The Song Festival is now over.....Chicago is a busy city, and memories of the great Festival therefore fade quickly; traces of it are almost obliterated. The decorations on Clark Street have been removed, and no one expressed particular regret about it; by this evening Chicago's festive appearance will be gone, every vestige of it.....

But although the festival is now a thing of the past, the committee is still hard at work, tussling with the disagreeable job of accounting, since a loss of some $25,000 or $30,000 was incurred. The various subcommittees have been requested to present their bills, so that the accounts may be closed by Friday. Not until then will it be possible to give an accurate estimate. The total receipts of the festival were approximately $47,000, and the deficit depends, of course, on the expenditures, which have not yet been computed.

Bills involving music have already been paid. The orchestra received $8,400, 2Mme. Peschka-Leutner $5,000, Miss Cary $1,200, Mme. Donaldi $200, Mr. Whitney $1,100, Mr. Candidus, $1,000, and Mr. Remmertz $600; [the total sum paid to] all the other soloists, including those who participated in the rehearsals, was $1,200; total, $18,700. The other expenditures have not yet been computed, but the committee hopes that the original fund of $25,000 will not be exceeded. The committee will hold a session tomorrow afternoon at five o'clock. The press committee will meet today at four. The chairmen of the subcommittees have been requested to present all their bills.

As might have been expected, some people are dissatisfied with the results. It cannot be denied that certain phases [of the Festival] might have been arranged and managed differently, that it would have been advantageous if a different policy had been pursued, and that the Festival's purpose was not realized because of wrong conceptions; also, in various instances, money was spent needlessly, since some expenditures were not essential to achieve success. However, it is only fair to postpone criticism until the Festival committee submits its final report.....[Translator's note: Various letters 3of appreciation are published: singing societies express thanks to hotel proprietors for their courtesies; clubs thank other clubs for invitations to banquets; Mr. Candidus, tenor, is grateful for the plaudits of the multitude and hopes to see Chicago again; Miss Cary departs to see friends in the northwest; the Sozialer Maennerchor of St. Louis in a letter to the editor thanks the management of the Commercial Hotel, the reception committee, the committee on location, and others who contrived to do something for the club's comfort, etc.]

Professor David Swing in a lengthy editorial, published in his ecclesiastical weekly, speaks about the influence of the German element on music in America. He says:

"Except for Germany we should have no musical Americans!"

Regarding the Song Festival, which he calls a "Music Festival," he alludes to it as "the manifestation of the musical spirit of the nation".

Dr. Gersoni also has written a long article for the Jewish Advance, in which he lays stress on the good influence of German sociability, which forms the basis of all song festivals.

Since we did not have sufficient space at the time of going to press, we were unable to print full details of the banquet given by the Sennefelder Liederkranz. No less than fifteen out-of-town clubs were present.....Rosenbecker's band played.....The guests did not leave until morning.

Through an oversight we did not mention the presence of the Orpheus Chorus at the picnic after the festival.

The picnic committee desires to express its appreciation and gratitude to Mr. L. Thieben, 76 State Street, who lent a thousand beer and wine glasses for the occasion [last Sunday].