Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-08

A very bright, intellectual woman, with
soft blue ewes and brown hair snugly
braided and coiled around a well-shaped
head, sat in private room at the Duquesne
Hotel Friday afternoon resting preparatory
to Journey 10 New York. Her name was
Madame Constance Howard, whose lecture
recitals have given so much pleasure to
guests of the Pittsburg Art Society and the
pupils of the Pennsylvania College for
Women during the past two weeks Very
attractive she looked in her taiIor-made
dark blue travelling dress, as she answered
series of questions relating to art and social
questions.
''What do 1 think of Pittsburg? Well,
really. have not seen much of it save what
is visible through my window here. This
is my first visit to the city, and should
like to have gone all over it and to have
seen the various sights of interest, such as
the mills, public buildings, parks, resi-
dences, etc. But have had no time to 60
anywhere save to the halls in which 1 have
played. The work of giving Wagnerian
lecture-recirals is very exhausting, and
an compelled 10 rest every following day
after PLAYING. NV nerves are so worn that
it would be impossible for me to give re-
citals every evening, but feel the music
in me, and it is pleasure to me to play.
Moreover, think am doing good by con-
tributing my part toward the education of
the people in high-class music. Wagner
would be enioyed were he understood, and
think that the time will come when he will
be understood. 1 am going to New York
-7-.rr- 1r2+ - So1l fnr
The season there commences May l. OF
course, l cannot be there then. but hope to
b. settled in the West End by June 1.
an 10 give a series of lecture-recitals similar
% those I have Just finished in Pittsburg, in
Steinwav Hall, London.
These recitals are intended to be instruc-
tive as well as entertaining. They will be
like reading play before seeing it. Those
who 60 TO lecture-recitals of Wagner will
have a better opportunity of comprehend
ing the purpose of the opera when they see
it performed than if thev went there with
out anv previous knowledge of the work.
L is not easy to keep one eye on the stage,
one on your libretto, and your mind on the
Music of The orchestra. But when you
know all about the opera that is being per-
formed YOUR attention is not divided, and
you enjoy the entertainment as a whole,
both on the stage and in the orchestra 1 |
nave worked very ndTu 10 De dDl6 10 give
these recitals They demand that the per-
former shall not only be thorough musi-
clan. but that he shall be finished German |
scholar as well"
Madame Constance Howard-which is a
name assumed for professional purposes
comes Of old American stock. She is a |
thorough American. She traces her family |
back go years to England. She is con-
nsccion of Rear Admiral Gregory, and of |
the Matthew Gregory who was the first |
man to mount the heights of yorktown and 4
J laut the Stars and Stripes in triumph |
there. Her aunt was Mrs. George Catlin, |
who was the first white woman to cross the |
Ohio river when Pittsburg was nothing but |
q forest with the old block house in the |
middle. The husband of Mrs. Catlin was
welI-5nown artist in his dav, and his paint
iuCs hang in the Smithsonian Institute |
to-day. The husband of Madame Howard |
is a descendant OF the famous priyateerSman,
Paul Jones.
Madame Howard will take with her from |
Pirtsburg the pleasantest recollections of |
the kindness and courteses extended to her |
by the people of this city, particularly the |
women.
1t was in the parlors of one of the most |
prominent society ladies of Allegheny, one |
afternoon last week. and there was select |
coterie of the 400 of the two cities present |
One lady came in from the heated streets, |
and. as she dropped into an easy rocker, she |
observed: Dear me! How enervating /
this weather iSp' with the accent on the |
Cen"
"Do YOU mean enervating or enervat- |
ing?' laughed an intimate friend at her |
q don't understand" said the first
speaker SIS there any difference? What
makes you pronounce the word in that odd
wav?'
The laughing discussion between the two
attracted the attention of the others, and
The hostess said: "Why, is there any ques-
tion as to the proper pronunciation of that
word? 1 have never called it anything but
enervating all nv life
''Nor ], " "nor L, added the rest, and
everybody in the room except the lady who
had called into question the pronunciation
declared that she believed the proper way
was with the emphasis on the first syllable. !
The LADY. who had been smiling with an air
of superior knowledge, said: ''Well, let us
get Webster's Dictionary. 1 suppose the
learned Noah viii be accepted as authority?"
'Certainly"' chorused the rest A Web
ster's Unabridged was produced, and then
there was an eager futtering of the leaves
until the proper place was found. To the
astonishment of nearly every one in the
room, it was discovered that the generally
accepted pronunciation OF the word with
the accent on the zen" +" is wrong, and that
the correct way is enervating, with the en-
phasis on the Ger
''Shall We ever know the English Ian
guage?" was the despairing observation of
one Of the ladies, and her sad cry will be
echoed by hundreds of well-educated people
when they read this paragraph.
In looking down the list of last weeks
society events it is rather surprising to
dnd little Of real Importance has taken place
in Pittsburg's fashionable world. 1t is
more than likely that the reason may be
traced 10 the miserable, but seemingly in
evitable house cleaning season. Now, how
ever, that we are all pretty well papered,
painted, white-washed, scraped, scrubbed,
beaten and shaked, perhaps there will be a
little time found for pleasanter functions
before the hot weather takes everybody off
TO the seashore.
Among the few home affairs of the past
week, Mrs. Theodore Hostetter's luncheon
was one of the prettiest. The
fne old mansion on Western avenue has
Just been remodeled, and is considered one
Of the handsomest residences in Allegheny.
It was the intention of Mr.. and Mrs. Hos