Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-03-03
Stage SuperstitiOns.

1Ouuu Eulud dODOtG Ill 0ieSdut
apartments at the hotel, and attired
in strange contrast to the pen por-
traits of her that represent poor
little girl in a faded dress. She was
arrayed in one Of those wonders of
silken architecture with which Worth,
the man milliner, declared that he
could make an angel. But Miss Abs
bolts gorgeous toilet was toned down
with certain quiet taste and it was
principally the diamonds and sap
phires that caused Respondent ais
paca dress, but still you affect velvet
and diamonds
because" she replied, "preaching
and practice are two different things
Horace Greeley lectured on absti
nence and practised gluttony, and if,
l may initiate that sage l should say
follow my precept aud not my exam>
pie. And the precept for an inter
view is to let the lady say what she
chooses and the example you follow
is to write what you please"
'Miss Abbott" as the scene-shifter
said to Dickens when the great nov
elist lectured in the theater, "you
would have been an honor to your
profession if fortune had SO de-
creed"
1--WE call it on the stage by the
good old name of luck. and the stage
alone preserves the superstitions that
this age of hard common sense has
buried as far as other callings are
concerned. There's not a star but
trusts the influence of some cores
ponding luminary that typifes desti-
ny, and the ballet girls and chorus
singers have horoscopes drawn from
the onens of sood and evil, I hear
the story of priina donna who faint
ed in the arms of her maid because
she euateuly discovered that she was
in roouf No. Is in a hotel
"And when she came to" I asked
''did she inquire where she was?"
."Of course; and the hotel keeper,
like wise man, told her that the
maid had mistaken Is for - on the
similarity of the numbers, at which
the lady felt treasured. Now NUNS
Der ID is one of very malign infiuen-
ces when designating either room
or the day of the month Friday is
considered on the stage a day of
dead bad luck and you cannot get
any contract signed on that day.
The death of poor Parepa Rosa is
associated with some of these coin
cidences. When she had signed her
last contract her husband, Carl Rosa,
exclaimed with superstitious awe,
Great Heavens! it is Friday 1t is
considered very portentious to have
an umbrella opened in the house.
Brignoli once went distracted be
cause somebody made him present
Of a beautiful umbrella, and unluck>
ily, not knowing the superstitions of
the stage, freud hoisted it in the
tenor's room. And he has sworn
that his bad luck all came from that
incident. The opal is among jewels
the sign of ill-fortune, and one would
be very unhappy to receive pres
ent of such questionable gem, more
especially from person ignorant
of it's supposed character. I remen-
Der Patti gave me a necklace of an
tique jewels with ear rings, and in
putting them on descanted at length
ON the many influences of the charms
ana told me to wear them for good
luck at my debut. She wanted to
take me with her then-it was when ]
was poor student i and coach me
in a manner to be a prima donna.
She is deep believer in luck, and
would credit her success to that
above the blessings of divine will
and the influence of beauty and ii,
tle-the last, however, has nothing
to do with it, and her beauty very lit
tie, for Patti is the great pre-emineni
artist made by nature and her owr
will.
Miss Abbott, you seem to be dis
believer in luck, for on your hand
see an opal, and besides, you are IL
No. 49,
On" replied the little prima don
ma, ''my luck goes by contraries
This perfectly circular mole on IN,
hand would, doubtless, with Others
be an omen of bad luck, but I con,
slider it the reverse. As for Friday,
count my greatest strokes of goot
fortune on that day, or if you should
hoist that umbrella in this room,
should know that the clouds wer,
cleared away, and expect to sing to
packed house tonight Several o
these accepted omens happened t.
me once IN Paris when l was a poo
student; as they resulted in my max
ing the acquaintance of the Baroness
Rothschild, noble and good lady
to whose patronage and friendship
owed the greater part ofmy first sue
cess, and when I heard anyone CT
out on their bad luck, if any connec
ton of circumstances name me in as
sociation with the unlucky individual
then 1 know my own star of fortune
In the ascendant"
A Texas Apology
From the Texas Siftings.
~ l.