Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-03-01

/ pal heroes, philosophers, poets and
! Statesmen OF ancient Greece and Rom
/ besides the Fl SuIes Of those who appear
| in T lssO's La Gsrtt3dLeDlBle Liberdt0.
/ ; ldom Is IL that we behold a iableAu
| equal to this-oae which gives to view a
| scene Of almost bewildsIiog beauty and
| enchanting love.ines, and, IN yesrs to
come, will the spectator indulge in the
memOTialiZiug dreams that pre- ,ed upon
the heart. Every feature was a mani
| feslation OF heauly, snd in is every
mode and type, luxuris1t as the teeming
Wish, fsir as the 'a1eyis hCliest form,
and our very spirit seemed to melt In
unison with its impressive character.
Surely, If Poetry" ever had birth, 1t
must have sprung into existence in q
scene lie this. sparkling beneath the
varied beams OF spiendOr was this scene,
where sn angel might pause to re'rfs1
his spiTits, and seraph dwell to make
glad bis Utmost heart; there had skill
aud intsliect lavished their power and
art, and around ell the FORMS Of grace
fioated tue music brSa OF beauty,
awakening the virgin odors that
dwell within the petals Of
tbs blushiDg roses and mingled
wi b the clouds Of golden glory in their
nOistlsss march from earth, and then
was revealed the third tahlssu OF the
Memphi, which represented the
MINUET IN TIE HALL OF STATUES,
the scene being eDlIveued by music
from MoZirt Grouped in admirable
position throughout this hall were the
status Of the great poets and heroes Of
antiquity, the middle ages and of mod
ern times. The hall displays classic COL
umns, elaborate corridors and flights Of
steps, the vita being remarkably grand
realistic. The spectators to this scene
are those seen in the Ouro's pageant, in
Guiding Fancy and Poetry, Mercury and
Apollo, ThSlis, Melpomene, Csliope,
Homer and AnacreOn, Achilles, Vulcan
and Mars, Cupid and Venus, Virgil and
Horace, ENess, The Sibyl, Ancbises,
Orpheus, MusaeGs and Assaracus, HoT-
Tasso, Godfrey de Bouillon, Tancred,
Raymond Of Toulouse, Robert OF Nor
mandy, Salyman, Istaker, Lope, Felix
de Vega, Don Pedro, Calder5n dc la
Barca, Dona Mencia, Don Gutierre,
Doctor Ludovico, Ferdinand, Don Ram.
iro, Don Juan de CaTavafsl, Don Pedro
de Csravafsl, Don Garcia, R4ciDe,
MOlisre, Queen Esther, King
Ahaseurus, Eliza, HamaD, Hydaspes,
Napoleon Bonaparte, Goethe and SchiI-
Ter, Marguerite, Gretchen, MephisIopho-
les, Byron, Shakespeare, sir Jack Fall
staff, BaTdolph and PetO, Prince Hal
aud PoiDs, MarinO, FalierO, Vincengo,
Michel Steno, LoDgfellOw, Edgar A.
Poe ard Aunabel Lee, Miles Staudish,
besides the Sublime Ouro and the Spirit
OF Memph. The tstuary is perfect; the
spectators ale vaIisd in character, dress
and nationality, beng persona3es Of
history, fiction and mythology, and eX-
tending back to The olde1 times CT the
earth. This tableau is one of the tri-
Umphant fea'urts OF the Memph eXhi-
bition, for the scene unitizes into 8 great
whole such 8 variety OF personSges as to
have made the task of its successful &C.
eomplishment almost miraculous, GER
tainly marvellous. Yet the same pro-
pTiety is everywhere apparent, and in
vain would the critic look for fault as
to the statuSTy and the Groupings, the
pose and the surrounding, even the re-
lined taste of a Winkelmann. This hall
was JnGesd q consecrated pantheon-a
chancellated spot-With its corridors and
stairway, its caTyatic or cclumuaT sup
port; for within this entablature were
The ststuss of the poets, and
The illustriOu3 and noble Of
history, fiction and mythology.
The spectators were Sconfned in their
association, tee tete to their cotempO-
raries, bit mingled and intermingled
as If all were present IS represented.
Tnus was the idea uniquely carried out,
and without the violation Of artistic
prOpriety. Finally, four classical gen.
tlemen and four classical ladies moved
ont IN tbo Haor
a n1inuet with all the dignity, grace and
ease for which this historic dance is
noted. The gentlemen were Apollo,
Mercury, Mars and Orpheus; the ladies
were Venu', Melpomene, Thslia and
Terpsichore. After these retired, a set
Of great historical persOD8ges executed
minust in q style both brilliant and
graceful. These were AhssMlTus, Napo-
icon, Virgil and Homer, Lex la lies be-
ing Queen Esther. Joan of ASc, Martha
darlington and u ,nobis. These min.
uets and the tab.eau were followed by
the
MYSTIC MARCH OF OURO,
introducing all the characters in their
gorgeous costumes. The entire COM
paDy moved in platoOns changing into
twos, fOurs and eights, and executing
evOluti0ns of the mCst intricate nature
on the parquette floor. None seemed to
move i'll the same direction, yet there
was no confusion or fattT pas, but regu-
laTity and precision, such as we might
eXpsotonly from the veteran soldier.
This was scene of Kaleidoscope splen-
dor, giving a charm aud making "git-
ter like swarm of fIe-fije tar gled in
silver braid, +" or more vsr,edly beautiful
like unto a sky of heavenly IaipbOws
broken into countless myriads and
cleaning with the lustre Of melted
stars.
Is it possible to have carried medits-
tioH or rapture further-comprebend the
extent of the scene, the employment Of
the architecture and the skilliul distri-
button Of groups, the number CT person.
ages and the diversity Of episodes, per-
sOnages of every age, every sex, in the
most varied attitudes; what graceful
natural movements. The design is full
of nOblent IS and Truth, This is the
great unity OF the pageants illustration,
and is worthy niche in the temple of
our hearts lasting admiration, for the
tout ensemble is something more than
the objective grace and elegance Of form
and expression; more perfect, more
ideal in beauty, sud more It alistic in
N4ACIS NhNlu lAO hloNO1IC OASollOA va thut
great genius whose young life ended in
that clJister of ChsrtIeaux, which his
pencil has immortalized. What a
mighty scene was that-how imposing
in its grandeur and impressive in its Sep
timeat. What sentiment was not there?
In that vision was entire nature in its
more elegant moulds and types at the
disposal OF the great artist who created
the tsbleau-the physical world and the
moral world, pasture and meadow,
landscape, the clouds, the ocean, the
great scenes OF civil and religious life,
sll the beings of creation, above all the
figure Of Man, and its expression
that Turing mirror of what passes
ia the soul. Critically speaking,
these tableauX were fsultless, the unities
even of time, plsce and circumstances
berg preserved and hsrmonized upon
the strictest construction of dramatic
principles-an attainment which only
the true scholar can sufficiently appre-
ciste and recognize az a chef d'CeuUTe of
glorious genius. Ard now the bright
scenes have passed from before our eyes,
and We can yet contemplate upon their
matches splendor, for these tableaux
can Jay claim to a commentator, even
the tbs DRY of the moral in art, which has
q L..