The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-11-11

If a newspaper girl wanted some lively and taking copy she should be recommended to visit Mime. schumann- Helnk, the great contralto, when she is at home surrounded by her numerous family of chsasn. horses, dogs, chick ems. pigs aA 5ws Mine. schumann- Hesnk Is invaluable for ''copy. ' The reason is that she is just her own frank, humorous, great hearted self. She has no grudge against any human being. and 1t is to be hoped nobody has any grudge against her, for she cer- talnIy does not deesrve any. She is too big hearted and sweet She is probably the best liked in her private capacity of any renowned singer in America. She talks right out In meet ing. Having not an evil thought, she needs not to be guarded in speech.
 When not buay with professional en- gagements Schumann-Heink lives at Singac, N. J.. where she has beau tiful home If you go to see her, hav- will welcome you as if she had known you all her life, and in ten minutes you will feel as if you had known her all your life.
 sExcuse me, was feeding the hens" she said to an interviewer recently. HAfter that I had a romp with Scotti, the donkey, and Irish Mike and George Washington
 Frahz George Washington is mad nme's youngest child, now 6 years old. Franz c. w. was born in New York during one of his mothers tours. Her other seven children saw the light in Germany. Franz calls himself a Yam kee. He was named after George Washington because his mother admires America and likes the people of the United States so welr that she has ob- fained naturalization papers and proud ly calls herself an American citizen.
 What she is probably proudest over of all, however. are her eight children, and they op their part adore ner, sne laughs to SCOT nthe idea that mother hood injures singers voice. On the contrary, she declares babies improve D mothers voice.
 'why," she says. q got a new note with every baby. When began sing- Ing my voice covered only two octaves. Now I can/reach within one note of
 Of the eight children, the eldest. Au- gust, is .2l. The next, daughter, Charlotte. aged 19. Is married. When Charlotte was 1T her mother speaking of her, said ''Lottie is already en- gagged, poor thingw ~
 y of Herr Schumann. the singers hus- band and manager, she determined to leave Germany with all her family and belongings and settle in America. She wanted the children to be-Amerieans. But then came difficulties almost in- credible to a woman brought up in the United States. First. madame's sons were liable for military duty in Ger many and would not be permitted to leave until they had served as soldiers, By the time they ended the military term the golden years of their lives would be gone, so far as beginning ex- Istence and enterprises In a new land is involved. $+
 There, too. was madame's large prop erty in Germany. every penny : of which she herself had, earneds though much of it was in her husbands name. No matter if she had earned it forty Iimes over, however, German law will not let a widow own even her own property. If a married woman had an estate and her. husband died German law would step in and take her house over her head and administer her property. This is a bit of information that may come useful to American wo-I men who contemplate marrying Ger man noblemen.
 Madame Schumann- Heink's hands were tied. She could neither bring her sons to America nor get possession of the property her own brave earningsI had paid for. But madame Is of the kind that cannot be downed. If she could have 5een- well. I will tell yoI about that little later
 Declaring herself an American citi- zen and under tho protection of the laws of the United States, Schumann- Heink boldly appealed to the State De- pertinent at Washington for aid in get ting her children and her property out of Germany and into this country. There are ways of Juggling these mat ters. If Schumann-Heink had been merely poor. unknown widow and not one of the most famous and below ed singers in all the world, it is quite likely her boys would have been do- ing time and the courts would have KaiserIand to this day.
 But our State Department interested Itself in her behalf, and German courts suddenly saw lighu They became romplaisant to a great and rowerfuI nation. They thought 1t over ana de-