The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1917-02-17

tSODy
Rt. Rev. Frederick w. Keator,
Rutland Apartments, Tacoma,
Wash:
My Dear Sir:
You have refused to endorse an
annual season of grand opera in
Tacoma for the reason that such
a season would come during Lent.
May / ask in what characteristic
does inspirational music, compos-
ed by the masters. sung by the
greatest among recognized artistes
and directed by acknowledged
geniuses, detract from the spirit
of the worship of God, the observ-
ance of the Lenten season? Is
high grade music-classica music
"a hindrance or help in the OBJ
servance? Next to prayer and
worship in the spoken word, what
comes next in the expression of
the better side of the human char
acter. Is 1t not music? Else why
do you have music in your church
during Lent?
Oh, the church music is relig-
ious! Well, let us see. Religion
is love and happiness, purity and
faith, is 1t not? Then let us take
into consideration the music and
the actual stories of the two
operas to be presented in Tacoma
on March 10 by the Boston-Nation-
al Grand Opera company, and see
whether they are not of love and
happiness, of purity and faith!
"Aida"-Rhadames, an Egyp-
tian general, loves Aida, a slave of
the Princess of Egypt. The proud
princess herself is in love with
Rhadames. The first love is
pure, the other of base passion
only. The general is selected to
lead an expedition against the
king of Ethiopia, who, it develops,
is the father of the slave girl,
Aida. The old, old story of the
conflict between love and duty
ends in the tragic death of Rha-
danes and Aida, because they re-
true to pure love.
LA Boheme"-Mimi, an en-
broideress, is betrothed to Rodol-
70, poet Both are poor but hap
ply because they are in love. They
go to a supper. Then comes the
rift in the Lutte. Other eyes than
the poets gaze upon Mimi, and
how human! She throws aside
the real for the unreal. Temper,
pride and vanity separate these
two who were Joined by a pure de-
votion. Mimi is just any girl of
today. She was young and she
knew nothing of life. Then, when
the scales turn and unfairness is
about to get its just deserts, she
cries for salvation. Here is the
preachment of the valuable lesson
to young girls. Lifelong unhap-
piness is the penalty for having
cast aside a love that was of God
clean, wholesome.
And these two stories, placed in
a musical setting of great beauty
and charm, are not worthy of be-
ing presented in Tacoma during
Lent!
During the presentation of these
two operas at the Tacoma theater
on Saturday. March 10, there will
not be word spoken, gesture
made, a scene enacted, that could |
not be given within the walls of
your church as Lenten celebra- |
ton.
And yet you cannot endorse
It."
Fortunately there are ID of Ia
coma's most representative men,
men in all walks of life, of varied
and business activi-
ties, who can and do endorse 1t,
not only for the coming produc-
tons, but for every year. ! shall
not embarrass these men by men |
their names at this time,
but | have their names in my pos
session and have their promises,
too, that they heartily endorse
grand opera for Tacoma--now and
always, in whatever season or I'M
der what particular religious OBJ
servance it might happen to oc-
cur.
And in closing may be per-
mitted to add that in talking with |
these men | found greater cour-
tesy, greater friendship, greater
than in the few mo-
ments | talked with you, when
your gruffness, your bluntness and