The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1904-04-15
Letter From Prague.
My Dearest People:

Here l am writing you from the
quaint old city of Prague, and a very
lucky girl am too to be able to study
with ISevcik, pronounced Sheff-chick,
the most noted violin teacher in all
Europe 1t is we'll have been getting
hold of the German, for he speaks no
English at all, and is not pleased with
pupils who cannot understand him
easily. He is good man, very modest
and quiet and lives with his sister since
the death of his mother, to whom he
was most devoted son. In his early
manhood he was preparing to become a
concert player when the breaking of a
violin string made him blind in one of
his eyes, and turned his attention to
teaching. Sevcik is tremendously in
earnest, and thorough in everything he
does. l am so glad can study with
him and l want to stay long time. He
talks but little while giving lesson,
but my how he does make you work
In my first lesson l hardly had chance
to look at him at ali l was so busy. He
taught me to hold my left hand in a
little different position from that re-
quired by the Hochschule teachers in
Berlin. 1t made my arm ache
dreadfully at first, but l had not
practiced that way many days before 1
was aware that positions heretofore
difficult were becoming very easy to
me- So lam convert all right.
In my second lesson he said, "It is
much better the way you hold your
fingers" and in the third was promot-
ed from pure technical exercises and
have piece" as the children say 1t
is a Hungarian Raphsody, so now if
don't get dose of real Bohemianism its
funny. Anyone who learns things his
way, simply can not do slip shod work,
but every note must be perfect in itself
and perfect in it's relation to the adjoin-
ing notes. He is famous for the results
he obtains and even now / am pleased
and surprised at the progress l am max
ing I've been working on this 'piece"
for three days and can play every note
of it already, although it is fairly brist-
ling with technical difficulties. l have
q far greater stretch" than ever before
in my left hand and can play tenths
with ease. But never had 1 such en-
thusiasm to work as here. l thought
Berlin had a studious atmosphere but
Prague for fiddlers is fairly digging
one. At the club l hear the students
comparing notes on how many hours
they have practiced each day.
I went to the U. S Consul to have
my passport ''rised" and he talked with
me long time, was very kind, and in
vited me to the Anglo American Club
where l am getting acquainted with
English and American students. The
president of the club is man from
Ithaca, N. Y We do not have refresh
ments as in the American club in Ber-
lin, but we do always have musical
program. At the last meeting a young
man played, son of the composer Lange.
He is very talented, but will not work,
is said to be in love with Bohemian
girl whom he visits in the early morn
ing while her mother is away doing the
marketing. Bohemian etiquette ad-
mits very little freedom among the
young people, consequently they al
ways have to be on the sly. Give me
good old America and her customs every
time. My, but 1 am growing more
patriotic and loyal every day.
wonder if you have read anything
about the quarrels we have here be.
tween the Bohemian and German
students. They have a deep rooted
hatred for each other, centuries deep l
am told. Just lately there have been
many riots. Once they made an at
tempt to stone the American Consulate
because America smypathizes with
Japan, and so does Germany in the Rus
sia japanese war. Therefore the Bo-
hemians hold a grudge against Ameri-
cans The police checked them before
they came anywhere near to the Con-
sulate and all Americans are well pro-
tected and courteously treated by the
police. So there is no danger If one
keeps off the Wencelas Platz where
these riots occur.
hear from my Berlin friends every
week, and the last home letters came to
me in one day less than two weeks, so
you see it does not take bit longer than
it did in Berlin 1t said in the Berlin
Times that Miss Ferry had gone back
to Prague to her old teacher Sevcik. "
| Wasn't that droll mistake?
wish / could begin to tell on paper
how very fascinating 1 find this city.
1t is densely populated and every inch
of space in some parts is used for build
ings There are no yards, gardens, trees
or grass, for long distances. ! take ex-
ploration walks nearly every day and
go poking around in the old part Of the