Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 12 May 1944 — Page 17

what that means, . “The only thing that really hurts is that we didn't catch the many boats we might have caught

made fools

Inside Indianapolis By Lowell Nussbaum

JANE JORDAN, The Times' dispenser of advice to the lovelorn, can be sure that her words of wisdom are read by the folks over in the postoffice. Someone mailed a letter addressed merely: “Jane Jordan.” And it was delivered promptly. We think that goes to show we have an alert postoffice force. But please don't make them prove it. Always be sure you have used the complete address. The boys at the postoffice have a tough job to do under wartime conditions, Let's help them. . , . Piul Richey, the advertising man, * galls our attention to the fact that only some of the pamphlets being distributed by the Security Trust Co. had the amusing typographical error we mentioned Wednesday. The printer, or someone, caught the mistake after some copies had been distributed. In case you've forgotten, the reference was to a device detecting “the sound of a whisper or football"—meaning footfall. . . . Qur item Monday about the “problem” that may be faced by Legion posts when they get a lot of gal members from the WAC, WAVES, SPARS and lady marines, brought a reply from Edgar Prout, on behalf of Memorial Post 3. “For many years,” he says, “we have boasted one of the largest contingents of lady members of any post in the Legion. These lady members are all former army nurses, veterans of the first world war, and we have 37 of them as regularly enrolled members. And the remarkable thing about it is the fact they have a greater percentage of attendance at regular meetings than the men members. Instead of being a deterrent to attendance, the presence of these fine patriotic women adds interest and color to our meetings. Incidentally, one of them is our post chaplain.”

Watch Your Step!

UNDER THE HEADING, "Rackets that bicom in the spring” the Better Business Bureau bulletin warns against some “itinerant repairmen, pseudogardeners, and high pressure salesmen and

Grass Roots Poll

WASHINGTON, May 12.—Strong opposition to continued federal supervision of numerous economic and social functions, which would change rather sharply the pattern developed by the New Deal, is revealed in a poll of county and local Republican leaders made for the Republican magazine, a party organ published in Chicago. A majority of these local leaders would give more responsibility to state and local governments or to private enterprise. © Questionnaires were sent to 3514 county chairmen, state committee members and other Republican leaders. Every state was represented in the poll which included both men and women. : wrt . The results of the survey are significant, fer it represents the viewpoint of the party wheelhorses who are influential in national conventions in drafting of the platform and selection of candidates. They also explain more clearly the rise of some figures, the fall of others.

Dewey Ranked at Top

GOVERNOR DEWEY of New York, for example, ranked at the top among candidates for his position on domestic issues, to which the poll was confined. Since the poll was started, he has jumped far out in front until now his nomination is taken for granted. Wendell L. Willkie, who withdrew from the race, ranked 10th for stand on domestic issues. Next to Governor Dewey is Governor Bricker of Ohio, followed in order by Herbert Hoover, Senator Taft, Senator Vandenberg, Lieut. Cmdr, Stassen, Eric Johnston, president of the U. 8. Chamber of Commerce, Governor Warren of California and Alf. M. Landon. Mr. Willkie drew by far the biggest opposition vote of any candidate, with 44.4 per cent of those polled

My Day

WASHINGTON, Thursday.—Yesterday proved to be quite a day in Pittsburgh, Pa. Their USO near the station is very attractive, with plenty of room for . various activities and a nice canteen. Since they mostly engertain transients, it is a busy place, I was quite thrilled to have a - chance to meet Commando Kelly ~ at the Rotary club lunch. He looked so young! I would have liked to sit down and really talk

seed which grows only to the desired height—say two inches—and requires no mowing all summer, staying fresh and green.” Sounds like our idea of heaven. Wish it were true. And then they warn against the “furnace fakers . . . the unscrupulous repairman who offers to clean your furnace, often takes it apart, and then discovers broken parts” which he may have broken himself. Maybe he'll even try to sell you a new furnace, and walk out, leaving. the parts strewn over the floor if you don't buy, says the bulletin. Others to cast a wary eye upon, advises the bureau, are the roofing salesman who wants to use your house as a “demonstration home” for advertising purposes. + « « The linoleum peddler who has “just finished a job in your neighborhood” and has enough linoleum left over to cover your floor at a bargain price. . . . Lawn mower and garden tool repairmen who want to take your tools to their own shops—and maybe keep them there. . . . the itinerant “termite man” who examines your trees and shrubs and declares he has found termites which may get into your home, unless you employ him to destroy them. That's enough to give you an idea and put you on your guard.

