Evening star., 1925-08-09
CHRISTOPHER AND MRS. ARTH REPRODUCED FROM
PHOTOGRAPH

violin studies, but when he was 19
years old he accepted the music lead
ership with the j. X. Emmett Com
pany.
You remember Joe Emmett-Fritz
in Ireland, and Fritz in other places?
One hears today that lullaby he used
to sing SO tenderly, SO well, 40, so
years ago: Go to Sleep, My Lena
Dear"
Young Chris stayed With the En-
NETT Company for some time. | do
not know how long. else l would tell
you, and then went as music leader
with the company touring in Hoyt's
Trip to Chinatown"
With those companies Chris Arth
Travelled over the United States and
Canada for four or five years. came
back TO Washington to be leader of
the orchestra of Rapleys Academy
of Music, and remained at the Acad-
emy until he was appointed conductor
of the New National Theater Orches-
ira, where his baton waves now.
x x
WHEN I made up my mind to
write this story. l went up to
Chris Arths home to see if the family
would lend me few photographs.
Chris was at Atlantic City and would
not be back for days. The family
photographs were there. but it took
the ingenuity out of the Rambler to
borrow them. He had to say that
his story would be as poor as other
stories without the pictures. He had
to say that people subscribed TO The
Star not altogether to read the Ram
bier, but just TO see the Rambler's
pictures.
BY the way. l don't know what
cigars Chris himself smokes, but
those l found at his home We're good
He might have been careless and left
his good cigars lying about. At my
house | keep box of good ones for
people on whom l try to make an
impression and box of cheaper
cigars for myself and friends, but for
the neighbors l keep a variety-weL.
d hate to tell you what kind of
cigar it is.
And again. by the way-do you re-
member Xander's port? In gather
ing this ramble / met some friends
who persuaded me. They didn't have
to so far. 1t was Xander's port made
from Virginia Concords that grew in
the Portner vineyard at Manassas.
Those grapes had the chivalrous, ro-
mantle and hospitable spirit of Vir-
ginia and Prince William County and
lndI line Ola spirit lives IN the port.
Twenty years are gone since those
grapes were plucked, and in their
juice are harmony, the fragrance of
rose, violet and mignonette, the
radiance of May mornings, the light
of the moon on Summer nights, the
scent of all the gentle airs that blow
across the Jurassic sandstone plains
of Manassas. Next time l meet
Henry Xander, the younger, l will
tell him of my luck.
Christopher Arth, sr.. was a son of
Michael Arth of Mems, Germany,
who had fame throughout southern
Germany as violinist and orchestral
conductor. His two sons, Jacob and
Christopher, We're born in the Rhine
land and were educated in music.
Both were members of their fathers
orchestra and ii was from him that
Christopher received his training in
orchestral leadership. When young
men the brothers visited America and
came to Washington. where several
of their relatives were already estab-
Eshed in the musical profession. Two
of these were their uncles, Jacob and
Philip Arth-Jacob renowned as a
soloist. Miss Hazel Arth, contralto
and popular on the radio, is a grand
daughter of Philip Arth. John Arth,
Joseph Arth and George Arth, men
toned by the Rambler in other
stories, were cousins of Christopher
and Jacob Arth and were well known
professional musicians and bands
men. George Arth was baritone