Los Angeles herald., 1906-09-09
GRAND OPERA IN
LONDON COLISEUM
COL. MAPLESoN PLANNING A
GREAT SEASON
Syndicate Back Of Him Has Raised
Million Dollars for the Pur-
pose-calve Tells How She
Began Operate Career
ny ARTHUR w. TAMouREUx

ppoSieSi CdDle 10 Il ne fteTHlu
PARIS, Sept. S.--Co. Henry Maple
son, the president of the International
Society of Music, which has it's head
quarters in Paris, has been away In
London for several weeks negotiating
on behalf Of q French syndicate for the
purchase Of the London Coliseum, with
view Of converting 1t into a grand
opera house to be open all the year
round.
Col. Mapleson states that the capital
OF the syndicate is S1,000,O00. He has
been authorized to make a cash offer
of $S00,000 to oswald Stoll, the manag-
ing director Of the Coliseum company,
and the offer will be placed before the
debenture holders as soon as a meet
Ing can be convened.
The French syndicate which Col Ma
pleson represents is composed of the
principal patrons of the international
Society of Music, who have subscribed
the 100000 between them. Should this
offer be accepted, it is proposed to run
opera entirely on continental lines. and
present, in addition to the STANDARD
operas, several successful works which
have not y,t been performed in
Lon don.
Calves Start
Madame Emma Calve, discovered in
a Pyrenean village, has told a. friend,
anon gother "reminiscences, how she
began her artistic career. The story is
brief and to the point. While singing
at the Brussels Monnaie she was en-
gagged by the Paris Opera Comique at q
salary of $4,000 a year. This seemed to
her a fortune, and she ordered COM
plete wardrobe at once. When the bills
came in her budget for the year worked
out deficit of $4,000. America came
to the rescue, and she accepted an en-
gagement for that sum- BY the time
she had returned and paid off her pre-
vious debts she owed $4,000 more,
mostly to dressmakers. This is the ex-
perience of most actresses and singers.
She went back to America and made
100000. She has made more since, and
has learned to put by, and is building
a house for herself at Montpelier. The
moral she draws from her story is that
nothing is "as stimulating as debts"
It may be added that no actress has a
reputation in Paris of being more gen.
erous than Madame Calve.
Sunday Closing in Paris
Alarm, not to speak of excitement,
has been caused by fearful rumors that
Paris cafes. brasseries and taverns are
to be closed on Sundays, not only dur
ing church time, as In London, but all
the day. The cafe owners say that in
consequence of the new law as to
weekly rest they propose to act with the
bakers in shutting up shop on Sundays.
This prospect, or threat has raised the
ire of the syndicates or unions of wait
ers, cellarmen and others employed by
the licensed victualers. These men
propose to hold a meeting to protest
against the intended closing of cafes,
taverns and brasseries on Sundays,
their most profitable day.
A census of French public houses just
taken shows that from 1904 to 1905
their number grew from 1853, 434 to 49,
593-an increase of 5159 in a year. There
is now one public house for every eighty
OF population.
May Get Her Cross
In spite Of everything it appears as
though there is every prospect of
Sarah Bernhardt obtaining the Cross of
the Legion of Honor at an early date.
The cabinet has decided to publish the
decree of the nomination in the Journal
Officiel over the heads OF the council
OF the order. 1t is mistake to think
that that body has any power of veto
on nomination by the government. Ac-
cording to the constitution of the order,
the various ministers are bound to con-
making any nominations, but they are
in no way bound by its decision. The
council can merely offer advice In
practice, however, an unfaVorable de-
cision by the council has been regarded
as a veto on the appointment. This
was inevitable. Thousands of names
are annually submitted to the various
ministers. They cannot possibly know
the claims and qualifications of every
candidate The names are therefore
passed on to the council of the order,
which makes an Investigation and re-
ports on the qualifications of the can
didates. Ninety-nine times out Of 100
the reasons are all sufficient, and the
minister accepts the decision. The re-
suit has cen that the council has
ended by creating little imperium in
imperio and arrogated to itself powers
of veto which constitutionally it does
not possess. 1t had only to make a
"break" like that in regard to Madame
Bernhard to bring up the whole ques-