The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1904-05-19
FORMER BUTLER GIRL
CAPTURES LONDON
Miss Elizabeth Parkinson Scores
Great Success at Convent
Garden Opera.
msIba Intensely Interested in the
Young Singer, and Says
She Expects "Parkina"
to Succeed Her.

New York, May 15.-Dispatches
from London to, day told OF the sue
cess achieved by young American
girl, Miss Elizabeth Parkina, at her
debut in the Royal Opera, Convent
Garden, but not many persons on
this side OF the water know what a
personal triumph it was for a young
artistic.
Miss Parkina's success was not a
sudden or chance thing, but the out.
come OF Eve or six years of the hard
est kind of effort, in which she might
have lost heart, had it not been for
the constant patience and encourage
msat- -ei aH-e -e(der- sister, whUunsetnsh-
ly sacrificed several years OF her life
that the younger might have a
chance OF becoming a great singer.
"Parkina" Is only stage name,
for the young singer in private life is
Miss Elizabeth Parkinson. She Is
the daughter OF Judge Parkinson,
who is we'll known aud greatly re-
spected az lawyer and jurist in
Missouri.
Several years ago a great opera
star, who was in Kansas City heard
the young girl sing and said that her
voice had great possibilities. Miss
Mary Parkinson, the elder sister
though still In her teens, was teach
Ing In one OF the public schools oI
Kansas City, and she resolved that
her sister should have the opportu
nifty to study abroad. So, saving oI
her salary what she could, she OBJ
tained some assistance from a rela.
tive and took the young girl to
Paris.
There Miss Parkinson began to
study under Nine. Marchesi, who,
during the more than eighty years Of
her lie, has trained scores OF operate
stars. Sessions were expensive, and
for ten years or more their slendsr
resources were severely taxed. Fl.
nally Miss Parkinson got an engage
ment to sing at an afternoon" at
the residence of a prominent mem ber
of the American colony, and then
Ambassador Porter, Consul Gowdy
and some OF the other Americans in
Paris began to take an interest in
the young girls.
Miss Parkinson thereafter sang ire-
quently at such entertainments, and
by the most careful outstanding OF
their resources the sisters were en-
abled to keep on until an engage
ment was finally obtained at the
Opera Comique.
There Miss Parkinson made her
debut in the title role OF "Lakme" in
the autumn Of 1902. Nearly every
body prominent In the American
colony was in the audience, and there
was tremendous enthusiasm. The
critics praised her warmly. Shortly
after Miss Parkinson went to Lon.
don Nine Melba became interested
in her, and devoted much Of her time
to coaching the young girlin various
roles.
Texpect Elizabeth Parkinson to
succeed me when l shall sing no
more" the great artistic told several
friends 1t was through Nine. Melba
that an engagement was obtained at
Convent Garden. Miss Parkinson,
as the dispatches say, made her debut
there as Sisbel in Faust" Nine.
Melba was an interested auditor. 1t
was at Nine. Melba's suggestion that
Miss Parkinson adopted the name OF
Parkina.
Miss Parkinson is rather petite and
is considered quite pretty. She is
about 33 years old. Her voice is q
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