi,
And brilliant and gay;
White she 1n the chimney
Would mournfully lurk.
Or kept cleaning the house
lrtke srmaldf -al-V-wetls.-..-. ..-...-....,-.
Of course the poof girl had a terrible time, toeing
c0de1 whenever the sisters had nothing better to do.
until the fairy aDDeared and made her a coach out of
a pumpkin, with horses and coachman that cams out
of a mousetrap. But that was not all
"Can I In the race,-
Cinderella exclaim,
"Dare mingle with Ladles
And Quality Dame?"
"Ul Quiet your mind,
Hr kind godmother ald.
And Waved the nice wand
Gently over her head.
Her clothe In an instant
Rich mulin became:
Tha train all bespangled.
The body the same. --
Htr headdr9 of diamonds
I cannot express
And a pair of alas 6lipper
Compleiea ner areas.
Naturally, Cinderella was the belle of the ball, and
the prince danced with her; and she was so joyful
' that she forgot to go home at midnight, as the fairy
had told her to do. So she found herself In rags again,
and had to get away so quickly that-sheHeft one of
her sllppara- The prince got himself 111 with worry,
and refused to be comforted until the girl whose foot
fitted the slipper could be found. There was a hurry
up search, of which the poem says:
In vain tried each Countess.
And DuohesMS, too:
Their feet were too larga
For a maclcal . shoe.
"Why may I not try, too.
As Wbll a the rest?"
' Exclaimed Cinderella.
They thought her in Jest:
But h wore It with ease.
While with wonder thy view
The other, which soon
From her pocket she drew.
And as if that were not enough, the wonderful god
mother again appeared and restored all the errand
clothes and things, upon which the poem concludes:
No' longer his illness
The Prince did endure;
A smile from Cind'rella ?
Completed hi cure.
The Queen to his Nuptials
Did g-ledly consent.
The lister were pardon'd
Tfo Vovager brrpfcss
, or vss4
Bewadcr Queens ifwS i ,
Ll -rt- ,t-;J i-A . fry VI 'Se
ll Kix''" i'hjlh -t 'r! b:'S fins... -'U
Xi-y.Mzt.s ::ytv
iieuovaoerureen
"TAHE FUNNY ' part of it is that England
I wondera. It can't underatand whv. when
' A a- . . , , . m W
JL : wueea. Atexanqra nas naa ner place on
ine. tnrone 01 empire, she can't stay put
as queen dowager, or queen mother, or whichever
honorary station and title history, may ultimately
accord her. She herself prefers to be termed queen
dowager, and so they oallher; but when it comes
to - the , reality of the , dowager 1 business, there
doesn't seem to be a woman in England and that ,
includes Mrs. Tankhurst who likes her political
situation lees. ,
tad
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i
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5
7 K
MJhe Is ft'ndtisweli Becomes a .
tfobfo Princes dride.
And all were .content.
Ere the Fairy . departed
This precept she gave, ,
That the sisters In future
Mot mild should bhavj
, "Khun dross and adornments,
Meek virtues possessing;
For modesty proves
Both a treasure and blessing."
This is a fair- sample of the Cinderella our grand
mothers knew. Some few years ago it waa done Into
music by Massenet, the great Frencrrcomposer.-whose
work seems likely to become one of the few fairy
operas that can be enjoyed by both children and
grown-ups. Practically for the first time in America,
the opera was given, in Philadelphia at the beginning
of tne present season, and the name part, t&nen by
Miss Teyte, served to introduce quite a petite Cinder
ella, whose career Is hardly less remarkable than- that
of the story ooott neroiue.
Indeed, the personality of a woman of less than a
hundred pounds, aud barely nve feet in height, who in
her early twenties has made her name known in" two
continents In one of the most dltncuit nelds open to
her sex, cannot but be interesting. In this case It is
not only Interesting, but charming.
