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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1953-12-03, Page 344 - Third Try Lucky For Waltz king Just over a century ago, hand- some young Johann Strauss picked up his baton at Don- Mayer's Casino and led his fif- teen piece orchestra in the world's first public performance ail "The Blue Danube." How bright eyes must have sparkled, hearts beating faster, when Vi- enna first heard that immortal refrain! Among several hundred waltzes, The Blue Danube has remained the leoh-i-Nur in Jo- hann Strauss's musical crown, The Waltz Emperor, they called him—and yet the "Danube" com- memorates the strange fact that the gay and charming composer was nearly forty before he found an empress to share his throne. All Vienna worshipped him. Whenever he played a new waltz of his own composition—and this was often` — bouquets of roses were flung at his feet. Absorbed in his music, Johann scarcely noticed his admirers ... until the day when he found himself gaz- ing into the eyes of elfin Henri- etta Trofrz, "Etty," the actress, and Jo- hann, with his flowing hair and swaggering romantic crave t, were introduced in a cafe garden. When could they meet again? The following week? At the Griming ball? It was swiftly arranged. Lovers still laugh and waltz, even to -day, in the Grinning ball- room ... and walk hand-in-hand in the garden where Strauss and his Etty exchanged their vows. They were married romantically in St Stephen's cathedral, and hundreds of people turned out into the cobbled streets to hum a bridal march. Despite his bohemian tastes, Strauss cushioned himself in do- mesticity as if it were a bower of roses , , . but these roses had thorns, Across Henrietta's past lay a shadow, a man who had abandoned her, an illegitimate child cared for by the father's relatives. Strauss forgave, and forgot.. , , "I feel myself to be thoroughly fortunate and happy to belong to Etty, whom I love with all my heart," he wrote. "I have suc- ceeded in overcoming many pains that would otherwise have overwhelmed me. For with Etty at my side, how can I possibly be in pain?" And Etty for her part confided to pen -and -ink: "How I begin to realize what it means to be completely happy. . . . With such happiness, Strauss poured out his waltzes, "Morn- ing Papers," "Voices of Spring" "Tales from the Vienna Woods" — all belong to this blissful period. He wrote an opera, con- sidered it useless and put it away in a drawer. Henrietta rooted it out, secretly found a producer and delighted Strauss by taking him as a surprise to the first performance. So "Die Fledermaus" made its bow, Unhappily, time sometimes brings changes and takes forth- right revenge. For sixteen years Johann and Etty forgot the past. and its malice. No word came, though somewhere her son was growing to a man. Etty fancied that her world was substantial and secure. Johann Strauss had been appointed director of the Court Balls: never before had husband and wife enjoyed such wealth and fame, Then, late one night, Strauss returned homa to a house of silence. And he recoiled with horror at the sight that confront- ed him. On the floor Etty lay dead and about her fluttered the con- fetti -like remains of a letter torn into a thousand shreds. The shock of receiving it, the physi- cians asserted, had caused a seizure. Strauss tried in vain to piece the writing together, A weapon from the past, the letter had come from Etty's son, but its contents were never known. With heavy heart Strauss ohce olt-Yourself Boom Kilda Toys, Too Little Girls Can Bake a Toy Cake, Boys Can Pain By JAMES FLOWERS NEA Staff Correspondent A large chunk of the toy in- dustry's record $450,000,000 out- put this year, which is about 10 per cent bettor than 1962, em- phasizes the "do it yourself" idea, Besides looking like the real thing, these "toys with a pur- pose'" enable kids to actually use wrenches, wield paint brushes, bake cakes and sew just like mom and pop, They are design- ed for children of all ages and interests, 'The trend toward this type of toy can probably be explained by the influence television, movies and comic books have on young- sters who in turn influence the toymakers," says ,Robert 13. M. Barton, president of the Toy Manufacturers. "Kids are na- turally great imitators anyway." ,Louis Marx, founder and presi- dent of Louis Marx & Co„ largest toy manufacturers in the world, says the "do-it-yourself" theme really caught on a couple of years ago. Success in this field was due, he says, to the new high impact plastic, which makes in- tricate detail and authenticity possible. For the mechanically -minded boys the toy -producers are pro- ducing scale model farm trac- tors, autotnobiles and wreckers that strip down completely and show exact engine detail. Each toy carries a complete assort- ment of tools to do the job. Another industry king -pin, B. F. Michtom, head of the fast- growing Ideal Toy Corp., says his "fix -it" line has played a large part in the company's increased sales in recent years: "Our vol- ume jumped from $10,000,000 in 1950 to $20,000,000 this year. It has quadrupled since 1947" Toymaker Michtom and his workers are turning out such plastic marvels as a sports con- vertible equipped with electric lights, horn, battery, 011 level gauge and a set of tool for as- semgling and making repairs; an 18th Century stage coach that can be put together and taken apart and driven by a life -like figure holding reins attached to real harnesses; and a jiffy car wash station with a water at- tachtttent and a lever to tow the care along the ramp, For little girls Ideal has cre- ated