Beachhead Feast

THREE LOCAL service men will be feasting on good old Hoosier fried chicken within a few days as the result of the item in this column April 27. At

aennerchor

By ANTON SCHERRER

that time, we mentioned that Mrs. Hubert L. Allen, 1026 Windsor st, had received a letter from her son, Robert T. Allen, signalman 2-¢c on an LC-T at the Angio beachhead, mentioning homecooked food, and t sealer. time, d asked made it

a tin can at the same called an They 0

the odor in sistible. best pieces of each in nine quart cans—three for each f the boys. . Allen already has mailed one cgn/| to her son, and will mail the other two at intervals. Yum, yum!

By Thomas L. Stokes.

voting “no” as to approval of his position on domestic issues, with 286 voting their approval, and 27 per cent answering “don't know.” Governor Dewey got a “yes” from 76.7 per cent; 21.5 per cent “don’t know” and only 18 per cent “no.” .

Federal Control Opposed

AN OVERWHELMING majority: would abolish all

federal control and financing of housing, slum clearance, and electric power projects. Sixty-six per cent were in favor of giving more responsibility in financing and operation of electri power projects to non-governmental organizations or private enterprise, and 189 per cent in favor of more responsibility for state or local government, with only 15.1 per cent in favor of retaining or extending present federal supervision. Only 6.2 per cent favored continued federal supervision of housing construction and slum clearance with 61.4 per cent for more responsibility in private enterprise or non-governmental organizations, and 32.4 per cent in favor of more responsibility for state or local government. Slightly over a majority—50.2 per cent—would give< more responsibility to state or local government for social Security, old-age pensions, unemployment insurance; with 39.2 per cent in favor of present federal control or its extension, and 10.6 per cent for more responsibility to non-governmental organizations private enterprise. ' In the labor field, 56.1 per cent thought labor unions had done the country more good than harm, with 439 to the contrary; 624 per cent favored guarantee of collective bargaining by federal law, with 37.6 against; 832 per cent favored collective bargaining between employees and employers, with only 168 per cent in favor of a federal board, and

74.7 per cent thought all strikes should be outlawed in wartime.

By Eleanor Roosevelt

are all glad his buddies refused to obey him. He is

What with almost everybody predicting the col~ lapse of civilization I find it kind of comforting to learn that the Indianapolis Maennerchor is going to celebrate its ninetieth birthday tomorrow night.

And from the looks of

things, it intends to keep on going. Apparently it’s the only outfit around here that still believes in the permanency of temporal things. The story of the Maennerchor’s start is too cute for words. It goes back all the way to 1854, a year conspicuously absent in the World Almanac’s chapter labeled “Memorable Dates.” Listen you abysmally ignorant almanac compilers: 1854 was the memorable year Nicholaus Jose, Eduard Longerich, Gottfried Recker and Adolph Schellschmidt arrived in America. They turned up in a group and represented part of that great exodus. following the revolution of 1848 when a cussed Prussian king refused to give his subjects a written constitution. In their search for a constitution, the four German emigrants stumbled onto Indianapolis, found it to their liking and stayed. A contributing factor was Hubert Recker (Gottfried’s brother),

| who had preceded the foursome. | ‘Hubert, it appears, had lived here

long enough to report that Indianapolis was shaping up to become the crossroads of America.

