The Savannah morning news., 1904-01-17

to which she aspires. Several of the
papers have already given brief bits
of the story, but not one of them has
been accurate as to the facts
According to one publication, she is
native of this city, another says she
was born in Buffalo; still another gives
her birthplace as Weedville, Alabama.
In reality. she was born in Rochester.
Her father is Eli Weed, a we'll do
transportation man. whose townsmen
think highly of him. He was first of
all to perceive unusual qualities in his
daughters voice, and when she began
to be ambitious to study for the stage,
he began at once to cooperate actively
in the project. Money was something
of an object with him then, but he put
up plentifully, and she had the best
advantages" that could be had in her
native town. Part of her expenses she
paid for herself, by singing in one of
the local choirs. After a while her
teachers said il was time she went
abroad for further instruction, and then
for a space the father drew the line.
He wanted his little girl to have every
chance, but he didn't like the idea of
being separated from her for year at
time.
She went. however, and then there
came to him a long period of genuine
suspense. He never doubted her abil-
| ity to sing well enough to please the
| people, but he was a little skeptical
about the teachers and the managers.
| The uncertainty with him, therefore,
was not Can she sing?" but will her
teachers train her properly" and will
| the managers give her d chance after
| she has been trained?" Owing to his
business, he knows most of the rail-
road men between New York and Buff
| falo. To them he used to eXpound the
situation daily. 1t was his one idea,
and he kept it to the front with per-
sistence that might have been tiresome
in one for whom they felt less genuine
affection than they all did for him.
Finally, the hour arrived for her to
make her first public appearance. 1t
was in Paris, perhaps, or in some Ger
man city. Anyway Eli Weed told all
his friends that it was at hand, and
they, as we'll as he. waited almost
breathless for the result.
On the day after he got the good
news thereof, for it was good news,
his face was a map of Joyland, and
| thereafter for several years, he con-
startly carried clippings about in his
pockets detailing her various successes
i'm many European cities. Owing to
the eXorbitant terms proposed to Mr..
| Conried by Mr.. Grau's song birds. Mr..
| Conried decided to get along without
| Games, CalVe, Melba and the others,
| and to engage such singers as he could
find as had won on the other side.
When he selected Eli Weeds daugh-
ter as one Of them, Eli Weeds happi7
ness knew no bounds. His trip to Ne"
York to hear her sing 'INundry' last
week was one of the most joyous cpl
sodes in his who life, but it was
married in the last instance by his fall
ure to obtain a seat. After all the
years be had waited he had to stand
through the long performance or
fail to hear his daughter sing to the
splendid audience assembled for that
purpose.
Judging from the newspapers, it
is vet too early to say whether Miss
Weed will rise to the lights of prima
| donnadom or not. AS yet she has APP
peared only two or three times in
New York Whether this town knows
good music or not, it is the judgment
of New York upon which the ultimate
reputation and earning capacity OF
every singer depends. If she makes
good here, her income may exceed
that of any cabinet minister in the
civilized world.
Curious, isn't it, that of all the
|
that of singing offers the most super
lative rewards, provided the voice
and training are of the proper
quality.
It's more curious still that this
wouldn't be true but for New York
the one great city whose inhabitants
are declared by singer and critics
alike to be least capable of appreciat-
ing good music. Yet this is the exact
truth. Opera singers are nowhere
else paid more than a fraction as much
as they are here, and in no city Of
Continental Europe. is it possible tC
give opera profitably without gov
eminent aid. Here the singers re-
ceive sums that enable them to lay
away great fortunes, and the profits
are sufficient to make the managers
rich besides.
In the worst hours of New York's
great freeze, a heating appliance eX-
pert got a letter from a big concern
imploring him to hasten certain work
that he was doing. Now, this particu-
lar concern was one of the biggest in
New York. and the heating appliance
| man had been overwhelmed with de-
light when he received the contract
from them. He used to lie awake
nights, praying that nothing would &c
wrong.
|