Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1880-06-01

knee III the easy, graceful pose that wat
familiar to us in the Swedish songstrest
long years ago. called her attention
to the fact, and she smiled at my remem
bering the attitude, and the pretty Ger
man monosyllable "sop' which used t
be another Of the little pecularites thai
we neticed and loved because they were
hers, escaped her lips. A grand piano
in one corner Of the room, and large
three. quarter length portrait Of herself
painted at the height of her re-
nown, recalled her past queenshlp il
the realms of songs. She was hand
somely yet plainly dressed in iicl
| black silk, closed at the throat with cora
buttons, shawl Of old Cluny lace was
draped around her shoulders, and she
wore very simple cap Of fine old Vene,
tian guipure. She spoke in warm terms
of her affection for the United States, moi
in reference to the welcome and the wor.
ship it had accorded to her in bygono
years, but because, as she said in hel
quaint English that had such u charm
about it. "your country takes the rabblC
Of all other countries and gives them all
a chance" | spoke of the fact that
when she sang in America there were
no opera houses there. "And Of that
was glad" she remarked, "for / had
quilted the stage, and it was for that rea-
son that | was anxious to go to the Unit
ed States, since there | would have nc
| temptation to return to it," | also spoke
| of the intense sympathetic quality of her
talent, and the marvellous power that
she possessed of swaying her audience
at will, particularly in devotional music.
Something of the old beautiful rapt ex-
preston came into her eyes as she an
swered: at was because my voice came
from God and sang to Godw And so
took my leave of her and went away,
with all the tender and exquisite memo
rlcs of the Divine joy that the voice of
that greatest of all great singers had ev-
er given me nesting warm about my
heart. felt like one who would seek
out Il cage wherein nightingale had
once sung to enchant the world, and,
finding the. bird gone, would find in its
stead a single snow white lily. The
wondrous voice is gone, but the woman,
by purityand sweetness and lofty intelli-
gence that lent it half it's charms, re-
mains unchanged.
"And her soul it is that singNh while
her voice remainelh silent,
And the music Of its singing is immor-
tai as the stars"
A lady whom | met during my recent
visit to Versailles told me of an incident
that once occurred to her in Darmstadt
appropos Of Jenny Lind. The great
Swedish singer, then in the height Of
her powers and her fame, was engaged
to sing at concert in that city. My
friend and her husband arrived at the
hotel soon after nightfall on the even
ing preceding that appointed for the
concert. They were met by the land
lord who informed them that Jenny
Lind was then rehearsing her principal
songs in the drawing room, that the win
dows were then open, and that il they
liked to step into the garden they might
hear her. Just 10 they entered the gar
den Que of those long, liquid-toned trills
whereof the secret vanished with the
voice of Jenny Lind, broke on the still
ness. As It sank into silence, a nightin-
gale amid the bushes, startled from its
first sleep by the melody, took up and
answered the strain. The effect was
magical.
As turned from the guarded por-
tai that opens to so few, could not but
realize how wisely the great prlma don
M had acted In passing from the world
before the kuell of her popularity had
sounded; before thinning audiences and
carpng critics had borne witness TO her
falling powers. She went while there
was yet gold to be won and laurcls to be
gathered, not clutchlng as did Grisi, in
her melancholy dccadencc, at the last
coin and the last lingering leaf, The
wife and mother gllded into place as the
great artistic retired. She keeps her hold
upon the memories Of the public and up
on the love and esteem of the good aud
great Only on the very day had call
ed the Princess Helena princess Chris
tian) had come to visit her, bringing
with her her two young daughters The
name Of Jenny Lind Is still n household
word wherever song is loved or good
ncss is reyced. The delicate, placid,
elderly, with silver threaded hair and
blue, expressive eyes, happy IN her chill
drcn and her home, Is just the image
whcrsNith one would ain replace that
bcwlldchng vision that We once called
Jenny Lind. lt II as though having
once seen u beautiful rose, Intoxicating
IN It's Summer freshness and sweetness,
We should llft the covers Of Bible long
years after, aud lol the rose It's fresh
ness gone, but all lts sweetness lingering
still In undlnlnlshed fragrance.
Lucy N. HOOPER.