a crop of dolls with minia- ture kits for hair and cosmetic care and a sewing outfit to keep them up-to-date on clothes fash- ions. To delight the kitchen dabblers there's a new cake - baking set, based on popular brand mixes and frostings. The ereeteileseee Everything But Kitchen Sink is in this toy cake -baking set, based on popular brand mixes and. frostings. When batter for toy cake is ready, it's baked in toy oven with radiant heat. Town Red Everything But Out -Of -Gas is duplicated for mechanically -minded boy in this strip -down toy car, which can be put back together again with a complete set of life -like tools, cakes are baked with radiant heat and can be eaten by the kids, or parents—if the cooks are any good. Retailers are braced for the Christmas rush. They've -laid in heavy supplies of "do-it-yourself" items. Although a whopping business is forecast, most toy merchonts say 'they will settle for a five cent increase in sales, At Macy's "Toy City" there's already a beehive of activity with about 25 per cent of the toy stock carrying out the "do-it- yourself" idea. Buyer -manager John H. Griffin predicts his sales will beat last year's volume easily. "The cosmetic dolls and the strip -down cars will probably set the selling pace here," he says. "An interesting section of the 'City' is the self-service depart- ment—just like a super -market" "Right now we got a campaign going to make the little girls 'girlier' by plugging such things as baking and ironing sets, stoves and refrigerators, and all kinds of realistic household appliances." John Wanamakers' buyer - manager Vincent Maggiore said, "Jewelry making kits and the fix -it cars have been very popu- lar items here." Other new toys with the career angle are a miniature night loca- tion TV truck with revolving spotlight, a plumber's set with 35 tools and a selection of pipe lengths and connections, a high- way shovel crain that operates just like a real one, and a com- plete community of wooden buildings ready for any color of paint to be applied. A recent boost to the "do-it- yourself" toy movement was the debut of a new magazine called "Children's Playcraft." .Tit's a bi- monthly publication and will feature things to make with easy - to -get materials, team projects with parents and a complete fea- ture on some hobby. Mark Michtom, sales and pro- motion man for Ideal, explains the growing trend toward realis- tic or "do-it-yourself" toys this way: "Two or three years ago we came out with some science - fiction and space toys. The ven- ture was a complete flop. Kids simply wouldn't buy the idea. They're fanatics on authenticity and detail." more took up his violin. It was inevitable that sooner or later he should meet another woman, but hi : second romance was another rose barbed with thorns. He was romantic, famous and rich, but —alas!—by now he was growing old. .Perhaps Strauss's great mis- fortune was to imagine himself in love with Lily Dietrich, Her pretence of returning his passion was mere coquetry. In the parks gossiping tongues wag- ged. He had not been married a day before he realized his mis- take. Though he madly adored his Lily, his love was not re- turned. Nobody was surprised that an alliance so strange and unhappy presently ended in divorce. Strauss was broken, lost. For a time no new waltzes enchanted the crowds and he threatened to. withdraw from the musical world altogether. In that som- bre hour he turned to the sym- pathy of the third star in his life, the plumb and motherly Adele Deutsch An old friend of the family, she had been to school with Etty. For the first time Johann and Adele saw one an- other in a new light, Both had become lonely old folk. Why should they not settle down together? No courtship Holy Land Rocks — part of a 100 -ton shipment of rocks from historic Biblical sites is unloaded from the SS Excellency at a Jersey City pier. The shipment arrived from Haifa, Israel, with material to build an authentic" Garden of Israel" at Beth Israel Memorial park. was ever more placid nor mar- riage more tranquil With Adele as his companion Strauss regained all his old wealth of melody in three-four time. When he produced a now operetta, the stage was still lit- tered with bouquets — and he brought home as many as he could carry and Hung them into Adele's lap. Adele gave him his last mo- ments of happiness. In 1899, when Strauss lay dying, she sat at his side. The Viennese news- papers printed extra editions for the doctors' bulletins. In those last unutterable sad minutes, Strauss stretched out a hand to Adele. "You have made the very happy, Lily," he mur nmred. "I knew you would love me at lag." Adele trembled at the other t loran's name, "I have always loved you, Johann," she whis- pered: Out in the street, suddenly, unbelievably, an organ-drinder began to play. It was to the strains of his immortal "Blue Danube," that Strauss died, and to those strains all Vienna present- ly lined the streets of the city to watch him pass. Individual aspic and fruits flavored jellies for party salads can be prepared without muss or fuss if flexible polythene ice cube trays are used as holds. The plastic treys should be greased first with salad oil and the individual servings will pop out the same size, shape and smoothness of ice -cubes. 'I wouldn't mind him forgetting our anniversary if he would only glvr me a. aresent now end then. A minor revolution in piping has hit the Canadian farm world. The advent of a new flexible, chemical rust proof pipe made from the versatile plastic, poly- thene, may well prove to be the - most important step in piping since Cornelius Whitehouse in- vented the basic method of pro- ducing modern steel piping it 1825. This unusual piping, which is being made by a number of manufacturers in Canada, has solved some of the farmers' most serious piping problems. 