A CARUSO STORY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 54, 6 March 1915, Page 6

A CARUSO STORY.

Sympathy for the hard case of the Belgian victims of the war is by no means confined to British countries, for as is well known, America has come forward with noble generosity to help in the charitable work of relieving their distress. With the object of aiding the funds an art exhibition was recently held in New York, and its promoterwere lucky enough to get the promise of Caruso to sing on a certain day. The news gob round, and as the price of admission was only 25 cents, or, say, a shilling in our money, the people turned up literally in thousands. -Not only was the exhibition crowded, says “Musical News,” but outside the pec pie who were unable to gain admission stood for nearly two hours packed like sardines-,, in the vain hope that they might be able to get in. Apparently they had already taken their tickets, and they refused to go away without the return of their “quarter,” as no song was forthcoming. Matters waxed rather turbulent, so much so that a force of police had to he called to control the situation. With brandished clubs they succeeded in getting the people who had hoped to hear Cam so on the cheap to disperse in a more or less dilapidated condition. As for the renowned tenor he never turned up at all. With the best intentions in the, world ho left his hotel in order to fulfil his promise, but the sight of the crowd and tho police was too much for him and he wisely returned to safety. Not for him was , the firing line. For the management to have announced “Signor Caruso in several pieces” might have been magnificent, but was not exactly war as he understood it.