The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-04-26

Special Correspondence OF the orleans Crescent
PARIS, April 4, 1868.
The attraction of the week land the success of
the week in some points of view has been the
opera of the Duke de NASSAU. The poem isforme1
ont of compiled fragments of Dante's Inferno"
and the duke has found melody and harmony tor
five acts. By q special permission rom the en-
press the theater of the Conservative was given,
and the voices which rendered the principal parts
were those of Nilsson and Faure. The composer Is q
man of thirty has already written much, and his
compositions are certainly meritorious. Inc per,
formance of bis opera cost him thirty thousand
francs but then everything was conducted 10 regal
style, and the theaer. for that evening, was only
the private parlor of his palace. He issued the
invitations upon white ensmeled paper, with the
ducsl coronet in gold upon the envelop; the boxes
were filed with all that France holds OF nobility,
and rare sight 1t was to see the array OF youth,
beauty and splendor. Diamonds, and eInerslds,
and rubes, and pearls were strewn over the head
dresses and toilets. Lace and satin of all hues
were the main fabrics worn, aud the Spanish
maDtlla was to be seen on the heads OF the old and
Young. This last mode we hold to be out OF place
In Paris, for the quiet laDgud grace and the soft
perpetual motion of the fan (required for this
fashion, are not to be found In the lively, SPIRIT
ueIle Frenchwoman. But let Us continue the de.
scription of the royal fete.
few distinguished artists, whose presence and
applause the Guke's ambition aspred to, were
present, as we'll as few musc-loving spirits like
ourselves, who were hidden under the artistic
wing but these formed the only exception, and
were the only dark spots in the brilliant coup
dGiL Between every act there were servants 10
the dukes livery who bore ices and iced drinks,
sherbets and cream, etc. The vestibule was
lighted by countless wax candles, and one had
only 10 watch the carriages OF the court, which
took an hour to come and go, in order to know Of
what society the dukes soiree composed. OF
the work ITSELF much might be said for and against,
but as we do not propose musical crtique, which
could be of little interest to you, so far away, we
will only say, as melody, there is much to please.
! The ballet is charming bnt the orchestral effect
| is monotonous, and he wields this great weapon
| like child would giants sword.
We promised in our last word about Paul
| Forester" the last success of e. Angler. The
piece is full of strength and the pictures Of the
human heart and its different spheres in life are
finely and fearlessly drawn. There is too much
of life as it really is perhaps, for the piece to
offer any moral nourishment to those who listen
to il. The sudden eontriiion of Paul, his return
| to hcme affections, his re-entering the.quiet, mo-
Dotonous harbor where nothing had ever been
| sympathetic, and where he had never loved, make
the moral, N truth, appear so forced as to be alb
| surd. AT the very base of the rock where his
| happiness has gone down, we leave him; every
listener yearns for that lapse OF time SO necessary
to the healing of all wounds, particularly moral
wounds, but the author only gives him time to
say he win be obliged to expiate his sin by much
| suffering; therefore, although to the life, as we
knoSU life still is the moral insufficient to the re-
qsirernsnts of shs moral standard of the world,
and il may cry out against the piece. 1t is con-
| demned in England, and its translation not por-
mitted on an English stage, we believe.
What strange, just thinking, independent
| world is this Paris One half the population is
| rushing after what is called the immoral Paul
| Forester while the other half is transported by
the able sermons heard in many of the churches
| just now. Even Paris wears a svbdued and
solemn appearance ss we approach Holy Week.
| And the spring is fairly with us. The sun is
warm and genial, and the tees and plants are
| saying everywhere, IL know that my redeemer
/ 0na ia dv lad IN fha Qof buf bn
greenness of nature and the soft warm air and
| the countless lives which awaking under
gossimer wings are buzzing and fitting as joy
ously in their short bright day as if they might
hope to count years in their span of existence.
l What blessed boon Is this which God grants
| to every creature Mar, weary of his load lays
down his cross on the skirts Of water and
breathes the air of spring with gratitude. We
withered TO revive with the breath of flowers !;
no soul too lost 10 praise God, il it be only
| heard through the exclamation it utters: 'Spring
the blessed spring Is here !" 1t is a dismal
thing 10 live bound in snow and ice for mouths !;
to hear the rude bitter winds, all the night
long, and have the sleet dashed against the
| panes until we SILVER with the thought even Of
the cold without. And is it not wonderful that
everybody stirs out with the first sunny day.
| Living cramped up in small, dark apartments,
with no free circulation of air, but breathing the
same air for four months often. they would die
Ii they did not draw in pure breath of heaven
and cats all turn out for this purpose, as well
as the DID, the young, the rich and the poor.
10 strangers this absence of hearth stone IS I'M
accountable at fret, but then everything is
understood asregards the habits and customs of
people which differ from our own with time
aud investigation. At home we find all our chill.
dren with their cup of milk and piece of bread at
the close Of day; and with the setting sun we see
| them batbed and put to bed. Here, babies only
amoEth old are taught 10 drink wine, and little
things four and five years old are found knocking
| about in their mothers arms at 8 O'Clock in the
evening. All thu" BONES f" who are TO be seen
in the parks, gardens aud public squares, are
provided with bottle of wine mixed with water ;
they sit on their chosen BENCH their charges play
| and skip about, every now and then going up to
said bottle, and drinking enough wine TO turn the
head Of an American child twice over. II seems
out Of the law of things TO children dine at six
or seven. Soup, meat, vegetables complete
dinner in fact. They do not sup becase il is not
economical they dine late because they do not
sup, and they go to bed late because they dine
late. This is the logic Of their unchildke life.
This life has struck from the French nation thing
most essential TO moral and physical strength,
industry. And II brings TO mind a verse we used
TO think so beautiful found ia prize book award
ed Us for reading and spelling. There Is well of
virtue and cOntentment springng out of these four
lines, which struck our child's mind, making an
impression which is there still:
| "And thought as I at the close Of day.
Eating my bread and milk,
| I'D rather be hsnest and toll and spin
1 4 an DIRE IN silk