The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-18
CONRTED'S EX-CHORUS MEETS
no PROTEST AGAINST HIS FAIL
URE 10 HIRE THEM AGAIN.
Also to Have Their prC;1re Taken. 10 Listen
to Speeches, "a sing and 10 UOnder "
They Will Get q Part Of the SII 1000
Raised At the Scmbrlch crt.

they VIII Get \ Part Of the $1,000
Raised NJ the Scmbrlch Cone crt.
Union art gat hered behind closed doors
at tho headquarters Of the Actors National
Protective Union at 8 Union Square yester-
day afternoon and amid the noise OF
flashlights, the singing Of the "Feste q pane"
from LA Gioconda" and speeches in three
or four languages the deposed union
choristers who sang in the Metropolitan
Opera House last season sent their pro-
tests TO high heaven and against Herr
Direktor Conried and the ~non-union chorus
he has engaged for the coming season..
Most Of the sixty-four union artists who
rent the air yesterday afternoon arrived
from Europe early this week after having
spent the summer with the old folks at
home, They say that before they left
America last spring tie Herr Direktor
made a verbal contract with them TO hire
them again this year, even il they did try
10 blow the show" last winter by striking.
Bo that as it may. in their absence Mr..
ConrIed tripped into town with a new chorus
1T his heels and now the union songsters
want to know how about it.
Also they want to know when they are
g. receive what they demand as their share
Of the 81 900 raised in Carnegie Hall last
May at the Sembrich concert for the benefit
of the orchestra and chorus who lost their
belongings in the San Francisco shake.
A. most of the Chorus had left for Europe
lefore the Sembrich benefit, Nine. Sembrioh
was quoted then as saying hat the money
would not be divided until November.
November isn't here yet and so far as could
lie learned from the singers yesterday no.
body has asked Mr.. Conried for the money
coming to the chorus.
The women choristers especially want TO
know about the money. When they re-
turned to New York from San Francisco a
we'll known New York woman presented
to each of them hats, t~ailormades, waists
and other things. Furthermore Rawlins
Cottenet at the same time presented the
men clothes, until they cried halt. But
these things have frayed after a whole sum-
mer's wear abroad.
When Acting President Jacob Katz;
chairman Of yesterdays meeting, called
an intermission from 3 O'Clock until 4 TO
permit the tlashlight squad to take pictures
IL the chorus and Walking Delegates Jim
Barry. and Henry De Veaux there was a
tense feeling OF excitement being manifested
among the singers ranged along the side
lines. Picture hats bobbed with emotion
as the matronly girls discussed in French,
German, Italian and English the speeches
that had been made a few minutes before.
In one corner of the hall under a poster
announcing some festivity OF the kerTymen
of Greater New York sat Baby. the child
of the opera house, looking very gloomy.
His real name is Giuseppe Palesa, but they
call him Baby because he sings second bass
with all the soulfulness and volume of
Niagara heard from the distance. His big
black felt hat listed to staTboard and in
every cubic inch of Baby's 2S5 pounds he
seemed TO be all in.
Miss Julia Roslyn, national vice-president
Of the union and a member OF the deposed
Metropolitan chorus, was seated at a desk
at the lower end OF the room and Chairman
Katz had a platform at the other end. 1t
took a linguist to preside at that meeting.
Speeches were made in French, German,
Italian and English, and a. each person
spoke Chairman katz translated the gist
of the speech In the three other languages.
Besides this he had Russian and Spanish
up his sleeve.
There was a futter and a flashing Of hand
mirrors and much hasty making up"
among the oppressed when the camera
squad drew up in line and saluted. This
picture taking took up more than half the
time devoted to the meeting. The artists
ranged themselves in five ascending rows
with Variety Actor and Walking Delegate
De Veaux and Walking Delegate Jim Barry
late OF Barry and Bannon, sketch artists
grouped around Vice-President Julia Roslyn
and holding down the centre Of the COM
position.
Everybody looked happy enough when
the flash was ready to be fired except Baby.
Baby sure was downcast till Miss Charlotte
Franklin, another Of the few English speak
ing singers, began 10 trill Waiting at the
Church" Then Baby cheered some and
Joined in, but he was shy on the English
words.
"Dum--de DUN.
De-dum. de dunn, de dun!
DUN, de DUN, de dunn
DUN, de-dum, de dunn"
sang Baby p~assionately. When he reached
that part Of the song that runs DUN dunn,
de-dum, dee, dunn dunn, ' and which in our
language is, -Aoh, haow it did upset inch,
the fash exploded.
"Oh, such a grand pouifl" cried the
motherly looking merry villager at left
stage and everybody clapped hands de-
! ghtedly. After his Baby perked up and
began to share in the air OF general fes-
tvrty.
Then the ordinary chor.sters stepped
Is dc so that the officers of the union present
could have a picture taken all by them
selves. Walking Delegates jim Barry and
DE NCaux got in place first and were fol-
lowed by Vice-President Julia Roslyp
Secretary Marchand, Secretary Lew Nc
ton, Treasurer Bauermeister, Acting Presl-
dent and interpreter Katz and Business
Manager jim Thompson OF the American
Chorus Union, whose members sing at
the ~Hippodrome. De VeauX and Jim
Barry dOn't sing in grand opera, but their
work on the variety Stage has brought ther1
in touch with union art and, anyway. they
are waking delegates.
Somebody suggested in three languages
that now was the time for the singers TO
gather in close harmony and tear on a
chunk Of something aesthetic as a mark
of appreciat on to the amer squad. Red,
green. purple and white hats scrambled
for places in soprano and alto lines. The
men also grouped themselves in two lines.
the second bass line abutting on Baby.
Albino Massarenti, who il a brunette gem
tleman, jumped 10 the spot that corresponds
TO Tim Hurst's position in a ball game
waved his hand and the first chorus OF
LA GiOconda" began.
Jim Barry didn't sing, nor did Henry De
Veaux. Italian grand opera u out OF a
walking delegates line, so the two gentle
men stood slightly in advance OF the camera
SQUAD and listened. The chorus was sung
with a swing and snap that brought the
impressionable delegates and camera men
TO their feet.
And after the grand singing like that
said the black eyed girl with the magenta
hat, GREATNESS from her recent carohng,
TO think thees Conried Re will us not en-
AAg "a - mo