The Savannah morning news., 1902-02-02

whisked away, but not by carriages.
Their feet served.
And the stage door closed, and for
ten minutes nothing happened. Then
the minder of the door put his head
out of 1t and cried into the night;
"Edouard de Reszkel'
A cab drew up very close. Edouard
de Reszke appeared. He was wrapped
In fur coat, and he held over his
mouth handkerchief. A valet, who
lowered over him like a mother bird,
| darted to the cab, opened the door,
pushed De Reszke in. and pulled the
door to again with inconceivable swift
ness.
The mlnder shouted Calvel"
Another cab drew UP. and Madame
Calve. in cape OF sable, came forth
into the cold. She had handkerchief
over her mouth. Her maid hurried her
into the cab with a worried look, slam
med the door, and settled back on the
cushions like one who has come tri-
umphant through some great nervous
| tension.
'Salignac" yelled the minder
Another cab. Salignac came skip
ping out, light as fairy. notwith-
| standing his big coat. He held over
his mouth handkerchief and 1t hard
| ly took his man a second to get him
housed tight and fast in the cab.
Gourmet. Declery. Gilbert
Three more cabs. Three more sing
ers in fur. Three more hands that
| pressed carefully upon three more
mouth big handkerchiefs. II was all
very curious. indeed.
But what was 1t? II was only one
manifestation of the care that the
great singers take of their throats. of
| those throats out of which notes issue
| that are, in the commercial sense,
much more than golden. There are
many other manifestations of this
care.
| Caive. for instance; Suzanne Adams,
| Melba-all the women of grand opera
| will not consent upon any pretext to
see any person on the day of per-
| formance. They go to bed the night
before this critical day at s or 3
| o'clock. They sleep as long
as they can; and when they
| rise in the morning they handle them
selves as though they were frail in
valids They are really-all singers In
grand opera must be--most robust. They
will scarcely walk across their care
| fully heated and carefully ventilated
| rooms, so anxious are they to save
! every grain of their strength They will
| eat only the simplest and most whole
some food. They will not read any
thing that might excite them and they
will not listen to any conversation that
| HilSnl ulStuTD lHG pldClully VI luelT
minds. They battle in water the tenn
| perature of which is regulated by a
| thermometer. They eat hearty lunch
| cons. but for dinner they eat nothing,
| going on the stage with Stomachs that
are practically empty. And the men
| with but few exceptions, are as care
full as the women. 'aRw
They desire, above all things, to
keep their voices in perfect condition,
and this they can do only by main
| tanning perfect health and cheerful
minds, and, above all, by escaping
| colds.
Calve escapes colds by a heroic
method. She takes cold baths, and not
even In the most rigorous weather does
she wear heavy, warm, wooden gar
| ments. Indoors she is always clad as
| though 1t were a spring or a summer
| day. but when she goes out she wraps
herself up very carefully. This method
serves her well. She has singularly
| good health always.
i A well-known woman singer ut
would be unkind to mention her name)
Is afflicted before a performance with
| an uncomfortable nervousness that
i takes all beauty from her voice. To
ebviate. this she drinks in the wings
during the half-hour that precedes her
4 going on a full pint of whisky. Her
maid holds the flask and the glass
Ffher singer takesHa stiff drink every
few minutes. And all that whisky does
not intoxicate her in the least II
merely makes her normal-changes her
| from pale, tottering, nervous wreck
| to calm,, collected being in full pos
session OF her voice and all her facul-
/ ties.
opera singers, even the women, near
ly all smoke, but none of them fnhale
the smoke, for inhalation stiffens the
vocal cords and makes the voice harsh.
They nearly all drink, yet they are
very temperate. They are nearly all
superstftious. and have the oldest tai
ismans, mascots and hoodoos.