TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12968, 22 November 1907, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Enquiries made by tho Music "Daily Mail" of seven oonat ductors of well-known bands Home, show thut tho musical taste of the public is rapidly improving. The conductor of th© Grenadier Guards Band finds that tho more modern masters, operatic and orchestral, are th© most popular. Th© works of tho young Italian school, Puccini, Leoncavallo, Mascagni and Ponchielli, ar© hoard with especial pleasure. The conductor of tho Royal Horse Guard* Band puts Grieg's "Peer Gynt" music first in favour, and Wagner's "Tannhauser" and "Lohengrin" second. Gounod is always "safe," and "Carmen" is among tho most popular pieces. Beethoven, Mozart and Schubert ar© not played as much as they ought to be, and tho old Italian operas nro not so popular as they were. Rossini, one© a European favourite, is "safo" only with tho "William Tell" overture. Tlio "cake-walk" is said to bo nearly dead—"for which much thanks!" Tho director of music at th© Bournemouth Pavilion and Winter Gardens thinks tho Tschaikowsky "1812"' overture is ono of tho most popular compositions of tho day, and mentions that a high-class programme will always attract a largo houso. Tho'bandmaster of tho Royal Garrison Artillery finds that most of tho standard: works aro appreciated. "Any overturo with good spirit and- dash, as well as solidity, is always well received. Grieg's works—'Peer Gynt,' etc.—aro very popular, as aro selections from Sullivan's operas, Edward German's Dances, Verdi's operatic selections, 'Cavalleria Rusticana/ 'Pagliacci,' Wagner's musio from bis operas, Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies, and Schubert's Unfinished Symphony." Th© popularity of Sullivan seems to be undiminished. Ono conductor says that though he has been played moro than any other composer during th© last twenty years, ho is still greatly appreciated. Another thinks that during the past season the most universal applause was usually accorded to th© Sullivan operatic selections, tho lesser-known works never receiving the same attention from tho audience. "Although I must admit I was often tired to death of playing tho eternal 'Pinafore,' 'Mikado,' 'Pirates,' 'Patience,' etc., tho audience seemed always to welcome them." Aa our readers may Presidential havo gathered from Possibilities, our cables, there is quito a Hughes "boom" in America. Tho resoluto Governor of New York State is "rapidly becoming tho over-shadowing factor in the Republican situation," and much as President Roosevelt wants Mr Taft to succeed him, the belief is spreading that Mr Hughes has an excellent chanco of going to the White Houso next year. Ho has boldiy declared himself tho enemy of the trusts, and he is said to bo the one Governor who has not advanced his pet measures by means of patronage. Even tho victory of the great forces arrayed against hint, in refusing to permit tho politicians they control to support him in demanding the resignation of an incompetent insurance official, ha 3 told in his favour. "In a definite length of timo h© has accomplished moie than any previous Governor of New York," says a correspondent. "If. ultimately, he loses the present battle, it means his extinction from political life. If he wins, it means that sooner or later ho will enter the White House as its master." Quito a number of men aro mentioned as possible candidates, each State having its "favourite son." There aro Mr La Follette, of Wisconsin, and Mr Cummins, of lowa, who is perpetually startling tho country by somo unorthodox suggestion, Mr Root, the Secretary of State, who is considered too much a man of parchment, Mr Beverley, of Indiana, and Mr Fornker, of Ohio. Mr Fairbanks, of Indiana, tho present Vice-President, is in th© running, aud is believed to havo organised elaliorat© press campaigns on his own behalf. Ho is cautious and sane, but ho never expresses a positive opinion, and has neither tho capacity to

lead men nor the gift of stirnng enthusiasm. Besides, ho is Vice-Presi-dent, and it is a tradition that a man trim fills this post is politically bnned. When, men ask, has anyone gone from the lower to the higher office, savo by th© gateway of tragedy? A great deal of harm is said to havo been done to Mr Fairbanks' candidature by a report that he, a professed abstainer, asked for a "Martin's cocktail at a dinner given to the President, Tho Prohibitionists made a dead set against him. and though the report was denied, it got too great a start to bo caught. As for genial Mr Taft, ho would havo a fair chance of success, says th© sam© correspondent, if the people could get rid of the idea that his policy would bo Mr Roosevelt s under another nnme. Th© people aro not opposed to that policy, but they have a feeling that one Administration sliouid not try to poko its finger into tho pio of the future. Admiral Germinet, a Tlie distinguished French Dreadnought admiral, has mado a Criticised. sensational attack on th© Dreadnought typo of warship, of which Great Britain was th© originator. H© says th© Dreadnought is a gigantic mistake, and that had tbo Admiralty been awar© of the real effect of tho Japanese gun-fire they would have modified her armament. ""» Tho Dreadnought is remarkable in that &ho carries no guns between tho 12-inch weapons and th© small quickfirers used for repelling the attacks of torpedo-boats and destroyers. Admiral Germinet thinks wo havo put too much trust in the big gun. He declares that ho has seen official documents which prove that the Japanese victory Tsushima was due, not to the lieavy calibre of the Japanese guns, but to high explosive shells. In tho earlier engagements, th© Japanese used huge shells similar to thoso used by Franco and Great Britain, but found that they did not justify the enormous expense involved, and made high explosive shells, which, fired from tho smaller guns, exploded on tho least contact, gavo out enormous heat, and produced an enormous volume of destructive gases which suffocated all who breathed them. "In tbo official reiiorts which furnished mo with this information," says Admiral Germinet, "1 found two significant facte. On a certain Russian ship two of tho heavy guns had ceased firo. Tlie mechanism was inspected, and found intact, but all th© members of tho gun crows were lying dead fn tho turrets,, having been asphyxiated. Tho other fact was even more disquieting. During the engagement the electric light on tho same ship failed. Tho wires and dynamos were found to be in perfect order, but tho electricians were lying dead beside the dynamos. They, too, were asphyxiated by the gases arising from these high explosive shells. Tho explosion of the shells had caused fissures in tho hull of th© ship, nnd through theso fissures the gases penetrated everywhere, putting two 12-inch guns out of action and plunging th© entire ship in darkness." The Japanese shooting was not marvellous, it was merely good; the whole secret of tho victory was the high ©xplosivo shell. Ho advocates the adoption of such a shell by the French navy and tho multiplication of guns of smaller calibre than tho 12-inch, from whioh such a shell cannot bo fired. Our expenditure of a Vast sum in placing an overwhelmingly powerful battery of heavy gnnß in one swift and stronglydefended ship has been in vain. Thero are English experts who also think the Dreadnought a mistake, but Admiral Germinet's point is new. Tlie best reply to it is that several other' Powers aro building Dreadnoughts, including Russia.