The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-07-14
Musical Genius on the
Road.
Emma Nevada's Triumph in
Her NaUi e State-Faust
Under Difficulties.

New York sun reporter. the other day. !
Some one said that all genius is a
form of insanity, and i believe IL. /
Managing concert tours through the
country is like running a travelling
BlooIningdale asylum. IL the artists
don't end in an asylum the manager
does. OF course there are exceptions TO
the rule. Some OF the most charming
men and wcmen / have ever met were
great musicians. In fact, the greater
they are the less obstreperous they are.
I don't pretend to know the psycholo-
lsical reason for that. Perhaps success
smooths them the right way. They
are as full of whims as ever, but less
viOlent--sort of mellow insanity. you
know.
"One used TO have queer experiences
IN Western concert tours: but every
thing ID very conventional out there
now. and The hotels and opera houses
In all towns of any size are very fair.
The funniest Western stand 1 ever
made was in Austin, New. / was with
Nine. Emma Nevada, and Austin was
her native town. Mr.. Mackay had
found her. up there in the mountains,
and had sent her abroad for musical
education. She succeeded made a
name for herself in Europe. and Austin
was bursting with pride. She came
back to America, sang in the East with
great success. but didn't go West The
Austin people didn't like that, II seems
said she was stuck up and had for
gotten her old friends. Nevada heard
about this feeling, and one day she
came to me. We were in Chicago, and
she was to go back to Europe almost
Immediately.
Z" L want to give a concert IN Austin,
New she said.
II almost fell out of my chair. Tt
isn't possible gasped.
"'I'li make IL possible.
THE expense would be enormous.
We could never stand it,
81 don't ask you to stand it. 1 will
pay everything-any amount-only take
me there. They say I am ashamed Of
Suiem. l will show them
We'll. she got her way. I thought ii
was sheer lunacy' but Nevada
was willing to pay the bills; so We
went We had To leave our private car
several hundred miles from Austin. and
ta~e common coaches on a narrow
gauge road that climbed over the
mountains and walked with it's head
down. like n fly. About four or five
stations before We struck Austin, peopl'
began TO board the train.
ibid Emma Gomez They'd ask tn,
c~hductor. and he'd point out ou
crowd. They would go back and tel
tt-s people on the platform, and every
b,dy would howl for Emma until New
ada would go out and talk 20 them an6
shake hands with everybody she 1idn'
kiss. A good share of the crowd wen
TO Austin with us. but It wasn't any
thing to the crowd that met US at tn
station. Everybody in the town and al
the country round had turned out, ant
they were the queerest crowd ] eve
saw. Miners. and cowboys, and In
dams. and ordinary conventional PEG
pie. all shaken up together. and all will
with excitement. BY that time I wa
glad we had come. / was having tn
time OF my life-at somebody else's ex
pense. Talk about enthusiasm I new
or knew what IL was before and new
er heard anything like the shout tina
went up when that young woman step
ped of the car. Everybody yelled he
name. and chcered and eheered, an
she stood and threw kisses and laughe
and cried. There wasn't any fax
about II. wouldn't have believed ther
could be so much genuine feeling any
where In the world-it gave me, a well
seasoned manager. brand-new thri
mp and down my back.
There was only one carriage in Aus
tia then; and we had to drive quite
distance to the town. Nevada and
had the carriage. and the rest of II
company went along In big wagons
Then came the crowd on horseback,
wagons and on foot. We drove alor
a ticklish mountain road at q gallo
there We're bonfres burning. Say,
was great! Nevada didn't get any re
before evening. The crowd want,
her and IL would have her. She mu
have kissed all the children in Aust
and a good percentage of the grow
people. and by joe she acted as If 81
liked It, | had thought 1 knew he
but she was n different woman,
there in the mountains. We gave Z
concert in the church. The minlst
and /, with the assistance of the who
population. numbered the seats n
made out tickets. Tickets sold at Z
dollars. but the house wouldn't bee
to hold the crowd, and almost any
price was offered for seats. When I
doors opened there was stampe,
There were fifty men In the crowd
every woman. Most Of them kept
Dig felt hats and wore their trouss
tucked into high boots. They did
pay any attention to the aisles-j-
walked over the high-backed seats
stood in the pulpit and 1t was fur
to see that mob playing leap-frog o.
the seats and making for front pe'
regardless of the numbers on til
tickets.
Nevada had some of her swell
clothes with her. and came out blaz
with jewels and wearing a Paris go
that had cost her two thousand dolif
never expect to hear anything :.
like the greeting they gave her. an
know she'll never again sing as
did that night-she sang and sang,
Gil her voice literally gave out and
crowd saw that she couldn't keep it
any longer. Then they cheered
started for the stage in bur
Nevada spread out her hands and
them that II they'd wait until she "
and put on a heavier. high-nec
gown. she'd come back and kiss Il
al and give every one OF them
piece ~ her wedding cake. She
III ~ Del.