St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-10-21
Opera Singers and Foolish
Young Girls.

1t is hard to understand why it is,
but somehow, while girls recognize the
powder and paint, the blonde wigs,
and penciled brOws of a prima donna
as so much make up, they refuse to an
alyze the charms of a tenor, and his
grease, paint, luxuriant locks and
graceful mOustache are admired as his
very own.
Unluckily these fascinated young
women have no opportunity of seeing
the adOred object as he sits at the fam
lily table, devouring beefsteak and
onions, with three small children at his
knee, and wife who perchance sea-
sons the meal by reading aloud the
tender etfusions emanating from these
deluded young creatures.
1t is fact that with one or two ex-
ceptiOns, all the best known singers
are married men with families, and l
do not know one of them who, in pri-
vate life, could be called handsome, yet
they all, even going outside the ranks
of singers, to that gross fellow with
three wives-Levy-tO Campanini,
red-faced, fat and with five children,
are inundated with lOve-letters, bOu-
quets and presents,
The men who have the most common
sense and the most principle laugh at
these epistles and destroy them-a
good thing for the writers-but there
are others, less honorable, who do not
hesitate to take advantage in various
ways of these pretty little ninnies.
Here is an instance that came to my
knowledge last winter =
The 17-year-old daughter of DR.. w
-, of this city, fell, or imagined she
did, wildly in love with mellow
voiced baritone in the Mapleson com
pany. Under an assumed name, she
wrote him gushing and romantic little
notes, and finally sent her photograph.
The face was so lovely that it piqued
the singers curiosity but it was in
vain he pleaded for an opportunity to
see it. Miss W could only enjoy
her escapade as long as she maintained
her incOgnitO.
Finally the baritone, noting the
name of the photographer, visited his
parlOrs and ascertained his correspond
ent's name. Then he wrote to her un-
der her real address, saying he had
identified her and she could take the
choice of having her picture and notes
back and giving him 5000 in cash, or
he would tell reporter of the Police
Gazette the story and have the picture
published.
There is little likelihood such a
threat would have been carried out,
but the girl was so terribly frightened
that she sent him all the money she
could scrape together, and the rest of
the sum in .jewelry.
Another case with a better ending
was that of young lady whose father
is well known on the stock exchange.
She was violently smitten with Cam
panini, and used to send him no end OF
beautifully written missives and every
night a bouquet of red roses. The
letters especially attracted the atten-
ton of the tenor, because they were
written in smoothly flowing Italian,
and evidently by some one who was
more romantic than fast or wild.
There was little trouble in finding
out the fair correspondent, and Nine
Campanini, who has Il good and lovely
soul, sent a note to the young lady and
asked her to call. 1t is needless to say
the latter's delightful delusiOns were
quickly dispelled before the domestic
life of the silver-tOned tenor and the
kindly advice of his good wife, Chi
cagO Inter Ocean.