The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-05-22

liberately; but we CONFESS we ma IL
somewhat difficult, it is all so new, so
wonderful, that we long to see everything
at once and feel like true daughters of
Eve as we wander through this English
Eden.
While we realize that it will be i
utterly impossible for us to visit all tn e
theatres, we made beginning by going
last Saturday to the Savoy and found
"His Majesty" most amusing; it is
bright comic opera, the stage setting
pretty, the costumes very beautiful. FAN
the voices We're fresh and the music
while not particularly 'catchy'-was very
melodious. We inquired of policeman
about our seats and he explained how
they were situated, even going with us to
the door, and as we came out inquired
most politely if we had enjoyed the per-
Torrance. The constant use of please
and thank you is certainly noticeable.
: Bus conductors invariably thank on for
your fare. You make penny purchase,
and the acknowledgment is as cordial as
if you had spent a pound. Occasionally
there is a mutual puzzle about words,
between proprietor and customer E. and
d. sailed forth to buy some brass hooks.
That seemed a simple thing. Have you
any hooksf' they asked, 'Hooks?' the
young man said with dazed expression,
hooks was repeated with the best
Maine accent, 'Oh! tits hoo-oks you
mean and wishing they knew English
as she is spoke" the girls with meek
''thank you'' carried off the 'hoo.oks.'
Almost the first things we looked at in
the British Museum, were the manu-
scripts of Haydn, Mozart, and Bee
thoven; to us, these naturally meant more
than 'Elgin Marbles though before us
were the carvings of Phidias; but we
have. yet to describe the most enjoyable
experience we have had since we have left
home, the memory of which will remain
as long as we live. Before leaving Port
land we said eve have presentiment
that the first oratorio we hear in London
will be Elijah" We were laughed at,
but nevertheless the conviction remained
1t is an easy matter to imagine with
what exultation we read the following
placard as we left the Museum on Sum
day afternoon. 'Elijah to be given at
Queens Hall Sunday April 25th doors
open at $50. performance begins at T."
In less time than it takes to write it,
two of us had started for Queens Hall,
the remainder of the party having other
engagements. The national ssSunday
League Musical Society" of which Sir
Arthur Sullivan is president, is cert inly
doing practical Christian work by fur
nishing Sunday evening entertainments
to working people. Once a week, ora
torios and other famous works of the
greatest composers, are given by chorus
of 800 voices, and an orchestra of fifty
men; the solo parts sustained by double
quartette of London's leading singers.
Admission is free to certain parts of the
house, while to others Cd is charged,
These latter seats are in every way desir-
advantage. 1t was rather unusual to
look over the score of Elijah with young
girl of fourteen-evidently of the m iddie
class-who showed by her manner and
enthusiastic applause that she was famil-
lar with the music, and deeply touched
by it; but it is scarcely possible to con-
, ceive of anyone who would not be thrilled
by this most dramatic of all oratorios
The part of "Elijah,' sung by Mr..
Douglas Powell, was most expressively
rendered. The chorus was well balanced,
the quality of the voices, especially the
sopranos, being very beautiful. The at
tacks were excellent, and the Baal
choruses electrifying, chills chasing each
other up and down our backs as we lis
tened; but the appealing cry-"Help! send
thy people aelr, oh! G od" completely
unnerved Il; VIC pressed each others
hands, the sear5 would not stay back.
For both Of us it was an evening of the
purest enjoyment; but before we realiz ed
it, the last chorus was sung, and we were
hurrying for our "atlas" bus. There we
stood at Oxford Circus as one bus after
another came crowded inside and out
with people, just enough and not one
too many, as we thoroughly realized
later. We chung to the bus ratings run
ming along with the vehicle in the vain
IlOpC tls1U DIS bNO ChIuc uOWu, We TWO
you'd go up. But Yankee quickness was
no match for London experience, and
every time we were left, with the ulti-
matum ''full up" After this had hap
pened four times, it grew monotonous so
when the fifth "atlas" came, and we
heard, room for one," W. made a
frantic dash, dragging wee Dot after
her; up those spiral steps we flew. II
am little cried Dot, making an unneces-
sary explanation II can scotch (this
word we brought with us from America)
and he-meaning the conductor-wont
see u.s. Not see usl it wasn't one Sec
ond before the "Philistine was upon u.s.
saying in calm unmoved tones, "Plase
walk down Mann only room for one''
Chagrined, Inundated, defeated, we
crept down those corkscrew stairs and
waited for our sixth bus. BY this time
everyone was supplied with q conveyance,
so we had it all our own way, and as we
sank down in our seats, we felt that the
chorus from sElijah'' ''Thanks be to
God" fittingiy closed our evening.