New-York tribune., 1919-05-04

moved. Mr.. Gatti has not announced
his purposes touching next season as
yet' and the Big Three" still have an
opportunity to tell him what he must
40. Isn't there a need that our opera
be taken into the purview of the peace
conference? There is something in an
clent literature which suggests a prece-
dent. We recall, somewhat hazily, we
confess, at about the time that when
some ancient peoples were much occu-
pied with plans for creating an ideal
state (not so ideal, but more practical
than The Republic'D the Imagination
OF Plato conjured up "Big Three"
(who, after all, turned out to be a "Big
One") who laid down laws which went
"lhutely into nearly all the questions
winch have been occupying the mind of
Ihe peace congress for five months and
also PAID proper attention to music and
opero-as the terms were then under
stood. In "The Laws" we find manv
parallels between the conversation of
three old gentleman-one from Sparta
one from Crete and cne from Athens
ana the utterances of the Paris con-
gress, not the least of which is the fact
that the Athenian did all the talking
ana was forever apologizing for his
want OF clearness of speech whi]e i'm
pressing his superior wisdom on the
Two patlent old fellows who "could not
choose, but hear" From him we
learned the novel and momentous
truths that peace is better than war
and reconciliation better than the de-
feat of an enemy; that a good citizen
should have fear of right sort as we'll
as courage of right sort (Which NAV
nave been Plato's way of saying that
one might be too proud too fight).
But it is not our purpose to con-
slder such general principles Of po-
lltlcal morality but rather some of
flato's prescriptions concerning the
education Of the citizens of his state
IN music-especially those which seem
applicable to our next opera season.
Since Colonel House and his Great
Friend are laying down laws for the
society of a superhuman world we
should like to suggest that some
things for the regeneration of our
opera be written into the peace treaty.
For instance, wei like Plato's notion
that musical and dramatic entertain
ments should not be allowed to de-
pend upon the tickle breath of the
multitude, that everybody should be
taught everything that the word music
implied in that day, that while chill
ofen should be taught music (for
three years, he sad) the education
should not go beyond their natural
aptitude. We like the notion, too. that
the burden of the songs which should
be taught to the youth be virtue and
happiness, and that the laws of COM
position be set by the songs Of old
mlnstrels, capable of singing Of utili-
ty and beauty. We confess to feeling
bit friendly to the suggestion that
these old mentors would require lit
tie VINE in order to mellow the aus
terlty OF age and make them amenable
to law" and, though we know it to
be an undeniable evidence of age. we
give our cordial approval to his warn
Ing against novelties in the repertorv
and to his regulation that the Judges
OF new operas Gas we would saw must |
be at least fifty years old
And SO on, and so on. There is much
else TN "The Laws" which might be laid
down in fourteen or more points OF
principle, but we wish to come tn
things concrete. Why should not Ital-
ian be abolished at the Metropolitan
and Bohemian established in it's stead
Is not Jugo-Slavia in embryo greater
than Italy and Emmy Destinn more
important, to us than \Fiume? The
Czechs of New York struck aNblow for
the self-determination Of their kins-
men IN Europe ten years ago when
they refused to permit the Austrian ma
tional hymn to be sung at perform
ance Of "The Bartered Bride" We
love the opera and we admired and
gloried In their spirit and spunk when
they refused to permit its PROCLAMATION.
That was five years before they or we
dreamed Of the war that was coming
and which has made 1t forever un-
necessary for them to take off their
mats to "Gott erhalte Franz den
Kaiser"-beautiful tune, but stained
by political association. When the war
did break out and our government was
officially unconscious of what II uos
all about, Miss Destinn gave such
pointed expression of her hatred for
our present enemy that she was pre-
vented from coming back from her Bo-
hemian homo to sing for us, though
we wanted and needed her. The Kaiser.
we were told, had kept her away for a
season or two after our operatic man
agement had openly arrived at an open
covenant with her that she would
transfer her activities from Berlin to
New York. Now, when she went back
Tor a summers vacation the Kaiscr's
imperial brother Of Austria put a ban
on her return, notwithstanding that she
had declared her intention to becomo
an American citizen. Obviously. her
case ought to be considered by the
makers OF state universal. Let her
be declared autonomous and mandate
issue to Mr.. Gatti to restore her to
the Metropolitan company.