The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1910-03-01
Madame nC|b0 to
Come TO California
NOTED DIVA
WILL REST
Australian Queen
Of Song Prefers
Sunset Land

| The wonderful things Madame Melba
has done in her own country, Australia
in the last 10 months and the homage
| paid her in every city and village on
her concert tour are interestingly told
by Miss Agnes Murphy, who is now in
! this city for period of rest For five
years Miss Murphy has been associated
with the Melbourne songstress. and her
admiration of the diva is almost wor-
shipful. She has written a biography
of the singer, which has had great
success. Her other literary efforts are
we'll known to magazine readers and
she is about to describe for a number
of publications the scenery of the great
west.
Even had Madame Melba not been a
great singer" Miss Murphy said yester-
day, "she would have been a woman of
force and character to influence the
civilization of her day. She would have
been remarkable in anything to which
she devoted her attention.
KITCHENER OUTWELCOMED
Australia, of course, loves her. She
is their greatest countrywoman. Let
me tell you something of the esteem in
which she is held. Lord Kitchener, the
same day as Madame Media. l am not
exaggerating when l say that the song
stress received the greater welcome. A
person standing near me remarked that
had Kitchener arrived in an airshfp and
Melba in a carriage he could not have
created the same enthusiasm.
In many towns holidays were de-
clared that the children might have an
opportunity of meeting her. The streets
decorate with the chill
dren carried branches of golden waffle.
Frequently Melba refused to occupy
her carriage in going from the depot to
her hotel, but walked through the arch
the children made with their branches.
During the 10 months Melba sang
on an average three times week. This
is the longest tour ever made by a star
in one country. During the tour she
found time to lecture in a number of
universities, particularly at Melbourne.
Her final concert, given under the pa
tronage of the Countess of Dudley, net
ted $4,000, which was turned over to
the Australian Bush nursing associa-
tiep. The new conservatoire in Mel
bourne is to be named after her, and
the senate, in appreciation of her
worth, passed vote of thanks.
WILL COME TO CALIFORNIA
Madame Melba will sing in London
in May. This will be her twenty first
season in the English metropolis. When
her season is over she will come to
California. probably in November, and
stay until the beginning of the new
year. California has ever had charm
for Melba. She loves it's sunny skies
and its mountains. Most of all she de-
sires to visit the Grand canyon of Ari-
IONA, so it is likely the west will see a
great deal of her in the next ten
months
Miss Murphy is accompanied by Miss
Aimee Moore. Both are ardent suffra
gettes. In fact when Mrs. Pankhurst,
the leader of the London militant
women. was put on trial for a technical
assault, both were called as witnesses
by Miss Pankhurst, woman attorney,
who defended her mother. Fl
The demand for suffrage is not so
strong in America Miss Murphy said
yesterday, "as in England, because in
this country the women are treated
differently. In Australia the women
have a ballot We are militant in Eng
land but not violent, as the dispatches
state. Mrs. Pankhurst is as gentle
woman as ever lived and would not
hurt the proverbial fly. We are fight
but technically and with no show of
violence.
NETTLED BY POLL TAX
Both women were forced to pay
poll tax on their arrival here, and this
nettled them considerably, particularly
when it was explained that if they left
the country in 80 days the money would
be refunded. Neither liked the insin-
uation that their absence was more
profitable than their continued resi-
dence