The Washington times., 1901-08-02
American Singer. Abroad.

The New York Sun" publishes an
article of considerable length on the
experience of an American girl, who
was induced TO go abroad to study for
the operatic stage. and as her expert
ence is that of a good many other
young men and women who have gone
to Europe to study art of some kind, it
is worthy of attention. Briefly, she had
good voice, and was hattered into
supposing it considerably better than
II was. Through the united efforts OF
relatives ana friends she was sent to
Paris for the development of her talent.
supposing that this would take two or
three years at most. When she ar
rived there she found students who
had been at work for six years and
We're still unable to get paying engage
ments. though their voices were quite
as good as hers. After staying till
most of her money was gone she was
compelled to come home and make her
living as a music teacher and singer in
church choirs. as she probably could
study.
Stories Of this kind open a question
which is not very easy TO settle Amer
leans have been accused of being anna
teurish, depending more on natural
ability than on training: but when the
natural ability exists, and the thor
ough training is unattainable, what is
to be done? Is every girl who has
musical talent to refrain from playing
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genius as will warrant her studying in
the pest European schools? Is every
youth who can paint more or less to
give up the idea of making that his
profession unless he can go to Paris
and study ten years? And what is to
be done with those who have talent
which might improve Immensely with
cultivation, but who cannot afford the
cultivation? This talent is likely to be
found in some country village where
there is nobody fit to judge of its ac-
tual worth. Which risk is the worst.
that of encouraging mediocrity or dis
couraging genuine ability?
1t is impossible to decide this cues
ton by any arbitrary rule. 1t will
eventually have to decide itself. At
present, optimistic people should be
very cautious about suggesting to poor
but talented young people that they
ought TO study in Europe. There are
about nine chances out of ten that
such an experience will only unfit
them for the only life they can enjoy,
without doing them any good what
eyer II ie no Kindness IN try to for.a
the development of talent that does
not exist. There are many girls whose
voices, though not equal to the de-
mands Of grand opera, are capable of
giving great even intense, pleasure to
their friends and relatives and per-
haps possess really artistic possibilities
in a smaller way. While high art un-
questionably demands great sacrifices
and many years of strenuous toll, there
is such thing as an artistic amateur
performance, which will give pleasure,
not only to people who have never seen
anything better, but to those who have
What we need is a spirit of devotion
to true art, not necessarily in the form
of grand opera. symphony concerts,
Shak. spearean productions, or paint
irgs for the Salon, but in utilizing the
material at hand. There is no sense
in overlooking the possibilities of origi-
nal American work in order to get a
bad imitation of European art. If the
talent of the American is mediocre. let
him use 1t in plays. songs. and forms
of art which will not strain his abili