The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-02-25
WONDERS NEVER CEASE.

Visitors to the First Regiment
Armory, Broad and Callowhill
streets, Philadelphia, where the
Electrical Show is being held, were
treated last night to the novel ex-
perience of hearing Caruso, Destinn,
Amato and other Metropolitan opera
stars thrilling their sllver-lined
notes on the stage of the Academy
of Music.
The demonstration was made by
means of the dictograph, an instru-
ment that magnihes sound and
makes it possible to distinctly hear
anything that is said in any build
ing with which it is equipped
Through the courtesy of the man
agement of the Metropolitan Opera
Company the instrument was in
stalled in front of the footlights on
the Academy stage, fifteen to thirty
feet away from the singers.
AS the performance progressed
every mellow tremolo and soaring
note that enchanted the big audience
in The auditorium was caught up by
the diaphragms of the dencately
adjusted instrument, which convey
ed its burden of ecstacy to a Key
stone telephone in one of the offices
of the building.
This telephone was connected
with the First Regiment Armory,
wnere a large gathering, including
many leading citizens. was assem-
bled to see and hear the unique de-
monstration.
For the purpose of enabling the
vast crowd to hear the orchestration
and singing, a dictograph multi
phone resembling the horn of a
phonograph in it's appearance was
employed at the receiving end.
The result was thrilling. AS the
strains of the opera floated out on
the stilled air, the assemblage, en-
thralled by the exquisite intonation,
experienced a sense of spiritual ex-
altation that kept it spellbound.
But twice during the evening was
the spell broken. Caruso was the
cause of the interruption each time.
In Germania he has two solos which
run the full gamut of his vocal pow
ers and reveal the rare grace and
charm of his voice. Unable to re-
strain it's enthusiasm when the great
Italian tenor reached the peroration
of his effort, on each occasion, the
big crowd, the silence with applause
that vibrated through the armory
and could be heard in the street out
side
Nine. Destinns eloquent rendition
of a solo in the second act came
! near causing a similar breach of the
restraint observed by the assem-
blage as the superbly beautiful notes
of the artist gushed their vocal
| fragrance over the enraptured audi
ence.
! Regular patrons of the Metropolis
| tan season of grand opera at TIE
Academy of Music who were present
marveled at the fidelity with which
the opera was translated from the
stage of the opera house to the arm
ory building through the agency OF
the dictograph, which has been in
stalled in the Quirinal at Rome by
special request of King Victor
Emanuel, to whom it's Yankee in
ventor, X. NJ. Turner, gave a demon
stration of its varied commercial
uses recently.
The demonstration the other night
was given without in any way in
terfering with the performance at
the Academy, and, as matter OF
| fact, without the knowledge of the
audience witnessing it, the receiv-
ing apparatus being so arranged that
it was not discernable from in front
| of the footlights.
From beginning to end the per-
formance as heard at the armory
was as smooth and artistically de-
lightful as in the opera house itself
every changing mood, every deli
cately shaded and richly colored
phrase of the orchestra and singers
| being carried unimpaired in it's beau
ty by the dictograph to the en-
tranced gathering at the Electrical
Show. Mr.. Turner, the inventor,
who is now abroad, gave King Ed