The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1932-01-08
-A
HIS
COMPENSATION
The Story of a Music
Master
By FANNIE HURST
"a by Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.l
(WNU Servicel

| ing. numerous OI LuS uOLC uS-
| tute had seen 1t in the offing for
years, before it actually happened, and
In many instances had run for the
cover of kindred professions or occu-
| pations.
Klinger, however, had stuck, as the
saying goes, like captain to sink
ing ship, until the inundation OF
scanned music" was something that
| even his stubborn kind of resistance
had to reckon with.
| No doubt about it, the day Of the
| theater and moving picture orchestra
was gone. A man had not chance to
earn any sort of decent living for
himself and family, If he depended
upon a profession that had literally
| died in its tracks.
In vain the perishing vocation
| fought for it's life. An organization
was formed, of which Klinger was
Twice president, to combat, by news,
paper and magazine advertising, this
demise Of an honorable profession.
DO NOT PERMIT CANNED MUSIC
TO BE SERVED UP TO YOU.
THE BEST is NONE TOO GOOD.
PUBLIC, DEMAND YOUR RIGHTS!
OF course the public did nothing Of
the sort, the sound-screen became its
own orchestral effect, orchestras died
out of the theater, and at fifty-seven,
Otto Klinger, for thirty years director
of an orchestra in one Of the city's
largest temples of entertainment,
found himself, incredible as 1t might
seem, out of Job.
There was the alternative, desper-
ately clutched by SO many Of his men,
Of rushing to the picture studios Of
California, but even had such an OPP
portunity presented itself, Klinger
was not the man to subject his dignity
to any such flagellation as that.
Playing on a motion picture lot!
Otto Klinger, graduate of Berlin con-
servatory Of music, one-time concert
meister Of Nurnberg orchestra and
now, for thirty years. director of an
aggregation of thirty men, going Holly
wood. Never!
Fortunately, it was at time Of his
life when his family, containing grown
sons and daughters, had agreed among
themselves it was best for him to
retire.
Rearing three girls and three boys
on a scale of decent and substantial
living had, of course, not enabled
Otto to accumulate, but when the
catastrophe of the dissolution of his
orchestra came along, there were for
tunately, three out of his six chill
dren who were earning. Firmin and
Max, the two elder boys, steady and
showing the results of the spartan
rearing that had been theirs, were
both draughtsmen drawing substan-
tial wage. Mathilde, the third, daugh-
ter, staid, careful, uncoquettish girl,
who so far as the modern fiapper was
concerned, did not exist at all, was
confidential secretary to the German
consul.
So, all in all, while in the heart Of
Otto calamity had descended, his FAM
lily, including his wife, was of an
opinion, secret from him, that consid-
ering his age and equity constitution,
it was just as well for him to retire.
The Ringers owned their little
home on the outskirts of New York.
There were only three children left
at school age. Mrs. Klinger, twen-
ty years younger than her husband,
and of firm heroic build, was house
wife of impeccable and amazing ca
pacity for economy.
The Ringers could make out all
right.
But the effect upon the morale of
Khnger was what troubled them.
Prepared as the family was for the
let-down that inevitably must take
place in the somewhat Bismarkian
figure of their father, who for thirty
years had ruled thirty men, to say
nothing Of a household, the actual
happening was nothing short of ap-
palling.
He became household tyrant, DOM
ineering over the daily routine, inter-
fering in his wife's capable regime,
exercising even more discipline with
his children.
There came a time, in that little
home, when so far as the members Of
1t were concerned, the idea Of sending
Otto off to private hospital at some
quiet seaside resort actually began to
present itself.
That project never took form. The
Ringers were too compact a group
for that; too grounded in certain rudi-
ments of family solidity, but it does
go to show the extremes to which they
| were pushed, by the overflow Of their
fathers chagrin into the household.
Then Bertha, the fourth child, hit
on a scheme that, while it was to in
crease the household tyranny in many
ways, was nothing short of stroke-of-
| genius.
Secretly, so that not even his wife
or children knew it, there had always
smoldered In Otto bitter disappoint-
ment that not one of his children had
followed in his musical footsteps.
| They were a practical, sensible lot,
L II.