The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-11-08
az ESTHER os,FFIh WHITE
People sometimes candidly ADM

Not very Ofttn ana not ABOUT many.
But they do publicly lament they
have missed something good" theatre
caliy or unsteady. They say If they
had only known it was good they
would have gone.
II is therefore to be hoped that
everybody will seize the opportunity
TO hear the famous Balalaika Orches-
ira 10 be at the Gennett the twentieth
Of November
This column doesn't mind giving
this affair any cOnspicuity that may
accrue to its being mentioned here
without money and without price.
For this is an event of Importance in
the musical and theatrical life OF the
town. and II might be emphasized. Is
the same organization which appears
shortly at the Murat in indianapolis
aud in other leading theaters through
out the country.
The press agent will tell you. and
truly. that this is the Imperial Russian
Court Balalaika orchestra, that 1t is
touring this country under the man
aecmcnt Of it's originator. NJ. w. w.
"
trOnagc of the Car and that 1t can
not make an extended American tour
~ it has received a command to re-
turn to Russia early next year to be-
gin series Of concerts before the
Car himself.
Tho Cr,ldcr form of the balalaika is.
II is said. an instrument corresponding
t,.hV, hint r
fccted. developed and refined that this
analogy no longer holds good, the pre-
sent instrument being used as me-
dunn OF the most catholic musical ex-
preston, the programs Of the Orches-
ira appealing not only to the musical
ly erudite but to the lover of the more
popular" compositions.
With this Orchestra's aggregation
are four Of the best known opera sing
crs attached to the various imperial
operate institutions and. altogether,
II theatcr-gOcrs and music lovers
and everyone else-dO not turn out in
what are sometimes called large num-
bers" the towns should be retired to
the entertainment junk-heap.
Russia Is presented to the average
imagination as IA land of eternal snow,
Of anarchistic gloom. of dazzlingly
fascinating women. of nihilist lovers.
of bomb throwing, of fiendish tortures
In dank prisons. Of Jews running
bloody gauntlets, of cruel injustice, OF
violent social contrasts, of balls in
the Winter Palace where beautiful
American women lure Grand Dukes, of
secret police and political spies knit.
ing each other in the dark. of devoted
patriots torn from their families and
sent housekeeping into Siberia, OF
droskeys tearing up and down the
streets. OF hideous suspicious, OF
everybody treading on social and pc.
licital volcanoes, of general unhappi-
ness and unintermittant melancholy.
OF barbaric splendor and black de-
spair.
A man named Perry Heath-who is
now referred to in Washington Sun
day letters to state papers as "of Mum
Gle and observation-disclosures wrote a
book refuting this view after a three
months tour Of a portion Of the Car s
domain.
Maybe he was right. Nobody
knows. At least in Muncie. And If in
Washington they haven't published It
in book.
It.remains, however, that there must
be something there" as the saying
goes. when you behold coming out OF
Russia superlative exemplars of every
phase OF art and again behold them
being ordered back from overwhelm
ingly successful financial tours to give
concert or do stunt for the enter
tainment of his imperial majesty.
There is life. of course. that for
eigners know little Of.
As soon should this country be judg
ed by the lynchings, burnings at the
stake. roastings alive of wounded neg
goes on their hospital cots. Of whole
families annihilated by one fell swoop
OF the axe. OF women prisoners out
doing Lucretia Borgia, in the fiendish
ness Of their operations. Of earth
Quakes in San Francisco. of tidal
waves in Texas. OF bursting dams in
County. Ohio.
n country Is sometimes better
known for its exaggerations than by
its sanities.
For some occult reason Russia has
produced great artists in every phase
of.artistic expression.
Not only great artists. but greatest
And 1t Is through their celebrated
litterateurs that the world has largely
gained its notion of Russia's social
complexion.
The novels Of Turgenieff. OF Dosto-
evSky. OF Tolstoy OF Gorky. although
not Of the same school altogether. still
give this curious impression Of fatal
ism. Of decadence. Of melancholy. OF
sublimated ardours. Of terrorism and
civic gloom.
But beyond any ethical or social val
ue their product may possess. is its
superlative art. Although Tolstoy
made nothing Of the earlier phases OF
his activities. it is nonetheless true
that 1t is as a great literary artist, as