The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-01-30

| Madame Butterfly, one of the most
| appealing and tragic stories of modern
| dramatic literature, was presented as
a reading Wednesday night by Miss
| Nanon Herren, at an entertainment
! given for the out of town visitors un-
der the auspices of the Commercial
club. The play, Madame Butterfly,
/ has been arranged in monologue form,
and its successful rendering is conSid-
cred by critics in the art of expression,
| to be an achievement of unusual diff
Guilty, and the schools of expression
| give it only to their best pupils.
The romantic spell of the Sunrise
Kingdom was limited at in the setting
of the reading last night. The stage
was hedged in by vases of Japanese
flowers, and at the back was a Japan
csc screen. Mrs. F. w. Watson, who
has one of the finest collections of
japanese art in this country, lent
some jars and vases and tables to
complete the decorations of the stage.
The nlonologue was arranged in
three acts, the first showing Madame
Butterfly installed in her own house
as the wife of the United States officer,
Lieutenant Pinkerton, and the exclu-
sion of her relatives. and she herself
an outcast from her family
Between the first and second
acts the orchestra played "OneI
Fine Day. the most famous song Of
the opera. The second act was the
States, and his desertion of his Orien-
tai wife and baby. In this part the
wife's suspicious are beginning to be
reused, and she visits the American
consul. Following that act 1.-The Night
Vigil was played by the orchestra
The last act showed Pinkerton's re-
turn, and his American wife appears
In despair Madame Butterfly takes
her own life.
Miss Herren gave an outline of the
story and impersonated the little jap
anese wife, wearing the Jap costume
and reading her lines. The costume
was a blue silk kimono figured with
white birds,
Miss Herren has frequently been
heard by Topeka audiences, but last
night was her first recital since her
training in the Curry School of Ex-
preston of Boston last summer. She
has the artistic temperament, ruled
by the judgment of the woman of the
world, for in no instance was the
tragedy and pathos of the piece i'm
paired by the least shade of over-act-
ing. Her voice is distinct and reSo-
nant, and even the broken English of
the Japanese girl was clear. Every
shade of expression in the text was re-
f1ected in the face of the speaker, and
the quick changes of face and atti-
tude, the altering moods of merrime nt
and despair through the second and
third acts, were admirably depicted.
The conversation in which the consul
figured also was exce1lently done.
The enthusiasm of the audience, in
spite of the touching melancholy of
the piece, was indicated by the ap-
plause which called Miss Herren be-
fore the curtain five times. Upwards
of six hundred people attended the
entertainment Miss Herren has a |
large circle of friends in Topeka and
is active in a good many enterprises.
She publishes the Daily Legal News,
is a member of the Editorial associa-
ton, past president of the Kansas
Woman's Press club, and acting presi-
dent of the Business Woman's club.
The coming of 4 Maid Adams in
Peter Pan, it seems. is to be an event
of interest to society people. A num-
Der of people who planned to go to
Kansas City to hear her, will wait for |
her to come to Topeka, and some box
parties and line parties will be ar
ranged. The date for her appearance
at the Grand theater is April f.
Mrs ]. c. McClintock entertained
the Fillmore Street Whist club today |
at her nome 'l 'i'.s.ofe street.
The Ceramic Art club will meet |
Friday afternoon with Miss Katherine |
subject of "Enamels,'' and Mrs. H. E. |
Lyman will speak on Pottery"
ans Kansas Day club has ever had i
was held Wednesday. The guests to
the luncheon, which determines the
for the coming year, {
numbered 500. The reception follow |
ing the luncheon. a new feature in the !
clubs entertainment, was really re-
union, for the women who attended |
represented the workers in the best
activities of women in the state in
which they have worked together. At |
the close of the morning session short |
addresses were made by women in the !
audience. Mrs. Lee Monroe presented |
building, commemorating their at |
tainment to citizenship. Mrs W. A /
Johnston read a report of the Pawnee
Rock fund and expenditure.
Mrs j. E. Johntz of Abilene made |
the first address at the afternoon ses-
sion, her subject being the Federal
Children's Bureau" She explained
that the work of the bureau was con-
cerned now with compiling statistics,
without which the department which
it controls cannot do effective and
She said 100000 babies under one
year of age die in the United States
in one year, and more than half of
these deaths were from causes that
could easily have been prevented I'M
der decent conditions of living and
with a little education. The bureau is
in the hands of the first woman
Julia Lathrop, who has ever held
position at the mead OF a federal bu-
feau- Infant mortality is an index of
t he social welfare of a nation. The
future of the nation depends upon the
conservation of the health and life of
the children, and the effects of such
care and education will be perceptible
in a few years. The children must be
properly fed and housed, and child
labor stopped"
Mrs. Maurice Deatsch, of Horton, |
was the next speaker. Her paper was
an interesting one, dealing with srWom- /
ems Activities This is the Wom-
ans century.'' she said. and women as