The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-06-12

| II was pronounced by the general voice
| 10 be not oply the masterpiece OF the
| composer but the greatest oratorio ever
| given 10 the world since the Messiah
IL was the crowning glory of Mendel-
sohns career"
| The Fifth paper was by Mrs. Fanny
McAuslan. and treated OF the charac-
ter and death OF the composer.
| The sad story of his Illness and death,
which was FASTENED by that of his IA :
vorite sister, Fanny. 10 whom he was
devotedly attached. was briefly ami in
terestingly told Concluding, the paper
| dwells upon his character as follows:
In estimating his character as a
man, unqualified praise can be given for
he seemed born with all the attributes
OF perfect man. He was generous i'm
disposition, free from the petty jealous
| les common TO musicians of his day, OF
| pure and open spirit. he hated mean
! ness and vulgarity. and. while brim-
ming with fun and soft in nature, he
was free from effeminacy.
Possessed OF wealth, influence, pos
ition, genius, and "a sunny tempera-
ment which made and held the friend
ship OF those who came in contact with
him. Mendelssohn enjoyed with unfail-
ing simplicity and unselfishness all the
good things fortune strewed in his path.
To this even, unruffied temperament s
due the lack OF those elements OF depth
and virile power seen i'm the works OF
Bach, Beethoven and Schuman. Mem
delssohn's life was too TRANQUILITY happy
To affaord material for such writing and
his works miss the full note that
more checquered career would have
given them.
The final paper OF the afternoon by
Miss Cummings gave a brief yet very
clear and interesting description of the
compositions OF Mendelssohn.
Among the many Interesting parts OF
the paper we may quote the following:
The number of Mendelssohn's works
published during his life reached to Op.
~. After his death enough were found
TO swell the number to 1iS. besides
about twenty-six others without opus
number
His genius found expression in every
field OF musical production from the
simplest piano-forte sketch 10 the sym
phony and oratorios. He undertook
opera In all sincerity but once-and the
fulfillment OF this. upon which his
heart was set, was frustrated by the
angel OF death. and "Lorelei" remains
a fragment only"
He gave the world his best in the
two tmperishable oratorios est. Paul"
and Elijah" The Overture 10 Mid
summer Nights Dream" written when
it's author was but rs years old. would
alone have sufiiced to make him fam
Gus, and. In some respects. has been un-
surpassed by the production of his ripper
years. The latest music added after ls
years and including the wedding
March. gives grandeur and 4fa riaHai-
ity to the work.
"ln turning to Mendelssohn's COM
positions for piano alone. our thoughts
are attracted at once TO his Songs
Il
ious work, yet destined to establish his
fame as firmly IN the household. as did
his symphonies and oratorios with the
world at large. In these 4S delightful
tone pictures Mendelssohn demons. trait
ed the leading idea of the new romant-
ic school-power of realizing "A poetic
ideal with no resource beyond music
hence the feliotous title-"Songs With
out Words"
The Coventry Woman's Club met az
the club rooms at Anthony on We'd
nesday June :. This meeting was call
ed especially for the purpose of dis
posing of some of the unfinished busi-
ness, which had been necessarily post
poned and to listen to the reading OF
several papers which had also been
postponed.
The first paper. IAN Exercise in
Orthoepy." was given by Mrs Presbary
Hoxie and called attention i'm most
instructive way 10 the nuisance and
mispronounciation of many OF our
common words. The second paper OF
of the afternoon was an able criticism
on Charles Reades novel Put Yourself
in His Place" by Mrs. Clarence Spen-
Ger. In beginning Mrs. Spencer referr-
ed to Charles Reades position i'm Eng
lish and American Literature. Contn-
uring, she spoke of his peculiar powers
"A "a IA h3ts 1a.s III n
a series of works exemplifying the
great labor troubles which existed i'm
England between 1850 and 1850.
In this connection. the novel put
Yourself in His Place" was explained
as having been inspired and dominated
by the wrongs, the distress and the
sufferings OF the laboring classes OF
those times. We quote briefly from the
paper viz: 1T was on this text he
wrote-and the threads of sympathy
with suffering and revusion with
crime are woven I'm all his work. Sew
eral facts are discussed when an at
tempt, however slight. Is made to criti-
else this great novel 1T is dramatic
1t is romantic. IL is prophetic. Dramat-
ic because IL presents series OF strik-
ing pictures, showing various phases
of life.
Romantic, because through IL runs a
thrilling narrative of human passions;
anu propnetlC, because II fOretOld ef-
fects deductible from wrongs then
committed. which effects are seen to-
day in the acknowledged decadence OF
manufactures and trade.
The interest in Mrs. Spencer's paper |
was two fold-because OF the fact that
the members OF the club had been read
ing the novel in question and were
therefore prepared for the criticism and |
for discussion.
The programme OF the afternoon was
also pleasantly varied by readings by !
Mrs. Harvey Spencer. her subjects be- |
ing selections from ike Marvel ana |
Donald q. Mitchel's Dream Life" !
At the next and final meeting OF the |
club. on June 2lst. a number OF excel |
lent papers may be expected. |
The secretary OF the Thasaurus club |
of Providence sends the following re- |
port Of recent meeting:
The Thtsaurus Club met June 9th, |
with Mrs. Charles T.. Smith on Camp |
street. including number Of invited |
guests The social receptfDn was held |