The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-02-09
VIEWS OF THE DAY.
BIFF!
An E.rsesd Philadelphia s-,tes Mr.. J.-
rome Hopkins.

rome Hopkins.
To THE EDIToR or THE SUN-Str A com.
munication signed Jerome Hopkint" and
headed philadelphia aud Music appeared In
your columns n few days ago. IL 10 now nearly
twenty years since | first met Hopkins. You
will perceive that I simply speak OF him as
Hopkins" just as | would Of Mozart or Bee
thoven, neither OF whom, unfortunately. did I
cvor meet. I was then. OF course. younger and
more unreasonable than ! am now, but even
with those drawbacks to the full enjoyment Of
gazing upon him., far less of hearing him speak. I
can say that I felt the gods had been good to me.
Since that time I have occasionally heard OF his
wanderings. but have never seen him. OFT In
the watches OF the night have I awakened from
q restless slumber and cried out "Hopkinsl
Hopkins! where art thou f' But there was no
answer, even from echo herself, and I went to
sleep again. Imagine my joy. therefore. when
ms now: I know that Hopkins Is here.
isaed; that is. he is satisfied that Sir. Waiter
Damrosch has "a mastery of operatic realms"
sl5housh he dee, no; specify TIE region tsa, tn, he
there sre persons In the world who are not sat
tsfed OF this. Hopkins does well 10. be dissatis-
Hopkins ever could be angry. Whist must be
tho mental condition of q man who disagrecs
His style of argument is akin to that to which
Daniel O'Copneil treated the fsh-wife. and we
all know how effective II WAS. Hopkins was
In this country were as UNIT for the work TO
which they devoted themselves as the digger of
n hole for n street sewer would be to construct a
canal. or q nod carrier to be All architect. They
were chiefly beer garden nddlors; the men who
supported them were millionaire pig stickers.
and nothing was to be found In the world OF
music In the United States but supercilious
pigheadedness. phenomenal monstrosity. BOBBY
Ism. stupidity, and hebetude. These arguments
wcro so convincing that used to look upon
which little Paul Dombey gazed upon Mrs.
Pipchin: who could have done else,
am glad TO tnd that Hopkins has not yet
delphiz newspapers thought that MIR. Dam
rosch's season OF grand opera In this city was
commonplace. that many of his singers could
now told By HOPKINS that they were "carpinE,
antagonistic. ana amusingly orudite." In order.
therefore,. to be unlike them. Hopkins INDUCES
play OF consummate idiocy. 1t 10 an insul. to
every reputable newspaper In the country to
hear this blatant charlstan say that they praised
impreearios like Mapleson. Max Strakosch, and
other bygone imprcearios, and that tho presan.
tation OF operas by these men was, as compared
with the work OF Damrosch. like a rushlight to
OF Aida in New York THIS season" said Mr..
Damrosoh to me: "it was most complete. the
chorus was magnificent" And why should you
replied. they were singers from Italy. and had
two centuries OF musical tradition behind
them" Does the national possession Of tradi.
Germany as rich musical traditions As Italy
hes1 The members OF Mr.. Damrosch's chorus
did not have the voice.
When Charles Lamb was once speaking OF
ColeridGe's monologues on the transcendcntal
and the infinite. he remarked that there was a
hear. OF fun In Colerldge., Coleridge 10 dead.
there is still . hosp OF fun in Hopkins.
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 4. JOHN V. HOOD.