The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1873-05-15
London Society.

casket Of lead instead Of that Of silver,
might have been caught from an obseE-
walton of the contrast between the dis
NAL, sooty exterior Of great London
houses and the luxuries, beauty and
richness Of their interiors. Ibave often
passed Cromwell house, and it seemed
nowise different from the miles Of duh, |
leaden, block-like houses which line the |
mile Of Cromwell road but I have Just |
been there TO witness. some tableaux Vi
wants. and gained fresh perception Of
the almost fabulous wealth which the
higher classes of London now possess,
and Of the extent TO which they manage
to surround themselves with splendor.
Entering beneath tenda, stepping up
On purple carpet across the street (for
royalty was to be present), we pass
along large corridors and up a great
Venetian stairway. amid walls covered
with superb pictures-amid statues re-
Ginning and statues standing-along a
suite Of rooms each finished and tinted
like a work of art, until we come upon
a DaACOLFs D4b OnG GAOeEA II LLOLl LlG
open air by great walls of French glass
There are, indeed, two walls Of crystal
One ranged with every variety of flow
er from every part of the world. while
the other was ablaze with lights, and
through it was seen hall adGsned in
the most beautiful style. In This hall
there were seated about 800 persons.
At one end was an organ, at the other a
stage with dark green curtain before
it. The ceiling was covered with allie
goricaI freacoes, the cornices were net
work-a face, one might almost say
of white and gold. And beneath sat
company containing the most aristocrat-
ic and wealthy people Of the West end.
One could have detected this IN various
ways. Margaret Fuller used to say to
her friends that when in London she
| could recognize the aristocratic ladies
by the elaboration with which their
hair had been dressed, which, indeed,
is not bad sign; but they who look to
fine jewels as a test viii be mistaken,
as the middle-class ladies wear the big
gest jewels.
But the most unmistakabIe indication
of the rank of any company is always
furnished when prince, or other mem
Der of the royal family enters. All
classes beneath the highest receive such
with noisy snobbery; the arissocracy
rise quietly, and then sit down when
the royal parsonage is seated. Then,
the aristocratic ladies are much more
i gauzy, decollete, and a Ia Vatican In
their dress, and are very apt to shock
the middle-class lady with whom they
come in contact, though the dress of the
latter is more costly, rich and loud.
There was in the company at Cromwell
house (the residence Of S. B. Freake,
Esq, ) group of theparvenu kind, who
made themselves known. One gentle
man loudly protested that it was high
time for the curtain to rise, and another
responded to party whs wished to get
seats, that he had found the most ex-
treme difficulty in getting the people to
sitin one another's laps. They seemed
to feel some objection to it." Such ex-
pressions brought hundreds of surpris-
ed and flashing eyes upon these utter
ers, who quickly subsidized into silence.
The tableaux were extremely beauti-
ful. They were got up under the SUI
perintendenee of the royal academician
Millais, who was assisted by the artists
Holmes and Lumley. Most of them
were famous pictures presented by fair
ladies and handsome men, and accom-
panied by exquisite vocal music, rem
dered by amateurs, and suited to the
tabloaux. The first thing we saw after
the lights were lowered was faint disk
of light on the center of the green cur
tain; this swelled larger and larger,
until at last it became large, moon
like circle, which framed the picture.
We had the Field of Alma" (after a
picture by the princess royal, repre-
sented by a vivandiere holding a cup to
the lips of dying soldier; the Re
treat from Moscow" of Vernst, by a
wounded soldier protecting his boy
amid the snow with his cloak and one
arm, while with his other hand he
grasps his pistol, looking with hard
scowl upon the galloping Cossacks
Then we had a beautiful scene after
Vatican, "Fetes Venetiennes, . where
in a lady and youth in picturesque cos
tunes were in the act Of dancing on the
sward, while younger girls and boys
lay about amid heaps of flowers. Break
ing the Spell awakened great enthu-
siasm-the lady caught sleeping by her
lover amid roses, lilies and pomegran-
ates, being singularly beautiful. The
same lady appeared as Julietta with her
Romeo. The Princess in the Tower -
was a capital representation of Paul
Dclaroehe's masterpiece, and his 80 Ma
RE Antoinette Returning from Trial y
and Gin Prison" were exquisite-not
the less because the lovely lady who
stood for the chief figure could not re-
frain from blushing. Millais's "Blaok
Brunswicker "a knight parting from
his fair bride-Saint Elizabeth of Hun
gary in two pictures Zone with children),
and others, were all given with consum-
mate taste and skill. As an illustration
of the completeness with VIII CHI the
affair was arranged, may mention that
just before the tableau Of Marie An
toinette appeared, q small choir near
the stage began to sing the " Miserere.
Soon after they began, loud voices from
behind the scene broke out with the
wild " Marseillaise, almost drowning
the softer chant in front. While the
revolutionary hymn was being sung the
disk expanded and revealed the hapiess
queen surrounded by the fierce red-cap-
ped populace and soldiers. Meanwhile,
in every interval of the " Marseillaise, y
the Miserere was still heard snd,
indeed, was artfully made into refrain
of the fierce strain behind the scene.
1t was if the angels of pity and wrath
were struggling inyisibly for the proud,