Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1874-05-07
The Little ViOlinist.
Good Things.


Young Americas, as he was called. he
was born in London, l believe, and was
only four wears old when his father
brought him to this country, less than
three wears ago. Since that time he has
appeared in concerts and various enter
tainments in many of our principal cities,
attracting unusual attention by his musl.
cal skill / confess, however, that l had
not heard of him until last month, but
since then | do not think day has
passed when the child's face has not
risen up in my memory, the little half
sad face. as saw it once, with its large,
serious eyes and infantile mouth.
One morning last January, when / told
Charley and Talbot at the breakfast-table
that Prince Rupert and mis- court had
come to town,
"Some In jags,
Some In rage.
And some III velvet gowns"
the news was received with great glee, as
YOU may imagine; for this meant that we
were to go to the play.
/ am not going TO tell you much about
the play. hat interested me most, and
what pleased Charley and Talbot even
beyond the Naiad Queen herself, was the
little violinist who came TO the German
court and played before Prince Rupert
and his bride.
1t was such little fellow He was
not more tnan year Older than my own
boys, and not much taller. He had a very
sweet, sensitive face, with large gray
eyes, in which there was a deep, settled
expression which do not like to see in a
child Looking at his eyes alone, you
would have said he was sixteen or seven
teen, and he was merely baby!
/ do not know enough of music to as
sert that he had wonderful genius, or any
genius at all but it seemed TO me he
played charmingly, and with the touch OF
a natural musician. i thought The
Last Hose of Summer" the sweetest strain
of music in the world as 1t fioated up
from the small violin.
At the end of his piece he was lifted
over the foot lights OF the stage into the
orchestra, where, with the conductors
stick in his hand, he directed the band in
playing one or two airs. In this he
showed carefully trained ear and per
feet understanding of the music.
/ wanted to hear the little violin again,
but as he made his bow to the audience
and ran off it was with halfwearied air,
and did not join with my neighbors in
calling him back. There's another per
torrance tonight" said To myself, land
the little fellow isn't very strong" lie
came out and bowed. but did not play
again.
All the way home from the theater my
children were full Of the little violinist;
and as they went along, chattering and
frolicking in front of me, and getting
under my feet like couple of young
spaniels, could not help thinking how
different the poor Iiale musicians lot was
from theirs.
He was only six years and half old
and had been before the public nearly
three years. What hours of toll and
WEAKNESS he must have been passing
through at the very time when my little
ones were being rocked and petted and
shielded from every ungentle wind that
blows And what an existence was his
now-traveling from city to city, pracuc-
ing at every spare moment, and perform.
ing night after night in some close
theater or concertroom, when he should
be drinking in that deep, refreshing slum-
Der which childhood needs. However
much he was loved by those who had
charge of him-aEd they must have
treated him kindiy--it was hard life Tor
the child
He ought 10 have been turned out into
the sunshine; that pretty violin -one can
easily understand that he was fond OF IL
himselt-ought TO have been taken away
from HIM, and kite string placed In his
hand instead If God had set the germ
OF great musician or great composer
in that slight body, surely II would have
been wise TO let the precious gift ripen
and flower in It's own good time.
This is what thought, walking home
in the glow OF the winiry sunset; but my
boys saw only the bright sideof the PIC
ture, and would have liked nothing better
than TO change places with little James
Speaight. To stand in the midst OF
Fairyland and play beautiful tunes on a
toy fiddle, while all the people clapped
their hands-what could quite equal
that?
The next morning at the breakfast
table, when | opened the newspaper,
which is always laid beside my plate, the
first paragraph my eyes fell upon was
this:
James speaight the infant vionist, died In this
city late ON Saturday night At the matinee OF the