The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-09-28

la Fora del
Destino" In the Metropolitan Opera
House. Mother was there with my sis
ter Carmella, but fathers business in
Meriden. Conn.,, kept him away.
At the conclusion of the perform
ance there was much applause, and
I went before the curtain with Caruso
and de Luca and Mardones and Chal-
mers to acknowledge IL. But l was
not really satisfied until the papers ar
rived next morning with the critical
reviews. No one who has not received
verdict In the dispassionate form of
cold print can comprehend how IL af-
fects one to read OF success In attain
ing ones hearts desire. With the grey
light OF dawn creeping in at my apart
ment windows, i read each criticism as
a starving person might deyour sud-
denly acquired food.
! Sing as a Child.
Now that i have made that confess
sion. I feel that can tell in order how
IL all came about. AS little girl
used to sing, and 1 also studied the
piano. At the age of twelve l sang
for the first time In the choir of the
Church OF Our Lady of Mount Carmel,
In my home town, Meriden, Conn. By
the time was fifteen played the pi-
ano fairly well. and one day the pro-
prietor OF a Meriden motion picture
theater offered me twelve dollars a
week to play the piano and sing q few
songs while the pictures were being
shown. I obtained my mothers per-
mission to accept, and made my first
debut, a wildly excited little girl, In
that little motion picture theater.
Several months later the owner of
the rival Meriden motion picture the
alter offered me fifteen dollars a week
20 appear In his place of amusement
] accepted. Very shortly l won my
mothers permission to sing twice a
week In theater In a nearby town.
Cabaret and Vaudeville.
BY the time l was seventeen I had
progressed to singing in the daily mu-
steal programs given in a New Haven
(Conn.) hotel at several times my for
mer salary. My next forward step was
Into vaudeville at the age OF twenty.
With my sister Carmella / prepared
an act which we played together In
what Is known as "small time" vaude-
vile. i loved the applause-aId we
got It But at times. when / realized
that was not singing my best, the APP
plause somehow hurt did not want
to be applauded out of kindness.
What I longed for was appreciation
that was deserved.
Finally I sang a solo, and the audi
ence made me happy with their APP
prevail But the effect OF their ap-
plause was to make me work harder
than ever. 1t aroused within me an
abiding ambition TO strive at all times
to give my best. For the public
should have every consideration; II is
always entitled to the artists best ef-
forts.
Take Singing Lessons.
At the end OF our first year Carmella
and graduated into big time" vaude-
Vile. Our salary now enabled us to
travel with every comfort end to save
a little money. Such a condition is
conducive TO mental ease. which is
helpful TO ambition, no matter what
the theorists say about starving genius
In an attic. The genius drives the
starving man to work But the starva-
ton does not stimulate the genius
was now planning definitely for
a real singing career. but ! was al
ways suspicious OF teachers. One day
q teacher heard us sing In New York
vaudeville thcater. and induced Car.
mella TO take some lessons. When
heard her marked Improvement after
she bad been studying less than three
weeks. I consentcs TO 90 to see him
myself But to 4 - to give me