The San Francisco call., 1909-11-13
SAN FRANCISCO
INADEQUAT[[Y
APPRFCIATIVE
AuthOresS ShaneS Fashionable
Set for Timid Applause of
Inez Dibblee
Saws Dancer Would Win lmme-
date Ovation in Cities
of Europe
By GERTRUDE ATHERToN


York. they do not feel sure enough of
themselves to extol novelty, but are
bIest with an abundance Of patience
which enables them to wait until the
consensus Of opinion has automatically
risen to the surface2 1t is an extraor-
dinary fact that in this land of the free
we are far more timid about expressing
our approval of new thing, even when
we have sufficient instinct 10 appreciate
it, than those old world peoples, COM
monty supposed 10 be overridden by
ynonarchies, beaurocracies, conventions
and police.
INADEQUATE APPRECIATION
All this is suggested by the very in
adequate appreciation received last
night by Miss Ynez Dibblee for her
artistic and beautiful dancing. For
the third time in something under 10
years California has produced a great
dancer, but although Isadore Duncan
and Maude Allen took their place al
most Immediately in the artistic con-
stellations OF Europe, and their repu-
tations are well known in their native
state few Of the audience in the St.
Francis music room last night appeared
10 realize that they had at last the op-
portunity to see work as unique and
Al perfect, and without the expense Of
crossing the seas. Miss Dibblee's rare
accomplishments, combined with her
serpentine grace, her charming Span
ish face, and the abandon Of the true
artist. would win her an immediate
ovation in any European city, even did
she appear unheralded There she
would find audiences that not only
would slit their gloves and stamp on
the floor, but stand up and shout. Last
night her audience might have been
composed of the parents, the sisters
and brothers OF children at a dancing
class exhibition, nicely patronized and
approving. but without the faintest
conception that this graduate from
their ranks was an artist of the first
order who could be independent of their
mere existence in six months If she
cnose.
OLD LADIES SHOCKED
Nor did the fact that Miss Dibblee is
an actress, as well as a dancer. appear
l. make itself felt, and it was only
when she came out with the castanets
which all of US once used at dancing
school, that the audience warmed UP a
bix. Even so. I don't doubt that all
those respectable old ladies were
shocked because she showed her legs"
II she had been a stranger it wouldn't
have matteree so much, but "one of
us
Miss Ynez Dfbblee is like a beautiful
IA gon wrought in California, but filled
with the wine Of old Spain, and any
European, hearing of her debut in the
wild, romantic city of San Francisco,
would have assumed that her proud
and passionate compatriots had gone
quite off their heads with enthusia sm-
trated weekly devoted TO art. Miss
Dibblee danced as she may once have
danced in the courts of the Alba mbra,
or as II the leaves of some old family
bible had opened to let her escape
and several hundred people, who all
looked as if they had eaten too much
and were thinking about their clothes,
blinked. and applauded as il they had
gout in their shoulders.
FASHIONABLE If APATHETIC
Maude Allen and Isadore Duncan.
not being Of California's haute noblesse
would not even have got the chance to
exhibit themselves to such an audi
ence. fashionable if apathetic so Miss
Dibblee is al least fortunatae in giving
her friends and acquaintances the op-
portunity to boast one of these days
that they saw her first" IT is another
astonishing fact that while California
has, in proportion to her age, pro-
duced more distinguished talent than
any other of the states ii is always
blind 10 isolated cases of excellence
until it has received the stamp of for
eign approval No state could possibly
think more Of herself than California,
and no state viii ever be more milk
less mother.
But if there be various reasons to
explain our lack of ability to discover
nrst rate novelty for ourselves, It is
still very curious-and making all al
lowance for our fear OF applauding the
wrong thing-thst we should be so
apathetfc. For the matter of that it is
only collectively that San Franciscans
make so poor a showing ANY one re-
naming long enough in San Francisco
discovers that some of the brightest
and most accomplished people in Amer
lea are here, but the moment these peo-
pie cease TO be units and become
that mysterious entity known as an
audience they appear timid, stupid and
ignorant The bracing climate the
city's lawless history has no effect on
them The Germans are maniacs be-
side them. and even the English could
not comprehend them. ] have seen a
New York audience. carried out of itself
by performance OF Tristan and
Isolde" sung by Ternina.-and Jean de
Reske but / never heard of a fashion,
able san Francisco audience reused to
a real demonstration. Once they care
fully prepared q reception for one
Emma Nevada. who was not worth the
trouble, but her most ardent friends
would not pretend that she carried
them of their feet. 1 do not believe
that anything could.
NO JOY TO DECENT PEOPLE
We hear much talk about San Fran
cisco being utterly unlike all other
American towns; especially do we hear
the expression, continental city" /
should like very much to know what
continental-i. e.. European city-San
Francisco resembles. ] have never
seen II, and although those much ex-
plotted precincts, the tenderloin and
the water front. may be of an excep-
tfonal brilliancy, they do not offer much
joy TO decent people. and almost any
safe quarter of a continental city does
II there be duller, more deadly re-
spectacle a more wholly provincial
city on its manifest surfaces than San
Francisco, ] have yet TO discover it.
There is also the tradition that San
Francisco is a musical city. Where
this legend started no one seems able
10 inform US. II has never had an opera
sho4 ala no4 1foprraca the name