Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-01-26

| triunphs before kings and crowned
heads. but the fiddle brings back pic
lures of the peasants kitchen, an old
face and form bowed by hard labor,
in a peasants smock, teaching a little
boy in wooden clogs how to finger and
stop.
For a peasant to be musical was
nothing out of the way in Bohemia.
Many of the most famous musical COM
positions are based on their old folk
songs, and even the poorest among
them plays some kind of instrument.
! So Kubeliks father soon was able to
zee that the little 6-year-old boy had
gift which had enormous possibilities.
He had great ambitions for all his
children. In spite of his poverty, he
seems to have been a man or intelli-
gence and imagination, and from his
small earnings, barely enough to keep
his family of six boys, he kept laying
money aside for their education, but
especially for that Of Jan. And pre-
sently tnere came to this man great
temptation. Few would have blamed
him If he had yielded to 1t, for it would
have meant a relief from all his
harassing poverty.
| Jan soon earned the name of WON
derchild an infant prodigy. All the
neighbors who heard him play in the
little kitchen were themselves musical
enough TO see that the child had won
derful talent. Besides that, even then
his playing was of a kind to appeal to
anybody. even to those who under
stood no music He went to the public
school. One day when he was years
old he caused a sensation in the mind
of the school principal; some word of
| the boys talent had reached him and
/ he sent for Jan. The singing class was
| in progre IS and violin accompaniment
was needed; the boy was told to play
It, although the piece was new to him.
| without any hesitation, and with hard
| " a glance at the music, he plunged
into double accompaniment on two
strings a feat which few older musi-
clans could hope to accomplish. For
the rest of that afternoon there was no
singing class, for the marvellous play
| ing of the child eclipsed all other
thoughts in the teachers mind. Herr
Colt" he exclaimed, was machet Du
| da, Junee?" Simply and unaffectedly
the lad told him who his teacher had
been. after having been asked who
taught him to play. From every room
in the school building teachers were
summoned to listen to the playing.
Hitherto Jan had been known as an
| imp, quick and ready in his studies but
a center of turbulence and disturbance
in every class. But for that one after
noon all his shortcomings were for
given. lie was told to play something
else; he Immediately played a concerto
| by Berioz. Amazed at the talent he
had discovered, the, principal startled
the whole school by a speech in which
he held Jan Kubelik up to the children
as a model; forecasting the future that
was before him. After this the tempta-
/ of hi 20 ENriAndq and
neighbors alike told him that he ought
TO travel with the child, letting him
play as an infant prodigy. On every
| side he was told of the great sums of
money that he could make by exhibit
ing his sons wonderful genius.
But the father saw further ahead
that that. He haG watched the careers
Of other prodigies; how they had been
hailed as phenomena, freaks and mar
vels. But he also had noticed that
none of them ever had amounted to
anything when they grew up, and for
this again Kubelik owes to his fathers
| forbearance and self-sacrifice his pres
/ ent greatness and wealth.
One day there was a journey to
Prague, the capital of Bohemia. With
basket of food and the boys violin
strung over his shoulder, father and
some trudged to the city. Now, when
Kubelik goes from Prague to his birth
place he drives in victoria, behind
pair of blooded horses, with an Eng
glish coachman and a Hindu footman
on the box, but on the memorable oc-
casion he had been summoned to play
at the Prague conservatory. The
father had consented, for he wished
to have his Judgment and that OF the
village school professor confirmed by
the great teachers of the city. On the
way they passed many beautiful,
homes, one palace in particular at
tracing their attention and envy.
When the boys footsteps began to fall
ter and he wanted to stop and rest,
the father pointed to the palace and
said: Don't you want to live there
some day?" Then the little boy dried
his tears and trudged manfully on
ward again. Yet in that very palace
he dwells as master, for that was the
ancestral home of the beautiful Coun-
tess Czaky Sell, who was destined to
become his wife some ten years later.
Who knows but that the young countess
may have looked out that day and seen
her future husband trudging that
path without imagining what was in
store for herself or for him?
The sensation created by the boy at
the conservatory on that day is ancient
history now, but to the father it was
the beginning Of still greater temp
tation. Managers and impresarios,
who saw money in the prodigy, de-
scended upon the little village in
Michle. Offers were made that would
have meant comparative affluence to
the gardener, but through it all he
/ stuck to his first resolution. And thus
| prodigy was lost and a genius saved
to the world. Meantime the boy had
changed his ambitions. His earliest
J fancy was to be an explorer, to visit
some of the out of the way places that
J he was told of, barren wildernesses
that were not reached by Raymond or
Whitcomb excursions or Cooks tours
If any of that is left to him it is an
unfulfiled wish, for all the travels
he has made in the last five years have
been accomplished in a private car.
From my 18th year never had any
ambition except to become a Violinist,"
said Kubelik to a newspaper man.
after that I knew that would be-
, come one" But he had to pass many
cloudy day, overcome many an OBJ
stacle, before that came about Times
were not very prosperous in Bohemia
and the little market garden was bare
" sufficient for the needs of the fam
, lily. The fathers health failed. Three
! of Kubelik's brothers died; the hands
which thrill thousands and which are
: insured for $S5 900, worked for many a
day in the garden with the hoe and
= rake But h, genius was too appar-
eut for such obstacles to be strong
enough like his old school principal