The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-10-04

ing their arms. swaying their bodies. and
clapping their breasts in perfect time
opened with an Introductory. The per-
formers remained seated, except two, and
once three, and twice single soloist.
These stood IN the group, making slight
movement with the feet and rythmical
culver OF the body as they sang. There
was pause after the Introductory. and
then the real business of the operator it
was no less-began; an opera where every
singer was an accomplished actor. The
leading man, in an imprisoned ecstacy
which possessed him from head to foot.
seemed TRANSPORTED; once it was as
though strong wind had swept over the
stage, the arms, the feathered fingers
thrilling with the emotion that shook my
nerves as well; heads and bodies followed
like field of grain before gust. My
blood came hot and cold, tears pricked my
eyes, my head whirled, / felt an almost ir-
resistible impulse to join the dancers. One
drama think I very nearly understood.
A fierce and savage old man took the sole
part. He sang of the birth of prince and
how he was tenderly rocked in mis- mothers
arms; of his boyhood, when he excelled
his fellows in swimming, climbing and all
out to sea with his boat and fished; of his
manhood, when he married a wife who
Graded a son of his own in her arms.
Then came the alarm of war and great
battle, of which for time the issue was
doubtful; but the hero conquered, as he
always does, and with tremendous
burst of the victors the piece closed.
There were also comic pieces which caused
nv 81
man behind me clutched me by the arm.
shook his finger in my face with roguish
smile, and said something with a chuckle
which took to be the equivalent of oh,
you women, you women, it is true of you
ALP | fear it was not complimentary.
AT no time was there the least sign of the
ugly indecency of the Eastern islands. All
was poetry, pure and simple. The music
itself was as complex as our own, though
constructed on an entirely different basis;
once or twice / was startled by a bit of
something very like the best English
sacred music, but it was only for an in
slant. At last there was longer pause
and this time the dancers were all on their
feet. As the drama went on the inter-
est grew. The performers appealed
to each other, to the audience, to
the heaven above; they took counsel
gether in knot; it was just an opera, the
chorus coming in at proper intervals, the
tenor, baritone and bass all where they
should be-eXeept that the voices were all
of the same caliber. A woman once sang
from the back row, with very fine con-
tralto voice spoilt by being made artifi-
cially nasal; notice all the women affect
that unpleasantness. At one time boy
of angelic beauty was the sooist, and at
another child of 6 or 8. doubtless an in
FAINT phenomenon being trained, was
placed in the center. The little fellow was
desperately frightened and embarrassed at
first but toward the close warmed up to
his work and showed much dramatic tai
ent. The changing expressions on the
faces of the dancers were SO speaking that
it seemed great stupidity not to under.
stand them"
Our neighbor at this performance,
Karaitch--it should be written Karaiti.
but spell it for sound-somewhat fayors
his Butaritarian majesty in shape and
feature, being, like him, portly. bearded
and Oriental. In character he seems the
reverse, alert, smiling, jovial, jocular, in
dustrious. At home in his own island he
labors himself like slave. and bounds
like driver. He takes an interest in
ideas. George, the trader, told him about
flying machines. SIS that true. George 2"
he asked. sIt is in the papers," replied
George. 'fWell," said Karaitch, ''if that
man can do it with machinery, can do it
without" and he designed and made
pair of wings, strapped them on his shout
ders, went to the end of pier, launched
himself into space, and fell bulkily into
the sea: His wives fished him out, for his
wings hindered him in swimming.
George" said he, pausing as he went up
to change, George, you lie." He has
eight wives, for his small realm still fol-
lows ancient customs. but he showed EN-
barrassment when this was mentioned to
my wife.
"Tell her have only brought one here"
he said, anxiously. Altogether the Black
Douglass pleased US much; and as we
heard fresh details of the kings uneasiness,
and saw for ourselves that all the weapons
in the summer parlor had been hid, we
watched with the more admiration the
cause of all this pother rolling on his big
legs. with his big smiling face, apparently
unarmed, and certainly unattended,
through the hostile town. The Red Doug
lass, pot-beilied Kuma, having perhaps
heard word of the debauch, renamed upon
~ =. ~