0 n many farms piping must be laid over long distances to service stock feeding and building out- lets. Conventional piping is dif- ficult and expensive to install and corrodes quickly in certain types of soil, Water freezing and split- ting pipes is also a hazard, q, , * Tough and flexible, polythene can be laid for summer use simply by plowing a furrow ac - cross fields and laying the piping in the trench. A 400 -foot coil of pipe is light enough to be car- ried au a man's shoulder or lift- ed by a boy. Water under nor- mal pressure does not split ,the pipe 14 frozen since its resilient walls can expand, Pipe lengths aro joined by a sleeve which is secured with ordinary hose clamps screwed tight. M * Where the pipe is planned for year-round use a deeper trench is needed. In a recent pipe -laying operation on the farm of Harold Kendal at Starbuck, Man„ 25 miles southwest of Winnipeg, it was necessary to dig a seven foot trench to lay several hun- dred feet of 11/4 inch polythene pipe for a sewage line. But the ground had a tendency to cave in immediately behind the power digger and only a flexible pipe which could be laid into the trench at the moment of digging would eliminate the need for ex- pensive shoring up. Using poly- thene piping 400 feet was laid at a total cost of $1 per linear foot including the cost or the seven foot trenching. Polythene is the lightest com- mercially -used plastic. Two hun- dred and fifty feet of lei inch polythene pipe weigh 80 pounds, as compared to 640 pounds for galvanized steel pipe of the same dimentions. A truck would be needed to lift the latter while one man can handle the plastic piping. * * * Polythene piping has also been tried successfully for municipal water . systems, At Dunnville, Ont„ 1,600 feet of pipe was laid six inches underground and al- lowed to freeze and thaw OH SCHOOL LESSON By Ilea 1± li Warren. B.A.. B.D. Government Crider God Romans 13: 1-10; Acts 5: 25.28 Memory Selection: fie shall nut be discouraged, tin be haven set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. Isaiah 42:4. In his autobiography, Benjamin Franklin tells of a clergyman who was ordered to read the proclam- ation issued by Charles 1, com- manding the people to return 10 Sunday sports. The congregation was amazed and horrified when their pastor arose and read the royal edict, for most clergymen had refused to read it. What did such an act mean? When he had finished reading it, however, he thundered, "Remember the Sab- bath Day to keep it holy," adding, "Brethren, I have laid before you the commandment of your king and the eommandmc:nt of your God. I leave it to you which of the two ought rather to be ob- served." In our day no such proclam- ation is likely to he i,,sued. Some municipalities are amending their laws to allow Sunday sports. But no one is compelled to in- dulge in them. Our governments permit gambling in some forms and are being urged to legalize lotteries for charitable purposes. But we are free at this point, that we do not have to engage in any of these. However, we ought le do more, than refrain from evil We must proclaim the good. Let our leaders know that we hold God's laws in high repute. Those who would lower the standards do not hesitat e to speak. The Toronto East- presbytery of the United Church at its meeting on November 4, expressed its op position to legalized lotteries "be- cause it has been proven that they are an uncertain and inadequate source of revenue for hospitals." It was also pointed out that such lotteries give public approval to a ,type of amusement `inimical to moral standards and social wel- fare." A good citizen is one who does right always, law or no law. That is the best way to deal with undesirable government and in just that way the Christians shook the foundations of the Ro- man Empire and caused it to ac- cept Christianity. We should strive to make every part of our government righteous and effi- cient- To keep snow boots new, looking longer, hang them up by clipping the tops to a trou- ser hanger. It holds the hoots straight and prevents wrinkling and cracking. Shoes that take a beating from some types of snow boots, receive gentle treat- ment from those made of nylon and lined with soft nylon fleece. They are completely wa9hahls too. throughout the winter. After two years it suffered no adverse effects, according to Public Utili- ties Manager, J. Dawson. * R 6 This piping is also proving successful in Canadian mine i where lightness, ease of instal- lation and flexibility are impor- tant. Polythene piping is being manufactured in Canada by a number of firths. Last year some 1,000,000 feet was extruded for use throughout the country, and the volume next year is expected to be treble that amount. The first production of Canadian - made polythene resin, the raw material from which the piping is made, is expected from a new Edmonton plant late this year. It is manufactured from ethylene gas derived from natural gas piped out of the Woodbend-Leduc field, So light that a small boy could easily carry several hundred feet, rustproof polythene plastic piping is science's latest contribution to rural water systems. Both flexible and resilient, the piping is resistant to corrosive soil chemicals and con be installed economically, Here we see a farm youngster laying the piping while his father plows a furrow. A truck would be required to convey the same length of metal pipe.