Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-06-14

y klOIl NbOul Alllllt llbulht ANlN iuN lUhl
come to my ears which delights me- and
which | Gun assure you is true, for it camc to
me from the person whom Miss Cary told
herself We have in Boston n young central
to of wonderful promise and Of whom we are
justly very proud mean Clara Poole. Miss
Cary had often heard of her, aud so universal
and nquostioned wns the praise which had
been bestowed upon her, that she was anxious
to hear her for herself so during her late
visit here, she sent "A request for Miss Poole
to visit her. She received her with the ut
most cordiality, heard her sing, praised her
warmly, and gave her some advice at the
same time prophesying brilliant career for
her When Miss Poole left the ROOM Miss
Cary turned to the friend who was with her,
and, with her eyes shining, said: IF had
had such voice as that to commence with,
there should have been no contralto my equal
in the world Tell her to study to work hard
l don't know another voice like it, in this
country or Europe"
Wasn't that generous and kind Being
that it is characteristic of Miss Cary | don't
believe there is another person in the profess
sion who is entirely free from little mean
spites and iealousies, as is our own New Eng
land contralto. She always recognizes merit
wherever she sees it, and always has a word
of kindness and encouragement. Thorough
ly uuspoled by her fame she is Just the
same impulsiye, generous, unaffected girl
whom her friends knew years ago, before she
ever dreamed of attaining the heights she has
since won
This reminds me of n similar incident of
which Clara Louise Kellogg was the heroine
During one Of her visits here. Il request was
sent to her that she should hear few girls
pupils of the New England Conservatory,
sing, and pass her judgment on their merits
She readily assented and morning was up
pointed for the visit. The girls came and
sang for her she listened kindly, criticised
suggested, praised and gave her opinion hon
estly, frankly and graciously. Presently
slender, fair faced young girl stood up for
her trial. Miss Kellogg listened to her, inter
estedly at first. then wonderingly, with evil
dent admiration. When She had finished She
went up to her and said MY child. you are
a singer now it remains with yourself to be
an artist. have no criticism to make you
have only to be true to yourself and your art,
ana there is nothing to which You may not
aspire in the future
! That prophecy comes back to me now with
strange vividness Ms read in the London and
Liverpool papers of the wonderful and I'M
| prccod,rt,d success Of the young American
| prima Gonna, Lillian Norton, who is making
the tour Of Europe with Gilmore's band, and
] I. J. n Al. II.
siasm over her voice At Crystal Palace at
her first appearance, the immense audience
rose to its feet and chcervd, after her song,
! and when the concert was over, her carriage
was blockaded by the crowd, all anxious to
| get one look at her, and rs she entered the
enthusiasm was immense Said one of the
lookers-on, there has been no such furore
over new singer since the days Of Jenny
Lind" This young girl is the one to whom
Miss Kellogg spoke such rare words of en-
coungcment, and she has only fulflled the
| prophecy.
think America has every right to feel
proud of this daughter of hers. She is not
only American born but American educated.
| She is indebted to no foreign teacher for her
cultivation. and to no foreign manager for
her appearance, aud her success abroad is
only a repetition Of her success in her own
country. 1t is venturesome thing for a
young girl to challenge the critics of city
| like London. where the very best artists in
the world are heard, but the end has proven
that it was a venture well made. Her friends
| this side Of the water tremhlcd for her; not
that they doubted her ability, but she went
unherllded, and whatever she won must be
by her own merits There's no longer any
fear. She has stormed the citadel Of Euro
pean criticism, and captured it at her first as
sault "Who was her teacher asks the
musical world Of London simultaneously
"Mr. John O'Neill," says Miss Norton, zone
of the teachers of the New England Consery-
atory of Music in Boston, where l obtained
my education" The musical world wonder
and can scarcely be made to believe that
America furnishes such culture as this. Their
opinion of American education is exalted, and
they have to acknowledge that much good
does come out of Nazareth, though they con-
tinue extremely perplexed as to the wherefore
And that brings me TO something which l
have wanted to say for some time and have
felt it duty to say, but until now I've never
found the text from which to preach my lit
tie sermon. I've got it now, and it is Lillian
Norton. She stands to-day before the world
as proof of what America can do for its girls
in the way of culture and education. All over
the country, from Maine to California, from
Florida to Minnesota, there is great deal of
interest in music, and hundreds of asprants
a., f.. A..
lish lady said to me only few days ago,
america is such a musical nation why,
nearly all the people either sing or play some
instrument and have heard in private voices
which would do credit to any concert stage.
Since so many have this gift it is only natural
that they should want TO cultivate it to its ut
most, and there seems to be fancy that this
can only be done by going abroad to study.
Never was a greater mistake made. Look,
for instance at Clara Louise Kellogg every
bit of her education was got in this country
she never studied n note in Europe, and now
we have Miss Norton, who is distinctively
American. wish could tell girls and their
parents all that know about the dangers as
well as the nonsense attendant upon Europe
an study. gentleman who was himself a
student in Milan for years, said to me, III
parents only knew what they Were doing
when they send their children abroad alone to
study They don't know what temptations
they are exposing them to; temptations, alas,
which so many are powerless to resist. If
had twenty daughters, all exceptionally gifted,
l would not send them to Italy to be fleeced
and gulled and deceived, and, above all, NOR,
ally ruined, by incompetent teachers and UNI
principled managers"
If any one knows before studying who is
the best teacher and goes with plans all laid
and has proper guardian or chaperone, that
may do. But it is only the exceptions who
do this Most of them go hap-hazard, trust
| L L i IL