New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-05-09
AMUSE MENTS.
The Mountain to Mahomet.

"A stranger was surprised to see on the
street few days since very well dressed
white man walking arm and arm with a
! negro man. As they came nearer he saw
that the white man was blind. 1t is thus,
however, men may inveigh against COM
pulsory association, alike embarrassing to
each, yet whenever the one race has a use
for the service Of the other the difference is
forgotten; at least for the moment. The
sick man takes his medicine from the
colored attendant, and the white child
sleeps calmly and softly on the bosom OF
the colored nurse. The term socia, right
is not susceptible of definition, and is per-
haps contradiction in terms. Society
makes its own regulations only obligatory
upon those who respect them. The Cana
dian Catholics demand schools separate
from the Protestants with the same OBJ
sfinacy as the whites insist on separation
from the negroes. Social usage has in each
case enacted its own unwritten laws. They
are absolute, but there is no right to violate
or repeal them.
1t has not been many months since there
was great resentment because some per-
soDs of color were admitted into The Opera
House. A former manager was compro-
missed because he had not been sufficiently
stringent in his exclusion OF colored hear
ers from the divine strains of the premieres
chantcurs, brought over from Paris at an
immense expense. Accustomed to perform
before the eminent and the elite, these
stars were set too hgP in the social fir
manent for the vision of the lowly.
Events pursue their inevitable cycle.
Wealth takes wings; histrionic and lyric
genius willis with it's withdrawal.
Left without resources in foreign land,
the refined and distinguished artists ara
driven to employ all the resources accessible.
Then the people Of color whose apprecia.
tion OF music is cultivated and refined
manifest no dispos ition to ayenge them
selves for the intoler ance which denied
them the innocent right to listen, and ten
der the troupe of acco mplished and unfor-
tunate musicians ben eft. This they
properly accept, and we shall tonight have
at Economy Hall the spec tacle of our most
Intelligent colored people assembled to hear
the first tenor Of the opera and the first
basso and several la dies, soprano and con-
tralto. All this under the auspices and
with the disinterested assist ance of the
Economy Mutual Aid Association. II we
peruse the repertoire of the evening it will
be seen that these acco mplished artists
cater to no degraded tastes. LA Traviata',
affords gems which the most captions
amateurs admire; "R igoletto" tasks tho
powers OF the most perfect baritone; "La
Muette de Portici." LA Juive," LA Fa-
vorite," LA Reine de Ch ypre." p.
1t would be pure afftctation to assume
that an audience which demands such sub
lime compositions is without refinement,
aud should be excluded from the more ad-
vanced stages OF intellectual enjoyment.
We have not writ ten to disparage tho
artists, nor to tiatter those whom they
entertain. 1t is in illus tratlon of the fact
that the relations of society will ultimately
adjust themselves to the consideration and
necessities Of society. 1t teaches. the mu-
liability of human aspirations. The eminent
artists who were taught to look upon col
ored auditors with horror now find among
them refined appreciation when making !
up the sum which will enable them to revisit |
heir beloved France. It will be as difficult |
IS it would be ungr ateful to separate the |
contributions of one race from those OF |
another.