The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1908-07-16


not hold a candle to the humble sun
bonnet. 1t is said that in the revival
of the sunbonnet the daintiest effects
are shown. Old-fashioned dimities. COW
cred with fascinating posies in differ
ent colors. are the favorites for the
making of this head-covering. Some
use delicate, fine, white material orna-
menting the bonnet with ribbon bows
or punches of flowers but the greater
part are made of the more substantial
calicces and dimities, and all follow the
well-kBown manner of gathering with
cords over the poke" and finishing on
with the little curtain at the back to
protect the neck, which is thus kept
unfreckIed and white. for the coming
season when my young lady of fashion
shall don the pretty evening gown.
Americans. as a nation, are great mu-
sic lovers, and would be as intelligently
appreciative of it as are the Germans
il they had the same opportunities.
For years and years the. Germans have
been listening to the very best music
free of any pecuniary charge, or for a
mere song, and the consequence is that
even the poorest and most humble
classes in the KaiScr's domain are per-
fectiy familiar with the works of the
best masters and can criticise intelll-
gently any musical composition. The
old world does some things much bet
ter than we, and this cheap music" is
one of them. Plans for a new opera
house for the people. TO be established
in Berlin, have just been completed, at
which only the highest grade produc-
tons by the first-claSs artists Will be
produced. The very best and most ex-
pensive seats will sell for S71s cents,
while the cheapest will be 121a cents.
Every seat in the house is to be made
entirely comfortable. 1t makes one who
loves music, but whose means are some
what limited. fairly i'll to read these
figures. Think of S7ls cents as con-
trasted with So and Sc, the price of our
best seats here! Because some of our
people are able to pay these prices for
eign artists impose upon it and demand
exhor bitant salaries; the managers have
to protect themselves by making the
tickets correspondingly high, and,
there you are, Mr.. Johnsing."
A play, unlike anything of modern
times. written by the French poet, Ed
mond Rostand, will be produced in
Paris next November with the famous
French actor, Coquelin, as the hero.
The scene of the play is farmyard, and
all the characters In it are animals;
there is not single human figure in it.
The principal character, taken by Cog
uelin, is a common barnyard cock, and
the heroine a golden pheasant. whose
gorgeous plumage will conceal the iden-
tity of a well-known and popular act
ress The primitive jealousies of the
plot, OF the play, around which Rostand
has woven a web of poetry and philos-
ophy. 1t is said to be exquisitely writ
ten, Astounding in the most surprising
dramatic effects. II is called "Chante-
clair" and Rostand is said to have re-
ceived $4,000 for it, a very unusual
sum for a play, but its absolute unique
ness in modern dramatic literature
gives it particular value To one who
has watched the drama of the barnyard
this play makes a special appeal. The
airs assumed by the male turkeys strut
ting around, displaying their handsome
extensible- tails, with all the vanity of a
good-looking human male in a new
Spring suit, have in them all the ele-
ments which inspire black envy, green
eyed jealousy, bitter hatred, and war
the spectator. Here amid these home
ly surroundings comedy and tragedy
are found side by side, and all the
human emotions displayed In the ac-
lions and sounds of these feathered
creatures. rff 10
This play of Rostand's is somewhat
old Greek comedy writer, who lived so
long ago that the authorities cannot
agree upon the date of his birth. 1t was
hundreds of years before the coming of
Christ. anyway, and that is about as
near as we can get to it. But long ago
as that was, the works of Aristophanes
have lived. AS writer of lyric poetry
he was wonderful, and the clear notes
of his song, free, musical, and wild,
ri nat 70 m
read him in the original. Nothing else
in Greek poetry has quite his wild
sweetness of the woods, and of modern
poets Shakspere alone can be COM
pared with him in this respect. His
chorus of the birds and frogs suggests
Rostand's play somewhat, but goes no
further than the suggestion.
Mrs. John D. Rockefeller presented
each member of the graduating class
of Vassar College this year with a copy
of the Life of Alice Freeman Palmer,
written by her husband, George Her.
bert Palmer According to President
Eliot, of Harvard, Mrs. Palmer's career
has been unmatched by that of any
other American woman, and is the
best example thus far set before Amer
lean womanhood." This Is very great
praise, indeed, and coming from so dis
tinguished gentleman as Harvard
President. demands consideration. Mrs.
Palmer the celebrated head of WelIes-
ley College, was born in an obscure
border village, passing rs years of her
life in comparative poverty. Only for
nine years in that life did she hold po-
sitions which were at all conspicuous.
She wrote little, she achieved eminence
in no field of scholarship, and her
tastes were markedly domestic. She
died at the early age of so, after what
ha r
full life, and yet no one can read the
story Of this life written by her hus-
band without feeling that this woman
was indeed not made of common clay.
but was one of those rare creatures in
which the qualities of heart, mind and
spirit seemed almost abnormalIy de-
veloped. In speaking of her DIR. Pal
mer says: Il am painfully conscious
of my inability to revitalize so abound
ing being, vivid creature that she
was" The qualities admired In her, he
tells us, were not rare, but were pos
sessed by others often in a higher de-
gree. What made her remarkable was
their combination in her single person
and her quality of harmonizing what
is commonly conflicting. Brilliant
woman that she was she was
"A creature none too bright or good
For human natures daily food"
and went gaily up and down the neg.
lected ways of life scattering happiness
all about her. Her husband says, "Sht
seemed made for bounty and held moth,
ing back"
Always was there about her littl'
circle of devoted admirers who from
her wisdom, peace, hardihood, devout
ness, and contagious merriment, caugh
something which opened their eye
anew to the beauty of life, and enabled
them to bear its trials with greate
courage. After her death DIR. Palme