Emphasis Preaching Journal

John McCormack, a U.S. operatic tenor, was well-known for his performance as the naval officer Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly. Having watched a production of the opera by a different company, he sought out the tenor playing Pinkerton. He said to him, "You sang very well, but you must have been a rotten naval officer." The singer begged his pardon, so McCormack explained: "You began with a little bit of braid on your sleeve. Then, years later, when you return to Japan and your little Butterfly, you're still wearing the same bit of braid. Don't you ever get promoted?