The Washington times., 1915-07-09
EAST MEETS WEST
IN A CHINESE ACT
Young Chinese Woman Bellies
Mr.. KipIing and Makes
Vaudeville Hit.
BY GARDNER MACK.

When the poetic Mr. Kiplins an
nounced so positively that east is east
and west Is west. and never the twain
shall meet-meanins that the Occident-
al and Oriental are so far apart tenn
peramentally they will never know
each other-he overlooked two very I'M
portant things. to wit:
Pittsburgh. Pa, and the vaudeville
circuit.
1t is just possible that when Mr.. Kip
ling threw himself into the immortai
frenzy through which he gave to the
world the lines referred tot is bare
iy possible that he knew nothing or
Pittsburgh and had not heard of the
qualities of the vaudeville circuit and
melting pots into which all the char
acters of the human family might be
thrown and converted into common
medium of understanding
However that might be, Lady Sen
MOI. late Of Canton. China, still later
pause to al theories Of the antagonism
OF the Oriental mind to Occidental
learning and accomplishments. is
living, breathing proof of the fact that
Tor this once Mr. Kipling's six-cylin-
der Pegasus has lost it's number.
Patriotic and Chinese.
Lady Sen Mel Is about as patriotic a
young woman as can be found in a
years journey around the world, mean
ing, Of course. that Lady Sen Mel Is
Chinese from the top Of her head to the
tip of her pink and altogether lively
toes. Coupled with this is an ability to
sing real Occidental music, to swap the
small talk Of a drawing room. tango
or maxixe, as the orchestra plays it,
discuss the cosmos or cosmetics with
equal abandon in the sort Of English
one expects from the sweet girl grad
uate while she Is still a sweet GIRL
shortly after she had been graduated.
showing Keith's audiences this week
that at least one Oriental woman pos
sesses real contralto voice Of oper-
Sbfrsq sfiG quality; hC, is inaa native Of Canton.
United States about sS per cent Of all
the Chinese that come here. Lady Sen
Mel Is not Cantonese, however. She
comes of Mandarin stock and shows
ner, her pride, and her quiet dignity.
She came to this country when she was
a very little girl, and her family set
tied nS IN pittsburgh: She attended the
hnishing school as young miss to get
all the airs and graces of girls OF her
station in life in the Occident. 1t was
while still a child that she showed
range and richness for an Oriental. Her
father was advised to make every ef-
tort to give her musical education.
He accepted the advice and sent Sen
Mel to New York to study in one Of the
large conservatories of music. Finish
Ing her course there she became a pupil
Of one of the best known vocal teachers
IN the metropolis, and on the strength
OF the progress she showed was soon
given q position as soloist in one of the
big New York church choirs.
From Choir to Concert.
From the choir she drifted naturally
into concert work. and as a concert
singer she toured the country. She has
the happy belief that 1t Is the duty Of
everyone on earth to do something to
promote the general welfare and enjoy
ment of her fellow beings. She Is thor
oughly aware Of the qualities Of her
voice, and she believed she could
willie than she could in concert work
Likewise, she believed she could give
people a better understanding of the
great mass of educated and intelligent
them as one of themselves and singing
and dancing as one Of their own enter
tainers.
Lady Sen Mel is insistent that her
accordance with the standards Of the
work of her associates. She does not
wish to be considered a novelty because
she happens to be a Chinese. She
wishes it to be understood that she Is
like thousands and thousands Of young
women of her age in China who are ex-
actly the same In their fundamental
views of things as the educated re-
fined young women Of any other section
Of the world.
She is proud Of the fact that she is
Chinese and extremely proud of the
fact that she is bringing to a big Occi-
dental nation a new idea Of just what
young Chinese womanhood is-that It is
just the same sweetly simple young
womanhood that likes to laugh and
dance and sing that is to be found in
the homes of Washington.