The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-03-28

| old haunts. He was so int rested in
| the changes that have occurred in the
"old home town since he made it his
starting point on the road to fame,
that he could scarcely spare any time
to discourse on his own climb to the
| top of the world, where he stands an
eminent figure among musical artists.
You know he said, II used to be
telegraph boy here before the wire
was brought into the building, and
| carried the telegraph news up from
the Western Union office. 1 was the
most important person about the
place in those days, and even the re-
| porters stood aside while l clustered
| in, with my chest swelled out. and
carried the big news to the editor s
desk. In those days we used to ham
| die papers from the mailing depart
ment in a push cart
We'll, how about your own affairs
since you left this town, where a lot
of the men and women tell us how
they used to eat bread and jam with
you in the days that are gone, Mag
gie?"
"Oh, that's long, sad story" he
said, laughing, and certainly giving the
I lie to the sad part of it. q have
| been doing concert work, and trying
in recent years especially to encourage
the work of American composers, by
singing in our own language as much
as possible, and by giving annually
program of all-American music. 1t
| IS a fact that we have a large musical
| literature that American music lovers
| in general know little or nothing
about. Many of our composers have
found it necessary to write under
| foreign names to get their songs even
! tried in this country, and others have
written their music to words of other
| languages for the same reason. In the
east, the love of English and Ameri-
can songs is growing and opera and
songs in our own tongue are coming
| to be accepted more and more, but
in the west 1 find the people still
cling, more than 1 had expected, to
| the foreign language idea.
| 81 understand L said, that your
| accompanist is your wife %
Yes, she is he answered, land 1
| like to have my friends know it, tho
we don't tell that where we are not
! personally acquainted, and the reason
| is that the public has no interest in
| a man-and-wife professionally in team
| work. They love to speculate too we'll
| for that. They want to say to each
| other, Why does that young, pretty
girl want to travel around over the
country with that fat man? 1 wonder
| if she is chaperoned? What do you
| suppose her mother is thinking Off
| or DO you suppose they are in love
with each other? You see we want to
| let them weave their romances. But
she plays accomplishments well,
| think; at least New York accepts her
at the concerts l give in Carnegie hall,
and everywhere she appears as my
pianist" Mrs. Hemus is not entirely
| a stranger here, as she is school
friend of Miss E. May Leet, a teacher
1 of dramatic art in Topeka. She was
sowned for the concert last night in
a pretty evening frock of blue satin
and embroidered lace. Fl q
Mr.. and Mrs. Hemus will leave To-
peka Thursday morning for Colorado
| Springs. where they will visit Mr.
| Hemus' brother. Mr.. George Hemus
Percy Hemus will give a concert Fri
day at the lovely Burns theatre at
| the Springs. that all Topeka travellers
to that city know. After that Mr.. and
Mrs. Hemus will return to New York,
| and Mr.. Hemus will sing in opera. His
| company has chosen some of the
| operas that are seldom heard in this
country, and which eastern music
| lovers are asking for.
| Topeka people who knew Mr.
Hemus when he was a boy are mighty
proud OF his success. but they con-
tlnue to think of him as the young
| telegraph boy rushing to speed the
| news to the daily paper readers and
as the beginning singer in cassock and
Gotta, carrying a hymn and chant
book in the Guild Hall choir.
X X
mrs G. j. Wilson is entertaining a
few tables at bridge this afternoon in
compliment to her daughters Mrs.
Claude Butlin of the City of Mexico,
and Mrs. Everett Dallas of Atlanta,
Ga, who are visiting her at 1Ier home
in Topeka avenue.
X =
| Mr.. Daniel Muller has asked a few
friends to studio tea tonight to meet
Mr.. and Mrs. Percy Hemus, of New
York.
X X y
| DR.. and Mrs. Warren Jeffrey enter
tanned at dinner Tuesday night for
! few of their friends who are attending
the State Dental convention. Covers
were placed for DR.. J. NJ. Bradford of
! Wichita, DR.. A. NJ. Burbank of Con-
cordia, DR.. L. E. Alquist of Clay Cen
ter, DR.. w. Keel of Bonner Springs
and Doctor and Mrs. Jeffrey.
| X x X
| Mrs. Robert C. March of Potwin
Place, was hostess at a meetin~ of her