The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-24

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was more painful to me because the malign
remarks were aimed at faults which
knew [ actually possessed. 1 felt uncom-
Portable. There were present many beau
tiful young girls. all of whom later be-
came quite celebrated. the greater number
for their beauty, and a few of them for
their talent.
NJ. Provost made all his pupils recite,
the boys first, then the girls. When my
turn came l went on the platform totter-
ing, timid and ashamed. 1 had learned
JUNE of Brittanicus.
L became at once the target for the
mockery of all. [ could not make my
tones Vibrate. I pronounced 1T and cd"
with such violence that it gave me the
worst of German accents. After a few
verses, NJ. Provost made me descend and
told me that he would not give me any
more lessons until could make the tones
yibrate. Mdlle de Brabandes laughed At
my despair and consoled me sweetly.
set myself courageously to work.
Rubber balls became my constant COM
panions. / chewed them in a fever to
make my 'r's'' vibrate, and bit them with
rage. accusing them as the cause of all my
misfOrtunes. / opened my mouth wide,
and from morning till night, often from
night till morning, shut up in my room,
practiced Observation-Disclosures an exer-
else recommended for vibration
oh, the happy hours spent in work with
out cessation! What joy when L thought
l could pronounce, without mourning rid
icule. +'Un tres gros rat dams un tres grand
trow" "a very big rat in very big hole)
How l sometimes ragged over that sent
ence. How much of my poor hair l left
clinging to the big rat and how many
tears 1 wept in that big hole, no one can
imagine
My mother made me get up at o'clock
in the morning-and 1 loved to sleep-but
l had to practice the ''r'' on the piano.
would sing ''ra-re-ri-ra-rol' for an
hour every morning. Mother left the door
of her room open and went to sleep, easily
soothed by that melodious strain. But
woe to me if 1 stopped! The silence
awakened her abruptly, and with her i'm
perious voice she would tell me at once
You have still ten minutes to practice"
and / had to go on.
Mamma, dear mamma. How angry
was then, but how heartily thankful 1 am
now
At last could prove to Mr.. Provost that
1 knew how the tones Vibrate, and my les
sons began again.
/ have heard people say that the Conser-
vatoire is useless. 1 am of a contrary
opinion, and l believe that, except in very
through the Conservatoire. 1t is certain
that if the pupil keeps to his class exclu-
siVely his progress will be restricted and
that he will soon take the faults of his
master. But if the pupil fills all the con-
ditions of the programme laid down for
him the ConserVatoire has great resources
for diverse studies, practical as well as in
tellectual. AS for me, 1 am pupil full of
respect for the institution which has made
my artistic education possible and which
has enabled me to occupy a place among
the first / owe the Conservatory all
know. l have never forgotten it, and
am happy to offer my masters a public ex-
preston of my eternal gratitude.
One-two--three-and with one hand on
his heart, the old Father Eli as we called
our master, exclaimed:
1T is there; l am sure of it," and we
mimicking the gesture in the deepest 81
lence. at is there" Dear me! How
funny it was, but how charming!
Father Eli, who was a tan and hand
some old man, with a Neapoleonic face
marred by his tobacco-stuffed nose. had
nevertheless a grace. a distinction, a man.
ner that charmed me- After the general
lesson he selected two pupils and made
them act a love scene in pantomime Mile
Cortens and Mile. Ponsin, the oldest pupils
of the class, We're chosen to give an ex-
ample to the younger ones. Jeanne Cor
tens silently declared ner Violent passion
for Sylvia Ponsin, who, by her gestures,
was answering plainly: Away with you,
sir; away"
Then Miss -. whose name 1 can not
recall, acted out, without words or music,
a whole scene from an opera comique
We terminated the lesson with an exer-
else on courtesies. Oh how many differ
ent kinds there are, and how glad am to
have learned them. The one to the dow
agcr respectful and slow. The one to a
king very long, with your eyes lowered
and all your attitude expressing the great
est humility. / must say that l had sell
dom occasion to use this one except in
foreign countries. The courtesy to the
''fiance' correct and embarrassed, and the
last, but not least, the courtesy to the pub
lie. Oh, that one, very long, very low.
with your eyes embracing at one glance
the whole ROOM your smile thankful and
your arm rounded as if to say: Again
am overwhelmed with so much appiausew
! must confess that l always found that
courtesy too submissive. too cringng.
adore success; I give all my soul to the
public. but If the public shows me recogni-
ton / feel like rendering thanks to an
equal and not to master.
Sarah Bernhard.