Drexel Institute Engineering Department - Record Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

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PROPH ECY CCoritinuedD land avenue and the 'fP,eanery. There were two other men in the President's suite, to whom a reintroduction is necessary. The hrst is a youth of slight build, with violent hair and fearless expres- sion. This is the I-lon, Signor General Torche Applegate. To his physical refinement and courage, as well as to the strength of his one and original pipe, Vandy owes his position, Applegate being- the one and only successful revolutionary general Mexico has ever seen. The second of the party possessed the hearing of an aristocratic gentleman, and even the casual observer felt that here was a person of artistic' temperament. This personage was none other than the Hon. Horace E. Thorn, official poet and newly elected president of the Mexican Opera Company. At the departure of the guard we drew a long sigh of relief, for they took with them some of the for- mality of the occasion and left us free to speak to each other in the old familiar way. . lNell, jones, I made it a go, cried Van de Mark. I got him in the air tanks in six different places. They've fired him bodily, with a 48-hour time limit to leave the country. A It is here necessary to quote from the Mexican Herald of the day: President Van de Mark yesterday introduced a bill to expel Prof. I. L, Beaver, of the Mexican Institute of Technology, for the illegitimate sale of a book called 'Alternating Currentsf The President stated that the book was undoubtedly revolutionary in principle, saying that it spoke of a machine that would make an infinite number of revolutions per minute. On these very good grounds the menace to public peace of mind is given 48 hours to leave the country. lNe call attention to the disgraceful conduct of one Ernest johnson, also an instructor in the lnstitute, who from the galleries hurled improper remarks at the President while speaking, one rellialk sounding like '10 in A. Cf lt is rumored that Johnson knew the President in the States, and that he has become jealous of the position that the President still holds above him. 56

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l W f-5 1 I was sitting on the grand terrace fronting the Piesid t' l t ' - en ia palace of Mexico, situated at Cl z l- tepec. To the east st' t l l ' C itpu ie C iec the great capital, and beyond, the famous Lake of Texcoco. The dark shadow east by the hill now l d reacie to the city limits, and thr ffl l ' dusk I saw tl l' l t - ' ' ' oubi tie gathering ie igat of the Piesidential carriage approaching along the fashionable Paseo de la Reforma. VVith considerable Glitter and Ol l 5 guise tie mounted guard rode up, drew up in line and saluted: then in a cloud of dust the caii' ff . Hiabe rolled up to the palace gate. The President, who first emerged, was a large, broad-shouldered,. heavy-set man, with huge inoustachios fully four inches long. I-le was dressed in a plain white suit, trimmed with a heavy gold braid, and Wore a broad-hrimmed panama. Yet in spite of this gaudy and impressive adornmeut, he still possessed the oldswing of E. S. Van de Mark, as We were WO11t to s ' ee him in the days of XVood- 55

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PROPHECY CCominuedD ' Before I could extend my congratulations to the President, Thorn uttered the soothing words, How like the fragrant odor of the jasmine are my thoughts tonightf' Bullets V' said Applegate. Hey, jones, got any Durham ? Sirrah,'l exclaims the amazed Thorn, Mavaunt with your vulgarity-Ah, the Queen-and little Eva dies tonight. CPoor fellow, he still insists on quoting from his favorite playsj Never can I for- get his disgust at the names suggested for his new opera house. Torche suggested Trocadero,' Bur- roughs wrote from Egypt to suggest XWilliam Penn, and Burtis wanted it to be called the Gayety. After much deliberation Thorn finally adopted the name Paint and Powder. Suddenly an uproar arose, and Burtis, hat in hand, rushed up the avenue crying, Hey, Thorn, where in the devil are my keys? I can't get in my dressing-room at the operaf, f'INell, I haven't got 'em, retorted Thorn. i'You're a liar! shouts the enraged Burtis. Aw, go get a duplicate from Fletcher, the janitor. ' It is now necessary to explain that Burtis fills the leading tenor roles in 'Ilhorn's productions. It had always been a puzzle to me when Burtis discovered that he had a voice. I-Ie always said he had received his training in onelof the largest places in Philadelphia. I have since found that he worked in the finishing rooms of the Standard Roller Bearing Company-he has been a most diligent stu- dent. At the time he was singing the part of Eyestrained in INagner's great opera, 'cEyestrained and Trisoldef' and at present I have this announcement. To-Night at 8.15. Mr. Paulo Burtis as Lewis in Signor Gorgo S. Cooper's new opera, The Bells. Libretto by Professor Cragmile. Teatro Nationale. A Sig. Cooper will conduct. 57