Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-02-17
James w. Foley

LOS ANGELES, California, Feb
ruary II Especial Correspondence)-
The Gamut club Is Los Angeles ex-
clusively musical artistic and literary
organization and it numbers several
hundred Of the worshpers at the
shrij es of the muses. out in this bor-
derland of the southwestern United
States 1t has rather pretentious
club edifice, with spacious and richly
furnished and ornamented reception
rooms, parlors. banquet hall and audi
forum, and best Of all, it's member
ship is rich with that spirit of kind
illness, cleverness and good fellowship
that shall eventually redeem the
world. Every month the club holds
an open session and banquet, at
which distinguished visitors are en-
tertained and there is a program fol-:
lowing the banquet of the best each
one has to offer. Necessarily it Is a
delightful function, bringing out the
personal side of all kinds Of artistry
and rounding out a program that
would be impossible under any other
circumstances.
Last night through the kindly invi.
tation of President Blanchard Of the
cub aad Miss Elizabeth Waggoner,
who numbers many friends among it's
membership, We were invited to be
the honored guests at the monthly
meeting, and were especially forum.
ate in being present at perhaps the
most unusual and delightful gather
ing that has been held by the club in.
many months. First Madame Schu-
man-Heink was among the guests
and graced the table at which the
guests of honor were seated, radiant
with that wholesouled and womanly
smile that has earned her such a
high place in the affection of the
people of the country for her genuine
womanliness, in addition to her re-
markable artistry. She beams with
kindness and good nature, and above
all her wonderful singing she carries
with her message of love and hu'
manity that ennobles and beauties
her work with the spirit of benevo.
lence and human charity. We met
her in the parlors before the banquet
was spread, and her greeting was
kind and friendly as the heart Of the
woman is. She has winter place
in California and is popular here per-
sonally, as was evident from the
ovation of applause when she led the
march Of guests into the banquet hall
And after the banquet when she was
called upon for bit of talk, the bene-
Violence that fairly beamed from her
countenance when, IN her quaint brok-
en- English she said, rising and smil-
ing over the banquet tables: Zach,
my English is so bad. but I mean it
so good" What a round of laughter
and applause there was, and how eV-
cry diner seemed to read what was
in her mind. and she would have said,
had she had the words to express the
meaning of that sweet and benevo-
lent smile. And then she sang a
little German melody that fairly dip
ped with sweetness and restfulness.
and made you wonder what heaven
ly gift is that voice of hers, that flows
out so full and sweet and round, and
lifts you way above the things that
are commonplace.
And "Cissie' Lotus was there, too,
a few Chairs from Madame Schuman
Heink. and when she was called upon
to say a few words, she was perhaps
the victim of an embarrassment
that never touches her when she is
doing wonderfully clever limitations
on the stage. For she looked about
in frightened way, looked appeal.
ingly at the master Of the ceremonies
who sat by her side, and then said:
speech! My gracious, never made
speech in my life! And l am in
clined to think she never did make
one that was not part of her studied
performance. But she did an imita-
ton of Caruso and one of Bernhard,
both undeniably clever, and indicat-
ing her mastery of the art Of mimicry.
In her Bernhard, one might believe
it was the divine Sarah herself, for
she has her voice, her gestures, her
all her littls tricks of ex-
and her figure and bearing.
Mimicry is a wonderful thing, but al
ter all, it isn't creation-as YOU would
had yea seen how help
less "Cissie'' was when she was called !
upon for a few words of original
speech. She simply didn't have it in
her-that is all. But she gets a
thousand week-easily that and
maybe more-for acting like distin- !!
gdished people-and probably that's !
art, after all. It's art to get thous-
and a week. an way.
Well, in addition 20 US other distin- /