The Brussels Post, 1961-01-05, Page 2Marin!S ...cotnOt,ack
A Gcdci Affair
Maria Ca11a$, absent front, La.
Scala for 30 months, recently ro-
*Pled to, cover herself with
glory at, the gala opening of the
Milan season,
Singing the role Of Peeilea in
Doeizetti s seldom-heard "Polie-
to," she cannot be said to have
been musieally pleasing et all
-times (her voice is now metallic
throughout its range, and her
highs are wobbly), yet she re-
mained the diva from first to
last, bringing an adoring public
figuratively to its knees with a
performance that was at mice
dramatic, gracious, and warm.
Her distinguished audience vas
radiant, the ultimate in ele-
gance. The press repoeted. the
Wednesday night event to have
been the most exciting social oc-
casion at La Scala in the post-
war years. On hand, were Presi
dent Nardone of Uruguay, the
President of the Italian Senate,
Cesare Merzagora, the Begum
Aga Khan, and Elsa Maxwell,.
In the box on the left closest
to the stage sat Prince Rainier
of Monaco and Princess Grace.
The plush interior of La Scala,
accepted by many as the most
beautiful opera house in the
world, was further adorned by
16,000 pink carnations. Offers
for seats ran as high as 500,000
lire, or around $$00.
The opera came to a halt as
soon as. Callas stepped on stage.
Shouting "Maria" in chanting
fashion, her fans in the gallery
boxes were quieted only by a
signal from the soprano herself.
At the close of the first aft
the furor began a second time as
she was recalled again and again
before the great curtain with
Franco Corelli, the tenor who
sang the title role, and Ettore
Bastianini, the leading baritone.
Signor Bastianini, of course, is
well known in the United States
for his opulent voice, and. Signor
Corelli's fame will doubtless
soon be as great in America as
it is in Italy. A tenor of extraor-
dinary power and ring, he has
the added lustre of being a hand-
some man, writes Harold Rogers
in The Christian Science Moni-
tor,
After the second act the crowd
of photographers rushed on stage
to take pictures of Prince Rainier
and Princess Grace, who tried
not to be too annoyed by their
attentions. When Callas and her
fellow artists appeared for a cur-
tain call, she shooed the photog-
raphers from the stage. The
ehanting of "Maria" began again
NEW HAIRDO — All over Eng-
land women wilt be trooping
to beauty salons to emulate the
new close-cropped hairdo Pr,in-
cess Margaret displayed at a
N or t h Staffordshire College
Christmas ball.
At the operes Cenelusien, and
carnations), torn from. bouquets
at the front of each bor., 'began
tosrairten the heads of the sing
era.
centrary to her behavior ,car-
her in her career toward her
leading man, COWS kissed both
Signor Corelli and Signor Bas-
tianini. •:Soon, it was .evident that
her fans were going to hold out
for a curtain call by her alone, •
The ehanting of "I\ffarie turned
into "Sole but .she eoptineee to,
appear with her colleagues,
Meanwhile, most of the people.
on the main floor had made their
way out through the marble hails
trimmed in gold, while medal-
Boned ushers held the doors and
gaped carabinieri stood guard,
The fans in the gallery, how,
ever; remained behind, still
screaming for their diva to give
them a sole call,, But Callas blew
them kisses and refused.
Mother Didn't
Appreciate Joke
The sounds from the audi-
ence at the Metropolitan Opera
may often be as revealing ass—
those produced on the stage.
When an artist draws a big
roar only 'from the sides of the
house, for example, old hands
know that it is partisan in ori-
gin, generated either by the
Italian singers, or by wild-eyed,
lusty-voiced fans, But when
the noise swells up from the
center, seasoned Met buffs know
that a "real" ovation is at hand.
For there, in that vast spread
of some 1,100 orchestra seats, sit
the subscribers who hear opera
week after week and are sel-
dom moved to more than polite
applause.
The uproar that greeted Eileen
Farrell last month after the
close of Act I of Gluck's "Al-
cestis" came right out of the
center and rose straight up to
the rafters. At the time, its sig-
nificance was lost on Miss Far-
rell, for she was in the very
middle of that' most nerve-rack-
ing of all singing ordeals: A
Metropolitan Opera "debut. As
she recalled later, she kept say-
ing to herself: "'Don't cry, don't
cry. Stay in character, stay in
character.' I just kept concen-
trating."
