The San Francisco call., 1910-12-25

house-but all that is an old story. Be
fore the six years have rounded their
form this same Italian singer has come
back to us and, with the Latin kinship
for California, with the Joy of living
under clear skies and unveiled stars,
she gave us her voice as Christmas
present. as gift to hang upon the
evergreen tree of memory.
EVEN AIR Is IN ACCORD
Somwhere Christmas eve might have
been cold, drear night. Somewhere
there might have been sleet on the
ground and the clutch of a storm on
the air, but 1t was difficult last even
ing to picture such a place. The pic
ture postcards we must buy to ex-
press our warm California Christmas
sentiments are frosted so that the
postal authorities will not let them go
through the mails without an over
coat. The picture postcard which
should be typical Of San Francisco
would be one of Nine. Tetrazzini sing
ing her loveliest on a star1it night
December "a, 1910-in the streets of
San Francisco, while the people stood
below and round about, bareheaded,
and as she sang "The Last Rose Of
Summer and the tripping, lifting, bril-
liant waltz song from Gounod's Romeo
and Juliet" as she would be singing
and her voice sparkling, and as, in the
fresh, free air she dropped the silken
shoulder cape that she wore and stood
with bare shoulder tips in a sparkling
white gown that tried to match with
its brilliants the iridescence of the
voice that leaped so lightly from the
rounded throat.
SANG IN PEOPLES HEARTS
To localize the place have said that
Tetrazzini sang at Lotta's fountain, at
10 - - 49, ..,-r<<-
the heart OF San Francisco, the inter-
section of Market, Kearny, Geary and
Third streets. Tetrazzini was in the
heart of San Francisco last night and
in the hearts of San Franciscans.
The evening was a devotion and a
frolic and Christmas festival "a
Christmas mystery" to borrow the old
term for Christmas celebration.
The Christmas eve throng was early.
BY 5 o'clock people were lettering
around the stand at Lotta's fountain.
By o'clock they were becoming con-
gested in the immediate vicinity of
the stand. BY o'clock the crossings
were blocked, and when the first note
OF music sounded at 7:45 from the
orchestra, led by Paul Steindorff, the
crowds were massed in Market street
from the Palace hotel nearly to Fouth
street. in Kearny street as far north
as the stand was in the line of vision,
block up Geary street and down into
Third street. Those were just the folk
in the street, the people who would
stand on the asphalt for hours,
patiently. eagerly. in the best Of hu-
NOR, without jostling, without over
coats, without showing, without hat to
listen to Tetrazzini. The cynical had
speculated rather the singer would
I'LL the street as the newspaper bulle-
tins Of an election or a prize fight
would fill the street.
The cynic stood confounded. No such
throng ever before stood in such
space in Market and its convergent
streets to see any sort of a demonstra-
tion or happening. A man near the
platform stood for three hours with
blue bonneted little girl on his shoul-
ders, and stood it out. It is probable
that no man stepped on another's toes.
There were other incidents of the
singing. Tetrazzini was presented with
a huge cluster of poinsettas, the flow
ing tropical flower which is so much
more expressive of California's Christ
mas cheer than is the snug little holly
berry of the east.
Then there was the reception Tetraz-
zini received before the concert
1t must be understood that the
throngs in the street were only part of
the enormous crowds that heard the
singer. Every Office building within
the marvellous range of her voice had
auditors for Tetrazzini. The Palace
hotel had its north windows full. The