Evening star., 1936-08-02
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star
Franz
List
Two men passed away fifty years ago,
each of wide repute, one of world fame,

the other of note in America.
Franz The former was Franz List,
Tisz+ the Hungarian composer; the
other Samuel j. Tilden. Amer
ican statesman and politician. OF Franz
List, who died July 81, 1886, The Star
of August 2. 1886. says:
THE death of Franz List removes
from the earth the last of the original
musical romanticiStS. The romantic
school of music covers and includes by
far the most brilliant period in the
history of the art and the most illustri-
Gus names in long roll Of musical
celebrities. Beethoven was its prophet
Weber its founder and Schubert, Men
delssohn, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt
Wagner and Beriloz its chief leaders.
All are gone now, but the impress of
their genius will last forever. List,
though probably the least original of the
group in point of creative ability. was
undoubtedly the greatest of them all
as an eXecutant and interpreter and
was also a most remarkable man per-
sonally. No one could stand in his
presence without feeling awe-stricken,
as if he were of a superior order OF
beings. His career was an unbroken
succession of personal and artistic tri-
umphs, sufficient in number and bril-
liancy to turn the head of any man.
He met kings and queens on an equal
footing and made the proudest aristo-
Gratis of Austria and France quail be-
meath his sarcasm or quiVer with pleas
ure under the irresistible force of his
wonderful musical executions and mag
netism. He had been decorated sixty
times by the sovereigns of Europe.
Wherever he went the doors of cities
and palaces few open before him. Men
bowed down before him and the fairest
women of Europe worShiped him. He
was rich. healthy famous and apparently
happy. But his life. after all. was not
a success, according to the best stand
ards"
OF Samuel J. Tilden, who died August
4, 1886, The Star in the issue of that
date says:
Samuel j. The death of Mr.. Tilden,
T;,da, while 1t cannot be called
unexpected or untimely,
owing to his advanced age and physical
infirmity, will shock and sadden the
whole country. In spite of the intense
partisan feeling which marked the No.
vember campaign of 1876, Mr.. Tilden
himself, even in the midst of the con-
test, and much more so since then, oc-
cupied very high place in the esteem
of his fellow citizens. His record as
Governor of New York and in New York
City reform politics was illustrious, and
the dignity and patriotism which he
manifested in the trying situation in
which he was placed by the electoral
commission won the admiration of all
and silenced the SneerS and criticisms OF
even his bitterest political enemies.
Since then Mr.. Tilden has done little
in a public capacity, but that little was
of a high standard of excellence. The
pivotal point of Mr.. Tilden's career was
the defeat of the Democrats in 1876 and
1877. Without going into the question
of the right and wrong of that campaign
at this late day, 1t may be said that
the result of the contest undoubtedly
strengthened Mr.. Tilden with the people
greatly, and if he had been renominated
in 1880 he would in all probability have
been elected. The failure of his party
to nominate him then was one of the
most singular and mysterious political
freaks of modern times. Mr.. Tilden, who
down to 1876 had been regarded simply
as a brilliant lawyer and a politician Of
the higher sort, was fortunate in having
his life prolonged sufficiently to enable
the country to see that he was also a
patriotic statesman and, above all. a
man of strong character and courageous
self f-control."