From whatever cause, the top
of Miss Farrell's big, opulent
voice — usually so free and
easy — was strained and edgy
until the opera was well under
way. Then she opened up and
her rich tones soared up and
out all over the huge house. In
the role of Alcestis,, the wife and
mother who offered her life
as a sacrifice so that her hus-
band might live, she was digni-
fied,warm, compassionate, and
moving both in voice and man-
ner.
At 40, Miss Farrell had had
to wait a long time for her Met
debut. In previous years, when
asked why she did not sing at
the Metropolitan, she invariably
.answered: "Nobody asked ene,e
ey eau eeee ", Bing finally did;
the Met's general manager gave
her a new production of the
stately but slow-moving "Al-
cestis," the opera in which Kies-
ten Flags tad sang her farewell
to the Metropolitan nearly nine
years ago.
All things considered, then,
it was small wonder that the
usually fun-loving Miss Farrell
found herself quite bereft of
the ready wit that so character-
izes her conversation. Just be-
fore the performance, she tele-
phoned her 7-year-old daughter
Kathleen at their home in Sta-
ten Island to ask if she was
ready to come to the opera
"No," Kathi replied, "I've got
the German measles." Miss Fars
rell could only manage a splut-
ter, "What's the ma tte r;
Mother?" asked Kathi. "Can't
you take a joke anymore?"
ROONEY AND SON -- Mickey 'Rooney and his son, b,
appeOr together "The git being 'Milled in Holly-
vytiod. They ploy o eplif role. Tirnmy takes the hay's part taid'
'Mickey the M''.6Wri,up port, Mickey is Mdde up.
HRONICLES
°king. EAR 14
Divided Skirt
PRINTED PATTERN
4510
SIZES
2-10
WIRE TAPPING?' — Many a telephone lineman has probably
thought he was turning to ice' while working in the winter.
This is not the case here, however. It's an example of imagin-
ative snow sculpture in Quebec City.
IN THE MOCie Sephiceloren
proves she's one of the last big
spenders by carrying with her
from Rome to Madrid an en-
tourage of people to satisfy her
every whim. Included is a mu-
sician to provide her with mood
music. She's in Madrid to star
with Charleton Heston in "El.
Cid,"
Has 600 Whies
— And Wanis More
A ruler who has a harem at
600 wives is so happy with his
lot that he is willing to accept
still more brides, provided they
are young and pretty,
This modern Solomon is the
Fon of Bikom, in ' the., British,
Cameroons, who, although age-
ing is so popular with his wives
that they were recently up in
arms when the United Nations
sought to restrict the size 01 the
black monarch's harem.
Revolt in the harem desk the
form of a petition; stained by
the thumbmarks of 200 of the
Eon's principal wives, in which
they described the U.N. Trustee-
ship Council as a pack of inter-
fering busybodies.
"Why do you want to interfere
with such marital bliss as we
enjoy?" , they demanded. "We
protest most strongly about the
false news being • spread around
about our husband. He is a good
man and faithful to all of tee
We don't grudge sharing h i m
among ourselves and we live
very happily with him accord-
ing to our native laws and cus-
toms."
Faced with this unexpected
opposition from the Fon's wives,
the United Nations decided they
might be wrong to regard the
matter from a purely Western
standpoint. Instead of improving
conditions, they foresaw that any
interference in the tribal 'cus-
toms of the Bikoms could only
result in discord, if not open
rebellion, against the trusteeship
authorities.'
So the matter stands, except
"for the fact that recruits for the
Fon'e harem are being actively
sought in order to keep the har-
em up to strength.
Girls considered eligible for
entry into the harem are usu-
ally picked by headmen of the
Pon's entourage who scour the
territory, selecting a girl here
and another there, In theory, a
father's consent must be obtain-
ed before the girl is taken off,
but in practice parents hesitate
about opposing the decision of
the ruler's henchmen,
Tribal custom permits the Eon
to claim as wives the first-born
'daughters and all female twins
within the tribe.
Another method employed by
the harem's recruiting agents is
to scour around the mud-hut vil-
lages, making a mark on certain
houses to inform the occupants
that an unsullied daughter of
the family must be delivered to
the palace before daybreak next
morning.
At dawn, the father turns up
with the chosen virgin. If the
parent is reluctant to part with
his offspring, he can lodge are
appeal. This is studied by the
king's fetish priests and if they
agree to the father's plea the
girl is allowed to return home
against a payment in money or
goods by the family.
