Ladies' World.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 28 July 1910, Page 4

Ladies' World.

THE TRIALS Oh 1 A PRIMA ; DONNA. (By Mine. Tetrazzini, in M.A.P.) Within the last few days I have .somewhat painfully discovered that to have one's name brought prominently before 'the public, even though it he in the most favourable light, is not always without serious disadvantages. The path that 'has to be trodden by a well-known singer may be rose-strewn in places, but even where there are roses they have (thorns, and sometimes they are not even roses. One of the most unpleasant, and certainly the most persistent, of any ol my 'trials is to be found in my letter-bag. Every day my private correspondence is swamped with letters from people I have never heard of before who want me to do all sorts of tilings for them. The least exacting of them simply ask me W send them money, apparently under the- delusion that I have unlimited wealth at mv disposal. It is no exaggeration to say that had I given away all tine money t-haJt I have been asked for during the last year or two, by people who have no claim on me •whatever. I should now be several millions in debt.

Sometimes they ask me for ouiito small amounts, and it is occasion-al-ly rather difficult to refuse these, but others again ask for small fortunes. _ As it has long since been found impossible to keep pace with this flood of begging letters, [ have given up even acknowledging them, so they have all to be refused. Hundreds of clergymen write asking me to sing at their churches to help them to get money for some church fund. Here, .again, it is impossible to diiseriminiiJtie. One cannot possibly sing at all of thorn, so they 'have all to be refused. Then tibere are people who write very charmingly to ask if T can send them tickets to hear mo sin.g and who afterwards write very rudely when I tell them I cannot oblige •them. One lady wrote quite a long poom about me, and, of course, T was greatly pleased and flattered. But it was rather disheartening to find this note at the end of the poem:—"Tf - madame likes the poem, will she please send the writer some opera tickts?" Tf „iv correspondents only knew the enormous number of applications I receive ror opera .tickets, .and if they only knew how much I should like tliem all to come and hear me sing, I am sure they would not say such unkind things when T .have Ito refuse them the tickets they ask. Then the people who write asking for my autograph are as numberless as the sands on the .sensh-ore, and to satisfy these I should have to sit signing ,nv name the whole day lon*, □no lady was rather funny/ She wnolte, asking for my autograph, and m a weak moment I soriblilod my name on a visiting card and sent it to her. A day or two later she wrote to me again. "Dear Madame,-I presented your card at the box-office at Covent Gardon for two seats, but they won,ld not give them to me on your card alone. 1 herewith enclose the card uVt Se '<ni r lo ' yon 1 '. n lge , m . y g° o{l friend with two seats? and we will try again." Another oorresnondent wrote bowading the fact that she had'had her pocket picked as she was leaving the opera, after hearing me sing, and asking if I would' kindly send her the money sho had lost. I have a still more serious tnial, ' n ,fl le P oo .P' e who send me all sorts of things. This matter became so serious that at last my seen 7i t ° got someone, to witness the opening of each parcel. This precaution had to be itiaken as a reto bllkm™ t „,".'' 5C " ,1>1,10,,s a ii!" 06 ] Came - one da y containing a pan of earnings. The stones wen, pic? of ordinj|ry Sa ' d he ™ llted £s '°- for e to him 5 "' ere P rom P% returnc 1 to him ot course, and ho had the audacity ito threaten to sue me declaring that he .had sent reaf'dK monds, and that I had substituted for them the imitations. Another man sent me a pair of ordinary wrist euffs. I thought this was .a joke, and threw them biH for +) a f , eW lat er came a tJ™ em ' demanding five pounds. +J,L everyone will admit that t use attempts to trick me we very Sft a,KI ~ vet-y sillkl? U '° r T' because she s« ell-known and a foreigner, should be made a. target .for so many I„ scrupulous people. One man wLifed me buy his guitar, butTCve m"so?r ft 'H ha i , mioh a lfmm y reason He suggested that I could Sf V °' T easi,y ' aml that I could then accompany myself on the stage. AH these tilings, together with long railway journeys and seasick voyages, scarcely make for lio<htheartecln.ess. > And, finally, there are my business contracts, which Sytai. looW I might parody one of yy>u, r little songs and say, "A singer's life is not a happy one." Well, not always.