, 1874-10-18
CARDINAL CULLEN ON TEE BALLET AND
THE OPERA >.

The production Of Dalte's posthumous opera
Of "The Talisman," in Dublin, has been made
the occasion Of some very curious proceedings
By Cardinal Cullen. On Sunday, Sept. 27, he
caused pastoral to be reaa from ii! the Dublin
Roman Catholic puipits donoqncing the per-
form.nce as shameless burlesaue upon Cath
oIc religious ceremonies. He particularly in
Weighs against the representation OF affairs, con-
serz, snd lights the religious rrucessons, tho rep
raseptation Of nuns BY ballet girls, aud the chant
ing Of religious music BY the actors- The good
Cardinal sees in all this only snare Of
the enemy and IN attempt to undermine
the faith and corrupt the morals OF the people,
$50 that be msy destroy their ancient Church,
winch could not bs overthrown BY exile, tbs
prison. tho sword. or other vtolen. forms Of per-
secution." On this account be fozbids the Cath
olics OF Dablin from visiting the theatre to wit
ness any performance OF THE Talisman." In
conclusion, His Eminence remarks " Is it not
diaeracofl to violate the seclnsion OF those
spouses Ct Jesus Christ. and to have them repre-
scented on the stage by dancing girls. who 30
often offend modest eyes by tLeir want Of dress
and by their improper signs or gestures, and ~ho
seem to be employed Us stumbling-block for
the fall and ruin Of the unwary7"
AL this is sufficiently dreadful but 1t the
came time 1t is verT remarkable. II this were
the first time that Roman Catholic ceremonies
had been introduced upon tho lyric stage, ono
might not he surprised at tho horror OF tho Car
dlnsl, and at his firm conviction that poor Balfe,
who Was good Catholic, introduced these cese-
monies az stumolin, ,;-bIock to the unwary and
as an ancient enemy 1T the Church. But it is
not the first time. They have been produced
almost innumerable times, and without protest.
Has tho Cardinal never heard OF ''Robert the
Devil" with its famous scene where the nuns
ariee from their graves and speedily appear As
ful-Hedged ballet-girls in short skirts and span
gles7 And yet ''Robort the Devil has never
been made the subject Of d pastoral by Cardinal
Cullen, or my other Cardinal! And it ras con1-
posed ty Jewl There Is most ludicrous pro-
cession Of monks IN the "Crown Diamonds" :"
carrying bogus corpse and chanting the burial
service in the most 1ugubrioua manner; the
pseudo monks being bandits and eounterfeiters.
Why not pronounce the ban against Auber's
sacrilego7 There Is = procession Of monks
In "Favorita," and = display Of Racri-
legious love. Why is It'll lplayed without
protest in all Catholic countries Priests are
placed upon the stage in 1.-THE Huguenots in
koI14 tn nS~43t
against them, and Jet 't Tho Huguenots today
is the most popular Of ali operas in Catholic
France, and will open the new Paris Opera
House without protest. There is church-scene
in I" Faust," which, when properly played, intro
duces the whole paraphetnalia Of the Church
service, and in which Nephisto oYereomes the
Virgin Mary in the temptation and ruin Of
poor 1furguerie. All this is done with
out protest. The Cardinal protests against
tho singing Of religious music because "it ia
discordant and disgusting" Innumerable ope-
ras have music Of the Catholic Church in them.
notably the ''S;cilixn Vespers," Don Carlos, )"
"Maritann," :" Fra Diavolo," "The Huguenots, :"
much OF it in the form Of prayers.-a species OF
composition in which the operate composers
hsve always taken = special delight Rossni
and Meyerbeer, and Wagner. always prided them
solves upon their lyric prayers Now it is highly
probable, in the natural .course Of things, that
these prayers and the other religious music have
been many times sung in manner both discordant
and disgusting. 1t has been our own experience
to hear them done in thiB manner very Often They
are done 30 all over the world, and quite - fire.
quently in Dublin ~ in any other city. Why
not protest against Ill these operas? It is difH-
cult to conceive why the Cardinal should have
singled out this particular opera for the display
OF his dlspleaaure- Was it owing to the fact
that Cardinal Cullen ia 2n Irishuan, that Balto
was Of Irish birth, md that the opora Was given
In IN IAh city to IN 1ish audience, and
because two Lishmen can never agree
about anything7 Such : combination Of
Hbarnian characteristics has mora than
ones provoked hostility. Bat, ~ Ralfs
hiuself was good Catholic, and nearly n ths
s<a<r oarnxe4asa hAfs btt1 atti11s ts1s h h.