The San Francisco call., 1906-11-22

who go to Milan for the
nurnoss of pursuing musical studies.
particularly vocal. He presents the
difficulties in dark colors. and warns
his countrywomen against going 70
Itaiy unless guided by their own teach-
ers and with a full belief that their
career cannot be achieved in any otner
way. The Consul says girls shouid
know Just what they want. should ar
range carefully and under the best ad-
vice about boarding. lodging. etc NO
girl should go to milan before she mas
taken every preoautton to INFORM her-
self upon every subject connected with
her stay as student In tnat CITY.
Consul Dunning's report is IN response
to a number of inquiries concerning
conditions surrounding American music
students in that city
The ConsuPs first advice to the Amer
lean girl considering a course OF music
instruction abroad is, Don't come. II
she persists In coming in spite or that
she should give some serious CONSIDER
alton to the counsel of those who, be-
ing ON the ground and viewing 1T i'm
partially, can tell her something 10
her advantage Assuming that the girl
is so ambitious and earnest and mas
been so encouraged by her home teach
ers that she is bound to get the foreign
training, she ought first TO acqualnt
herself with every detail OF the nIe
she Is about to enter before sailing or
even preparing to sail from the Unlted
states She ought first to be sure or
her voice-either that Ii is operatic
both in quality and dimensions or that
IL is fitted for lyric singing in degree
sufficiently important to render desir-
able a foreign finish to her American
instruction. In this she ought 10 De
guided solely by her own teachers at
home who have watched her work and
understand her temperament
Having decided that she has some
thing in her throat and temperament
which cannot be developed in the
United States, the student should
place herself in touch with people who
know Milan. She should find out all
about the city and its people. the con-
ditions and costs of living, the way
of getting there, the methods 9t
music instruction, the climate, and so
on Besides. she should not buy her
steamer ticket until she has seen and
talked with some other woman who
has been studying in Milan long
enough to know what she is talking
about when she describes the sttua-
ton. The moment she determines on
coming to Italy she should begin the
study of Italian, which is a difficult
language in every sense OF the phrase.
and cannot be picked up, as not
inconsiderable number of enthusiasts
have fondly expected. The simpler the
system the easier the learning OF the
language will be. Complicated gram
mars should he avoided. Children 5
primers will do. The student VIII
make the best progress II she digs at
simple grammar exercises two hours
a day, one in the morning and one IN
the afternoon, and then gets some
native italian to speak to her at least
twice a day for a few minutes No
worry need be expended over quality
OF accent or diction- The peanut man
on the corner will serve as well as
anybody The main thing is TO get TO
speaking the language so that the
student can make herself understood
The student should learn before sail
ing the names of italian families who
are willing to take American singers
as 'boarders." 1t is very difficult to
get into an italian family Of the first
class or even of the middle class-just
as difficult as 1t would be for an
Italian girl to do the same thing In
the United States. Care must be used
on both sides There is local preju-
dice in Milan against singers and stud
ents and in the mind of the new
conner there is an answering prejudice
and often genuine fear in the presence
i
try which bad report has not given a
particularly good name among single
women. Nothing could be more unjust
Milan is the same in these ways as
are Boston and New York. Practically
everything depends upon the girl her
self Allowing for the more or less
embarrassing experiences that In
evitably fall on the stranger In a
strange land her comfort when living
alone and going unattended about this
great cosmopolitan city will depend. as
il would depend at home. very largely
upon herself. If she will mind her
own business and remember that most
of the disconcerting attention paid to
her is due TO the overwhelming Curl
osity of an otherwise extremely polite
and considerate people, she will have
no trouble on that score, and il acct
dents do happen. her American com
mon sense will get her out of them.
If the student can not find an Italian
family she must find a boarding house
or "pensione." This is difficult If all Of
her senses and sentiments are to be
suited at one and the same time. sProb-
ably she will have TO be contented with
suiting a reasonable portion Of them.
1t is possible to get a good pensione
in Milan for francs a day. which in
cludes everything as to board and lodg-
ing excepting hot water. The smaller
hotels are infinitely preferable to any
of the pensioni. but the price is at least
as much, and to the unaccompanied
student a hotel is not an agreeable
place in Milan any more than in Amer
lean cities. Cheaper boarding houses
can be had for francs a day, all in
cluded. There are one or two in Milan
giving board and lodging for , francs.
1ney are clean and presentable and q
good many successful students have
lived in them. but they win offend the
expectations of the new arrival unless
she is fully prepared to meet them on
their own ground. She will have to
cnmb a great many stairs to get into
one of them, and neither the board nor
the lodging will be so good as she could
find anywhere in America for 81 a day.
The Consul cannot advise any single
young woman coming here to study to
try to live on less than francs, equal
to 81, a day, unless she enters a pri-
vate family where the cost might be
less IL she exchanged lessons in Ian
guage with members of the household
II she were remaining a long time in
one house. however. she might get a
rate of 1876 francs per month in a very
modest pensione at the top OF good
many stone staircases. She will be
zrnDIfa1 mhaf6ar In napqf0Da or