Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-12-29
MUSIC AND DRAMA.
HOW EMMA JUCH IS PROTECTED FROM
EVIL INFLUENCES.
Sothern's Observation-Disclosures Got Her
Bier-An Electric Piano-Foot-
light Flashes.

Superstition is one of the most ununder
standable of all things that cannot bt
understood. 1t is not confined to the un
civilized and semi-civilized races, or to the
poor and ignorant of our own country, but
very frequently it is discovered to be
deeply rooted in some of the most highly
educated, refined and delicate natures tc
be met with. For example, nearly all
artists, singers, actors and actresses, those
who go afood and afeld for the pleasures
of the chase, and not unfrequently those
who occupy the highest ecclesiastical and
educational positions in our land, are al
most, without exception, superstitious to a
greater or less degree They have their
lucky and unlucky days; many of them
will not walk under ladder, will begin
no great undertaking on Friday, and if on
leaving their houses in the morning they
discover that they have forgotten some
| thing, nine out of ten of the most promi-
! nent people in the vocations above men
toned will go to the expense of hiring a
messenger boy and sending back for an
article that may have been forgotten sooner
than return to the room they have left,
and thereby incur the displeasure of the
tickle goddess, and cause her to hold her
cornucopia in such an upright position as
to prevent the possibility of any of its
highly priced contents flowing in their
Golfers during the day. Many persons be-
lieve that it is unlucky to step off car or
out of carriage left foot first; others,
that pair of shoes or slippers placed upon
table or shelf is an ill-omen, while some
are Mortified at the sight of a slipper lying
sole upwards on the floor. The spilling of
salt, sneezing before breakfast, breaking a
looking-glass, cutting piece of twine that
binds parcel, twirling a chair, and a
thousand other meaningless trifes have
long been considered unlucky, and it is
astonishing what anount OF trouble many
highly-educated people will put themselves
to to avoid committing, or, after having
committed any of the foregoing offenses to
dame Fortune, to undo the mischief, and,
| if possible, avoid the evil effects of the
dreaded spell.
One of the most curious cases that ever
came under the personal knowledge of
writer is that of Emma Juch, the prima
donna who performed the charming and
sympathetic role Of Marguerite in Gounod's
celebrated opera of "Faust" many times
in many places, without the slightest fear
of coming in contact with the counterfeit
of his Satanic majesty, Mephistopheles, un-
til on one occasion the opera company of
which she is the star was playing in the
city of Brooklyn. During the first act a
tall, fine-looking old gentleman, wearing
the unmistakable garb of the priesthood,
, entered the Academy of Music, passed well
down in front, and occupied a seat in the
! orchestra, where he remained one of the
most attentive members of a large audience
throughout the entire opera. After the
curtain had descended on the last act the
reverend father sought the director of the
company and requested the favor of being
presented to the fair Marguerite, stating
that he had an important communication
to make that might possibly affect her
whole future life, and not improbably that
to follow. The manager acceded to this
singular request, and conducted the old
gentleman behind the scenes to a little
parlor adjoining the dressing-room of the
fair singer, who, on being informed of his
presence, hurriedly cast aside the habili-
ments of woe in which she had been sing
ing the last act of the opera, curled her
wealth of golden hair around her shapely
head, and stepped out to meet the visitor
The good man looked at her attentively
for some moments before speaking, then
held out his hand and said: "My child, |
', am fully satisfied that no one but a truly
good woman could enact the role that |
have witnessed you in this evening in such
feeling and sympathetic manner, and
this conviction has caused me to seek you
out and tell you that | have in my posses
sion a sacred relic that l believe will be
the means of guarding you against more
than one OF the temptations that beSet
your path on every side. In the nightly
performance Of the role of Marguerite YOU
come in contact with the counterfeit of
his Satanic majesty so frequently that,
while do no say it will, it may cause you
to be needless of the influence of the evil
things OF life, as familiarity with danger
causes persons to disregard it.
Now, since childhood's happy days l
have been the possessor of this little bag
containing small piece of the True Cross.
l have had it about my person, waking or
sleeping, for nearly seventy years, and
during that time no accident of any kind
has befallen me, and now that my life is
drawing near its close, | desire to bestow
this precious talisman on one who will be
benefited by it, and who, by the possession.
will be frequently reminded that there is
One who keeps never-ceasing watch over
those who deserve His protection. Now,
as you are constantly reminded of the al
most all-powerful influence of the evil one,
let this little amulet remind you that if
you invoke the aid of the Architect OF the
universe, Mephistopheles, with all the
spells at his command, can never in any
way injure you. This precious relic is
yours on one condition, and that is prom
ise that whenever you appear as Marguer-
ite you will wear it."
The promise was given and the little
keepsake changed owners. Manager Locke,
who had been a silent witness to the trans
action, escorted his clerical visitor to the
door and thought no more of the occur
renee until one night later in the season
he was leaning over the rail at the back of
the auditorium of the Boston Theater
calmly duu dltShtlNtIy surveying one OI
the largest audiences of the year, when he
happened to glance at his watch and dis
covered that it was ten minutes after the
time for the curtain to rise. He hurried
back upon the stage, where he found the
stage manager and conductor in consulta-
tion with the electrician and the prompter
earnestly discussing something which. on
inquiry, he learned to be the fact that
Miss Juch had lost a valuable keepsake
of some kind, and refused to go on the
stage until it was found. He hurried to
the star dressing-room, to learn that the
article that had been lost was the little
charm given her in Brooklyn by the rev.
erend father. In vain did Locke expostu-
late, persuade, storm and command. The
songstress fatty refused, stamped her litae
foot, and declared she would never sing
the part of Marguerite again if the treas
ure could not be found. All arguments
were useless, and when pressed by her
manager at the same time she finally sank
into a chair and burst into tears, stating
that she would cancel her engagement and
close the season sooner than break the
promise that she had given. Just as the
Director began to consider the possibility
of substituting another opera for "Faust'
T. i > L L I L