The times., 1898-09-11
MELBA IN CHILDHOOD
The Great Singer Was a Very
Naughty Girl.
ALWAYS IN MISCHIEF
Her Very Frank Statement About
Her Youthful fpcorrfEibflity-Mu-
sic the One Study in Which She
Could Take the Least Interest.
Her Debut at the Age of Six.

NCdlAI1 IN
tells of her childhood in new weekly in
London. Among other things she says:
Il was an unusually naughty child, alb
soluteiy incorrigible. unreasonable and
unmanageable. Never once-no not even
by accident-did / hit on doing the right
thing: mischief of the most inexcusable.
boisterous kind came to my mind as an
irresistible inspiration. And, naturally.
was always in trouble.
Music was the only reasonable thing
in which / showed any rational interest,
and, owing to my dreadful perversity in
every other matter, believe my musical
taste aroused quite an antagonistic fee
ing in my mother and father.
They were both intensely musical
themselN es- My mother. who was ef
Spanish descent-and noted for her re-
markably beautiful feet-was very ac-
ccmplished pianist, and i have spent
many an hour crouched under the pi- n
fcrte, while she was playing for her own
amusement The necessity for food at
proper time, and the threats Of vari5us
and fearful punishments, failed TO draw
ne from my iavorite ambush. In passing,
/ may say that out of a large family. l
am the only one who res 5nIbleS my moth
er. / am dark-aimoSt dark enough TO
be black sheep'-whiie ali my sisters
and brothers are remarkably fair. l. the
few dociie hours of my obstreperous
childhood, it was a great delight for me
TO sit on my fathers knee and pick out
the treble notes on the harmonium whi e
he sang the bass.
AT six years of age / was, by some
strange freak of parental favor or child
ish despotism, allowed to appear at a
concert, and my singing of Shells of the
Ocean was so kindly received that had
TO give an encore, my extra number be-
ing no other than Comm Thro- the Rye
The next day l was playing about with
a little girl who lived opposite and.
e.ated with my concert success, / waited
eagerly for some comment. The minutes
passed-years. i thought them, bat my
child chun continued to ignore what was
TO me the chiefeSt thing in the world.
Unable TO curb my eagerness any fur
ther. L at last blurted out: 'Well-the
concert, you know-I sang at the con-
cert?' She inclined her face toward mine,
and. lowering her voice to a significant
Pitch, answered Nellie Mitchell, / saw
your drawersi' I have never forgotten
the spontaneous malice in the criticism
OF my little Playmate. (Since then / have
had many occasions to be amused in re-
calling the malicious innuendo of my
first critie)
my willfulness and aggravating con-
trariness on all occasions eventually led
TO my being sent to a boarding school.
where ii was hoped some sense of dociIi-
ty might enter into my rebellious head.
But it was no use; it seemed impossible
TO teach me anything except music. l
was always at the bottom of the class
and generally in disgrace. From the bal
cony of the school / could see the turret
of -Doonside, and my father, who rode
past each day, considered it wisest not
TO acknowledge in any way so fractions
a pupil This was perhaps the bitterest
experience of my younger years. To be
in sight of my home and unable to go
thereto see my father and not be no
ticed by him, SO filled me with sorrow
that ] was constantly in floods of tears
During this time of banishment the most
marked kindness from those in charge
of the school failed to bring me any COM
fort. and when 1 was allowed to return
home my delight was unbounded
My later and principal school days were
spent at the Presbyterian Ladies' College.
Melbourne, an institution regarded as un-
approachabIe in the colonies but TO the
record Of which failed TO add any luster.
I'm fact I believe I was generally re-
garded as the very worst pupil in the
college During the hour and a half al
lowed for lunch, 1t was my daily custom
TO ignore the necessity of a midday meal
and devote the time to practising on the
organ In the Scots Church. of which my
people have always been regular support
ers This going without food from break
fast until dinner so affected my health
that I was threatened with consumption,
and my organ practices Were summarily
ended. 1t was while on a holiday from
the college that was once intrusted with
IL, fa,-e ,.r
sacred music during a solemn family cele-
bration. The proper music was spread
out on the stand. but instead of playing
il I devoted myself to a very lively inter
probation of various polkas and jigs. TO
the amaement and horror of the sedate
assemblage.
Later on, when was allowed to attend
concerts and other musical performances
in Melbourne it appeared to my childish
imagination that | could very easily sur
pass the efforts of even the first artists I
heard. and / was not at all diffident in ex-
pressing this conviction to my mother
who endeavored to curb my presumption
by various forms of punishment. From
my family / certainly received no en-
couragement whatever and the concert of
my sixth year remained brilliant MEM
ory until nearly ten years later, when
again managed a public appearance. With
my people / was spending part of the sum-
mer al Sorrento. a pretty little watering
place near the entrance to Hobsons Bay.
lone day, when driving round the
township. / noticed that the fence of the
local cemetery was in a deplorab v dilap-
idated condition. and | determined on
getting up concert to provide funds for
a new railing
Il had very faring posters printed, and
as a solution of one question of ways and
means / took charge of them myself, and
with paste and brush set out to stick
them in the best positions. task which
] successfully accomplished. / raised
GO by this exploit, and later on when I
saw a nice new fence round the Genet cry
i felt IL was more due to my tact as
concert had to offer.
Not very long afterward 1 decided to
give sort of drawing-room concert In
my native city of Melbourne, from which
] take my name, and / wrote to all my
friends asking their presence. MY father
heard OF the scheme. and determined to
thwart the desire for public career.
which was even then family manifesting
itself. He wrote to them all, too, and as
a personal favor begged them not to at
tend. All unconscious of this parental
strategy / repaired to the scene of the
concert and when ] stepped out on the
platform / was greeted by an audience of
two, All the same, / went through with
my program and sang as well as l knew
how for the loyal duo-and ever since
I hare had large audiences