Rent $3 a Month Room

At that time Indianapolis was a town of 8500 people, 20 churches and one brewery, a ratio which if pursued would lead one to believe that Indianapolis is now a city of 1100 churches and 55 breweries. Thus proving again the utter futility of flirting with figures un-

| less, perchance, the figures are

fixed as in the case of an address or a telephone number. Which is my round about way of arriving at 75 E. Washington st. Baclein 1854 it was the address of a narrow (two-window-wide) threestory high brick building. A century-old legend has it that the building occupied a lot which until very recently was designated as the westerly part of the Pembroke Arcade, As luck would have it, there was-a vacant room on the top floor of No. 75 when the four German boys arrived in Indianapolis. Schellschmidt Longerich and the two Recker brothers moved in. The rent was $3 a month. With what was left of their savings they bought some second-hand. furniture, a woodburning stove and a “giant bed,” a cryptic connotation until you learn (as I did) that it was a bed big enough to accommodate all four men at one and the same time. When completed, the decor was a dead-ringer for the first act of the Murger-Barriere-Puccini opera known as “La Boheme”; with this difference, however—the Indianapolis version was without a Mimi (Grace Moore to you).

Starts Truck Garden

To make up for the missing Mimi, the four Bohemians took | to singing for the fun of it. They | were well-equipped for the pur- |

living or dead, is a coincidence and not an invitation to start

"First Row (left to right):

Arch W. Keltner, Charles F. Buck, John F. Schienck (secretary), Albert

Nachtrieb (financial secretary), Edw. M. Liljeblad, William C. Noelke (treasurer), Edw. H. Mueller (president), Clarence Elbert (conductor), Franz Binninger (president emeritus), R. Watson Moon, Isaac W. R. Keen, Fred W. Koehrn, Maurice Pennicke (librarian), George H. Amt (vice president), Capt. Henry D.

Kornblum. Second Row (left to right):

Harold R. Gibbs, Robert Ledig, George H. Roch, Oscar H. Koster, H. J.

Bried, Otto Busching, Frank M. Cox, C. Russell Parker, Will Hauck, W. U. Baker, Herbert S. Etter, Kenneth Duncan, W. J. Knannlein, Paul Lieske, Fred Linke, George E. Schmitt, Fred H. Schmitt.

Third Row (left to right): Wm. M. Hubert, John J. Long, John F. Viadoiu, Robert L. Linke, Chas. E. Hess, Merle Krug, Lester F. Groth, Thomas M. Fagan, Cpl. Lawrence F. Lent, Carl E. Most, William J. Miller, George W. Pittman, C. K. Hoff, Wm P. Keller, Carlyle E. Dreier, Keith K.' Shock.

Fourth Row (left to right):

Ludwig G. Burck, Leland A. Kirkpatrick, G. L. Jackson, A. G. Emhardt

Jr., Wilfred Schwartz, Paul H. Pontius, Wm. G. Mueller, Robert Turney, Alfred L. Kessler, Walter Gartelman, William C. Robertson, Robert Schuman, G. M. Broo, J. Warren Coyle, Chester V. McLaughlin, Gus

Fisher, William Foisey.

This picture was taken Nov. 13, 1943.

Mr. Jose started a big truck garden in the neighborhood of what is now Orange and State sts. Once a week regularly Mr. Jose walked that long distance through all the sticky mud, just for the fun of singing with his old buddies. Which ought to be sufficient proof that no hard feelings existed when he went his own way after arriving in Indianapolis. In the course of that same month, after mastering all four parts of the “Lorelei,” the improvised glee club considered itself good enough to have a name. They declared themselves the “Indianapolis Maennerchor.” Eduard Longerich was its conductor and Adolph Schellschmidt handled the instrumental accompaniments by way of a guitar and a fiddle, one at a time, depending on the mood he was in. The guitar is still intact, a prized possession of the Schellschmidt family. As for the fiddle, chances are it was a casualty of a house-clean-ing campaign. I bring up the subject of the annual orgy because of a recent revealing remark made by Mr, Schellschmidt’s son. “At one time,” remarked Adolph Jr., rather ruefully, “I had 23 cellos scattered around the house. I'm down to three now, all on account of the spring housecleanings around our place.” After licking the “Lorelei,” the Maennerchor spent the next 51 weeks primping for a public performance. The first concert was held May 28, 1855, in the ball~ room of Washington Hall, a swanky hotel located on ground now occupied by the W. T. Grant people (25 E. Washington st.). The concert was followed by a dance, the start of a 'tradition which persists to this day. Admission was $1—this at a time when whisky sold for 70 cents a quart. A house-painter by the name of Despa directed the first concert. Mr. Longerich’s absence is accounted for by the fact that he had returned to Europe. He was sick (swamp malaria); it wasn't because he was dissatisfied with our Constitution.

