To the Editor of the "Norrs-Caima Day News."
Sin,—May I be allowed' space to reply to your remarks and the. letters which have appeared in your columns expressing dissension, with my views on the performance of the " Belle of New York,"
What is that test of musical pop-is seldom, if ever, played by gen A The music of the "Belle" orchestras in places of amusement, or as incidental music, and anyone Wroducing its record on a gramo-Phone nowadays would be considered hopelessly out-of-date by the few to whom the air would be familiar. Compare it with such music as that in the ' Mikado,". which has stood the test of a quarter of a century and #s as popular as ever, and it will be found path tically deficient. Surely the original success of the piece was based almost entirely on the personality of Miss Edna May. Can one instance of genuine wit be quoted as occurring in the whole of the piece Mr. Spelman informs us. that nightly for eight weeks he has listened with intense pleasure to the music of this operetta. "There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio." His absorption gives one food for thought—even for wonder—but does it prove anything? His curiosity reguarding my identity and his desire to entice me into the arena cannot, I fear, be gratified.
"One of the Public'? asks why my deadly pen has been inactive while travelling companies have inflicted bad shows and worse actora on the community. This is just the point I laboured in my letter. The duty of honest criticism of performances, whether amateur of professional, should not _devolve upon an individual, and I repeat if genuine criticism was made by the Press, the result, would be a higher standard of all productions.
I repeat also that had the proceeds, or any substantial portion of them, been given to charity, my letter would have been entirely unnecessary, but customary prices are charged, and as the expenses
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.