much
exercised as to the outcome of all these years of preparation. He
was ready to start out as a singer but his heart failed him at last
and he became disconsolate. He could not work and had no money. I saw
the situation was desperate and took things into my own hands. As a
favor Mr. Carlton of the Empire Theater, Oakland, called and heard him
sing October 24, 1904. He doubted his being a Chinese. I assured him
he was. "Well, certainly he shows his training," was the reply. He was
immediately engaged. He had a list of seventy-five songs, sacred and
secular, of which he could be proud, and he sang them in English,
German and Latin. For three months we had the excellent assistance of
Director J.H. Dohrmann at the piano and twice a week we had a full
rehearsal. By the time the engagement was secured we were ready for
it. He opened at the Empire, January 30, 1905, with unbounded success
and received many floral tributes from the pupils and friends. He sang
a week, beginning February 13, at the Lyceum, San Francisco. On
February 20 he was engaged by the Savage Opera Company in San Jose,
February 27 in Sacramento and March 13 in Fresno. He went to Portland,
Oregon on March 30 for three months and April 12 was in Astoria. I was
in constant touch with him. In 1908 he sang in Brussels and later in
London in the great Coliseum for 15,000 people in aid of the
Typographical Union of Printers and Engravers. I received a letter
from his manager who assured me I had reason to be proud of my singer
for he was making good and had many friends among the theater goers
and managers of the different circuits.

Before going abroad Lee Tung Foo had sung in all the larger cities of
the United States. During all these years he had much difficulty in
his art and in addition had to do all his booking single-handed. After
filling out his work in 1911 he came to California for the first time
in six years. He sang one week only at the Empress theater in San
Francisco and having an engagement of forty-four weeks on the Eastern
circuits soon left. When they were completed he came once more to his
home in the early part of 1912. After his week in Oakland he sang all
through the south and interior and later in Oregon and British
Columbia, returning in September to fill out the engagement at the
Empress, then again go on the Eastern circuit.

I have necessarily given more space to this special pupil and were it
possible to state accurately all the ci