Seven-Word Review The morning following the concert (which was the morning of the Katzenjammer) the music critic of the Volksblatt reported: “A good time was had by all,” which, when you stop to analyze it, is a perfect appraisal of a

Maennerchor performance, to say nothing of a mighty good ex-

ample “of a critic's economy of

words.

In 1856, two years after its foundation, all 12 members of the Maennerchor went to Cincinnati to participate in a Saengerfest, a regional competitive music festival the purpose of which was to determine the town having the best singing society. It was a survival of the old “Meistersinger” idea. On that occasion the Maennerchor sang Kreutzer's tricky “Das Felsenkreuz” with what result is not known. It must have been pretty good, however, for two years later the Saengerfest was held in Indianapolis. A good time was had by all. Except for Carl Barus, the first Sangerfest in Indianapolis could not possibly have been the success it was. He was a talented and trained musician who had been brought from Cincinnati especially for the occasion. It was his hazardous job as guest conductor

to direct the hundred or so unruly _

voices which were sent to represent the towns of Louisville, Cincinnati, Dayton, Lafayette and Terre Haute. He had his hands full, you bet, when the ecstatic chorus pitched into “The StarSpangled Banner” with which the Saengerfest closed.

New Director Arrives

Twenty-four years later, in 1882, Carl Barus settled in Indianapolis. He had accepted the job of directing the Maennerchor, In the course of those 24 years, which embraced a civil war, a post-war period and a panic, the Maennerchor had no less than

13 conductors including Eduard

Longerich, one of the original Bohemians who was left in Germany a few paragraphs back. Mr. Longerich, it appears, had returned in 1862 fully restored in health. He reported that Prussia now had a constitution dictated by a king which was worse than having no constitution at all. Barus, who was also a '48 revolutionist, had a great reputation when he came to take over the Maennerchor. As early as 18568 he had conducted the Philharmonic Society of Cincinnati, a group of 50 musicians and one of the very first to tackle symphonies in the Middle West. Later he had his own outfit: The Barus Symphony orchestra. It played Beethoven's symphonies aya time when Leopold Damrosch (Walter’s father) was doing his durndest to make New Yorkers like them. Moreover, he had directed a half-dozen Cincinnati singing

Up Front With Mauldin

EN,

societies, to say nothing of church choirs and the like. Two years after Mr. Barus and his baton arrived in Indianapolis, the Maennerchor surprised everybody by putting on an unexpurgated version of Flotow's “Martha.” The very next night, believe it or not, they appeared in “Stradella.” The stars in both cases were Mrs. John P. Frenzel, Miss Laura Hessling and Messrs. Heckler Benner scheidt and Frenzel - (the husband of the prima donna). What was left of the Maennerchor represented the supporting chorus which at that time also included women. The operas were staged in Dickson's Grand Opera House. The 8S. R. O. sign was out 30 minutes before the start o fthe performances.

Invited to Louisville

The following year (1885) the Maennerchor, under Carl Barus, produced Milloecker’s comic opera, “Der Bettelstudent” with an augmented cast which included not only the five stars already mentioned but also Miss Charlotte (Lottie) Adam and F. Mummenhoff. The three operas showed a profit of $146 (net), to say nothing of the fame and prestige. Indeed, the fame was so farreaching that the Maennerchor received an invitation to produce the opera in Louisville (profit $127). This was followed by an invitation from Heucks Opera House to produce the show in Cincinnati; an offer that had to be declined. After all the Maennerchor was only an amateur organzation, the members of which had businesses and babies to tend to.

