Evening star., 1922-06-01
SEEKS TO PROTECT
AMERICAN MUSIC
Mrs. Archibald Freer in Cam.
paign Against "ominous
European Competition"
BY the Associated Press.

BY the AssOclAke0 PretS.
CHICAGO. June 1.-The recipient of
three European decorations, which
were bestowed in recognition of war
service to European countries. and
the hrst American shareholder in the
British National Opera Company. Ltd,
Mrs. Archibald (Eieanor Everest)
Freer OF Chicago is leading cam
paign to protect American music and
musicians from What she regards a1
ominous European competition. The
plains. with the intention OF exclud-
ing nothing good, but of including the
musical art Of this country"
Active during the world war In
work for the national defense, Mrs.
Freer now asserts that the greatest
country--the music of our land still
| must be saved
Lauds American Art.
Declaring that, cit has been der
nftely proven that no country has
greater or better art than our own"
she contends that American musi-
clans and composers like opera In
chance in their. own country by
discrimination for things foreign that
threatens to make the United States
a nation Of art-borrowers." while
every other country where opera is
heard hears opera in its vernacular.
chairman of two affiliated organiza-
tions, the Opera in Our Language
Foundation and the David Bispham
Memorial Fund.
The former organization has
essaplish an S@ercaa apeFa
house where native talent can be
heard" This, Mrs. Freer maintains,
/ ''is the only hope of the American
! composer. librettist, singer. stage
manager and orchestral player, IL
this most popular form of music
topera-is to become national."1 =
Mrs. Freer is herself composer
of note. During the war she organ
| lied the Lake Shore Drive Surgical
Dressing Unit, the War Relief Club
She was awarded the Medaille de Ia
Refine Elisabeth by the Belgian gov
evrnment. the Medaille de Ia Recon-
naissance by the French government
! and the Medal of the French Red
Cross. e.
Husband Also Decorated.
Archibald Freer, her husband.
The Belgian Cross of the Legion of
Honor, which is also referred to as
the Medal of Leopold of Belgium.
was conferred upon him. and he was
a knight OF the Order OF Leopold.
Mr.. Freer gave one million francs
to France for war purposes.
After a careful study of condi-
tions in our musical and artistic
world the last twenty years." Mrs.
Freer said, in telling OF the opera
in our language foundation. "it has
| been definitely proven that no coun-
try has greater or better art than
| our own. But deprived of the pres
tige that We grant anything with a
foreign label, whether because of
apathy, ignorance, Indifference or
! policy. the American composer and
artist have no place in their own
sun.
For thirty years in New York and
twelve years in Chicago. millions of
American dollars have gone into two
opera houses. where our language,
our artists, our composers practically
have been banned To get a hearing
we are forced to leave this country,
denationalize ourselves in art, and in
returning renounce Cor denounce) our
mother tongue and our art
Until we hear foreign operas in our
own language we, shall not want to
hear our own operas. We have the
composers, we have the artists