There is nothing of the spoiled songstress about
Miss Teyte. In fact, she Is not unlike What one might
expect of a Cinderella come to lite. Affable, cheerful,
pretty, seemingly without a care and looking by nature
on the brighter side of things, this1 is the daughter of
Erin who comes pretty nearly being French by adop
tion. Most of her girlhood was spent In England. It was
discovered early In her life that she had a voice, and
a good one, so when sno arrived at the proper age she
went to Paris to study. Kdouard de Resske had her
for a pupil, and was enthusiastic. He promised to
make her one of the greatest singers in Europe
While still very young. Miss Teyte made her debut
But, really, don't you know, one is so sur
prised one might almost say astonished to see
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go admirable a character as that of the beloved
dowager queen of Great Britain opposed to the
ah the regular ordet of things, that One becomes
rmita nnrrffirl nr tha' hrZZ Itealf 1?V I
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I I
xf
VEEN ALEXANDRA certainly ought to behave
herself; every precedent ot her career distin
guished her In the meritorious art of behaving
oneelf. Bhe waited with an Infinity of dutiful
patience while iher healthy old tnothtr-ln-Uw kept on
4 I
&4i
7
m
!!''
ir:
PoorGndsnTJa WtOuibz Jaiarrd Jai-Herlfoiii&tJ Cried i
a7
reigning and barred her from the throne. She
endured, like a perfect Qriaelda, the ill concealed
scandals of her husband. She played the part of
beautiful an Irreproachable queen, when, she got
her ohance, up to the very last minute of King
Edward's -elgn. And after that, she proved the
nettle in the throne of her son and Queen Mary.
The British mind has become Ausxled, and
therefore Irritated, over the persistence, with
which Alexandra has sought to assert herself as
. a person of some genuine . importance. She isn't;
V w WJ swessss nug surv spwubs ssssav vaseuu IVH i c
trvlmt to run thinss? Why couldn't she have
given up Windsor gracefully T Why should she .
undertake to fill the places of King George and I
Queen Mary socially the minute they sailed for
India? Why should she commend the premier, and
some of Mr. Asquith's most Influential colleagues, to ;
attend her house parties, as though She were Imperious
and superfluous Queen Alexandra "
. The answer is. ftuman nature and dowagershlp. There
ana
iiiiilni ' nA ...an Vltnrl. In.tUrl .iln... I
is Just about
one dowagor Dueen in all Europe who
has displayed the brilliant common sense sufBelent to
let , her mind , her own business--Ems, In Holland..
She came; much nearer having some actual authority to
exercise, for her dauehter was a child ' when the crown
descended to her; and Queen Emma was In poeltlon
to p queen mother In all the title Implies. But, from
the very first, Holland's dowsger accepted the anomaly
of her station, confined herself to being all mother.
at the : opera , house In Monte ' Carlo, singing the
prima donna rols in "Don Juan." As a conaequeno.
of her Instant success there, ahs was summoned to
Paris a . fortnight later to sing "Clrcs at the
Comique. , Hf appearance was a personal success,
though the opera Itself was not judged Inspiring by
the Parislsps. v 1 , ,
Next season she conquered in "Pelleaa end MeU
sande," and after that appeared at the Comlque In a -great
many roles which had been taken by Mary
Garden. Tho two, who sang together In Phlladel.
phla, ars among th very few , English-speaking '
singers who have succeeded In pleasing the critical
French audiences. t - . si ,
While at the Comlque the coming Cinderella had
her greatest real life romance. Among those who
heard her was Eugene Plumon, a wealthy i young
barrister of Versailles. He sought an Introduction,
and then they wera married, and have been living
happily ever afterward, with prospects of continuing
to do 'so for quite a long time. -,:..:;, .v.
Of course the E'ngllsh managers wers not blind w
Mlrts Teyte's success In Paris. So Boecham engaged
her for a season he gave all by himself, and Covent
Garden tell Imo line. ,. . . . i,
,, Followed then her engagement ' In America. ? A
busy time she has hevd, but not enough to. prevent
her branching out Into other lines. - She has written
a one-act play, which a leading English manager
thought had been done by man. and Is also taking
a tiyer into the realms of fiction via tha short-stor J
route. ' ' -.. - ' ,
All . this time she is hover too much engaged t
take exercise, because she loves all outdoors. lit
England she plays tennis and goes foxhunting. In
fact, anything that brings her, in contact with fresh
air is to her liking. , , ' t
The life we ai) lead in cities Is eminently un
hfoithv sha thinks, and she Is very crobsblv rlh
: The Red Tape of the Exam.
