The San Francisco call., 1906-04-18

Last night WAS opening night, and
Monday but a prelude.
The thrill, the throb. the CULVER
without which grand opera becomes a
| mere recital-was in the air last night
And it got into your blood. even in the
lobby. You felt it while you fumbled
for your quarter for the score-if your
blood is of the warm red wine that
flows in the veins of the quick.
The flutter and swish and swirl that
women make when plumed for the
opera is good tenth of the grand en-
semble. --Es--
And they didn't make it Monday
night.
They slipped into their places mod.
| there was no atmosphere-no passive
moment that one feels and that quick
ems the breath and stirs the passions.
But last night-Ah! it was sublime,
The house rose to Bizet with braves
and the atmospheric half was there
in good measure-if a half can be good
| measure. But that's mere detail. and
with ones blood a-tingle with melody
and pageantry, precision is as possible
as sunstroke in Iceland.
On Monday night 1 think 1 likened
the house TO a terraced garden Of
pansies-black and pink and yellow and
blue-and solemn and staid as pansy
beds, the primmest of blossoms.
But last night the house was ter
raced garden of orchids and narcissus
and nodding roses, with fruit blossoms
scattered between. And the odor that
rose from the pit assailed the senses
like the breath that blows from flower
ing orchards of Santa Clara.
AS to the gowns-wen, therein lies
story.
Inartistic to relate, many of the
gowns worn last night were the same
as were disported on Monday night.
But they looked different. and, as a
matter of fact. they were different
| the moods of the wearers were different
and the gowns expressed the moods.
That's the whole thing in a nutshell
the atmosphere was keen. alert, alive.
! and the gowns reflected II.
But We gods. The way lot OF San
| Francisco women wear their "tar-raras"
and. wreaths!
It takes whattracing men call "class"
to wear tiara, or even wreath, and
! not make a comic valentine, OF ones
self-which is sweet comfort to such
/ of us who have never owned a top
piece of diamonds.
a.
ups were spoiled last night by top
heavy tiaras than were augmented by
/ them.
/ Do. oh, please do. good ladies. anchor
| them on in the future with good. old
reliable hatpins to your back hair and
save yourselves from caricaturing Old
! King Cole. the merry, etc.
On the subject of jewels there were
pecks more worn last night than on
Monday There was Mrs. James Flood
with tiara. dog collar. shoulder
/ straps a stomacher and innumerable
1 corsage decorations of diamonds and
/ pearls; Mrs. Frederick Kohl. with a
| two-inch-w dog collar OF pearls and
: diamonds with an assorted lot OF
shimmerfng things on the corsage line.
and, outshining them all, a brilliant
| American Beauty rose; and these wore
their jeweled headgear we'll So. too.
| did Mrs. de Young. Mrs. de Saba, Mrs.
| Clement Tobin. Miss Alice Hayes and
Miss Agnes Tobin. and. or course. a few
others. And the same distinction
holds to the wearers OF chaplets-all
1 right. IL worn right.
Are the women of San Francisco so
/ clothes-conscious. or self-conscious,
/ that they ;eannot visit the foyer when
the curtain drops? Or Is 1t because
/ they are so listless?
Assuredly the assembling in the
4 Foyer OF the OlAuS VI PAuAAla , t11S lEc-
mendously to the atmosphere of opera
night And II smacks of metropolitan
! ism--it looks confidant and gay and
i brave-which provincials cannot afford
| to ignore.
And besides 1t aff6rds chance to
shift the topping tiara back to its an
chorage.
! Let II be noted. however. that last
night half-hundred women did ven
ture out to stretch their limbs and gos-
sip after the manner of men, who have
ever possessed the wisdom OF getting