Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-06-21
MURRAY's MUSINGS.
The Decline of the Gifted Opera Singer
Courage of a Bevy of Girls-American
and English Tourists-Bits of New York

metropolitan life that appeals very strongly
to human sympathy. 1t is the struggle OF
once popular and more or less gifted public
singers, who have by reason of failing
voice and beauty been dropped into the 10
cent museums, low concert halls and beel
gardens to exc out precarious livelihood
The singer who Mas q declining voice is like
the artist with failing sight" said a mana
ger. at is the most painful thing manager
has to do; this brutal condemnation of foot.
| light unfortunates."
But how about the singers themselves?
Did you ever figure up the full meaning OF
voice failure to talented operatic singer2
1t is not merely the loss of means of liveli-
hood-it is the retirement from the dearly
| beloved public eye. 1t is a sort of personal
public disgrace. 1t is to fall from the stars
into the mud, and to be horribly conscious
| during the entire descent. If the blow fell
| at once, as it sometimes does come, the men,
tai suffering would perhaps abe cute, but it
would soon be over. "It is this terrible,
| tagging, dragging, from day to day." says a
| singer; sometimes better, sometimes worse;
| sometimes full of hope, sometimes over
| whelmed with despair. 1t is dreadful! You
can't realize what 1t is to feel the stage grad
| public contempt. There are singers here in
New York in every museum, concert hall,
beer garden and Bowery dive, who have
been loading people in the best opera CON-
panies in their day and who have thus been
dying by inches, as it were-slipping a little
| lower every day"
Philosophy of Push-Cart Man.
swARTHY push-cart merchant, near the
Battery, stood one afternoon frowning upon
the struggling procession of Italians coming
up from the Barge ONCE. Now and then one
of the new comers stopped to haggle over
the price of an apple or o banana. "Too
much italian here now" the push-cart mer-
chant murmured. Twenty years ago bust
ness was good. Now every Italian come to-
day get cart tomorrow" He waved his
hand deprecatingly toward the Barge Office.
As he did so stunted little son of Naples
with pack on his back as big as bass
drum took short cut, and in doing so
planted heavy hob-nailed shoe squarely on
the only bunion of the vendeP
half expected to see a stiletto whipped
out and planted in the Neapolitans retreat
ing back. The mans anguish was written
IN every lineament. He sat down on the
curb and took his foot in his hand without
even cussword. Then he looked at, me,
and, glancing at the open street, almost
sobbed: "The world wasn't big enough for
him to walk on-he must come all way from
Italy to tread on me!'
English snobs in America.
THE English colony in New York is largely
habits, with champagne appetites and beer
incomes. They are for the most part younger
sons Of good education and no calling OF pro-
fession. In almost every case inquiry elicits
the fact that they are pensioners on home
bounty. They are living on limited allow
ances-just enough to encourage respecta-
bility-such allowances being apparently
doled out with the view to sustaining life
without leaving margin enough for dissipa-
ton or return ticket. In fact. in many
instances the allowance is made conditional
on remaining abroad. If they should violate
this condition it is work or starye. Under
the circumstances it would seem that q con-
tinental life would be preferable, in view of
its cheapness; but these young fellows prefer
America.
Americans are kinder to Englishmen,"
said one OF these young men, "than the Con-
tion of the earth trifie threadbare. They
don't like us. When it comes to India, Aus
tralia, Canada or any of the English colonial
costs more to live here, but the life is Worth
living. Society receives us whether wehave
money or not. In London I'd be an office
drudge and be limited to boarding house
English gentleman is well thought of and
can dine at the expense of somebody else q
good deal of the time"
Americans Great Everywhere but Here.
SPEAKING of Englishmen in New York sug-
gests the recent plant of a very well-to-do
Brittsher Of the female sex now in this city.
"You know, there are now no distinctive
resorts for English people abroad" said she.
eve used to go to Scotland; but the rich
Americans overran the country and gobbled
up every available estate. Then we tried
Brighton, but, bless you, the hotel people
there now won't look at an Englishman
where he conflicts with an American. They
ma <,trtn g 10 =, ,sD II
sort on the Continent, lastly the Riviera, our
especial stronghold. We have no longer the
exclusive social sway anywhere outside of
England. 1t used to be that the Swiss and
German watering place hotels were run
chiefly in the interests of the English trav-
eler. Now the American has it all his own
way. There are now more Americans living
in villas about Florence, Como, Rome, Dres-
den, Lucerne and the German Spas than
Englishmen. Even Paris is getting to be
dominated by your countrymen. Now, 1
put It to youwhat are 1--WE we going to do'"
Here, at least the American is "small pota-
toes and few in q hill" Here anglomania
RACES worse than the pleuro-pneumonia.
t6roeed d people Of an eetesp and
come with confidence and cash-especially
cash. Here you'll find newer growth in
New York to fall down and worship you.
How a Mans Mind Works.
PECULIAR humanity runs in streaks. On
certain days you will notice a surprising
number of tall people. Sometimes its cross
eyed people. On other occasions the notice
ably short persons have their innings Then
one day somebody equally observant will
say, what remarkable array of the Grip
pied, the lame, the MANNED, the dwarfed, the
generally deformed there are out today"
And while you are commenting on it an
other comes along, and then another and
another until the idea makes you thirsty.
n a drQn o,hf
of beer. The beer line of thought from that
starting point leads to discussion of the |
races, and perhaps to going out to the track. |
your money and at the same time have
practical illustration of cause and effect.
Shaving to the BARRIERS.
MEN ore often more fussy and particular
about insignificant things than women. |
There are thousands of men in New York |
who go miles out of their way to get shaved. |
know men who come down on the Elevated, |
and who get off at some intermediate point |
to patronize a favorite barber shop. They |
have done so for years. The array of private |
cups in any shop illustrates the strength of |
this shaving habit. When a busy business |
shops and tumble the fash papers while he |
waits for his particular tonsorial artist to be |
1t liberty, it strengthens the conviction that |
he is weaker than a woman.
The man who doesn't learn to shave him.
self while his beard isyoung is laying up
life of slavery to public BARRIERS In the |
course of an ordinarily long lifetime he will
Zach sitting around barber shop and a year
or two more going and coming.
A Crooked Stair Is a Death Trap.
"THERE are not more than four theaters in
New York with reasonably sufficient pro-
vision against fatal accident by reason of
ire," said a manabout-town. Gwen these