The New York herald., 1920-01-04

he said to me, 'fout YOU might as well set
me to try to lift an elephant as to teach
him English He hated to learn. and al
though he was receptive and always ami
able, he used TO dodge my classes like a
playful child. I believe. frankly that ne
was too old try to put his mind in a blank
and absorb the new words and the ne"
sounds OF whae was to him a new IAN
guase. l used to lie awake at night anu
wonder whether would ever be able TO get
MN ready In time 10 make his first speech
You asked me when ] commenced 70
teach him to speak English. and how l
was able to do it commenced his l4Is'
lesson on October 10 last We spent three
or more hours, a day. / wrote OUT y.
euphonious French as many important
English words as could. He was thereby
able to compare the French pronunciation
with that OF the English language, and IN
this way he say the why's and whereiors
Of the unphonetic spelling OF our lar suase.
Once I almost lost my hope OF his ever
learning single word He had come 70 d
particularly difficult passage in the speech.
For several days he had been unable TO
niemorize 1t. on account Of the close am am
iation of many vowels In despair Wrote
the following letter to my father, who was
then in America
Had a Hard Task.
IF ever succeed In making Maeter-
Iinck sail. you certainly ought to give me
a new violoncello. tell you shall nave
earned It. Every time start TO give nm
his lessons in English. he looks around the
garden and says:-"Now that the autumn
rains have refreshed the earth, look how
beautiful my flowers ara II your father
loved ma as much as he pretends TO- ne
would not make me go to America ana
so on and so on. until I am almost cray.
81 told him what you said about SAILING
on December and the danger or arriVins
too late for the Blue Bird ball and thc
opera. He answered that nothing on earth
could make him sail so early, and SAID
Anybody would think they want me 70
Tyltyl. Tell your father IN
stead of bothering about the Blue BRO
to get Pond to let me off that oeastly
contract. will pay all the expenses VIZ
pleasure" Then I showed him the iettei
from the Belgian Ambassador in Paris OF
fering him a diplomatic passport lie az
once went up in the air and said:-"What
bosh! Anybody would think I was going
to talk in America about the League "f
Nationsl
Having failed to get him to accept a
diplomatic passport, told him that you
had written and cabled for photographs oL
him and Selysette. Again he let off steam
SdytnE.--W w nat 90 LIcy teihS ihO tS+
I Gaby Deslys? Is it not bad enough TOT
them to be obliged to read my books:
They certainly don't want to look at my
face"
Yesterday took him to the American
Consulate to get a passport. He absolutely
refused to let me announce his narc TO
the Consol General, and insisted on being
attended to by a young American clerk.
This man asked his name and then asked
what his profession was This made me
mad. I said to Maeterlinck, THAT boy
must be a fool not to know who you are.
All the master answered was, why
should he? ! don't know who he Isl!
Gives a Hint to His Father.
$50 father, II you value my life, please
stop asking me to get Maeterlinck to do
things. Otherwise IL ever do go to
New York my hair will be whittier than
yours. Instead Of spending SO much money
on cabling me, why don't you come over
here and take him to America yourself
He Is alternately accusing you, America
and the English language
but Maeterlinck is over here now, and
as soon as l have heard him speak once or
twice I shall return to my fathers villa
at Nice. I do not believe that deserve all
the credit which you have so generously
heaped upon me. If. however, l have
done one little thing to help humanity
learn the innermost sentiments of this
great man am contented to take up my
cello once more and try to achieve my
ambition to become a famous 'cellist-