The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-04-13
,R1rrEN roR rHn suNpAY REpuRLIc

FOR THE SUNDAY HEPUBLlC
Kubelik's visit to st. Louis has brought
to light a musical settlement In the heart
of the southern part OF the city, OF the ex-
istence OF which only few knew. Music
Hall and the Odeon were filled with people
ion the occasion OF the great Bohemian vio-
i~l,nists concerts. that had seldom set their
foot in the former, and probably never In
! the latter.
One thousand seats were occupied by lead
ling Bohemians, who had come to hear the
boy wonder of their native coutry.
said a prominent South St Louisan:
Every one of these Bohemians has music
Instruments in his own house. the poor as
well as the rich, and in nearly every home
ali the members of the family are must
clans"
A eunday Republic reporter started out
last Be- rday morning to investigate that
statement. From Park avenue south to
Cherokee and California avenues and from
Broadway to Eighteenth street. is what IL
called the Bohemian settlement. Nearly a.
opo Bohemians live clustered around their
three churches. of which that of st. John
LOT Nepomuk. at Eleventh and Soulard
streets. Is the most prominent St venues
.iaus at Oregon and Arsenal Is the second
Catholic Church, and a pretty little Protest
ant church, the Bethlehem Congregational.
ID at Allen avenue and Thirteenth street
Music I'm the Air.
Saturday was a typical spring day. The
air was balmy, the Sun shone brightly, and
on South Twelfth street. South Eleventh.
/ Mcnard street, Allen avenue. and down to
| Russell doors and windows OF houses were
| vide open. The weekly house-cleaning was
/ gping on. and they seemed TO make a hol-
I day Of It down In Bohemia Young girls In
| calico dresses and ginxham aprons were
I scrubbing front steps and sidewalks. Some
I sang aloud as they welded the mop. others
4 tw1ttered like birds. when they wake up In
! the morning, or hummed an air under their
/ breath. In the upper stories OF the houses
I women sat out on the stills washing the
| windows to the rhythm Of their songs. No
I body paid any attention to 1t except the re-
yporter. 1t is common for Bohem:ans to sing
I and warbie all day over their work.
4, On the sidewalks and In the streets chill
I dren played and tumblsd and shrieked, but
I their shrieks wore musical, not harsh and
shr1li to the sar. A promising note rang
out Of every chlld's cry and made one think
! that Patti and Melba, or scaichi and Klaf
sky. Alyart. Carnpanini and the de Reszkss
might have shrisksd in the name gleeful
way, as they played on tbs streets ana
commons Of their own native heath.
They are pretty. too. these children AL
have nne compilations and many bear that
ldistfns uish1ng mark Of b~eauty-brown eyes
and blond hair. There arc not many bru-
NOTES. and where there are. they seem to
s5elong 70 a less high type Of the race. But
ial Of them can ring. or play the piant-
the violin, tho cello and the clarinet, which
iare the Instruments most in vogue.
Too Modest to Push Themselves.
why haven't st. Louisans known OF you
a.. the great music-loving contingent of
their population before7" Mr.. Caspar Wolf,
Il prominent Bohemian business man. was
asked.
Because our people have never known to
push themselves like other nationalities,'
he answered, and facts prove tn. statement
correct.
! Down in the Bohemian settlement every
one minds his own business. The Bohem-
ians have their churches. their schools. their
amusement halls, their bank. their building
society and their quaint home life. where
music rules supreme. They mingle freely
with each other. but toward outsiders they
are reserved. until one comes into their
houses, when they extend the cordial hand
land make the stranger feel at home. Yet
every man, woman and child speaks the
English %languag well and IN some instances
faultlessly. Mrs. Triska. for example. of
6okola Hall. one minute speaks a remark
ably fluent English, and in the next falls
giibly back into the soft. slothful gibberish
of her native tongue
The Bohemians of st. Louis have always
been proud of the great musicians of their
country DyoraS. Smetana, the composer;
6efcik. who trained kubelik and others,
that bcc1m. cDoch-nakers lii tho musical
history Of two countries This native love
and talent for music has always made the
Bohemian household a little concert room.
Yet Krbelik. BIZ his coming. is responsible
for much fresh Inspiration among his coun-
t-yrneu in st. Louis. 80 that all the Bohs-
mian music teachers have largely increased
their classes.
Herr Tittl. the v~tolinist, who as a class
mate OF Kube;fk at the Prague conserva-
tory. Krdlicka. Nobacek. Bergman Vrana.
Miss Novy, the Misses Hrabanka. who are
cH.hnssastic music students. ard AIRS. Zitka,
a voice trainer OF note. announces that the
Bohemian boy wonder has given q new i'm
petus to the musical DEVELOPMENT in the
bohemian quarter.
Looks Like M~usic-RooIp.
The moment one enters a parlor. no mat
ter how humble. in the little homes OF the
Bohemian settlement. one is struck with the
presence OF music paraphernalia- II domi-
mates everything. There Is generally a
piano, IL the family IS well enough OF TO
maintain such a luxury. The top OF this
piano is Uttered with music. which makes
It look as II It was constantly in use. The
lid is always up and the keyboard exposed.
violin and Its case ornament the top and
|oae or two little Japanned or wooden music
Stands. such as are used by musicians,
serve for the concert playing of the family.
night there 70 not q house from which
the strains Of n violin, a cello, or the
thrums Of q piano. and tho plaintive tunes
OF O clarinet are not heard, rninglinS with
the music that dosts from ~neighborins