The New York herald., 1921-10-02
Nine. Gamma Walska to Sing
With Chicago Opera Company
To Make Another Effort to Let the Public Hear Her
j Col. Savage Wanted to Hire American Singers,
| but They Wouldn't Let Him.

I plicants would consider small roles.
Many of them walked out without a
word when we suggested that they Join
| the ensemble. Nearly every American
girl who applied for role in The
Merry Widow could see herself In only
one role-the Widow.
Several OF these who would. for ex-
perience, consent to sing in The en-
sembie asked salaries OF $500 a week.
| The would-be principals sometimes
asked for as much as $500 They fig.
| ured 1t out that when they sang in con-
cert they received 500 performance
Sometimes they sang only three con-
certs a season. Still 500 was their price,
and for eight performances a week IN
The Merry Widow $500 was the proper
figure. 1t would have been amusing
II It had not been go absolutely dis
coura ging. These young Americans
| needed jolt: they needed some sense
Of true valuation. We had to give most
OF them up as hopeless. After this ex.
perience with IT'S American singers Mr.
Savage's engagement Of four foreign
singers for The Merry Widow is not
SO surprising"
The Rule Of Three.
Those enlightened folk the opera
singers are superstitious lot There
Is not one among them who does not
have perfect faith In the idea that
everything follows the rule OF three.
Indeed. everything goes in threes. II
might be added that they are especially
prone to believe this succession about
death.
1t is for that reason that the tenors
in the Metropolitan Opera House are
considerably upset. Two Of their choir,
Enrico Caruso and the newly enga eed
Joseph Mann. have died recently. Who
will be the third from their number?
This Is the question that disturbs them
to such a degree that every ar-iv'ro
tenor shows unmistakable signs Of the
nervous strain through which they are
passing.
Bred in the hone.
The two young actresses. Josephine
and Selena Royle. who met with such
great success when they appeared first
in "Launcelot and Elaine" como rightly
by their theatrical aspirations Their
mother. as Selena Fetter. was a we'll
known star for years. and their father
playwright-he Is author Of the vastly
successful THE squaw Man"-was also
an actor.
But there was no thought Of putting
the girls on the stage until they decided
for themselves that they were going TO
be actresses. Even then their parents
insisted that they came from Missouri
and that the young women, who arc
only nineteen and seventeen. should
prove their talent before they were al
lowed to be actresses. But how?" they
asked IN chorus.
Their father, Edwin Milton Royle, was
prepared for the question. He had
written play for them called THE Sin
OF Cinderella" 1t should be acted by
them. He engaged a company. which
came to live In the Royle home at Da-
rien. rehearsed all It's me~-hnrs MI
borrowed a set OF scenery from Edgar
Selwyn. With this equipment the play
was produced and the fond parents had
to throw UP their hands. They ac-
knowledged. as one says In Missouri
the corn. The young women knew what
they were about They demonstrated
their fitness for the stage so completely
hat It Is not improbable the two young