The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-10-30

LAST. History is full Of contradictions. Rules
long established, canons sanctifcd by the dust
Of ages, are swept away in moment by the force
Of Individual power Sixty years ago, when all
Europe was in iernent, when great armies
were mryshalled under the banners of illustrious
veterans, a young Italian, a soldier who had
sought in vain for his swords employment, APP
peared upon the scene, and changed the desti-
MES Of tie nation. The Little Corporal carried
terror and devastation into the ranks of odd
fogyism, and annihiated at once all the old
= stems brought down from Turenne and MARI
borough and Charles the Twelfth. He thrashed the
Anstrians out Of Italy, whipped the allied Powers
on every field, and carried his eagles in triumph
from the Tuillerics to the Pyramids He defed
the old rules Of fighting and, according to the art
Of war, he should have lost all his battles. The
nouldy strategists were lost in wonder, while
the masses Of the people worshipped the new
Cesar as q god. His laurcls are as green to-day
IL when he wrote to Talma, "Come to Olmutz,
and you shall play before a pit full of kings"
As with war or with politics, 50 it is with art.
and now We sec in our midst jolly, piquant
3ieqndire, also a native OF bright Italia-a little
corporal in crinoline, petite Napoleon in petit
coats-in the person of Piccolomini, walking
boldly up to the cannon mouth, and carrying the
popular affections by storm, in spite OF the oppo-
sition Of all the oyster house critics They say,
Ike the old Generals who pooh-poohed at Napo-
leon the First, that she knows little of her art
that she has not much voice, and does not always
sing correctly, and that altogether, she has been
exceeded by artists who have not gained great
success with u. These pundits argue and
storm and split hairs upon the merits Of the new
singer, and make the saloons resound with their
denuncations, while the public which has will
of lis own, crowds The house every night Pic
colomini has in fact routed the critics as the
Little Corporal thrashed the Aus.rians and the
Prussians. She has fought her campaign upon
entirely novel principles; and 10y combination
of qualities personal and artistic, rarely SEEM
she has carried away the defences of the oyster
house critics by storm, and, SO far as the opinion
Of the public is concerned has routed their forces
horse foot and dragons.
The triumph Of Piccolomini contains lesson
which the presumed trainers Of public opinion
would do well to mark, learn and inwardly
digest We have bad here Grsi, who came
flushed with thousand victories, won upon botly
contested ficLds: and size failed with us. Sontag
and Albon were great artists, with first class
European regulations; but they only achieved
moderate degree Of success in the United States.
The only parallel to the triumph of Piccolomini
was that of Jenny Lind. who was also out of
favor with the critics; she was called a bad
artist, who relied on ven!rloqual tricks to
tickle the ears Of the groundlings. Bosio
and La Grange, both perfect artists, and both
crowned with laurel by the critics, failed to
awaken any great amount of public enthusiasm
while this little Piccolomini walks upon the stage
Of the Academy and conquers the people with
look. She cannot sng-so the critics say; and
yet the theatre is filed nightly as it has never
been filled before Decidedly, somebody il in
the wrong; and in all democratic commu-
mites the majority rules, it follows that the
public must be right AT any rate, Piccolomini
has beaten the critics out Of the field. They
have found their Waterloo. and she has gained her
Austeili'z. T,w! Piccoomini!