The Portland daily press., 1875-12-04

THE state press generally has published
statement to the effect that the Treasurer of
the Agricultural Society has said that
$4,000 was lost by the State Fair last Septem-
ber. This, we are informed by one who is in
the position TO know, is a mistake as will be
shown when full and detailed report of re-
ceipts and expenditures is printed. We are
informed that one item of $250O is counted
among the expenditures which was taken to
pay outstanding debts of the old society. 1t
is stated that the above amount
was so quietly diverted to that pur-
pose that many of the gentlemen
present who were interested in the sConsoli-
dated Fair were not aware of it for some
time" Certain papers have made haste to
declare in the most uncomplimentary terms
that the exhibition in this city was failure,
but if the so 500 taken from the receipts to pay
old debts had been devoted 10 paying the ex-
penses of the late exhibition, there would have
been but a slight deficiency and officers of the
Consolidated Exhibition would have been
able to have paid their premiums prompt
ly. We shall await the report with interest.
THE guardian angel of M. Offenbach-ad-
mitting the possibility of any celestial being
so devoted as to assume the difficult and un-
rem1nerative position-led him recently to
perform good deed which will give him his
one chance to deserve the title of musician.
Despite the offer of $4,000 payment, M.
Ofenbach has declined to compose an opera
bouffe for the Centennial Music Hail. What
ever may have been his motive for such re-
fusal-and we have no right to doubt that it
was good one-the act was admirable. 1t
may be that he knows that at best he is but
the court jester of music, privileged by vir-
tue OF office to utter absurdities and worse,
and has no right to take part in high celebra-
ton. 1t may be that he is mot inclined to
write-in any case inaction is for him more
praisewortby than industry, and his sins of
commission may be Offset by virtues of omis.
sion. But the unedifying task of penetrat-
ing and defining the impulses of NJ. Often
bach concern us less than to ascertain the
position of a music committee that could
give him the opportunity of which he has,
fortunately, declined to avail himself Is it
that they consider the opera boufle musical
advance upon the serious works of the con-
temporaneous Verdi, Gounod, Ambrose
Thomas, Reinecke, and others? AS music,
the writings of NJ. Offenbach have not the
slightest claim to be heard. In comparison
to such operas as Fidelio, Orfeo, or even
Norma and Aida-they bear the artistic rela-
tion that Chinese joss, roling.eyed and
open-mouthed, does to the Venus di Medici.
They are not music-they are simply absurd
combinations of distorted musical sounds
poor puns of musical language. 1t is pre-
sumabe that the Music Committee are culti-
vated in the department which they repre-
sent, and are able to perceive the utter worth.
lessness of the opera boufe. The most noisy
and jingling polka or waltz is superior to the
Ofenbach opera, because in them no con-
scious effort is made to degrade music. 1t
cannot be as type of artistic advancement
can it be, then, as a specimen of our NOR
al progress, Of the rapid and brilliant march