NECESSARY TO INSPIRATION.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 10, 11 January 1918, Page 2

NECESSARY TO INSPIRATION.

Many writers, composers, painters and sculptors have believed that their flood of ideas Was helped by the adoption of some peculiar style of dress. Mascagni, the famous Italian "composer, while working on his famous Japanese opera, arrayed himself in a flowered robe of Eastern style, with all his surroundings Oriental in character, gallons of coffee being consumed as necessary to inspiration. Red wae a colour detested by Lewis Carroll, the creator of "Alice in Wonderland," and a little girl who came to visit him was absolutely forbidden to wear a frock of bright hue while in his company. Pink and grey were his favorite combination of colour. In personal matters he had a great fear of extravagance, and would only wear cotton gloves. Dumas used to take off his coat and vest, unfasten his. shirt collar, and turn up hie sleeves to hia elbow before beginning to write. A fancy costume of black velvet was always, donned by Wagner when he was composing. Zola was helped by donning evening dress, and it wae nothing unusual to see him wandering about his estate at the break of day dressed as though he were on his way to the theatre.