MADAME CLARA BUTT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 135, 2 March 1908, Page 3

MADAME CLARA BUTT.

IMPRESSIONS OF NEW ZEALAND .Ur.and: Mrs. Kennerlev Rumford (Clara Butt) >aro back: agam in Wellington, visiting . for Ihe ifourth tinio -,tho- city which has been " their. New Zealand headquarters, , and glad to know that from here they "take their departure for Sydney, and the children waitingfor them there. Their journey through the' Dominion: has been-more : leisurely' than' that of most .of, ihe. other , great .artists have been .full of work and incident. ThreV concerts :.a has! been, their, rule,. "andthrob., con-: : . ''quite^as/ri^uchjas,',we:.can, manage.-J,"/.lt js. because;of 'this that. !tho visitors-,have ; not V bcen-fiblo;.t<) leavetho -beaten . track, and '.;Dp- ; a'way-'acki(6wledging sadly- .that seen;neither.,Rot-orua, . the Southern; Lake?, . and. wtien, -'one Mr:,.; Kerinerlsy ;ono . understands ■hoy.Vmuch'!he; would-..haye.. liked, to.;See ( ; ;our,;finest'.'.sights: ->';As, much.-of tho islands... asbonders'." the. main 'railway ,-lipes,• : and a:jittle. .moro,^ tjiey have";seen; ■ and thej.; say! tbey.^ara.',coming':;back'. ; agairi.,.wljeri 1 - tho. railway,'.systqin; of tho Dominion is. extended;^