On the occasion of its fortieth birthday (1894) {he Maennerchor crowned Carl Barus with a silver wreath wrought by the reliable firm of Bingham & Walk. It was a well deserved tribute not only because of his amazing work with the Maennerchor but also because of his civic consciousness. It was Carl Barus, for example, who rehearsed and conducteq the great choruses of the ‘May Festivals of the nineties, the like of which Indianapolis has not seen since. In 1896 when he was 73 years old, Mr. Barus resigned his position as conductor of the Maennerchor. He had served 14 years. His silver wreath now belongs to Mrs. Kurt Vonnegut who has inherited quite a few of her grandfather's gifts. Indeed, she often resorts to musical idioms. Take the case of her pet squirrel: Once upon a {ime a tame squirrel showed a liking for Mrs. Vonnegut whereupon she reciprocated and called him “Tchaikovsky.” The Nutcracker Sweet —see?

" Frenzel Pays Artists

The Maennerchor celebrated its fiftieth birthday in its new building at Illinois and Michigan sts, which had been started in 1903 in plenty of time to be ready for the event. Up until’ then the Maennerchor had its home at 337 E. Washington st. in a building which at one time was the City Hall of Indignapolis. In 1877, the police court was converted into a music hall.

The new building was the scene

passive (cash dues). There was no alternative and no free tickets. It was during this period that Clarence Elbert, an Indianapolis high school boy, asked to be an active (not cash) member of the Maennerchor for no reason whatever except to take advantage of Mr. Frenzel's charity. After Karl Reckzeh (the conductor at the time) had measured Mr, Elbert’s voice and found it O. K,, a curious situation arose. Mr. Reckzeh explained that the Maennerchor had reached its quota of 50 singers, a figure fixed by Mr. Frenzel and one not to be trifled with. There wasn't anything to do about it, continued Mr. R., unless Mr. Elbert was smart enough to find a way of hiding in the back row of the chorus, in which case he could stay there until Mr, Frenzel spied’ him. The way things worked out, Mr. Frenzel never spied Mr. Elbert or, if he did, he never said anything about it: Since then, Mr. Elbert has come out of his hiding place. Indeed, he conducts the Maennerchor today. Mr. Elbert emerged from oblivion after Mr. Frenzel's death. The loss of their “angel” was a bitter blow for the chorus and for a while it looked as if the Mannerchor might fold up. There's no telling what might have happened had not the Athenaeum offered to share its home with the Maennerchor. Established there, the Maennerchor one Monday (rehearsal) night found itself without a conductor and little prospect of getting one. At this precise moment in 1936 Clarence Elbert came out of his hiding place and volunteered to play the piano, more or less as a guide to help the boys over the tough places. At the next meeting he was elected conductor of the Indianapolis Maennerchor.

27 In Armed Forces Today the Maennerchor has something like 100 singers, 27 of which are in the armed services. The more the merrier, says Mr. Elbert, apparently unmindful of the traditional Frenzel quota. Mr, Elbert gets along fine with his men notwithstanding some mighty delicate situations. Take the ticklish case of Otto Ehrgott, George Schmitt, Otto Busching, Fred Pintzki and Franz Binninger every one of whom has sung with the Maennerchor for 40 years or more, Their magnificent records count for nothing if Mr. Elbert, a mere upstart, catches them singing sour notes. Even more pathetic is the case of Baritone Ludwig G. Burck (see last” row of picture), Mr. Burck is a vice president of the Indiana National Bank, an ine stitution which employs Mr. Elbert (teller, cage 34). Six days every week Mr. Burck is Mr. Elbert’s boss, but on Maennerchor nights Mr. Elbert is Mr. Burck's boss. Shows how democracy works. With such an example it's funny that people are sure of nothing of which their ancestors were sure.

CLUB TO FEATURE ‘BATTLE OF SEXES’

“The Battle of the Sexes” will be featured at a meeting of the Ine dianapolis Speakers’ Club, Inc. at 6:45 p. m. today in the Hotel Wash= Assisting Thomas Bemis Jr., who will preside, will be Mrs. Russell & Dean and Mr. and Mrs. Bert C. McCammon. 3

0. E. 8. WILL INITIATE Irvington chapter 364, O. E. 8, will have initiation and a memorial ceremony at 8 p. m. Monday in the = Irvington Masonic temple, 5515 BE. © Washington st. Mr, and Mrs. Hare ry Buchholz will preside.

HOLD EVERYTHING