The sun., 1901-07-28
STORY OF ONE SOPRANO:
a TYPICAL sxPEkIKNCB o. AN AMB1.
TTOUS AMERICAN GIRL

4 fIOCS AABkxCAN 0IkL-
- = us.y 0sAss Casss, she s.A nss vrsssAs
pnnepsd TAat she HAD - Opsrasse Carver
nsssss nss aaA she went ~ Pssss - sssAy.
1his eiri's experience was not unlike that
- many other Americans. Nevertheiese
n \ Of interest because stories OF the kind
oss rarely told. and the narrative Of her strur-
~ may ssrvs a. . warning 10 others Just -
onbitious a. she was and Just a. little able 70
eorry out the plans she had made and her
fv1seds had dreamed for her.
Bhs was one Of that large army OF Amsri-
cau women who at out 10 make name In
ths opsratic world and come. II not to grief.
q least 70 lot that falls far short OF their
aspisAtious She was living In her native
Wesesm city six years ago. and In the opinion
o. hsr family and thoss Of the townspeopls
Who knew her. there was nothing In the career
shs vss alreauy contemplating. that was
beyond her grasp She was already singing
n . church choir. and II was considered q
ssttled fact that Helen. ~ she may be called.
vus eoine 10 BE- an opera singer. She had
taken lessons from . local teacher. and for
II months she had gone to q conservatory In
Z usishboring largo city where there was
= Professor who had studied abroad and was
alons IN her work 90 Helen already had the
supposed advantage Of some musical educa-
Non end was not looked upon In the com
nunity - . complete amateur.
ohs sang for all the visiting celebrities that
eams 70 TIE town 10 whom she could got
asesas. She did not oonnns these exhibitions
- ths viAtins vooalisss. She sang for plan
~ and violinises. for actors. and even for
smlnsnt persons In no way connected With
her ast who visited the place. Aer uncle
Ne ths manager Of the local theatre and In
that way she had facilities for getting 10 these
notabilitiss that not all aspirants possess.
Naturally. all these people told her that she
ID beautiful VOICE Perhaps some Of the
hymsn Of the artistic world told her that she
sane beautifully, hut It 10 doubtful II tho
professionals even In their desire to DO agree
abls said anything Of th. kind TO her. shs
had Q clear. beautiful soprano voice md
pleased the ear always 10 the extent that II
Was possible for the quality Of her voice TO
% thst: but she was entirely unframed In It's
csc; and every person Of experience knows
that Il IA impossible 10 predict a future for
any woman merely because she possesses
6ns natural voice.
Beautiful voices are said 10 he met with
more frequently In the United States than
h any other country. and TO man or woman Of
experience would ever predict In all serious
ness that an American girl was going 70 be
great singer merely because the quality Of
her voice made such career possible. SO
the OCCASIONAL great ones who heard Helen
sing told her that she had q fine natural organ
and generally remarked that she needed
great deal Of study When II csme TO the
question Of advice most OF them SHE'D, be-
cnuse they know the consequences likely to
follow such interference.
She was satisfied, anyhow. to he told that
her voice was more than ordinarily good.
That seemed to her and her friends sufficient
promise OF her future greatness, Ond strength
ened In her the determination to go to Europe
and mike whatever use she could there Of
the talents which she thought could not be
properly trained In her own land. That Is
one OF the convictions OF every ambitious
American girl who looks 10 the stage. and II Ia
easily Understood why she should believe
40 firmly In the value OF foreign training.
An OF her country women who have achieved
cminencc have begun their careers abroad.
This girls case was so much like nearly all
the others that the question OF money. of
course, came up. Her parents had a little.
hut IL was needed for household expenses
and their scale Of expenditure included moth
ing so costly a. European trip. The money
had 10 he raised then. The amount needed
at that time seemed very small In view OF
the great results that II was TO accomplish.
Was II not agreed that Helen had fine voice
and had not one pianist who heard her said
that 1t was as fine as Nordica's at her age'
Another had said It reminded him OF Eames's.
although he thought It was even more power
full Had not the famous Judge who ceme
10 the town to lecture said that he had never
heard an opera singer in Europe whose voice
moved him 80 much as Helen's had when
she sang at the Fourth OF July oelehration9
All these tributes were evidence OF her
great talent that seemed to admit Of no dis
pute All the friends OF the family agreed
that II was a shame that she did not 60 abroad
and study. and the teacher in Cincinnati, al
though he thought she should remain at least
. year longer under his instruction. was ready
10 give her a letter 10 the famous French
man whose method. the only surviving sys-
ten OF the real Italian school Of bel canto.
and whose principles he had brought TO the
new world There was no ground for doubt
In the matter II seemed a shame II the small
sum of few thousand dollars could not be
raised for Helen to go abroad and develop
this wonderful talent
This feeling In the community spread to a
man OF wealth there who had never heard
her sing until she came TO his house one night
and delivered Home. Sweet Home" and
Kathleen Mavourneen- for his benefit
This convinced him, although he had never
heard an opera In his life and had never been
known to attend concert. that all the re-
ports he had heard Of her voice were true,
and he was willing TO contribute q, 900 to-
ward her expenses abroad provided IL was
looked upon only o. an advance 10 be ~
paid when she should have begun 10 earn
money. 1t was possible for her father. by
careful economy. to add $500 to this sum and
two Of her aunts raised as much between
them. II was settled. too. that when Helen
got to Paris she should receive as much from
her father as he could send to ward paying the
expenses Of her living there. A It afterward
turned out IL took all the relatives could get
together by self-denial and scrimpng to keep
their part OF this ntract
When the girl thus started for Europe with
no conception OF what the real cost OF her
undertaking was TO be. her information on
the subject having been supplied by the local
teacher from what she had heard and by the
professor In Cincinnati. she had no more
definite kno wledge OF what she was to do
than came from letter to the music teacher
from whom she had heard only through a
pupil here. She knew. OF course, two or
three OF the great names among the foreign