The Johnson City comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1916-1917, 1916-06-01
KARL JORN'S VOICE
HEARD THROUGHOUT
AMERICAN CONTINENT
Sings to Thirty Different Banquets
In Thirty Different Cities at
the Same Time.

Singers who have gained the round
on the ladder of fame where they are
considered as one of the worlds
| greatest singers become accustomed
to singing in many different cities
and to many thousands of people VINO
are so fortunate as to live in the
cities where they appear, but seldom,
if ever before in the history of mu-
sic, has a singer been able to charm
with their voice thirty different audi
ences in thirty different cities thous-
ands of miles apart at one time, and
then to himself have the pleasure of
hearing the applause of so vast an
audience coming from so far. Such
thing is not made possible by the
phonograph which at best only re.
cords the singers voice in mechan-
ical manner, but by that masterpiece
of modern invention-the telephone.
When Mr.. Karl Jorn, the celebrated
Wagnerian tenor. who was for eight
years the most popular tenor of the
Metropolitan Opera company with the
single exception of Mr.. Caruso, was
engaged to sing at the banquet of the
West Point alumni at the Astor hotel
in New York city, he little expected
the pleasure that was in store for
him. On arriving at the banquet,
which was held in the grand ball
room of the Astor, he Immediately
noticed a map of this country of ours
covered with network of electric
lights, and on questioning was told
that at each city designated by
light the alumni of the military acad-
emy of West Point was holding a sim
liar banquet and that telephones were
on every table connecting with the
tables at similar banQuets in San
Francisco, Portland, Chicago, New Or
leans and nearly every big city in
the United States.
That night class mates of many
years gone by, who had not seen each
other in years, had chats that gave
them thrill of by-gone days to hear
the old familiar voices once again.
And then the classmates of later
years held conversations with college
chums who were far separated by the
pathways of duty to which their coun-
try had called them.
Then the speaker of the evening
called for silence on the wires and af-
ter telling them that one of the
worlds greatest tenors would now
sing for them, motioned for Mr.. Jorn
to begin. After taking his position
before the big grand piano and
phone being held closely before him
he began. With thrill of patriotic
feeling Mr.. Clemson, the singers
clever accompanist, played the stir
ring opening measures of Obey
Speaks new song, when the Boys
Come Home" Then Mr.. Jorn began
to sing ''the long story of the battle,
fierce and gory" and finally with his
glorious high tone bringing the won
derful patriotic song to a close with
a sun-burst of glory when the Boys
Come Home"
The applause that filled the room
at its close was deafening but a mo-
tion for silence from the POSTMASTER |
and a loud noise from the many re-
ceivers told the story of the ap-
plauses from the hundreds of others
scattered across this wide country |
who had been thrilled by the singers
wonderful voice.
When speaking of his novel expert
ence later in the evening Mr.. Jorn
said, Yes, it was truly the most un-
usual and one of the most wonderful
| have ever had.
''Who would not feel proud to be
even adopted by country such as
ours? | think if the world only had
more such real men as those were
tonight, the world would be better
and there would be no more wars"