The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-02-28

with increasing difficulty, where is Great
Britain to find an army? What is to be done
when the siege of Sebastopol is raised?
Hand Times, the Goldfish Aristocracy and the
Italian Opera
The winter, from which we are just escaping
has been one of unusual severity. The poor
have suffered awfully, and all persons have
more or less felt the pressure of the times.
The distress of the lower classes residing about
the Five Points and other haunts Of poverty
has been in some degree relieved by SOUP
houses, charitable subscriptions, calico balls,
and other eleemosynary shifts. The grievances
of the middle classes arose from their not having
money to meet their notes when they fell due,
but this difficulty has been partially, and will
soon be entirely removed by the liberality Of
the banks. There is o third class, however,
very interesting and sensitive one, which has
Of late been reduced to great distress, and
whose sufferings have been entirely overlooked
in the sympathetic ard charitable movements
that have distinguished our community. We
allude to that select, refined, intellectual aud
highly ornate section of society which, in Bos-
ton, goes by the title of the cotton, and in New
York, by that of the Goldfish aristocracy.
This small but interesting division Of human
ity is principally congregated in the Fifth
avenue and other neighborhoods of sly lish and
luxurious aspect. Nevertheless, distress has
pressed more heavily upon it of late,
and has been more poignantly felt
than even the misery Of the poorer classes.
II is true that it does not exactly arise from
any deficiency of food or drink, or from the
difficulty of procuring elegant apparel-those
things the persons in question generally pos.
sess in abundance. No, their affection and des-
pondeDcy proceed from another but equally
regretab}e cause.-The i'll success that his
hitherto attended their efforts to establish upon
prosperous and permanent basis that NOBLE
intellectual and usefol institution, so neces-
saIy to the progress Of Western civilization
the Italian Opera.
For twenty-five years and more, strenuous
efforts have been made, large sums of money
squapdered, and Goldfish sold by auction at al
most any price, to bring about the accomplish
ment of this great work. We have had artists
from Europe of the highest, most varied, and
most RECHERCHE order OF talent, from Garcia to
have had oil sorts of inpressarios, too, such as
for instance, the elder Simpson, the unfortunate
Palma, the never-to-be-forgotten Sanq1irico,
the unequalled Patti the disconsolate Fry,
the industrious Maretzek and now we have
the indomitable Ole Bull struggling in
sort Of Thermopyla pass with the adverse
circumstances and barbarous tastes of the
spa @haua bril- taIo hiyh E,
ropean regulations and managerial abilities
have lost themselves in abortive efforts to
secure permanent footing amongst ms for
this branch Of ~ rical art. As a matter Of sue
cessful speculation, it stands precisely in the
same position in which it did ten years ago.
Even the present enterprise in Fourteenth
street, radiant as it was with promise, has met
with almost iusuperable difficulties at its OUT
set. Ole Bull, Mare.zek, Srakoscb, Ullman,
and Jacobsohu, are all up to their ears in q sea
Of aDnoyances and perplexities, brought upon
them by their efforts in the service of the fash
ionables of New York. In spite of their energy,
perseverance, and artistical experience, how
ever, nothing but gloom and dependency seem
still to hang over the prospects of Italian
Opera.
When the Italian Opera in London, Paris, or
st. Petersburg, gets into difficulty, the Queen
and the aristocracy in the one, and the Enpe-
rors and their courts in the other capitals, gen
orally come TO its relief, and by subscriptions,
subven.ions, and other timely all, secure a.
once the permanepce of their own amusements
ard the sustcntation Of the artists who are de.
pendent upon them. We have neither Queen,
nor Emperor, nor Napoleon, nor Gear, for man
ayers and artists to appeal to, under such cir
cumstances We are all sovcreigns here, il
is true, but, unfortunately, sovereigns as we
are, we seem 10 neglect this most useful and
indispensable element Of modern civilization.
And so the Italian Opera l,ugushes out
amongst us q sickly and spasmodic sort Of ex-
istence. We have not, in short, the same bow
els Of compassion for the Goldfish aristocracy
and Tor embarrassed managers aud starving ar
lists as for the suffering poor, the oppressed
shilling seamstresses, and the unemployed
mechanics who have lately had such severe
time Ct II. The distress Of the Goldfish aristo-
cracy, arising, as it does, from their ineffective
effor IS to accomplish so landable aud obviously
essential an object as the establishment of an
Italian Opera, has almost won our sympathy,
and the public must not feel surprised if we
should one OF these days turn round aud en-
deayor to assist them and their musical prote-
yes, beginning with Ole Bull. The fret ten
dsys Of The Opera 10 Irving place have been
lameniable failure, hut there is . yromiee .tis