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THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW.
270
no law that will reach the man that makes •johy it allowed itself to be so duped. Freund left
England near eleven years since, under a cloud. *
this infamous charge against us?
*
* His last experience seems to have been
But in all seriousness, let us say for the
T is never an easy task to catch a snake or benefit of this man Freund and his follower 10 novelty to him. He will probably turn up in Can-
an eel with the hands, but after you have Fiske, that we shall not be turned from our ada or Australia, and soon or late circumnavigate the
secured your "varmint," it is still more diffi- course by their incoherent raving. It is the globe on his cozening -mission.—N. Y. Times.
cult to hold on to him. The trouble is that Freund policy at present to play the martyr,
TRUTH'S OPINION OF FREUND.
~ m \~
these creatures are slimy, and then they and to claim that he is foully abused ancU
persecuted. He is also trying to make us
T I ^HE troubles of weekly journalism in New
wriggle so.
_l_ York have a fresh illustration in the case of
John C. Freund, a so-called "musical jour- abandon the attack and put ourself upon the
nalist," like the snake and the eel, possesses defensive. But bless your innocent heart, John C. Freund, the proprietor of the Musical and
these qualities of slime, and wriggle in an Mr. Freund, we have nothing to defend, and Dramatic Times. This man was a common black-
eminent degree. For years before his record we shall not give up the pleasure of exposing mailer, and to that quality he has now the distinction
oecame a public matter, he was so slimy that you to reply to any complaints that are moist- of a fraudulent and fugitive bankrupt. He pub-
it was difficult to seize upon him in any way, ened with your crocodile tears.
lished a newspaper which had a circulation of 2,500,
Before this man Freund, with his martyr- but threatened the piano trade into supporting him.
and now that his record has been made
known to the world, he wriggles as violently like manner, has had an opportunity to im- They not only kept his paper up, but lent him $60,-
as it is possible for a creature to do that press upon even a few guileless people that 000 in addition. They did this because they were
knows it must be destroyed for the benefit of we are attacking him merely with that desire afraid of him, and in place of bemoaning their
mankind. Every time we have attempted to to be abusive, let us make a plain and concise loss they should rejoice that he did- not remain to
pin this man down he has wriggled, instead statement of the case. We have attacked, bleed them still further. Did anybody know what
of meeting the issue squarely. First, he was and shall continue to attack this Freund, had become of Mr. Freund, he could doubtless be
about to bring a criminal action for libel solely because we believe him to be a bad, arrested criminally, but he has fled from his credit-
against a dozen or more parties. Then he unscrupulous and unprincipled man, as his ors and the law, and though an offer, has been made
was going to "live it down"—'-cheek it out"' record, which we are setting before our read- to his creditors to purchase the paper for $10,000,
would have been a more appropriate, if a ers, shows him to be. He is a dangerous payable in three years, they are only loo glad to
more vulgar, expression ; then he asserted in man to the musical profession and the music get rid of it, preferring losing their money to sup-
his lordly manner that he would pay no at- trade.; for lacking organization and being porting something that is a constant menace to them.
tention to vile mud-slinging, and, finally, easily moved to spite against each other, they If the very men who have suppotted a paper for
when he has been pretty closely pinned to are constantly placing themselves in his three years consider it better that it should go under,
the ground, he has wildly shrieked, "You're power. He will coerce, if he can, and when no better indictment could be found of its useless-
that is not possible, as in the present state of
another."
In one of the recent issues of his paper he affairs—thanks to THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND
\
has devoted an entire page to "The Story of TRADE REVIEW—he will involve his victims
EMMA ABBOTT'S ST0R7.
Charles A very Welles" (whom he calls the in complications with one another, and will One of the stories attributed to Emma Abbott is
"incompetent editor of an obscure sheet"), harrass them to an extent that will make life that of a rich mi*er in London who died of starva-
besides referring to this person several times a burden. As a well-known piano manufac- tion and left £100,000 to a poor young man who had
him a crust of bread. But the ruling passion,
in other places. This, we should think, was turer said not long ago: "The music trades of given
btrong in death, caused the miser to make it a con-
bestowing an unnecessary amount of atten- this country have gone on in absolnte peace dition of the bequest that £1000 should be interred
tion upon an incompetent person and his and quietness for two years, and now this with his corpse.
man returns to try and set us all by the ears In vain did the heir consult lawyers. They all de-
obscure journal.
clared that to quality as legatee he must comply
In other words, this innocent and great- again."
with the condition of the will, and ihe youth's tears
With any other sort of paper but a musical flowed afresh at the prospect of this double funeral
hearted man, having no answer to make to
of friend and money. He was preparing for the
the charges against him, retaliates by first and trade paper, this man is entirely harm- financial
bereavement when Emma, struck with the
less.
