Morning journal and courier., 1881-08-16
Tuesday Morning, August 1e, 1881.
WHAT MISS KELLOGG SAW IN ITALY

WHAT MISS KELLOGG SAW IN ITALY.
 Much good advice has been given to young American girls with good voices but slender
 purses who think they can go to Italy, live
 cheap1y, get musical education cheaply
 there and then astonish the world in opera.
 Clara Louise Kellogg, who has just returned
 from 2 long stay in Europe, adds her warn
 ing to those which have been given. When
 she was in Italy she found Hundreds and
 hundreds" of American girls there, many of
 whom were in the direst distress. The state of affairs she discovered was ''something
 terrible" She talked with many of the
 girls, investigated the truth of what they
 said and then made an investigation of the
 musical schools and theatrical agencies. She
 says: s'Ths average American girl goes to
 Italy with small sum of money, being un-
 der the impression that she can live on 8
 little or nothing and that she VIII breathe in
 musical genius and dramatic talent by merely
 breathing in the balmy air of Italy. She finds when she goes there that it costs more
 money and more time to get even a decent musical education than her purse will allow,
 but she studies and practises and battles and starves along, writing cheerful and encourag- ing letters home for fear friends and family
 will recall her, and struggling for! very life all the while in Milan or some such city. In iudicious friends have told her that she will be another Patti or Nilsson, and she hugs and cherishes this mistaken idea with fond delusion and ambition at first and with d"n dread of the reality and 8 tenacity of despair ing purpose under pinching starvation as funds run low at the last that is piteous to witness. Years have come and gone, and she has been the usual round of the masters, each of whom have taught her for 8 while and then kindly bade her go home; that she will nev- CT do anything great But Mary is under a fascinating delusion and she seeks those who will buoy up her hopes She falls into the hands of less scrupulouss masters. So she goes on, from bad to worse, till she finds herself penniless in Milan.'
 But this is not all. Miss Kellogg says that the poor girls are too often set upon by a certain interruptions set of men infesting the musical Italian cities who will do all in their power, under promise of engagements, to lead them away where their associations will be such that they will be morally de- stroyed Even if girl has good, but not great voice, she can gain no public appear ance except under two conditions-she must buy her way in or she must submit to the demands of those influential friends of the management whose word is law at the thea tres. This. says Miss Kellogg, is plain speaking. But tell you my investigations, the stories and tears of poor girls who came to me in Italy and told me their sad tales, made me VOW that would open my mouth and speak of this through the land when came home. I would say to mothers whose young daughters are leaving home with delusive dreams of sunny days in Italy and an easy path to success-Keep your daughter at home unless you can give her protection in watchful friends and an inde- pendent income. I say to you, mothers, that you are sending your daughters into temptation that you do not appreciate. They will be tried and tempted as you cannot im- sgine. My investigations in Italy have led me to believe your daughters need not go abroad; that we have good masters here. I Gn1nK It entlrely unnecessary TOT Inelr orol- nary musical education. When that is fin ished then send them to Italy for short pe- riod to receive the finishing touches and to learn certain roles and then to return. Be- fore they go you will have discovered whether their voices will warrant that Italian trip Generally you can see for yourself that it is a useless undertaking. But do not think that average merit will open the stage doors of Italian opera houses. It will not. And I say this to you on the word of more than | one, more than fifty, American girls whom ! saw there, as many of whom as I could 1 sent to their homes in America"
 Something of this kind has been said fre- quently before by those qualified to speak ! concerning the matter, but it has not had 1 the effect it should have had, judging from l the number of unfortunate and disappointed | American girls Miss Kellogg saw in the l Italian musical centres. Her warning is en- | titled to attention, and what she says about | musical training in this country is also im- l Dortant