The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-12-04
AT THE GRAND OPERA.
Police Reporter Tells What He Thinks
About 1t.

Grand opera is a good thing if taken in
small doses. and it doesn't take much OF
it 10 make grown persons dose. either.
This is the thought that occurs to the po-
lice reporter after carefully studying the
question two nights in rapid succession.
The first night was Faust pronounced
: "FOwst' by those who claim to know the
Z Latin foundation of the word In the last
half of 'FOWst'' the friend of the down.
trodden cop fell asleep. and when ne
awoke. at the falling of the curtain. asked
in a drowsy whisper: Are they all dead
Not so the next night. when he viewed
Carmen" Carmen was the alleged nam
of young lady of Seville Sfsain.aw'ho
lived there before the war. Why she was
burdened with such a name no enc seems
to know. but it is the popular opinion that
her paternal ancestor at one time worked
on the railroad There is a kind of plot
to Carmen which is saturated with good
It is something like this: Miss Carmen
is a cigarette maker, who lived in the
She has mapped out for herself a sweet
heart. one Escamillo, who is a toreador, or
harpooner of beef on the hoof Carmen
becomes engaged in session of rough
house one day, and is arrested by police
sergeant.
In this scene Carmen appears in the
clutches of the sergeant, also in a badly
torn shirt waist. A casual observer would
imagine that the sergeant, whose name
O-say. something like that, had
been playing rough with the girl It is a
good thing that Chief Donovan I'D not see
Il.
won't stand for the mistreatment II n
woman. The police reporter was indignah at
a the time, but learned, upon careful in
quiry. that O-say had not torn the gar
ment at all and that Carmen mad obliging-
ly changed clothes while waiting to be ar
rested.
Carmen makes goo-goo eyes at the Off
Ger. and he let's her go away. and is sub
sequently jersed up before the commas
sioners. fired from the force and relieved
of his uniform He then takes to the hills
back of the city and engages in the snug
Cling business. Carmen assists him and
declares that she is his only and original
best girl, and will stay with HIM till the
her old sweetheart. Escamillo ana at once
decided that the lowing herd. i. e: the
cows, have returned to the fold. O-Say
does not take to the idea very kindly and,
finding Carmen standing near the EXTRA
of the theater. prepares to commit hOmI-
eide with Carmen as the star attraction.
Carmen tries to get through the door and
yell for help. but the man behind the
snickersnee successfully herds her away
from the portal She cleverly sidesteps sew
eventually cornered and stabbed just above
the coast line in modern Smoky Row style.
While the bad man was chasing Carmen
around, the police reporter lOnged to DaWl
out and advise her to let the door go, and
jump over the orchestra, bur wisely FOR
bore, realizing that it would make a better
news item if the assault terminated fatal
Uron fgdring things up it will be dis
covered that the opera Carmen Is re-
markable for good music and the number
of neople who try to whistle the 'Torea-
DOR chorus while going home Grand
opera is doubt a grand thing. If you
don't care what You say. Who wouldn't
rather see The Serenade,' .'Runa Wa
Girl - ''Sultar of Sulu' or Princess
Chic2"