The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-08-02
EFFIGIES OF
OUR HEROES
They Are Being Made by
Spanish Count.
GETS PROFIT FROM WAR.
Kiralfy Preparing to Rake In Dollars.
Of the Patriotic.
NEW SPECTACULAR PRODUCTION
GETS PROFIT FROM WAR.
NEW SPECTACULAR PRODUCTION

NEW YORK. Aug. Q. Especial. Pa
triotism has perforce entered In through
the doors of that curious institution
known as the Eden Musee, where wax
flggers" Of all the worlds great men are
shown by day and night 'as large as life
and twice as natural" Today the efiigies
of Sampson, of Dewey and others who
have helped lick the sAaniards hold the
places that once were sayted to other prom
inent men, and this was to be expected.
The most incongruous thing about 1t Is
that tho Musee figures are nearly all made
by a Spaniard who yields to none OF his
blood in love for the beautiful Iberian pen.
insula.
This mans name is Fernando Miranda,
and he has been rather prominent In art
circles here ever since the centennial year.
when he was imported by Harper & Bros.
to make pictures of the exhibition of 1876
for their Weekly. just what are his views
regarding tho present war none OF his ac-
quaintances seems to have found out,
though 1t Ia certain that he was ON en-
thusiastic admirer of America and its In
stitutions before there was probability OF
a row with Spain over Cuba.
Miranda Is native Of Valencia and was
a pupil of the sculptor Piques, who had
most of the court commissions for statu-
ary when Isabella ii was queen. As
young man tho present fabricator OF wax
presentations of the great showed great
promise, which materialized in his early
manhood to such an extent that Alfonso
XII, father of the present boy king,
knighted him and made him acommander
of the Royal Order of Isabella. This gave
him the right to the title of count, but on
coming to America he dropped all such
unrepublican nonsense and has always
seemed as proud of the American title Of
"Mr." as Of his American citizenship,
which ne perfected with all promptness.
Mr.. Miranda is really clever plastic
artist, though much adverse criticism was
lavished on his Columbus fountain, pre-
sented to the city in 1902 in commemora-
tion of the four hundredth anniversary OF
Americas discovery. He draws well, also,
notwithstanding the fact that the faces OF
his men and women are all those Of dons
and donnas, and his income has for years
been so large that he has acquired several
valuable patches Of New York real estate,
being today one Of the two or three dozen
really well to do artists In this town.
In spite Of his reticence regarding the
war 1t Is believed that he Is at heart with
Uncle Sam, especially as he is understood
to have been under political cloud when
he left Spain. and that he says nothing
about it cut of eopsideration for the feel
ings of his countfymen living here.
Imre kirslfy Again.
The irrepressible Imre Kiralfy, Italian
by birth, and who might therefore be sup
posed pro-Spanish In sympathy, Is also
getting ready to make money out Of the
present wave of patriotic sentiment.
For tho first time In his life Kiralfy Is
going to present an entertainment In
which shapely female figures and long
stockings will play no part whatever.
Like all of his amusement ventures, how
ever, the one now In course of preparation
will be spectacular and on an exceedingly
large scalo, the scheme being nothing less
than the reproduction In miniature OF the
principal recent naval events In the far east
and the West Indies. To that end he is
fitting up the main floor of the Madison
Square Garden with great tank, which
no purposes to all with water for tho float
ing of models Of American and Spanish
warships These no purposes maneuver-
ing in some way, probably by electricity,
In exact imitation Of the maneuvers at
Manila and Santiago, and Of course he
expects to take Id dollars by the basketful.
Imre and his brother Bolossy have now
been before the American public for al
most generation. They began poor and
almost unknown, and their first venture,
II am not mistaken, was the Black
Crook" In those days the generous dis
plays of the feminine form now 80 COM
mon feature In tho best theaters even
sxxt t,.xr
and the ballet was looked upon as positive
ly scandalous. When the Kiralfy show
came out, there was regular spasm of
outraged modcsty from the Atlantic to tho
Pacific. Ministers preached against It,
newspapers Illuminated against IL and men
who went to sec IL were regarded askance,
while the women who were daring enough
to gaze upon its gorgeousncss were con-
sidered decidedly no better than they
should be, as many of my middle aged
readers will remember.
To all this tho Kiralfys paid little at
tention, prcfcrring to saw wood and take
In the cash, which they did In surprising
quantities. Since that time there has been
a mighty change. The BLACK Crook" OF
the seventies was modest exhibition COM
pared TO the spcctacles of today. 1t may
be- said for Imre and Bolossy, however,
that, though they are undoubtedly re-
sponsible In great measure for the en-
largcd spectacular liberty OF today, their
shows have never contained features that
would now be considered Objectionable.
Some Kiraify spcctacies.
One OF the greatest kiralfy successes
| was Nero; or, Tho Fall Of Rome"
| which was given night after night In the
| open air on Staten Island, where IL at
tractcd great crowds of New Yorkors. IL
was really beautiful spectacle, with its
hundreds of performers. its well disposed
colored lights and Its artistic groupings.
The public liked this show 81 we'll that
Il was made one Of the chief features of n
great travelling 'megathcrian aggcga-
ton" the next year. and II met with quite
M great n success on the road as here.
A year or two later Iinrc kiralfy set mp
| "permanent" exhibition on tho Palisades
In New Jersey, just across the river from
| Forty second street the spectacular feature
being n representation Of Jerusalem IN
| KIM Solomon's time. There were many