The DeSmet leader. (DeSmet, Kingsbury Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-08-07
MODERN SCHOOL OF FRENCH OPERA.
An illustration of the IGca the Inspired
Ereuchnen are Driving at.

Freuchmen are Driving at.
Once upon tme a long time ago, II
writer lor Il fash weekly wrote n novel
called 'ihe umb Sin ler." An old miner
in the Sierra, who had not changed his name
when he came to California, who kept UP
his correspondence with his family long
after he had left home, wao clung 10 the
mines long after they were abandoned, who
| lived in n cabin long after other people had
be- un TO live in villas, and who did various
| other thin . not found in Bret Harte or tho
! annals OF California, introduced ne To this
! most ecct nitric person, The Dunno Sin5e
| At tao same time | made tha acquaintan y
! Of The Woman in WHIT - Our min + had
! lapercl hi, wa Is with the pictoria which
! came TO him in patches from his homo Ii
was his custom To open tho paper fairy,
,uaroly, ana honestly, withou. any iegard
to the Sc .uence of pag s. and paste 1t on ths
wall, SO that TO thi' day know but one
side of The Dumb singer
/ was enc Il little group Of children who
use to 60 hunting pinennts. Like many
a Nimrod and fish rman Of goo reputation
We knew just where to find them III quantity.
We loved to stroll laily through the big
piaes, to hear the crisp crunch OF the pne
needles ulder our feet, TO scent the sweet,
the air, TO string tho perfect mes Oh our
o'ds, to play with the CLINT of the sun
through tine lorg tresseled branches; but
when it came to downright hard pine mutt
ing, we always went to Dams cabin. He
always kept q bagful for the children,
which he in turn got from the Indians, for
your pinen nut, like your Yosemite trout, Is
little shy of anything but id ans.
When Dan was not at home, we waited
for hini-th.se desultory miners never work
lons--and read "Tne Woman in White" and
The umb Singer TO pas the time away.
The Lumb Singer, beautiful, dark
haired creat1re-in the picture she looked
ike Pendenns's Miss Fotheringay had a
nervocs affection which had entire pos o S
ion of her vocal chords, SO that In the most
critical moments OF life this curious young
woman used to peal cut her emot ons In
rich, high soprano, ami never came to her
speaking voice til tn, last chapters. As
these were on the pasted side OF tie wall, we
never hal the pleasure OF reading them.
I}ut we took the Leonest delight III as much
of the novel as We could get at. by one of
the inscrutable processes OF ch.ldhood's
reasoning we determined that it was an
opera. and used to set the Dumb S.nser's
vo al outbreaks to music Of our own CON
rosiag. Our favorite morceau was selected
from peculiarly tragic episode.
The young lady's father being ruined
with that expedition In ruin peculiar q"
novels, he took advantage Of the occasion to
fall in al apopletc tit 1h1 Dumb Singer
thereupOn arose and burst forth into food
of melody to the simple words, "Hun for the
doctor! run for the doctorl"
Perhaps it was their simplicity which re-
commended them to US. Perhaps their
adaptabllity to the ROUNDED, OF viii h We
were very fond. AT all eveats when
we said to each other in our inspired
moments, Lets make an opera. this bein !,
the mo les. manner in which we always ex.
pressed ourselves, it was our first impulse to
timber our voices with Run for the doctor. "
| | am quite certain now that we were at
the root Of the modern school Of frea, b
opera There were no dashing, brilliant
engrossing solos in our opera, but We used tc
tax, the most laudable pritle iE inventins
! pretty tunes for short and unimportant
! sentences, and that 50 ms to be exactly the
iisa ties, inspired Frenchmon are driving
ai.-"letsy b. in The Argonaut