Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1874-11-06
LETTER FROM EUROPE.
LONDON, Der. Is, IA

LONDON, Der. 10, IA,
Dear Sentinel Your correspondent has
been rather negectfu lately in keeping you
posted relative TO affairs abroad, his plea be-
ing that having taken flying trip through
Northern and Southern Italy, fingered n few
days in Paris AID thence TO this city, there
was so much sight seeing 10 be accomplished in
the short space allotted there was little time 10
think of else However, on a future occasion
he will furnish you dots in relation 10 Rome,
Florence, Venice, Naples, &c. In this commu-
nication he asks the indulgence Of your readers
rs repects London and vicinity.
To-day is an eventual one in the medical
world. Students Of medicine will assemble in
the schools TO hear the Introductory lectures
and 10 begin the earnest work Of the winter
session. The event, though comparatively I'M
noticed, is yet connected with national inter
ests of the greatest importance; for by the
young men who will. during the ensuing six
months, be instrut ted in physiology, pathol-
ogy, clinical and forsenic medicine, chemistry,
&c, are the victims of disease and accident,
10 be eventually treated This is an earnest
age, and the medical student is, now-a-days,
by no means the ratile-pated, careless individ-
ual our forefathers were wont 10 picture him.
He goes 10 the schools to imbbe definite notions
TO the treatment of subtle disorders, and the
preventive of premature mortality and with
his searching examinations always in view he
has no time 10 lose. The teaching, therefore,
of the lectures is of greater moment than
before. AT this time then it will not be out OF
place, if we Draw attention to the fact, that,
while natural science has made within the past
few years vast strides towards perfection, little
progress has been comparatively achieved in
the medical art for we are still almost rs far
from the possession of trusi worthy knowledge
respecting the cause of sickness, the reasons Of
epidenics, the exact truth about infection and
contagion, The mysteries of germs and SPECIFIC
posons, as ever; although the subject is
weightier and the issues which hang upon il
greater than those attaching TO any other
Far be it from me to undervalue the efforts
which have already been put forth. The aim
is only TO point out TO the aspiring student
in every land, in every cline. how vast a field
of knowledge has yet TO be explored, what
prizes remain for the earnest, unprejudiced in
vestigator and thinker.
The great question agitating the public
mind here at present is The Rituralisiic con-
troversy The elaborate statement tor ornate
vestments and histrionic worship put forth by
Mr. Gladstone appears TO us in this light, that
with all his marvellous intellectual culture and
all his elevated aesthetic sympathes he does
not appear to combine any appretinble ac-
quaintance with what may be termed the
philosophy of arttechnics, and the history OF
these sumptuarv changes which are in them
selves valuable part of the history of civiliza-
lion that while he reverently admires things
of beauty, be they Grecian statues. or Wedg-
wood vases, or stained glass windows and
carved finals he does not look into the mu la
tons and degenerations which ceremonies and
costumes have undergone under the attrition
of time, or through the process of grating the
barbane on the civilized, the fantastic on the
beautiful, the gTotesque on the grand, to which
the tree Of Ritual has been subjected
The opera season has also commenced. The
Royal Albert Concert Hall was opened last
evening in honor of His Royal Highness the
Duke of Edinburgh. 1t attracted an audience
which completely filled the spacious hall, and
! presented brilliant coup d ariel The de-
buiante, Miss Schumacher, is very young
German lady (only fifteen years old) vino
comes from the Leipsic Conservatorie, and
/ played the inevitable G minor Concerto OF
| Mendelssohn, MoZarts g Minor Symphony,
was most capitaly rendered by her, and was
applauded with as much unanimity as vigor
! Mdlle. Albini's delivery of 80 luce d quest
| Anima, " was most excellent, and confirmed
her more than ever in the good graces of the
| London public The triumph of the evening,
| however, was reserved for Madame Patti, the
star par excellence, of the concert How the
great and favoriie artist was received may as
readily be imagined ms the manner in which
she sang ''Ernani involami, "Omhra leg
giera, and in very different style ',l3ome,
sweet home These are among the most famil-
iar pieces, but The London people do not often
hear them, and they were of course, enchanted
| beyond measure wnh the rich, luscious voice,
| the daring flights of vocaizalion and the
pquant manner of the fair singer She was
received with reclamation from all parts OF
the hail. and well did she reciprocate the com
piment. She sang with a power and bril-
liAncy unusual il is said, even for her the
| effect being increased by a choice of pieces
well adapted TO show forth her strength. For
example; Ia the polocca, 'iSon Vergin Veez-
zosa, !" her astonishing command of vocal re-
sources was exhibited TO the utmost advantage.
of a bird that MARBLES almost without volun-
tAry effort. She rendered her hvoriie Scot
fish song, - Within Mile of Edinboro'
Town, and if the audience were enchanted
with her Italian pieces, they fairly went into
ecslacies over the old ballad, so simply, vet
so archly and artfully delivered. Being re-
called, she made herself more than ever popu-
lar by throwing in Coming through the rye
as another bonnie 5oache and retired amid
marks OF favor such rs undemonsirative Eng
llsh people rarely allowed themselves TO show
In my next | shall give you description Of a
visit to Granada and the ALEXANDRA, so beauti-
fully described by Washington Irving, which
we have all read and enjoyed so much.
GLAUCUS.
The Dignity of Labor.