He
tried
his
methods
in
a
paper
pub-
playing the martyr, and then calling out like
pathetic spectacle of his grief, and learning its
the small boy who puts his thumb to his lished in the hat, cap, and fur interests in cause, demanded to know in what form the money
had to be interred.
nose as he retires round the corner, "You're this city, and, as Mr. George Bartholomew "Alas !" said the youth, in the interval of his sobs,
another." He has pursued this same method states in an interview on another page, he no form is prescribed for the corpse, gold, silver,
with reference to other newspapers that was walked out of the hat, cap, and fur or paper but the spondulicks must be buried all the
:i
have attacked him. Notably, the New York trade just as soon as his true inwardness same."
Then," said Miss Abbott, "draw a check to the
Daily Tbnes, whose opinion of him we once was discovered. He has tried a railroad order of the deceased, and bury that with his body.
more reprint in another column. * He cannot paper, in which he stole an idea suggested If he is able to use the money he will certainly be
able to indorse the check, and until he does you may
defend himself against the charges brought to him four years ago by our "incompetent" safely
enjoy the entire £100,000—which he did.—
•editor.
He
had
not
sufficient
ability
to
de-
by the Times, and so contents himself by
Ex.
publishing an arraignment which must have velop this paper properly, and it fizzled out This is another story about "Honest Emma"
carried consternation and dismay even to the after its fifth issue. He tried his bulldoz- that we do not believe.
smallest printer's devil in the Times estab- ing methods in the Arcadian newspaper, Emma never bothers herself about financial
Her husband, the genial Wetherell, al-
lishment. Like most of Freund's journal- and was quickly consigned to obscurity. In matters.
ways attends to that part of her career. What
fact,
we
do
not
know
of
a
single
field
in
istic efforts, this arraignment of the Times is
does Emma know about drawing a check, or draw-
a collaborated affair, and we can detect in it which he has ever met with success, except ing a house, for instance?
Wetherell knows all about both, and he probably
the hand of Mr. Stephen Fiske, whose career 1 in that of music and the music trades.
has been nearly as brilliant as that of the dis- j This statement points its own moral, one advised the youth.
! which we hope our readers will discover and
tinguished Mr. Freund.
We observed in the "Man About Town," apply, for we warn them that if they do not,
VOCAL METHODS AGAIN.
in last Sunday's Star, another specimen of they will once more fall a prey to the machi-
ROCHESTER, OLMSTED CO. , MINN. , March 9.
Mr. Fiske's handiwork. It is an amusing nations of this man Freund. A little more Editor of THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW :
IR—I am one in a large circle of musicians in-
little shot aimed at THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND tloan two years ago we plainly warned them
terested in voice culture. We have many mu-
TRADE REVIEW in behalf of the man Freund. against him, and those who heeded our warn- sicians
in our own city of R. Picking up a copy
We take notice of the remarks in the Star, ing had cause to thank us within the next of your journal, I find this: "Teachers of so-called
not because we think they are particularly few months.
vocal methods are likely to have considerable atten-
Let the musicians and the music trades of tion given to them through the agency of this
pointed, but because they refer to the editor
journal."
of this paper as having written a book of po- this country heed our words now.
Just hits many of us here. Be kind enough to
ems.
We can endure most of the cruel
send me a >eopy six months on trial, commencing
THE TIMES' OPINION OF FREUND.
remarks that such men as Freund and Fiske
jswith first number in January, 1882; hope you have
OHN C. FRUEND, who has taken himself off, I tta back numbers. Mr. Welles, it seems strange
can make about us, but we cannot hold up
leaving many creditors to mourn their loss, seems that the gentleman who wrote the January 20
our head under the charge of having written ,
against the "Howard Method" should nave
a book of poems. To say that we have ever •to have many of the qualities of a first-class adven tirade
had such an experience with the same. In my
written a single poem is a brutal and unjusti- I Wurer. He is one of the men—always numerous m own case it has done wonders, and I know of
fiable assault upon our good name; but to as- [great cities—who make large pretentious, flourish for others rejoicing in having found the "Howard
sert that we have ever been addicted to the
vile habit of writing poetry to the extent of iJthey have no reputation to warrant trust, they managt I will conclude by saying I am confident your
will increase in usefulness and popularity
a whole volume, is too much—it is much too fo get trusted in a way that honest men could not, and eno journal
in this part of the world in proportion to the fos-
much.
ij i>y so duping the community where they happen
tering of the interests of the voice-trainer.
We ask an outraged community, Is there \ 'abide thai ii wonders, after they have disappeared.
Very respectfully,
GEORGE DURAND.
YOU'RE ANOTHER,
I
S
J
L
April 5th, 1882.