Very often payment takes the
form of delivery of two or more
cows which are the usual "cur-
rency," employed throughout
Africa in computing what is
known as the "bride. price." (In=
der the terms of the unwritten
"bride price" laws of African
tribes, the cost Of a marriage-
able girl used to be two cows;
the cost of living has forced the
price today to three cows or
almost $100,
The Fon claims that he is en-
titled to have A well-stocked
harem according to laws made
by his ancestors. "It is ordained
that must have plenty of wives
In the compound, otherwise the
tribe will fall upon evil days"
he says.
it is not known how many
children the iron has fathered.
nitt they are numbered in huh-
dreds. From "Tit-Bits."
How do you feel about neigh-
bours dropping in unexpected-
ly? Do you take it as a friendly
gesture or as interferences? And
what is your attitude towards
newcomers? If strangers move
into your district are you con-
cerned about their comings and
goings — and let them know it?
I am asking these questions be-
cause Of a letter that appeared
in a Toronto paper just recently
that illustrates so vividly similar
situations that I have come
across by living in diffetent dis-
tricts, some by personal experi-
ence, others by observation. It
concerns people who move to the
country to "get away from it
all" only tolind themselves more
involved with others than they
ever were before. It all arises
from a misconception of country
living. I am going to quote parts
of the letter because I know it
will be of interest to urban and
rural folk alike. Here is the
letter — in part.
"I am a retired single woman;
in good health with a pension
that gives me enough, to live on.
I bought a house anel egarden on
the outskirts of a village — a
dream come true. I love to gar-
den. and with my cat and dog
for company it should be an
ideal existence. But my neigh-
bours make it impossible. Every-
one knows everyone else's busi-
ness. I like to keep my business
to myself. I don't wish to be
pried and spied upon. One morn-
ing I did not open my drapes as
usual, At noon a neighbour came
over to see if I was all right.
Said she was worried because
my curtains were drawn but I
know it was just an excuse to
come to the door, hoping to be
invited in so she could see the
inside of my house: How can I
keep my neighbours at a dis-
tance? I don't want 'to quarrel
but I don't want them spying on
me or interefering with my life,"
"Miss. S. H."
Well . . . what do you know!
How would yOu like her for s
neighbour?'
It so happens we have met
that type, no doubt you have too,
but thank goodness, they are few
and far between. Can't you just
imagine the set-up a friend-
ly little village . . and, as the
letterwriter says, "everybody
knowing everyone else's bus-
iness". And pray, what's wrong
with that? Have normal folk
so much to hide they need
..'SALLY'S SALLIES
%La yat j dts-rit, a
hit?"
resent - neighbourly interest? Of
course they -haven't but that's
something city folk have to
learn. Friends livingin' a city
apartment or a rented' house
have often told me they have
never 'so much as spoken to the
people next door. Obviously that
also applies to "Miss S. H."
Then, 'without knowing anything
about .country living conditions
she moves to a small village.
The lady-editor, in reply. to her
letter, told "Miss S. H." she
should be glad of neighbour's
interest; that she was faking the
wrong attitude; that sometime,
in the case of illness or accident,
she might appreciate their inter-
est. How true.
Now for a few personal ob-
servations that might come un-
der the 'heading of "neighbours I
have known".
When we first came to this
district a retired couple were
living on the property badking
our own. One day Mrs. said
to me, "I almost phoned you this
morning — I noticed your light
on in the middle of the night
and wondered if anyone were
sick." Did I feel spied upon?
Indeed not. I felt that our wel-
fare was of some concern to at
least one neighbour. It was a
comforting thought to a new-
comer in a strange district.
Later that same couple moved
away as their property was tak-
en over for industrial purposes.
Although our acquaintance was
so recent we felt as, if we had
lost new-found friends.
Of course there is another type
of interest — neighbours who
watch. to see' what goeeeinto the
house up the street from deliv-
ery vans, Even that I don't
classify as snooping. If you like
your neighbour you take an in-
. terest in his or her belongings.
If a new washing machine goes-
tb Mrs. B. you are glad . . . You
knew she had been having trou-.
ble with her old one. Iri the
ease of a car, interest runs sky-
high. Every one wants to know
the make afiirth'erriodel,' All
such acquisitions 'eventually be-
come topics of neighbourly dis-
cession. Even eg greater concern
is the doctor's car. If a doctor is
seen going into a neighbour's
itriveway it isn't long before
there are inquiries, as to who Is
sick — and of course, an offer
to help.
