The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-09-13
BIRMINGHAM AWAKE TO OPPORTUNITY AND IT WILL BE CRASHED
 DECLARE CITIZENS
(Continued from Page F'ive)

NCOuC1mWe0 1rOm rage E1VG) various parts of the south and there could be no reasonable doubt of the finan- cial success of the enterprise. While I was in California last month I met the president of the Atlanta Grand Opera as- sociation and he was telling me how much the opera season had done for that city. It would not have been possible, he said, had it not been for the out-of-town at. tendance. Now the only reason Birning ham has never attempted a week of grand opera is because of our lack of an audi torium. The prospect of being able to secure the Metropolitan Opera company for the spring of 1916 should certainly be a great incentive to go ahead at once and vote $300.000 for the erection of an auditorium, with a seating capacity of 5000 or 10000. Capitol park would be the ideal place for 1t, but no matter where 1t might be situated the people would be ready to vote for the bonds this fall by a sweeping majority. Out west I found that Birmingham was much talked about as a convention city. It has fine hotel commodations-larger hotel accommo- dations than Atlanta. All that it needs to make 1t the best convention city in the south is an adequate auditorium. With grand opera in the spring people. | would flock here from all the neighbor- | ing states and that fact of itself would | lend added interest to the general sub | ject of opera From every point the view the need of an auditorium Is go pressing that few citizens would vote against it. No effort should be spared to have the auditorium project pushed and pushed now"
 Do It Now, Says Milner l H. K. Miner: 'The city will some day erect an auditorium and 1t should pro- ceed to give us this greatly needed build ing without any delay Birmingham now has the legal right to issue auditorium 1 bonds, and In view of the fact that we could have the Metropolitan grand opera here for week next spring if we only had an adequate building the people would vote for the auditorium proposi- ton by an overwhelming majority. | Birmingham Is getting to be more and more of a convention city and large structure will be in demand every year for convention purposes. In 1917 we are to have the biennial convention of the Federation of Music Clubs of America It is a very large body and if Birming- ham should be without auditorium when the time comes we could have to put up a temporary building. At any rate let the city commission submit the audi torium bond issue question to the voters
 
 the plans were to begin Monday it would be none too soon. We simply cannot af- ford to let an opportunity for having grand opera slip by."
 Would Be Splendid
 Robert Lawrence, dean of the South ern School of Musical Art: By all means let's have the city auditorium. I feel sure that the people of Birmingham. after they had read the article In Sundays Age Herald about the prospects of bringing the Metropolitan Grand Opera company here the coming spring provided we have an auditorium would be ready to vote at an early date for an auditorium bono issue A grand opera season would be 3 splendid thing for this city; and ther
 besides we need an auditorium for con
 vention purposes, Before read The Age convention hall movement for the grea convention Of music clubs. which ia to meet here in 1917, must be provided for The crowd that will como on that occa' sion will be well up in the thousands and we must have an adequate auditor ium for the big meetings and the mustcs affairs. With grand opera in sight now is the time to go ahead with the audi torium project"
 Immediate Action Needed Mrs. E. T. Rice. vice president of thu Music Study club: ''I am heartily In fa vor. of course, of making an effort tt bring the Metropolitan opera company here next spring. and as such an enter prise would be conditioned upon the cit, building an auditorium steps should p' taken immediately for that achievement If the people were called upon tomorrow to vote the necessary bond issue l be lieve the majority for 1t would be over whelming. Everybody must realize thu
 need of an auditorium; but 90 long al Birmingham lacks such building jus 50 long will we be without a grand op0S
 season. There can be no question aoou the financial success of weeks per formance by the Metropolitan company
 We are to have an unusually large mum
 Der of musical attractions here this sea
 son. including the full Minneapolis Sym
 phony orchestra of S5 men-the larges
 orchestra ever brought to the south-an'
 a little later Kreisler. the worlds mos
 renowned violinist. It would be fine in
 deed if we could round out the seaso
 with grand opera"
 Philip Memol: q feel certain that ever,
 public spirited citizen would vote thi
 fal! for an auditorium bond issue If b
 building the auditorium we could secur
 the Metropolitan Opera company for
 weeks engagement next spring. And tn
 fact should not be lost sight of that q
 auditorium will be needed for the Confed
 crate reunion. which will be held her
 in May or June The 1906 reunion brougf
 an immense crowd of visitors to Bii
 mingham and the forthcoming even
 should draw even a greater crowd be cause the south will be more prosperOu