Evening star., 1896-12-05
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music, and Harry b. Smith, author Of the
Ibretto. were entertained by the Buffalo
Country Club, which Is we'll known
throughout the country because of the sue
cess which its golf playing members have
attain ed in winning the championship
games during the past season. De Koven
is himself crank on the subject of goit
and while he was there an entertainment
was given him, during which he was pre-
scented with seventeen carefully selected
golf sticks, all of which were mounted in
silver. engraved with his name and bore
the escutcbeon of the club. Mr.. De koven
never travels about the country without
carrying with MIN full array of golf
sticks, and he never loses an opportunity
to indulge in the sport, which he loves SO
dearly.
AT his home in New York, where he last
Sunday entertained many of his local friends
at the Mandarin party, these particuia;
golf sticks Were artistically arranged round
the walls and attracted more attention
than any other decoration of the evening.
Incidentally, it may be said that In con-
nectiCn with the fondness which the COM
pos has for this attractive game, he has
also during the past year indulged rather
extensively in polo and has played with
such well-known experts as Vernon Booth,
Is,
Maurice Duval. Elliott Evans, Billie
Evans. Paul Ningut and others.
He says that it is during the hours when
he Is engaged in the exciting exercise of
golf ard polo that he think out the
best airs for the music which he composes
and that the favorite air i'll the .'Mands.-
rim was composed and written during the
storm which almost threatened the de-
struction of the vessel upon which he was
q passenger in crossing the Pacific ocean
fIom China TO this country.
OF MIR. Smith 1t may be said that, in
connection with his many works, all of
which are successful, and three of which
have been produced IN the city of Wash
lngton within the last three weeks he
rarely considers what ne will attempt to
do until the moment comes for 1t to be
done For example, he has no fixed hours
Tor work, and he was never known to sit
down and endeavor to woo Inspiration On
the contrary, he always carries with him
book. and much of the best work that
ne mas produced was accomplished while
riding Upon street cars, in carriages and
while sitting in the smoking apartments of
Pullman cars
When the Mandarin" was first suggest
ed to him by Mr.. De Koven, after the
composers return from his trip to China.
Mr.. Smith confessed that he felt himself
Inadequate to supply the proper verbiage
for the piece. but after listening to the
careful description which was given him
by De koven. and after viewing the pho
toGraphs that had been taken while the
composer wss among the celestials he an
rcunCed that he would think it over The
result was that on the following evening
he called uron De Koven with a thorough
ly constructed senarto for the play That
ser ar1o Is the opera of today. 1t is the
Mandarin 1t has not been departed
from in any particular, and while some
changes have been made, ii practically ex-
tsts today in precisely the shape in which
De koven and Smith mapped it out in the
beginning.
Miss Maud Powell. the violinist. and Miss
Lctta Mills, the pianist. two young women
in whom Washington people entertain a.
peculiar interest. had quite an adventure
in New York about a week ago. They are
great friends, and both live in New York
city, except when they filling concert
engagements Miss Powell was calling up
on Miss Mills. and they were playine piano
and violin duets in great shape when the
sne ell of smoke interrupted their work and
beth ran to an adjoining ROOM occupied by
mutual friend. but who happened to be
out at the time. and found that the drapery
on the dressing table. the portieres and the
carpet were in flames.
Both girls. instead of screaming went to
work III earnest. and Miss Powell, by her
ccolness and vigorous action soon stopped
the spread of the fire, and even before as
sistance reached them the two young wo-
men had put the fire out. When their
danger was entirely over Miss Mills. with
true feminine delicacy. tainted. but Miss
Powell. being of more heroic mold simply
went to work putting things to rights in
the room where the fire took place, Just as
II she had not been doing the part of a
heroine. Miss Powell is now in this ctty
visiting her father, Superintendent w B.
Powell. She will be here professionally at
one of the Metropolitan concerts and If
the pianist Rosenthal does not recover
frCm his illness. she may be the central
figure in the first concert. Miss Mills re-
turned to New York Monday and 1t is not
expected that her engagements will allow
her TO again visit Washington this winter.
Miss Eugenia Blair or as she Is known in
private life, Mrs. Robert Downing will
shortly go out on a starring tour in East
Lynne. The late Lucille Western made a
great reputation and a fortune with that
Siay. and with Miss Blair's beauty and
emotional power. she should command the
attention Of the play-going public in the
cual part of Lady Isabel and Madame Vine
by the way, Mr.. James Mead, who was
Lucille Westerns husband was telling a
story not long ago of when Miss Western
was at the height of her fame in East
Lynne. She came here to the National
Theater. and at once made big hit. The
arrangement wanted to extend the engage
Inent, but Mr.. Mead, who was her mana
ger, insisted upon a bigger percentage be-
fore he would renew. To this the theater
manager demurred, and kept putting off
any definite arrangement until Mr.. Mead
thought he would teach him lesson. II
went down to the Washington Theater."
been known as Carusi's saloon, and is now
hernans s lyceum Theater, and which had
been in rather hard luck, and told the man
ager, whom knew very we'll. that 1 would
pull him out of his hole by playing Lu-
cll!e there the following week. He Jump
ed at the offer, and proposed a percentage
greater than / had asked the National
people L wouldn't take that, but We came
10 good understanding, and then went
back to the National. THIS remember was
on Friday. and the National manager had
been all the week trying to make up his
mind He then said he would split the diff
ference between what / was then getting
and what / wanted. / told him / guessed
net; that l would close with him SATURDAY.
night Then he came to the terms / had
asked. and told him it was too late: that
had agreed to play Lucille at the other
mouse the following week. / took her
down there and played her for three weeks
to great business. while the National, of
course. suffered"
Francis Wilson's business offices in New
York are in the knickerbooker Theater
building A large number of theatrical
managers are tenants of that place, and
many OF them patroniZe a certain barber
shop in the neighborhood. One day, about
two weeks ago. he received from his Paris
agent the manuscript of a French comic
opera just produced in Paris and which he
glanced over thoroughly enough to discover
that II was not only acceptable. but a posi-
tive novelty, just adapted to his purposes
He would take it home. he thought and
IL