Maybe ;. am wrong but I feel
the only kind of "'interest" that
should be resented is when a
person deliberately iceePs tab on
a neighbour for the Purpose of
spreading ill - natured gossip.
That is unfOrgivable, Or when
a neighbour comes too often and
stays too long. That, too, is an
TinhferirnegeiT eanthaopny yeenmee'sdiupnrli
that
vaey
can be determined by all parties
concerned. A little tact, a bit
more give and take, an accept-
ance of the true meaning of
neighbourliness should make for
better relationship all round.
'Bye , must go, the doorbell
is ringing — probably a neigh-
bour! That's right, I can hear
Partner saying — "Well, come
on in!"
A Great Poet
Ccists A Glow
- Those of "kindred spirit' gath-
ered 1,000" strong recently to
hear, to chuckle, to question
Robert Frost.
Standing tribute was paid the
white-haired poet as he shuffled
on the stage of Jordan Hall, a
stage already crowded by an
overflowing audience.
Some who had stood in stretch-
ed-out line waited in vain and
were turned away, perhaps to
read instead of hear the poet.
Mr. Frost took advantage of
the occasion—the George W.
Coleman Memorial Lecture at
the Ford Hall Forum—to con-
sheet a whimsical campaign for a
"secretary of the arts °'
He would stop the post office
from labeling books of poetry
"educational material."
"This is not educational ma-
terial," he complained. "All the
best things, all the big things
are done for their own sakes and
only incidentally done for the
good things they do for people.
"Love is love itself, for its
own self.
"The poetry I care for, Is
poetry for its own sake.
"My poetry is first of all for
those of kindred spirit, not to
convert anybody, not for any-
thing, .just for companionship.
"To comfort them, to comfort
myself."
His audience, mostly young'
people, listened intently to his
poems and gently laughed at his
comments:
"Boston used to be a Puritan
city, and it has just started again
to be a Puritan city. There is a
fresh burst of Puritanism going
from Boston to Washington.
"Only a few are poetically
elect, and the rest of them be-
have as if they were, The rest
—you call them hyprocrites. s
"Somebody ',has been- telling
me I generalize too much in, my
poems. I don't see how I can
think without generalizing.
"All I ask is that poetry be
declared equal to big business,
science, and scholarship." .
The Vermonter chatted with
his audience as if they were vis-
itors to his home.
"You mustn't laugh at this
one," he warned. "Control your-
self. It's a prayer,
"Forgive, oh Lord, my little--
jokes on 7'eee,
And forget Thy great big
one on me"'
His warning went unheeded,'
The snatches of poetry he ap-
peared to 'love the. most were
comments on nature:
"Take this one," he told his
audience. "I will say it twice so
you will remember it forever:
"The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From. a hemlock tree ..."
For 45 minutes Mr. Frost field-
,ed questions—"the' more 'danger-
Pet the better"—in A way that
Would have turned many a poll..
titian green,
"Which of your poems 019 you
hire best?—and tell Us why," a
young woman quizzed,
His reply: "1 have often ann,
swered that question, by saying,
'No mother will tell you which
of her children is her favorite.'"
Another question was, "What
do you think love and truth and
beauty are?"
"That's too hard," the poet re-
Plied.---Hy David IL Vrallele in
the Christian Science Monitor,
Modern Etiquette
By Anne Ashley
elfy husband and I have
been invited to a wedding, but
I shall be unable to attend.
Would it be proper for my hus-
band to go alone?
A. There is no reason in the
world why your husband should
not attend the wedding alone, if
you find it impossible to accom-
pany him.
Q. Are all the plates supposed
to be removed from the dinner
table before serving the dessert?
A. Yes. The salt cellars, pep-
per-pots, unused flat silver, are
taken off on the serving tray,
and the crumbs brushed off each
place with a folded napkin onto
a tray held under the table's
edge.
4141,44.4644
From skipping rope to running
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Send FORTY CENTS, (stam)s
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ISSUE 1 — 1981
STREET SCENE' IN STRIFE tOtiN ALGIERS A building bOrns in Hie 'background , as frigliferidet
Moslem children rush for shelter during do outbreak Of violence in Algiers. French gehdormet
opened fire oh a mob oF thousands oF Moderns gathered in the centre OF the city where they
Shouted slogans oF the rebels who hove lealtled Pretith troops for six yedirS. Five previous, &lyre'
of bloodshed Idi.1 122 Fiertdris dead and 2,066 injured,