OPERA SUNG IN GERMAN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17347, 19 December 1919, Page 9

OPERA SUNG IN GERMAN.

RIOTING AT NEW YORK.

AN UGLY DEMONSTRATION.

ABANDONMENT OF PROJECT.

[feom ova. own

LOS ANGELES (CaL). Nov. 15.

A. league to suppress Gorman opera has been formed by Mr. Harold Mertens Schwab, of New York. He served in the navy, and says the Germans murdered American soldiers, but now want pay for singing to kinsmen of the slain in the language of the foe. He would ban Teutonic opera for another year. While more than 300 patrolmen, detectives and mounted police, stood guard, German opera was sung in New York on October 23 for the third time that -week. Although crowds surged through the streets near the theatre,' there was no serious disorder, such as marked the two previous performances,' when returned men led civilians in an attempt to storm the playhouse. , An attempt by the city authorities, backed by the American Legion, to stop tbe singing of German operas in New York, received a setback when Mr. Justice Geigerich 'refused to modify a' temporary injunction obtained by the producing company. The injunction prohibits the city authorities from interfering with thd performance. On the question of a permanent injunction, the Judge directed counsel for both sides to submit a brief to him a tew days iater. Although the inner doors were not open till 7.45, 15 minutes later than usual, there were only about 50 persons at any time in the lobby. Some of these were detectives, of whom there were 100 in and about the theatre to aid the uniformed police in suppressing either riots or eggthrowing, such as took place at previous productions. One of those in the lobby was a woman in black, with a band of crepe oh" her arm. She walked restlessly. To one of the detectives, who asked if she were looking for anyone, she said:" lam looking to see for myself what kind of persons go to hear German opera sung in German. My two sons were killed in France, and I thought if I could find out what business some of the men coming here to-night were in I would start a boycott against them."

The cover of every programme had been torn off before the audience was admitted. On the inside of the cover there had been an advertisement of a fund to buy food for the starving babies of Germany, in which reference was made to the spirit of the German people, which cannon had been unable to break.

Mr. Harry H. Herts, business manager of the Star Opera Company, said the cover had been torn off on the advice of counsel after a complaint concerning the advertisement had been received.

The opera produced was the same as ! that of the previous evening. Herman ! Weil, who escaped four eggs without missing a note on Wednesday night, took the stage without a sign of perturbation. His confidence was justified. No eggs were thrown. Otto Goritz, the German who celebrated the sinking of the Lusitania with song, was greeted with cheers when he came on the stage. It was not till the performance was over at 11.30 that the police found any use for their night sticks. By that time, in spite of the unfavourable weather, a crowd of nearly 1000, many of them in uniform, had collected just beyond the lines established by the police. Mounted patrolmen and a platoon of foot police were sent to- dispense the crowd. They were greeted with a volley of bottles and brickbats, once ♦.-5 police got to close quarters the drenched rioters became discouraged. While .a police captain was chasing several men through Fifty-third Street there 'was a report of a revolver and a bullet sang high over the captain's head. No one was injured, and no one was arrested.

Mr. Herts was asked if it was proposed to carry through the eight weeks' season. He announced that the project had been abandoned.