Life — March 6, 1913 — page 68: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

-LIFE: "Addison on the Opera (Continued from page 507.) in the air fell upon the most insignifi- cant words in the sentence. I have known the word “and” pursued through the whole gamut, have been entertained with many a melodious “the,” and have heard the most beautiful graces, quavers and divisions bestowed upon “then,” “for” and “ from,” to the eternal honor of our English particles. The next step to our refinement was the introducing of Italian actors into our opera; who sung their parts in their own language, at the same time that our countrymen performed theirs in our na- tive tongue The king or hero of the play generally spoke in Italian, and his slaves answered him in English. The lover frequently made his court, and gained the heart of his princess, in a language which she did not understand One would have thought it very difficult to have carried on dialogues after this manner without an interpreter between the persons that conversed together; but this was the state of the English stage for about three years, At length the audience grew tired of understanding half the opera; and there- fore to case themselves entirely of the fatigue of thinking, have so ordered it ai present, that the whole opera is per- formed in an unknown tongue. We no longer understand the language of our own stage; insomuch that I have often been afraid, when I have seen our Ital- ian performers chattering in the ve- hemence of action, that they have been calling us names, and abusing us among themselves; but I hope, since we put such an entire confidence in them, they FINE CHINA | and Crystal Sets with your Monogram We monogram and deco rate to order the finest im: ) ported china and crystal ware. Your own ideas carefully executed, assuring a distinctiveness ‘to your table impossible with ordi- nary china. Pure coin gold and Meissen colors used by skilled ar- tists in all decorations. Each piece guaranteed to wear. A variety of patterns, mono gram suggestions, etc., shown tm our catalog. Write Jor it today. Art China Import Company, Dept D., 47 West 36th Street, New York other organs, conquering all weaknesses and disorders Reduce or Increase Your Weight | Devote but fifteen minutes daily to my system and you can weigh what Nature intended. 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Send 2c stamp for ‘‘ The Body Beautiful" and Trial Plan to-day ANNETTE KELLERMANN, 12 were sist'Sicet, New York | will not talk against us before our faces, though they may do it with the Xo me safety as if it were behind our = = —! ks, In the mean time I cannot for bear thinking how naturally a historian who writes two or three hundred years hence, and docs not know the taste of his wise forefathers, will niake the fol lowing reflections: “In the beginning of the eighteenth century, the Italian tongue was so well understood in Eng land, that operas were acted on the pub: lic stage in that language One scarce knows how to be serious in the confutation of an absurdity that shows itself at the first sight. It docs not want any great measure of sense to see the ridicule of this monstrous prac tise; but what makes it the more aston ishing, is not the taste of the rabble, but of persons of the greatest polite- ness, which has established it. If the Italians have a genius for mu- sic above the English, the English have a genius for other performances of a much higher nature, and capable of giv- ing the mind a much nobler entertain- ment. Would one think it was possi- ble, at a time when an author lived that was able to write the Phadra and Hip- polytus, for a people to be so stupidly fond of the Italian opera, as scarce to give a third day’s hearing to that ad- mirable tragedy? Music is certainly very agrecable entertainment; but if it would make us incapable of hearing sense, if it would exclude arts that have Spring DRESS MATERIALS & TRIMMINGS Number NOW ON SALE To buy Vogue is style INSURANCE not to buy it extravagance $08, comicbooks.com