The Washington times., 1920-10-10
HARDING BOOSTED
/ marion, OPERA
Candidate Took Keen interest
In "Pinafore" Presentation
u Years Ago.
A writer in Musical America says;

IL was Just twenty-nine years ago.
that "the best musical talent OF Ma
rion. Ohio" according to the news
papers OF the locality and period. gave
III. NJ. 8. Pinafore" at Marion. Upper
SanduslSy. Gallon. Findlay, and Ken
ton, Ohio, with the aid and under the
direction of two professional musi-
clans. Herman +. Grueundler was i'm
presario. and his wife. Cora Ferris
Gruendler. who sang the Buttercup.
was well known at that time In light
opera roles. or her. the young editor
OF the Marion Daily Star remarked
that she had sung all lines Of business
m ooera, from FianOnette In The
Masco" to Katisha in The Mikado:"
and had played everything from
soubrettes to leading roles In comedy
and drama.
This young editors name was War
rem @. Harding. and he was much In
terested In music. Incidentally. he had
been a member Of the towns ''Silver
Cornet Band, His wife was also
much interested In Marion's musical
doings: and the chorus was recruited
from the members of Marlon's best
musical circles. So he just naturally
gave the performances, which were
everywhere conceded to be excellent.
and were always for the benefit of
some good object. a fine write up"
As thus. after the performance at Up
per Sandusky, on April 81:
"sIMPLEY EXCELLENT." HE SAYS.
Everybody connected with last
nights rendition OF II. M. s. Pinafore'
is to be congratulated.-Ma II.
Il. Hall. Prof and Mrs. Gruendler. the
excellent cast, the chorus, and the
Woman's Relief Corps, under whose
auspices II was given and to whose
endeavors the magnificent audience
was largely due. No local perform
ance has ever achieved so notable a
success. 1t was simply excellent. re-
CARELESS of the. brief season of re-
hearsals and the difficulties Of home
production of opera"
1T was Some event" that perform
ance. Even OF the rehearsal room at
the city hall, Editor Harding remarks
1t is a splendid room for the purpose.
large and commodious. easy of access
for ladies and children" and he adds
that the inspiring and sparkling
strains of the beautiful choruses in
Pinafore' will awaken the echoes OF
this old landmark as probably no
others music has ever done
He was right about that; but IT was
because the young newspaper man
who wrote the paragraph happens
now to be the Republican party's
/ nominee for the Presidency OF the
! United States. George +. Christian,
jr., who was the clever DICK Deadeye
of the production, is now the candi'
late's private secretary; and the cam
paigners who took after Mr.. Hard
ing's visitors at his front porch
meetings are housed in the old home
of Clara Richardson, who sang sue
cessful Josephine and afterwards be-
anne well known as church and
concert singer in Boston.
TRIALS OF BUSINESS MANAGER.
Musical America is indebted to II.
Eugene Hall, it's Lima (Ohfp) corre-
spondent, for these interesting facts
Mr.. Hall was business manager to
the production, called by the San
dusky Union zone of the best man
aged and cleverly put on amateur
productions ever witnessed in that
city" He writes that some people
will affirm that the Indians were
stalking about the country here
abouts during that period" but the
Indians he thought of were apparent
Y of a different tyne. For Mr.. Hall
once took the Marion company from
ialIon to Upper Sandusky in a pri-
vate car and he says feelingly of the
experience: THE story of our trou-
bles with the fifty handsome-looking
girls of the chorus, trying to get
them under our wing and safe In the
car after the night performance and
disentangle them from the ardent fei
lowship Of numerous of Gallons gay
Lotharios, would be quite interesting
at this day"
CHEERING UP HIS READERS.
The future Presidential candidate
had no possible objection to livenins
I'D the column of the Star in usual
small-toWn-paper fashion. In be-
tween notes of coming attractions he
sandwiches the story of the young
fellow in Kenton who wrote it Pin
IA" when he asked his best girl to
20 with him to the opera; also the
anecdote of the actor at "Lonelyville
n. j." who received Easter eggs "in
the neck" He remarks that in some
o. the West Virginia towns the police
inspect all theatrical fence posters
before they are put up; adding that
the morals of the Inhabitants must