.' V; Rbmembering. that'.so' muchbf ; ,their ,rcceni travellmg'had Been .in the' South Island, "tho . interviewer suggested?that,they ( had no.t;sceri any ' of.Hhe,,bushV ,'fires.', which* are' at ~prosent \ tljo mosij uSpeptacular^'of,/qui/ scenic,' effects. ; . "'Havp - t?6 i not;?."; fsaid/.they/ both, at 'once. "V.'c have travelled through miles of them • they .have be.en quite to the railway -.'line, down from Wanof-, blazing. - i hush.-.i;And J :th'e ( ' j places-; where .-.the: fires, have = 'been," "said 'Mrs'. Rumford, battlefields- covered with, such: weird: shapes ~ and. objects,, ono' would not' to be there in tho; - dark;;;-'itnYould;bo! temfying.".. ' ;'; Christchurch .thdy liked'very much.'v They : : thought .it ;a : beautiful town,• and: they were especially 'delighte'd' willows there and/in'qtlier'.places. - 'Among Mr. Ruin-, ford's iphbtogijaphs'is.iaJ'fino-ond of -two' drags crossirig''a.' strcaip', ./journe^-but% ; i4'fßi^g.'ihisVtKc^.-'iscept; : thd. journey.'from dwvri7 ttiopounds'' ;.to. .• fh'prdyghly'enjoyed. Arid tHoy '-were; foHunatd:nn-'.having "a ' splendid • JackV' J;Mrs/llunifoyd thusiastic'.'ab'outl jthis :.'resident:;of ';New Zealand.; she'.'says. - "At.^rstyofi; v yqtr ltaraly ho - ; can i-it' - li^eia|fai^;;i^leY'but^'«^;enbi^V- : he cam#f > fo '.we'' hai' a . :The ■ anjl . reallyjvyou had;to; say.he;'did:'. . ilr... RumfdrdHook} a^K6fe^gfr?pftthK!^clel)ifityV v.as lje - ;jpf^;a^ut^he^p^ - it; . will.-.noS , , i " Mr"..';.an^r i lilri.'. i 'nice, ;. Hall, i which,;!tli?yi adinirj?.»iijamensely.,/,, T]hey . have, found -it jgasierj-to 4han. in'. any/ - o^BE',^ll,.i4 K^ew f -Zedan4.-','>-.jTOe.vinterr viewer,V;S,aid ! .-.tliat;-.'spealcers:;feund ;it.. rather, hard .to/raake- tliemSeh'e's lieard; unless: the. hall' v?as ,full,- .and!.Mr : Rumford i'saidi,-thoy found'thai,'.ii/ I mado,\a.'grcat, difference ; when . the orchestra' seats occupied.. The- interviewer incautiously asked whether the 1 ■ jEeen-v-somo - finobit ■ of- . scenery. - "Now 'you are- asking too much," said Mrs.\-R«mfQrd/: wev,djd';upt that'., - ; In; fact, : wip, are' "quite ashamed ;of. the little j!we-vhave <■ s^^a&il.'^e''''sHouidi;''have : liked '-to .'.'gire'flriiore i timd '• ItoNew : Zealarid, 1 but v6ufcvph|astoeiifesV^^dV'..'iiot-,'fpehriili- " that.^ , ;.;T.''Beades,- , !/<said';her( husband, y'the' children-.are'iiy Sydney..'--That.isjthe trouble.": , "Yes; >jwei have ■' never -in;' their : lives •' been'.', so ',long •- away .' - themi^ljefore,".'said ? '. ; their : .mother:.;;.:' ( The' longest' ;time :before'-was dur- ; ing, dur=absfenc^.m -Pertli: AAtrHomci we: go* ' on tpur*.;fpr; sevprali'mbntbs'in' th 6 year, with. , the>.|xeeptidn.^of; : which'.we spend each "year-'in. w'e managed ;to v get liome ;at■■;least''p^c.e^ , a''-TCekj': - and'■pfteri ,auring-the;iweek as 'well.";''"•-'P. - - ■ ' ,: ■ "Dominica!' : .%ad' :- -been''. specially ' . Bioned - by; a- "Mother of Two"; to" ,ask Mrs; : Riimford about her ; children/' arid, besides, that' was just whatrshe- herself/wanted tohpan 'i.-Thpir.-.phonographs to bo ' very bonny' 'children indeed/ ' Tbero' is Joy, the eldest, who is nearly seven, a grave, .; swcet-faced; little'imaidßoy,', a charaing, : fair. ]ittlQycl^ipi""with.nnterit, , ;'e'arnest dyes jand .Victor, the curly-headed baby of eightteen '.moriths. -These' cluldreri are. m Sydney,' . in . the':;home'- tllrit."their.'parents'; tddk. when ; they :-first''cariej'out'/'-ariaVthe^ been nearly. all?ithe v tijriV of -the- Australian trip; under tho- care of i'the . nurse who has been, with .'them-.always, good-.time in the gardenj'^'a'tid',learning;to snjirii "in 1 the harbour,"; .which, tho .house,.overlooks.,, -,0!, , course,the,:first '.question, - to;, be. asked: abbut! such ; ' - childreh\|;is; - ,ivheiher' ,- Uhey' show'; signs pf - becoming great''singers'liko their. parents; and apparently vthere.i is,, no, at present .for or;'■against;such a-desirable do-' velppriiont. "Dominica"' - as "surprised to .: hoar that' until lately', none of them had been taken -.to; a-concert;'at.-which -their'.'parents Wei'e' to ;Sirig. "They were, rather plexed; about,, ,the ..places,..we.', had to sing. . at," said':Mrs."Rurnfordj "and - used to, ask such funny questions about .it. They asked u-? once if ,to the 'Hippodrome we went, vasMf ;they 'liad'/aTi idea-'wo were ,h, sort of circus," and so at last r wovdeijidedi-to. let them go to a matinee at Sydney. They sat •in the frpnt.:..row, r and.w^re, : immensely iiitsrcstrf.'Doniiuica''". had ;,h'pard'- r ' about that; '"ai)d under ' the iriipressipn , that. . during thp'concert the, children"; hailed .their, parents ..riothirig '. pf;'' the sort.. Their, instructions-.'before'the'.concert had .been too,explicit;:'aud;,they wpre'.'as 'gdod' as ; gpld- during; the." song's;,' - ;but'it was wh'eii 1 - the pianist was giving' a solo that' the small boy grepted - him, with a', loud /shout." - Tho - applause of;tho audiqnee,-'apd'. the' ..crowd. waiting\/qu.t'side/aftef * the'p.erforriiance'-'^^was', ' over; pleased " and ''excited'; 1 them. " They chuckled with' glco ,all; the, way ;home, . aiid' they lia'd their own 'little - joke, which ..thei'r; parents . did; not. understand ' atV the' -time.; "It's like a '.¥ethiim l > iri' ar.fit,''•' said . ''tho' youngster,.' . .'lopking ' .at -'/thd. ' entjiusiast.ic •crowd; and it was not till weeks later that . Mrs, Rumford found; somcono had-used, ln the, child's hearing," : "Like a besom in a fit,"; to' denotp great excitement. Strangely -enough; while tho ; baby Moves' no-' , thing-'better-: than • td/havo/hiis; inoth.er sing' to,,him; ; arid/Roy; loyes/it'; ; Mris.'' Rumford could ■ riot",-'-for'■ years,'-, sing ; cvon,''exefciscs'_ in the hearing' of ]tho little girl;' who Was immediately ;/moyed/td' tears .Tjy.' 'even -a, few notesi/. - - 1 Jiist/WHy this-'should be' her'parents do not ; know;/ Probably the, child is too deeply sensitivo.to music/and indeed one could well jb'eliove/tliat 'tlio i;child/of such i'parents possessed/tho soul, of/music, ; but'. they are glad to/fmd 'that'-she •'is.learning*.to' listen to. her. mother's v /songs' /without .such disconcertmg' manifestations! of/sprfow. .;. Perhaps somo day/she in her turn ; will plaly upon' the 'emotions'- of great' filling them with'rapture or tlio strange delight/of sadness, . arid,/as her' parents nave 'solved the problem. of'. t how;td combine; public 'service : with ' domestic/:happinc3s; they may , not shrink, '/as'.-'other'-Srtists. have-:done',/ from the Drospect of such a life for their children.^