Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-02-02

had ever been seen with his hair
parted in the middle. SO pleased was
/ he with the impression that he was
/ creating that ne wore no makeup, APP
I pearing as a japanese gentleman with
| light brown hair, carefully separated
along the meridian line. SeveraIprom
{ inent citizens thereupon forbid their
daughters to receive the young man
at their homes
A man they muttered, who would
part his hair in the middle IS not re-
spectacle"
\ year or so later the first profes-
sional performance OF The Mikado"
was given in the town. A new opera
house had just been built and the
country was secured for an attraction
fit TO grace the occasion Finally the
Carlton Opera company was booked
for the great night with The Mikado'
as the bill.
The elder Carlton got off the train.
took a good look at the town and then
at the playhouse designed by the most
prominent local architect thereafter
getting drunk as promptly as the speed
of the bartender at the city hotel
would permit
Our youthful impression of Japan
gained from that performance was
that the mikadO was king of the
worlds greatest race Of Iushers. The
potentate sang his entire role carefully
propped up on a table with a staIwart
supernumerary at either side TO see
/ that he didn't topple over.
The next season brought an anna
teur performance OF Patience" in
which the cast, made up of popular
young matrons and misses, appeared
in juvenile costume. The early Ro-
manesque neither architecture OF the
society leader of the town. a buxsome
matron of 30-odd created another
series Of shocks, which reverberated
up and down for weeks after Most
of the church ladies snubbed her for
the rest of the season. though her sub
sequent popularity with their hus-
bands was the beginning OF many a
domestic jar.
When Greek Met Greek
But to turn back to the collaborat tors. /
Gilbert himself has described his meet /
ing with Sullivan.
My first meeting he wrote a short I.
time before his death, with Sullivan I.
was rather amusing. 1 had written a T.
piece with Fred Clay called Ages Ago [
and was rehearsing it at the Old Gal /
iery Of Illustration At the same time
was busy on my Palace of Truth .
in which there is d character, one .
ZOram. who is a musical iniposter. /
Now. ! am as unmusical as any man (
in England ! am quite incapable of /
an air in tune, although !,
have a singularIy good ear for rhythm.
/ was bound to make Zoram express
his musical ideas in technical Ian
guage, so / took up my encyclopedia.
and, turning to the word harmony.
a suitable sentence and turned
it into sounding blank verse.
Curious to know whether this would
pass muster With a musician, / said TO
Sullivan (whO happened to be present
at rehearsal and TO whom l had Just
been iHtroduced). I am very pleased
70 meet you, Mr.. Sullivan, because you
will be able to settle a question which
has just arisen between Mr. Clay and
myself. My contention is that when 1
who is master of many musi-
al Instruments has a musical theme
o express he can express II as err
ectIy on the simple tetrachord of Mer- /
Jury Tin which there are. as we all /
now, no diatonic intervals whatever :
IS upon the more elaborate diapason {
with the familiar four tetrachords !
nd the redundant motel. which need /
ot remind you embraces IN its simple
ali the single. double and
inverted chords
"He reflected for a moment and
sked ne to oblige him by repeating
~ question. / did so and he replied
nat it was a very nice point and he !
-ould like 10 think II over before Civ
* definite reply. That took place F.
bout 20 years ago. and / believe he
still engaged in hammering it out"
Some oiIbertania.
Gilbert's last dramatic work was
tort sketch, THE Hooligan," written
n an actor in vaudeville. In It The
lthor OF The Pirates Of Penzance
Id "Iolanrhe" further criticised the
nglish bench in his satiricai manner.
though he himself was county /
agistrate at EdEeware. Gilbert could !
,preciate his doutle position as dra-
atist and judge. and consequently he [