Evening star., 1921-12-11

| to do but get out and push, which
Mr.. Spalding, his accompanist and
| the chauffeur proceeded to do, the
| artist supremely conscious of an au-
| dience that was already waiting for
him and probably growing impatient
| After wallowing around in the mud
| until there was more Of 1t on them
! than there was on the street. the OBJ
! stinate taxi was Jared into motion.
| and the trip to the hall was feverishly
resumed.
| The vioIinist's accompanist spent
| his time trying to carve mud away
from both of them, an achievement
! which. almost accomplished by the
I time the stage door was reached, sud-
denly and horribly disclosed that both
Mr.. Spalding's pumps had been left
back in the mud!
| Needless to say, the eminent vio-
! linist did not treat his audience to
! the spectacle of a virtuoso playing
/ in his stockinged feet! Had ne done
so. they would probably have con-
cluded it to be the very latest New
York stunt" for greater art" and
would have tried it themselves.
Whose shoes Mr.. Spalding borrowed
1 don't know. but I trust their fit was
/ not as trying to him as the awful
+; moments that must have preceded
/. the finding of them!
/ The greatest music in the world
goes in this sometimes humble and
unconventional fashion into 'rhe
| heart of America America pays
we'll for and receives the finest musi-
| cal art that exists today. The great
est orchestras, soloists and instru-
mentalists make it their mecca, and
their toll and trouble are more than
rewarded by the vast fortune that
comes their way for doing it.
hear tha. even the great Pade-
rewski may return to the concert
| stage, and that he has retired to his
ranch in California to prepare for his
new debut" before the American
people. 1 am rather surprised to
learn this. and can only hope that IL
is true. For. by chance, l heard the
greatest perhaps living maestro de-
+, clare that he would never play
| again." The occasion was the great
testimonial concert given in honor OF
Marshal Joffre when the latter WIS.,
| tied this country in 1916.
Among other artists. Mr.. Paderew-
ski had consented to play. and by an
unlucky chance was actually on the
! stage and playing when Joffre and
his party made a somewhat belated
arrival into their box at the Metro
politan Opera House.
THE famous pianists sensitiveness
to interruption is we'll known
among musicians, and. in fact. audi
euces have seen him actually cease
playing if annoyed by inattention or
noise. Unfortunately. but quite un-
| derstandably, the audience. carried
away by enthusiasm. forgot the artist
momentarily to do honor to the SOL
dier and rose en- masse to it's feet
and cheered. Paderewskfs face
turned white, but he continued to the
end of his number. He then left the
stage and would not return. Those
who were near him on the stage
and I was one of them-heard him
exclaim that he would never play
again. And. In fact, he has not played
| since that time. Whether or not it
was because of that incident, do
duties to the new Polish republic
have kept him busy. so that he had
little time to play. But it is a fact
that his devotion to his native land
has drained his funds. gathered by
years of patient labor, so that per-
haps he may be compelled to return
to the concert stage. However that
may be. the news that he has changed
his mind and will play again is sure
to be welcome everywhere.
Does a career such as yours inter-
fere with marriage-with love?"'
How often have I been asked that
question! l remember it SO well on
one occasion. I can still see the
large brown, earnest eyes OF my ques-
tioner as we sat together-just she
and lin an "ice cream parior" in
tl.e heart of Idaho. She was no more
than nineteen, and a voice student
| with a sweet soprano, which I told
her would go far. She was working
/ ever so hard, but in the back of her
mind dwelt tenaciously the thought
of ''her boy a student at Moscow
University in Moscow. Idaho where
| 1 had sung the night before. He was
a fine chap. By chance he had led
the students who had grouped them
selves together on the snow-filled
| street outside my hotel to serenade
me after the concert with their own
colleg- songs, and I had met and
| liked him SO much.
II have a little girl-who sings" he
had said, ever SO hesitatingly. but
proud of her Just the same.
So had met her and learned of
the intimate thing which was trou-
bling them bo.h-the old, old question
of whether or not woman can wed
art and love and do credit to both.
- +
iMY answer was the one made in
Ah al such cases. If you do not
feel the impulse of your love before
! CONTINUED on Sixth Page.)