The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1895-05-15
A QUESTION OF EMOTION.
Opinions Differ as to Which Sex Has tn.
Deeper Feeling.

Opinions Differ as to Which Sex Has the
Deeper Feeling.
In recent interview Mr.. F. e.
Weatherley, the famous song writer,
was asked whether he preferred his
songs to be interpreted by mon or
women. Hereplied: why, by men,
most decidedly. They feel more deep
ly than women. Take Douglas Cor
don for example. A woman will sing
that and sing it with effect, no doubt,
but the instant she leaves the plat
form she is ready to laugh and joke.
Very different with a man. He will
feel the pathos to tho innermost
fibers and when he leaves off singing
can scarcely find words to speak to
any ono. ;"
These DO strange words indeed,
and many of us will be inclined to
take them with many grain of salt.
Ho is a bold man who thus roupdly
declares that men feel moro deeply
than women, even if tho adjective
singing" be added to both substan-
tives., 1t is generally accepted as a
fact that the singer or actor who
feels most acutcly makes the audi
ence feel most acutoly, and the sing
ors who have most deeply moved the
world have often been women. For
instance, can the effect produced on
an audience by Jenny Lind be said
to have been equaled by man? Sims
Reeves, in his best days, was never
her rival, electrical though his de-
Ivory of certain songs was
In our own day the two great stars
of modern opera are Nine. Calve and
Jean dc Rcszke. Let any unpreju-
diced observer go regularly to Covent
Garden and then say if Calvo does
not play upon the feelings of her au-
dience with moro certainty than the
great tenor. To come to oratorio,
Nine. Albani can surely thrill q
crowd as no male oratorio singer now
before the public can thrill it.
Whether she feels much herself is
easily proved. On a memorable &C.
casion at the Bristol festival, after
singing the part of Marguerite in
Berlioz's Faust, she was so ovor-
como that she went into Mysteries
and became quite i'll, so absolutely
had she identified herself with her
part. And even at rehearsals she is
so carried away by tho music that
she invariably sings as If to a great
audience, even when there are only
fvo to six persons to listen to her
Among ballad singers no one has in
the past been more absolutely sue
cessful than Mmo. Antoinotte Ster-
ling, who has stood almost alono il
the estimation of the great ballad
loving public. We really cannot
agree with Mr. Weatherley that men
feel more deeply than women.
Individual men may be moro SEN
sitive, moro emotional, than indi-
vidual women, but we firmly believe
that men en- mnsse arc decidedly less
quickly swayed than are women en-
masse and consequently sway other
less. Ono curious thing may be noted
here. It is that a fine boys voice
will reach tho very soul of an audi
ence moro surely than the voice OF
almost any mature person of either
sex, and this when the boy himself
remains almost unmoved. There is q
pathos in the timbre possessed by nc
one who has left extreme youth be.
hind, and yet extreme youth is gen.
orally so heartless. Few women will
be inclined to agree with Mr.. Wealth.
erley's curious statement, and even
the men will probably remain uncon
vinced by it.-London Gentlowom
an.