Los Angeles herald., 1905-02-25
DIXIE BELLE MEMBER GRAND
OPERA COMPANY
Miss Kate Sherwood Of ST. Louis
pIsreeards Wishes Of Relatives,
but She Is Succeeding
Nevertheless

ters. That is generally the way of It:
at any rate that is exactly the way It
was in my case"
SO spoke Miss Kate Sherwood, the
young soprano of the Savage Grand
Opera company, in regard to her break
for liberty and the operate world from
one of the most blue -blooded and con-
servative of southern familes-an
event which occurred so recently as
last October Miss Sherwood's father
III Judge Thomas Adiel Sherwood Of
st. Louis, a name too well known in
the history of the bench and bar in
that city to need comment; her brother,
Adiel Sherwood, ir., is a corporation
lawyer of prominence in the same
city.
Typical Dixie Girl
Miss Sherwood to look at is as far as
possible from the strong-minded young
woman of iron jaw and determined
aspect that one expects to meet on
hearing how dramatically she threw
down the glove of defiance. She is
typical daughter of Dixie as far as an
exquisitely dulcet speaking voice,
charming slurring of consonants and
patrician face make her one. For
the rest her fairness is rather a con-
tradiction of the rest, an extreme f1axen
fairness; masses of fiaxen hair and
wide rather dreamy gray eyes.
There Ia bnuouar ttt1o of tho
dreamer in this young woman's mem
tai makeup and equipment. From the
first, since music began to be all to
her she has been a consistent worker
But the story in her own words is
better.
Music has always been everything to
me. I've worked knowing exactly
where l was tending all my life. Lately
"a short time only before l went to
New York and studied opera-I did a
great deal of concert work ip ST. Louis
and also sang in the Presbyterian
church choir. OF course that was all
right, the family said. 1t seemed far
cry from the stage. Besides, you see,
] had no stage illusions the way so
many girls have, and they knew this
At home I never knew any actors or
singers personally-only through 9TH
ers. Still they made me realize what
a life of toll and effort it was. I'm
not dreamer. I don't build air cas-
ties, knew then that one had only
what one worked for, but knew that
the stage, operatic work, was the very
hard school / needed. For two years I
studied with Homer Moore and others
in New York: still the family didn't
take me seriously.
Bomb In Household
"Then one day 1 sang for Mr.. Saw
age and was given a part; that was
last October. The announcement fell
like bomb into the family circle. The
gilded, Haunting stage, unrespectabil-
ity, a bohemian life that belittled fam
lily traditions! know just how they
felt. My father finally rather ac-
cepted my judgment; he realized 1 was
of age and must live my own life, but
the subject Is still very tender one
and in my letters home I do not feature
my work on the stage or speak Of the
necessarily more unconventional life
live. Occasionally I send them some
unusually nice press notice; I am sure
that when I finally arrive they will
quite forgive me.
Sometimes walking back to the
hotel with only some girl friend
think of the horror of that very south
ern family of mine over this very
natural proceeding, and of those days
when to walk hundred steps at night
unattended was an unheard of thing.
Blt think our families rather magnify
the dangers of stage life. Whether it
is to belittle or cheaper you depends
entirely upon yourself 1t broadens
the mind, this necessity Of meeting all
kinds of people on the footing of good
fellowship, and is better training to
teach one charitableness and kindness
than any amount of the sheltered life
that our families wish to impose
upon us.
To Study Abroad
with the exception of two long en-
EaGementS Ill hdllSdo Clly anu NleNC-
land, after we leave the coast it will be
trip straight back to New York.
After visit home-when I hope to
prove | am still the same nice little
yellow-haired Missouri grill am plan
ming to go abroad for a years study
in Paris; not that 1 cannot have as
good training in New York, it's simply
that the experience is broadening
one. But / shall not give up the Saw
age company.
"But Los Angeles has demonstrated
that she appreciates this company-and
the whole company, even those with
Los Angeles colds, appreciate this as
well as other things. We had freez-
ing trip out, and you cannot imagine
cur wonder when we left the train and
felt this warm air, that is like the air
nowhere else. Even New Orleans was
freezing beside it. This whole coun-
try has been marvel to those of us
who, like me, were never here before;
and every one of us $ coming back"