POPULAR.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1737, 14 June 1905, Page 72

POPULAR.

Artists may form themselves into unions and deputations of managers wait, as they did recently, upon members of Parliament; they will not affect the relative positions m public esteem which, the virtuoso holds. Patti was once in S'an Francisco with Mapleson’s company, when it was not intended that she should sing. But ’Frisco would have the diva. Well, it was arranged that she should appear once. There never was such a fight for seats. Tickets sold at 400 per cent, profit. The crowd outside the agents’ so filled the streets that traffic was rendered impossible. Those at the head of the queue did their business in this way—they smashed the windows of the shop, climbed through, and, in all their heavy boots, stood upon the tops of the pianos and harmoniums stored there. The damage done over that sale of tickets was £6OO. Ola the night of the performance people got ladders, pulled off the roof of the theatre, and dropped literally on to the heads of those already seated within. In such a moment popularity may appear to have too great possibilities.