plain to you what he is
trying to do," said Hofmann. "He knows what he wants, and he is right
in his efforts; but he doesn't know how to educate the public. There
is where you could help him."

But Bok had no desire to meet Stokowski. He mentally pictured the
conductor: long hair; feet never touching the earth; temperament
galore; he knew them! And he had no wish to introduce the type into
his home life.

Mrs. Bok, however, ably seconded Josef Hofmann, and endeavored to
dissipate Bok's preconceived notion, with the result that Stokowski
came to the Bok home.

Bok was not slow to see Stokowski was quite the reverse of his mental
picture, and became intensely interested in the youthful conductor's
practical way of looking at things. It was agreed that the encore
"bull" was to be taken by the horns that week; that no matter what the
ovation to Hofmann might be, however the public might clamor, no encore
was to be forthcoming; and Bok was to give the public an explanation
during the following week. The next concert was to present Mischa
Elman, and his co-operation was assured so that continuity of effort
might be counted upon.

In order to have first-hand information, Bok attended the concert that
Saturday evening. The symphony, Dvorak's "New World Symphony," amazed
Bok by its beauty; he was more astonished that he could so easily grasp
any music in symphonic form. He was equally surprised at the simple
beauty of the other numbers on the programme, and wondered not a little
at his own perfectly absorbed attention during Hofmann's playing of a
rather long concerto.

The pianist's performance was so beautiful that the audience was
uproarious in its approval; it had calculated, of course, upon an
encore, and recalled the pianist again and again until he had appeared
and bowed his thanks several times. But there was no encore; the stage
hands appeared and moved the piano to one side, and the audience
relapsed into unsatisfied and rather bewildered silence.

Then followed Bok's publicity work in the newspapers, beginning the
next day, exonerating Hofmann and explaining the situation. The
following week, with Mischa Elman as soloist, the audience once more
tried to have its way and its cherished encore, but again none was
forthcoming. Once more the newspapers explained; the battle was won,
and the no-encore rule has prevailed at the Philadelphia Orchestra
concerts from that day to this, with the public entirely