The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-01-23
TALK ON OMAR KHAYYAH
RICHARD LIE GALLIENNE LEG
TURED TO ST. PAUL ADMIRERS.

That Richard LIE Caffeine appeared in
conventional evening dress must have
been somewhat of a shock to the good
sized audience last evening at Park Con-
gregational church. Many Of them, no
doubt. had hoped for .'other things"
Somewhat reaSSuring, however, may
have been the fact that, although he
slipped water occasionally from quite an
ordinary glass in quite the fashion of an
ordinary lecturer, yet his feminine fin
gers first poured that water from an
aesthetic jug. There We're other things
that softened the blow of the evening
clothes. There was the thrilingly ca
ressing voice that babbled the exquisite
quatrains Of Omar Khayyam; interpret
ing them as perhaps few people present
in the audience had ever before heard
them. Also were the dark disheveled
locks reassuring, the Greek face beneath
But, after ALL the most satisfying thing
about LIE Caffeine is that wonderful
voice of his, Par excellence favorite
phrase of his own-he is the reader, al
most the singer. OF his message to hui
manity, to his audience? Well, really he
hasn't any, and it's something of a relief
to find that lie Caffeine does not take
himself seriously. There is a half whim-
steal smile in those poetic eyes of his
that tells you he appreciates the joke of
his own attitude toward the world thor
oughly, which proves that LIE Gallienne
is clever, cleverer than his own spicy lit
tie Golden Girl would Indicate Com
parsons are always odious things, but
somehow this self-appointed prophet of
the god of the things that aren't" is
not unlike a French salad-piquant, al
most personal; decidedly pretty thing,
and-because of the small quantity OF
each ingredient used in the mixture
quite 1nnocuous. And so, while he dwell
last evening in thrilling accents on the
hopelessness of life, the utter barrenness
of all things, and sang his decadent song
Oh Live, drink and be merry, for to-
morrow We die his listeners drank in
the melody Of it all, and were entertain
ed, II not convinced. In the few quatrains
Oh omar khayyam that he read lie Gal
lienne revealed his good taste by select
ing the Fitzgerald translation, only occa-
slonally making reference to his own.
With the reading of the verses was in
terWoVen an interesting history of the
singer Of Nashpur, with bits here and
there of the lecturers own enervattng
phllosophy, which, of course, isn't phi
losophy at all, but a part of the pose.
we are facing the sunset of life
draWled the caressing voice. For even
the Youngest in the audience it is a sun
set There will be sunrise, to be sure
but what is it? A sunrise of new Cos.
pels that are not new, new discoveries
that are really as old as the world. new
teachings that are only new because they
are so old, surprise which only proves
nothing under the sun is new"
occasionally Mr. LIE Caffeine was cpl
grammatic, and he enjoys those periods
quite as much as his audience. "A
paradox is truth turned upside down
to attract attention" Quite a minute
was given the audience to appreciate
that. In sly little way Mr.. LIE. CALI
enne got back at st. Paurs public libra
ry for making 1t difficult for inexperi-
| enced maidens to possess themselves of a
copy Of that naughty Golden Girl y
When Caesar wrote his uuatrains he
remarked, with seeming innocence, they
were placed in the library at Naisapur.
and every girl who tried to obtain a COPY
was forced to present a written permit
from her husband, brother or father"