The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1938-08-25
Makes Moues
In Worlds
Chess Game

IN WoTtdS credit double-play
Chess Game with France and
Italy, the moment
the Daladier government came in,
and he has been tagged as the man
who deploys the empires financial
resources in the diplomatic chess
game.
His father was a ruddy old sea
dog who sang chanteys, a cabin
boy who became a shipping car
and baronet. Viscount Runciman
is pallid, tight-lipped little man,
total abstainer, a former Sunday
School teacher, and faithful chapel
goer.
AS president of the British board
of trade, he made concessions in
empire free trade, but he is a pro-
tectionist of the Chamberlain tradi-
ton. Like many men of small
stature, he has the Napoleonic psy-
Ghosts, writing books about Napo-
leon and boarding memorabilia.
THIS writer has heard from sew
= eral assured but not necessarily
authoritative sources that Tullio
Serafin would succeed Edward
Johnson as man.
Serafn aeer Of the Metro
To Boss politan Opera a.
The Met? Signor Serafn has
been highly es-
teemed here for his musicianship,
but all was not well between him
and the Metropolitan manage
ment when he returned to Rome in
1885, after a number of years as
Italian conductor here.
'The Metropolitan has not kept
pace with the artistic progress of
the modern STAGE" he said, on his
arrival in Rome. ''The way opera
is put on at the Metropolitan is RI
diculous The great fault with the
Metropolitan is the little encourage
ment it is giving to its latent tai
ent."
The Metropolitan reply limited
that Signor Serafin was really
thinking about money rather
than art. In the season 1928,
he had a fair subsistence wage
of SIS, eco for the season. This
had been worked down to S34, 900
the year he left.
He did indicate that he thought
that was pretty shabby pay for an
ace conductor, but insisted his criti-
cism was directed solely at artistic
shortcomings.
Several years ago, the Metropoli-
tan was intent on national self-suf-
ficiency In music.
Home Talent It was going to
For Opera discover and nur-
No Bargain ture native talent.
That hasn't quite
come off, and there have been the
usual number of importations. It
will be interesting if it brings in not
only European manager, but one
who is its sharpest critic.
Among music lovers of this writ
er's acquaintance, there seems to
be great Indifference about where
the singers come from as long as
they are good. They insist that mu-
sic, above all, must be free from
the sharply nationalistic trends of
the day.
AS a lad, Tullio Serafin laid
down a shepherds crook for a
baton. Tending the sheep near
CavarZere on the Venetian
mainland, he used to walk sew
eral miles to town on Saturday
night, at the age of ten, to con-
duct the village band. He at
tended the conservatory at Mi
Ian and was full-fedged con-
ductor in his early youth.
At La Scala, in Milan, he was
assistant conductor under CATH
Casazza. He became one of the
most widely known and popular con-
ductors in Europe.
A stanch supporter of the Fascist
regime from its outset, he has been
conductor of the Royal Opera at
Rome since his departure from New
York. He was replaced here by
Ettore Panizza.
g Consolidated News Features.
WNU Service