Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-18
THE TOPICAL TALKER.
A Serpentine Dendhead-A Syrian Mission.
ary in the Ciiy-Itnlian Tenors and Ger
man Singers Compnred-The Secret of
Detective FifzgeraId's Luck.

| serpentlne Dendhead-A syrian Mission.
ary in the Ciiy-ItnIian Tenors and Ger
man Singers Compnred-The Secret OF
Detective FhzgeraId's Luck.
| RRAM SToKER, lanky gentleman with rose.
ate hair. who was the personal manager and
factotum of Henry Irving the English actor,
during his first American tour-whether he
continued in that place the last time Irving
came over. don't know-has written a novel
called "The Snakes Pass" The title will recall
| to a great many Americans the time they had
with Mr.. Bran Stoker getting passes. Bran is
| a specialist on passes and the tribe who banker
after them. but it is the first time ever heard
of a manager giving a snake a pass. Mr..
Stoker had strong objection to giving anyone
passes. 1t will be deeply interesting to learn
how the snake worked Mr.. Irving's fiery
locked guardian for one.
| =
| r LAS BARAKAT is Syrian who is staying in
Pfttsburg just now. He is a missionary
and is raising funds to carry on the good work
| of Outstanding his native land. He has
already lectured a good deal in this country,
and intends starting soon upon regular lee
| turing tour.
You would not imagine from his complexion
or dress that Mr.. Barakat came fiom place
further east than McKeesport. The Syrian
sun and climate does not paint faces very dark
Mr.. Barakat wears American attire and he
talks fair English. The condition of Syria is
not remarkably cheerful, according to Mr..
Barakat; the deadly blight of Mohammedan
rule preventing progress in civilization. AS to
mission work there he thinks that a good many
of the Christians need conversion as much as
Mohomedans, and the efforts of the Protestant
missionaries are mainly directed toward those
Syrians who are already acquainted with the
gospel of Christ.
Mr.. BARAKAT impresses one as an intelli-
gent, clearheaded man. with sincere de-
sires to benefit his benighted brethren. Proba-
bly,, as he admits. the best thing-in fact the
only thing to save it-for Syria would be its alb
sorption by some European power.
A NEW YORK correspondent writes: Certain
adherents of the Wagnerian school of
music have made a good deal of fun of
Tamagno's penuriousness. They thought it
especially amusing that the Italian tenor
should have washed his own socks. But did
not one of the German opera divinities do
similar thing? Does not Lilli Lehman wash
her own stockings? Not only does Frau
Lehman perform this domestic duty. but prac-
tices economy in other respects quite as ener-
getically as Tamagno did. She was also guilty.
the other night, of marked rudeness to Patti,
in contemptuously leaving the Opera house at
the end of the first act of the opera. Tamagno
could hardly have been guilty of such boorish-
ness as that. As TO the matter of washing
stockings there are a number of singers both
Italian and German, who would be more desira-
BILE companions if they were to emulate the
example of SIgnor Tamagno and Frau Leh-
man."
DETECTIVE FITzGERALD's nickname of
Lucky" is FURNISHED anew by his latest
feat. the arrest of one of the men
suspected of participation in the cruel
Tarentum murder. Paddy Fitzgerald would
not have been so lucky as he has
been if he had not also been plucky. When he
was humble officer in the ranks or as Lieu
tenant of Police IN the Twelfth ward, his nerve
and grit were the qualities that made him the
terror of evil doers. He caught thieves because
he looked for them and was not afraid to arrest
them single handed. That's the secret of his
luck. Some men are born lucky, they say. 1t
is almost as much to the purpose to be born
plucky.