Mary Baldwin College - Bluestocking Yearbook (Staunton, VA)

Page 33 text:

The Sleigh-Ride. Scene I. nnoi ' Nckmi-nt in Tin-, dining-room School will be suspended :it two o ' clock and the young ladies will go sleigh- riding (Rapturous and deafening applause ) l )li. how lovely ! ' I wish it were two o ' clock, this very minute. I ' m going to put on my hat and jacket immediately aftei dinner. Pooh, you greenie, any one could tell that you were from Florida. You ' ve got to put on all sorts oi wraps. A jacket, in- deed ! I suppose you ' d think that jacket was warm enough if you went to Klondike. At French table — Mademoiselle, irez-VOUS? Je snis bien aise d ' aller. Oui, e ' est charmant. I ' d rather «n sleigh-riding than do most anything At home, that and skating are our principal sports At German table— Ich liebe Sehlittenfahreu;- Ach! Himmel ! der schone Schuee. Scene II. IN THK VARIOUS Km )Ms Won ' t you please lend me your cape ? Do vim thmk I ' ll be warm enough ? Let me see. I have on tw its, this cape, mv shawl and this muffler. I ' m roasting. Where ' s that •Don ' t think you can sneak those mittens. I had fa ovei school for them. ' Some ol you act like you never saw snow before. • t9 :sT ■ Scene III. ESQUIMAUX VILLAGE on Till- FRONT VERANDA— EVERYBODY LOOKING I. IKK A SNOW-BALL. Won ' t those sleighs evei come ' I ' m tired waiting Surely it ' s long past two i, ' clock. Possess inii si ml in patience, ' Everything comes to him who waits, ' you know. It certainly is cold. I forgot that extra cloak. Von duiriniy, your old hot brick will Ret cold on this veranda. Go, put it on the radiator. Scene IV. Young ladies, the weathei has moderated and ' t will be impossible to g The usual routine of school duties, will be resumed. i A decided fall in the temperature.) eepiup wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Page 32 text:

Oh, well ! I expected as much. Now, you know you didn ' t. You anticipated it more than any one else. Such is the irony of fate ! ' It will be a cold day when I get ready again Smartie — Of course, it will necessarily have to be colder than it is, Toddy, dear. Aftermath. two days later— ali. in sleighs. May 3I .— i„ looking over my memoir book, I am delighted Isn ' t this lovely ! to remember tint, after all, the sleigh-ride was not, like Buffalo Stop eating that snow ! You know it will give you sore Bill, all a dream throat ! Could anything be more delightful? Indeed and in truth, life is worth living. I wish it would never end The realization far exceeded the anticipation. Let ' s sing. Jingle, bells, for a closing song. I mu-it hurry in to put this in my memoir book. Grand Finale. THREE CHEERS FOR THE SLEIGH-RIDE. Martha Bruce.

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Burmeister. NE ot the leading pianists of the day, and the one, perhaps, who most delights the American public by his vigorous and brilliant execu- tion, is Richard Burmeister, of New York. His very appearace is striking. A tall and graceful figure, a well-poised head, a counte- nance upon whose clear-cut features are de- picted manliness, energy and strength of character, all these combine to make the play- er a very handsome man, while his flexible wrists and long slender fingers suggest many pleasant possibilities of piano technique, which are happily realized in his playing. Mr. Burmeister has that sympathetic and poetic touch which carries sunshine and happiness into the hearts of all his hearers. If Liszt ' s trill was like the warble of a bird, Burmeister ' s is scarcely less so. With this delicacy is combined great power. The muscles of his wrists seem to be of steel when he strikes those mighty chords which are the glory of music. This great power, however, is never used for mere effect, as is shown by his perfect repose, even when playing the most difficult passages. There is no swaying of the body, or rocking to and fro on the piano-stool, but instead, a prevailing calmness, both of body and countenance. In those sad, sweet strains of Chopin ' s Funeral March, his beautiful pianissimo touch comes into play, while in theHungarian Rhapsody his power and brilliancy of execution are noticeable. Burmeister ' s rendering of Chopin ' s Valse shows him to be a worthy interpreter of that great master, and he plays Beethoven ' s Sonata Apassiouata, which is the Hamlet of pianoforte com- positions, with all the pathos and dramatic power it demands. Burmeister ' s reputation does not rest upon his great gifts as a pianist alone, for he is also a temarkable composer, as is manifest in such brilliant compositions as his Ballade in C sharp minor, his Elegy in D flat major, and his Capriccio in C major. Too much cannot be said, however, in praise of his playing, for he has all that finish, that perfection of style, and, above all, that touch, which constitute a great artist. Moreover, he inherits the musical methods of the grand old masters, Liszt and Rubin- stein—those who, as some one has said, though dead, yet speak to all future generations. A. Merrill Proctor.