The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1939-01-12

countering Frederick Jagel OF
the Metropolitan Opera at luncheon
the other day, quizzed him about
his season at
OPeTdttc Stor Buenos Aires,
Suggests NeU from which he
In. ofEr,o~. recently re-
turne d. He
thinks cultural penetration of South
America might be more effective
than our trade and diplomatic mis-
sions, in which he is inclined to be-
lieve we aren't getting anywhere.
South America has long had
the idea that we were a nation
of hard-boiled money-grubbers.
Any creditable performance in
the arts, he believes, will be our
best line of export. He said he
found the Argentines most gen.
erous and appreciative hosts.
Once they find you haven't an
extra ace in your cuff and you
measure up to their standard of
pr0priety, they wear their
hearts on their sleeve.
Incidentally, Mr.. Jagel's singing
makes audiences weep, but no one
meeting him ever feels sorry for
him. He is a businesslike, compact
Brooklynite, formerly an actuary
with the Mutual Life Insurance COM
pany, long before he took his perch
in the old red plush aviary, where,
on occasion, he still hits high c.
AS an actuary, young Mr. Jagel,
charting other careers, began to
think of his own career. He tossed
his insurance job out of the window,
found a hacker, sang in movie
houses up and down Broadway and
proved to all and sundry that he
had voice. He studied with Porta-
nova in New York and with Gala
DIM in Milan. Making his operate
debut in Milan, in LA Boheme,"
he hit Rodolfo's high c with bulls
eye that greatly improved Italo-
American relations. He sang for
four seasons in Italy, before making
his New York debut as Radames,
on November 8, 1927. He knows
about 40 roles, and rs of them he
can sing offhand and on the slightest
provocation.
With the precision and clarity
of a man trained in business, he
tells you of the superiority of
our South American competitors
in their specially of quid-pro-
quo trade economies. Hence,
his talk of cultural penetra-
ton" isn't just ivory tower stuff.
If Secretary Hull could sing as
well as Mr.. Jagel can talk in
ternati0nal trade, he, too, would
be in the Metropolitan.
Mr.. Jagel thinks we have the max
ing of a grand musical renaissance
in this country, with talent, teach
ers and fine national appreciation
vastly enhanced by the radio.
THE amiable white magic Of John
i Mulholland once enabled me to
deal myself four aces against an
others four kings, which, of course,
A. 80 n revived faltering
MystlHer Says hopes of the ex-
Mystagoguery istence of kindly
y,etsA;n't elves with whom
Mr.. Mulholland
was wired in and whom he could
summon in behalf of his friends.
But now one of the cleverest magi-
clans in the countryside cleverest,
to this none-too-seeing eye-pub-
fishes a book, Beware Familiar
Spirits" in which he banishes all
trolls and makes all magic just
manual dexterity and technique. It
isn't exactly debunking book. He
leaves the door open for faith in
the occult, if you think you have
evidence, but, as to prevailing mys-
tagoguery, he reduces it to fraud or
to honest self-deception, aided by
slow eyesight.
He sold school books and was a
teacher of dramatics and industrial
arts at Columbia university, before
he became full-time magician and
vice president of Society of Amer
lean Magicians. He has performed
and lectured in about 40 countries.
Nobody, anywhere, ever had
more fun. He likes to shepherd
four or five friends through a
subway turnstile, with one nick
ell, making it reissue from the
slot each time and click through
the next man. That brings the
change dealer roaring from his
den. Mr.. Mulholland hands
him a half-dollar, the wayfar-
ers take their train, and then
the dealer finds he has an alum
mum disk with rabbit in silk
hat on it. He usually screams
and butts his head against the
wall. But, in each case, the
subway already has its full
count of sound nickels.
AS to the above poker hands, it
happened at luncheon table of five
or six men. Mr.. Mulholland sent
for a new deck of cards and asked
me to shuttle them and deal four
hands. 1t couldn't have been a
trained deck. 1t was thoroughly
shufled. Mr.. Mulholland never
touched the cards, standing with his
! back turned a few feet away, and
never said a word. The hands fell
as he ordered, the orders apparent
ly issuing silently from the back of
his head.
@ Consolidated News Features.
WNU Service.