The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1908-02-06

SesS7&W ~
rich, artistic mural decorations, the ex
quisite color scheme of the floral deco
rations, the picturesqueness of thu
group before the altar, the magnificen
costumes of the women guests whit
filled the rooms, the choir boys in thei
made rarely beautiful tout ensemble
which would have filled the soul of ;
! painter with joy. AS soon as the cere
mony was over an orchestra of 60 mu
sicians began a regular program, Mis-:
Gladys herself having selected the mu
sic. and the 900 guests began circulat
ing about, admiring and criticiZing. as i!
customary on such occasions. many o.
them going upstairs TO view the ricf
gifts, valued at s1,000,000. A wedding
breakfast was served to about 200 OF
these guests at small tables, placed IL
the dining and ball rooms. The bride
and groom left soon after the break
fast for the Whitney villa in the Wheat.
ly Hills, and they will sail about Feb
10, with their 80 servants, for the Hun
garian castle. Thus begins another in
| ternationa1 marriage. How will it end
A novel way of filling the ranks OF
the British army, which it has been
found very difficult to keep up TO its
quota, was resorted to lately by an at
tractive woman, who went around
among the men using all her arts and
| Establishments to induce them to enter
the service of Johnny Bull. 1t is said
that the lady did this purely from mo-
tives of patriotism, dismayed by the
reports that the recruiting offices were
empty, and her success has been sc
pronounced that the army officials are
begging her to accept salary for heI
services, and to continue in the good
work. She seems to be quite irresisti-
BILE, and yet her methods are very SIM
pie. She says she simply smiles at the
! boys and tells them how nice it it to
be in the army. and that is all there
| is to it. They consent at once, and she
takes them off and turns them over TO
the recruiting officers. While the army
officials are delighted with the results
of this unusual manner of recruiting,
the wives and sweethearts of the enlist
ing men are far from satisfied. and are
said to have expressed themselves quite
freely on the subject of people not
minding their own business.
The story of Alice Thaw's matrimo-
NAL infelicities, if true, is not a pretty
one. 1t is said that the wedding cere-
mony was delayed by the Earl of Var
mouth, who fatty refused to marry her
until a marriage settlement satisfactory
for once in his life to have come out
like a man, and objected so strenuously
to the match that his mother threat
ened to cut off his income for five years
if he continued to interfere. OF course,
the marriage was unnappy-how could
it have been otherwise and the situa-
ton complicated, no doubt, by the dis
graceful and humiliating notoriety CIV
en- the family by her worthless brother.
nd Ynnu how vnIn for diyrny 800
which the Earl refuses to allow, with
out the fulfillment of the marriage set
tlement. The Countess expected this,
but will avoid it if possible.
Within the last few months a new
star has suddenly flashed forth from the
musical armament of such brilliancy as
to dazzle the eyes of its beholders. This
star is the singer Tetrazzini, who, it
seems, is not new star after all, hav-
ing been singing in South America,
Mexico, Russia and other European
cities for the past 10 years at least. She
even visited San Francisco n number
Of years ago, and created quite a sensa-
ton there, but if the news of it reached
the East it made little or no impression.
Tetrazzini appeared in London last year,
where the public went wild over her,
her triumphs exceeding anything won
by any opera singer since the days of
Patti. The most extravagant accounts
of her wonderful voice, marvellous act
ing and fascinating, magnetic presence
came over to US from our English cou-
sins, and America felt that life would
indeed be a dreary waste unless the
great diva could be lured to our shores.
MIR. Hammerstein's glittering shekels
proved to be the bait that landed Tet-
razZini (pardon the mixed metaphor),
and she appeared at his opera house
on Jan. is as Violetta in Verdi's tuneful
opera of La Traviata." TetraZzini is
an Italian. possessed in an unusual de-
gree of those artistic qualities which
predominant So largely in the Latin
character, and which give to her acting
a rare illumination. She is a beautiful
woman, with golden bronze hair, hazel
eyes, fair complexion and very sweet
expression. Her reception the other
night must have completely satisfied
even one accustomed to such ovations
from the public as she has been re-
lceiving. The opera house was packed
with women magnificently gowned, jew
els flashing from head and bosom. and
with well-groomed men in evening
clothes, who in their applause were not
simply enthusiastic, but mad, delirious.
When, however, the smoke of battle
died away, so to speak, and people
could gaze at the dazzling star without
blinking, to return TO our original meta
phor, it was conceded that Tetrazzini's
voice tho remarkably fresh and beau
tiful, was not without defects by any
means 1t is in the upper register alone
that the wonder of her voice lies. Here
she is brilliant. powerful, her voice rich,
| full and flexible and of n magnetic, vi
brant quality which stirs the magma
| ton. In the lower register it is weak
and colorless some of her notes not
being quite true when first taken. The
secret of her power lies in the rare
combination OF her acting and singing.
| Her voice is especially adapted to the
iorid style of Verdi's music, and she
executed her triils, cadenZas am roul-
AIDES with a glittering brilliancy and
purity of tone that absolutely took the
breath away.
THAT thy days shall be long in the
land which the Lord, thy God, giveth
thee" This promise was certainly full
filed in the case of good old Grand
ma" Wood, who died in Hillsboro, Ore.
| the other day at the amazing age of
/ 20. whether or no she was conspicuous
for having honored her parents. She
enjoyed the distinction of being the
Oldest Methodist in the world, if not
the oldest woman in the world, and II
| is said that for nearly 109 years she
was a faithful follower of its teachings.
Grandma" Mary Ramsey Wood came
| from sturdy English stock, which large
ily accounts for her remarkable vitality
and good health, her mother living to
1.-THE advanced age of 10. "Grandma's''
early life was full of adventure, for she
moved from State to State frenuently