The Ely miner., 1937-05-06
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WHO'S NEWS
THIS WEEk....
Rvle-nel & p,rSao
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A Modern Cellini.

2t S-~~ S~~~~SS - .
Italian composer, was quite
angry and unforgiving about
America after his tour Of 1902.
He has simmered down a lot
with the years, and now, at sew
enty-four, he plans another tour
this summer, with the orchestra
of the famous La Scala opera
house.
It is, of course, big news In the
musical world, but the shaggy, old
composer probably will land on the
news pages, too, as he has a way
of touching off excitement of one
sort or other-not always musical.
First off, there was that unhappy
business about the maestro's shirts
on that 1902 tour. The laundries
tore them up or put saw edges on
the collars, or stuck them full OF
pins. Signor Mascagni was so en-
ragged that, if the laundry hadn't
been a bloodless corporation, he
would have challenged it to duel.
A secondary irritation was the fact
that the tour, in spite of the signor's
great genius, was one of the most
elaborate busts in musical history.
He brought over a big orchestra,
with q guarantee Of $4,000 week
for eight weeks. There were in
ternal rows and wrangles, battles
with managers, pickering and back
talk, with, finally the deportation Of
the orchestra players as aliens Il
able to become a public charge.
There was fierce tangle Of law
suits, and ever since then Signor
Mascagni's graying, bushy hair has
bristled bit at mention Of Amer
lea. 1t was only two years ago
that he was saying that New York's
Metropolitan Opera house was all
right as . training school, but mot
much good for opera"
He was a bakers son, helping his
father in the bakery. He slipped a
tiny statue of the Virgin In loaf
of bread. A rich woman customer
broke her front tooth on it, and,
dodging his angry parent, young
Pietro kept on going-an itinerant
player and student.
He was unknown IN Italy IN 1902,
when his Cavalleria Rusticana was
produced. The next day he was as
well known and as conspicuous as
Vesuvius, acclaimed as the sue
cessor of Verdi, experiencing what
we might call Lindberghian tri-
umph. He is Renaissance man,
a veritable Cellini, with his pen
chant for life in the grand manner,
quick on the draw, impatient with
dolts and laggards, still boiling with
creative energy.
He was quite a way over to the
left in 1922, but finally made his
peace with Mussolini. Mussolini had
promised senatorial togas for both
Puccini and Mascagni, in 1926, but
only Puecini's came through. That
was said to have embittered the
maestro, but did not halt his work.
1t may be noted, in passing, that
there was little senesence in the
Renaissance. "Mascagni Flattens
Laundry Man" may be a summer
headline.
Sly Old Party.
THE grizzled japanese General
L Shigeru HOMO is a sly old party.
When, having snatched the Chinese
boy emperor and put him on the
synthetic Manchukuo throne, he OBJ
served that this Henry Pu-Yi had no
heir, he fixed up the marriage of
Henry's younger brother, Pu-Chieh,
with nice japanese girl-an in the
interest of future permanence and
perpetuity of Japan in Asia.
He is a dapper little man who
likes to go about his business in a
quiet, genteel way. When he con-
quered, in 100 days, a Manchuria
area as large as brace of New
England states, he put on a regular
daytime fighting shift, with all
hands knocking off when the whistle
blew, all lights out at eight and
everybody asleep at nine.
He was quite complacent about
it, having consulted the famous
soothsayer, Donsho Kodania, who
had called every important happen
ing in Japan before it happened
including the fall of six cabinets.
Donsho told the general Manchuria
would be push-over, so he slept
ten hours night.
He is of Samurai family, vet
eran Of the Russo-Japanese war.
He was the gentlest strong man
who ever worked at that ancient
trade, taking over Manchuria apol-
ogetically, but with dispatch. He
retired from the army year ago.
"New American Race"
D ERHAPS Van Wyck Brooks
''The Flowering of New Eng
land" left you sad They almost
made a culture, but not quite.
Here's fresh hope. DR.. Ales
Hrdlicka, the famous anthropoIo-
gist, calibrates Boston, long-heads
and round heads alike, and finds
that Boston is nurturing a 'snew
American race" They are the tall
est and largest Americans and still
growing.
They are excellent, healthy
white stock" says DR.. Hrdlicka. 'It
is something of a pity that they