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WILMETTE LIFE. FRIDAY. AUGUST s; 1924 By RICHARD C. BURRITT A wanderer· through opera-land returns to Chicago with at least one thought planted deep as a religious belief and as strongly as a scientific ·certainty. And that, that nowhere in the world is grand opera presented on a more splendid scale and by better artists than it is presented by the Chicago Civic Opera company at its home theater, the Auditorium. The t_wo great opera companies in the Umted States, the Chicago company and the Metropolitan of New York, have under contract practically all of the great artists to be found anywhere. Their orchestras and their chorus and their productions as a whole are second to none, and so much greater and finer than most that to. coml?are the great American compan1es w1th the majority of those ab.roa_d, save for one extraordinary inslltu~JOn-La Scala, at Mi-lan-is nothmg short of musical sacrilege. - A wand~rer through opera-land ~broad, havmg heard packed audiences m famous theaters cheer second rate performances and applaud artists who ~ould. not be acceptable, for instance, 111 Ch1cago except in minor roles or as spear carriers, cannot help but feel that Chicago audiences as a wh?l~. have no conception of the true artistic value of the performances that are offered them night after night for eleven and one-half weeks. It would appear that a real appreciation o~ ~he performances by the Chicago C1v1c Opera company will, to a large extent, always be lacking in so far as Chicago audiences are concerned, for Chicago audiences do not ha\·e a basis of comparison that makes the performances of the Chicago company stand out in the light of their worth. 9Pc.ra is being given in most countnes 111 Europe today, and acceptable too to those countries, that Chicagoans would not tolerate. As a matter of ~act i~ the Chicago company were to offer 1ts suhscribeQ and patrons prodticti?ns such as those that are the rule m most ope'Jta houses in Europe tile. compan.)· --r·:.tld lv3\.4 hs sub~ scnhers. They vfould walk out in a ~ody. The company would not contmue. Chicago would refuse to listen. In one week the city would turn a cold shcu lder. In Eur?pe to~a:y, when an opera succeeds m ohtammg the services of Of!e artist of the caliber of those who w1ll appe_ar _ a t every performance at the Aud1.ton~tm theater this season, the occas1.o~ 1s one for great rejoicing. Merely bJIImg such an artist's name on one of the boards before the theater is s_ufficient to sell-out the ~ house overn1ght. And in such instan~es, the cost is generally raised co~stderably, and often doubled. And bemg doubled, opera-goers cheerfully ~atre~he increased price and ask for orth bore ootery ANNOUNCES IT'S Semi-Annual lAve. 154 [ 1St 1311 Clearance Sale of Spring and Summer Footwear Beginning for Men and Women I Saturday, August 9 and Continuing for Two Weeks (Until August 23) For quick clearance-in order to make room· for new Fall stock- we will close out all broken lots of women's oxfords, pumps and slippers fron1 this season's selling at I I iii == 5;~£u~~~oo7.OO Included in these two lots are shoes for street, afternoon, evening or sports wear, in patents, satins, suedes (both black and colored), black and brown leathers. Also colored elkskins. = = 5: Members of the Chicago company are. royally received wherever they ~o m Europe. They have only to let ~~ be known. that they are willing to smg a few t!mes, for example, during the late spnng and summer, and the messenger boys "come strolling" with sheav~s of telegraphed offers. Dunng the summer in many parts of Europe, several music lovers told th_e wr1ter that they wished they m1ght sp~nd a w'nter in Chicago to atte~~d Ch1c,~go .Civic Opera. . _Surely,. satd one, "you have no d1fficul_ty. m selling out the theater on subscr1phon, .have _you? If you have, your people m Ch1cago do not realize what a great privilege they havewhat a great treat." = == == = All White Linen Oxfords, Slippers and Pumps, at White Kid Slippers at 6.85 Broken Lines of Shoes and Oxfords for Men, at CHILDREN'S SHOES SOLD ONLY I I I = - = = = li II = Eutem Pastor to Give !E Sermon at Baptist Church= Rev. B. P. Hope of Media, Pa., wilt §§ preat;h the sermon at the Wilmette !lii!!i Bapt1st church Sunday morning, Au- !E g~st tO. at the 11 o'clock services. iii ~1s sermon subject will be "Envisionmg the Unseen." The church school of the parish ;;; convenes at 10 o'clock during August. Mid-week services at the church are omitted during August. at Our Chicago Avenue Store 919 Chlca.go Ave., Nea.r Main St. ./~ud \ViH Be 15% -· Red~·~ -'rl ...... . An !i Chamber of Commerce to = Hold Meeting Aupat 11 = An important meeting of the Wilmette Chamber of Commerce has been called for Monday evening, August 11 at 8 o'clock, in the Village hall as~ sembly room. Final details of the Wilmette Day program witt be discussed at this meeting, it is announced, and reports of the various committees presented. == All styles are well represented in all these sale shoes, but not every style in etJery siu. early selection will secure the most desirable models in the sius required. Cantilever Shoes not included in this sale Same Prices Prevail At Both Stores 529 Davis Street, at Chicago Avenue 919 Chicago Ayenue, near Main Street ·························· ------------------·-·····Read All tlae Wont-Acl.t ·························· ---------------------····- _....--...111111~----..--------·