THE examination was In . pregreas. Over twe
hundred young men and women were at work
on the Song lists. One candidate was stuck, is
the ssying is.. He could not understand the me&nlnfc
of a certain question. He called one of the examiner
to him. ' .
"I cannot answer No. 16 because I do not know
what it means." said he. "Would It be entirely out
of the question for you to explain It to meT"
"On the contrary," replied the examiner, as he
passed on, "if It were entirely out of the question I
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and refrained from attempting to direct the political,
fortunes of - the state, and that In a state where she
could have inserted a mightily Influential finger .In the
pie of political complications. Queen Emma, however,
united with an ardent maternal devotion to her daugtw
ter an exceptional discretion for that daughter's sake
She cared not at all for herself and her dignities;
she cared everything for Wllhelmina's security and
happiness. And she knew that Holland's hope of con
tinued Independence lay In her daughter's occupancy
of the throne; so she could trust any statesman 'who
ruled the little kingdom, ringed around as It la Witt
covetous neighbors. . " ' ' ,;
The, situation of Queen Amelia of. Portugal, so long
as her son was on the throne, was oreclsel v the oppo
site. She had been at the side of her husband and her
elder son wnen assassination struck both down.. She
had sved Manuel with her own' body. She waa tt4 .
jme strong will, the vn tinafrald spirit, thst defied
revolution, iters nas seen uie moi pumni iju."
dowagershlp.. and the most, poignantly 'unhappy, history
hss known for msny. years. She was right in fighting
tor her power, ss Emma of TTolland was In readily
abdicating It. , The situation made Amelle a heroine
where it Is making Alexandra something of a nulsnnoe,
'The queen dowager, unices she be some marvel-Ot ,
discretion and homely sense, like Queen Emma. 14
doomed to a sort Of living death- All are ilka Queen
Alexandra, only more so. And most of them find it
possible to make better terms for themselves than she
has done. Her stumbling block is her daughter-in-law,-Queen
Mary, who has not hesitated In. using her royal
power to crush every semblance ot rivalry on the pa-rt
of the excellent out ammtiuus woman, wnose enjuyiue"
nf tawr wna all ton short
The fell from supreme command to ostentatious
nothingness Is too deep, too Jolting, for most women
to endure. They fight back. And, where respect and
obedience to parents is a cardinal virtue, habitually
honored, the queen mother sometimes compels ob4
noes that aro far beyond her rights. -
For years Russia's dowsger, Marts Sophia Pegmaf.
mother of the -csar. has been politically potent. Any
one who knows how great an Influence she has wleldc I
throuah her ion over court affairs- In Russia, and r
members that Alexandra is her sister, can uomprft(
. sn ww v w ' V . f t r- 1 ! j
at once what secret hopes.of power Inspire l.rilarii
dowager queen. ; Neither of those two women vp er
resign herself to obllvloni the difference Is in ti e
political conditions of the two countries, plus one haru.
Beaded daughter-in-law.
Queen Margherltis Italy S ddwager. In-spite or
. reigning queen or unaeuai courage mnu n -
Miul nnaittVa rhlCIr h mSd JOf ll'T IT i
s position squal to Marie of nusi It is generally i
fieved .ah alone forbid the AbrulUkin n,a u ;i
fltiMit mother, of the old-ttms stamp. v-
' influential than Marle-Chrlxtln of tJpsin, wh.i l.
saved his throne to Klna Alfonno, yef in now i t
more Importance than Alexandra in Kn.d i'l
Kor all of them, howtver they inv t-
'phantoms of their old power, the liitii,
the shadow of their former trinii '
queena, llvinrf yet duad. I t It nv rrns. r t . ,
to Win some s'rt of resurrm t i-.n T