, 1876-06-18
PARIS.

| Paris, May 30.-" Uupes' daJ" has Deeu as
signed BY chronologists to Nov. 10, 1890, When
Rchelieu's mock humility secured to him pow
er more absolute than that welded by the King,
La jour,.ee d<s dupes, virtually, has not ended,
and deception is shielding at the present time
gross imperfections on every hand, and cover
ipg with its tiusel, pretenttous efforts that daze
the parycnu Of to-day Our dashy decorations
require constant renovation aud expenditure,
whilst an old carriage of the Faubourg st. Ger
main bears it's escutcheon all undimmed for
years, and seems to defy the ages yet to come.
Huge pictures in glaring colors obtrude them
selves in our Academies Of Fine Arts without
opposition, and pompous theatrical productions
arc heraldcd with noise and confusion. Me-
chanical illusions are used by insipld writers of
operas to cover imperfections in poetry and
music, and, as Goldoni once said OF the Grand
Opera at Paris, '.c'stah k 1earadis dss yeatr It
raJer des orelles." Thus wchare lately had the
opera, ..-.-
"JEANNE u ARC"
Of II. Mer1net, placed upon the stage, and, not
withstanding the magnificence OF the mise-en-
scene, which has never been excelled, it proved
a miserable failure. Historical distortions
destroyed the character Of the piece, and some
heroine is represented Us sleeping before
Orleans, whilst her soldiers are engaged in
battle; and, incredible as It may appear jeanne
d'Arc-that model Of vigilance and activity
was soothed to slumber By 1Oye-song! We
are told that the manager, II. HalenNer, will
reserve the glittering armor, splendid costumes,
and magnificent decorations on which he has e1-
pended fabulous sums, for the " "Prophete,"
which it Is his intention to produce next.wfnter
II. Mermet las been pronounced by. Wagner
* a man of genius" and, to strengthen this
opinion, he has encouraged to place "Jeanne
d Arc ~ upon the stage; but the attempt to
hide his imperfections under cloudy and IN
comprehensive music has not succeeded On this
side Of the Rhine. -
Ye votarics OF Terpsichorc, who arch your
pretty feet to the graceful music OF the polka,
stop moment and drop tear, for
"MERuDA,"
the old dgypsy.composer, Is dead. He had retired,
with his aged wife, to a humble home near
Prague, where they were both assasslnated
teardue to the memory Of the poor old COM
poser whose poIkas ushered in the rcdowa, the
schottische, and other dances you have so fire.
quently enjoyed. The uainuet is much in favor
here, but it seems to demand the court1y eti-
quctte Of those stately pcrson2ges which made
tions have ever been with Royalty, as that proud
King Louis XIV. first introduced it at his Court
when aThe art OF pleasing was the soul of all
other arts in Frauce,n It requires the long
perukc, the powdered hatr, and splendid dresses
spreading out voluminously beneath long, point
Cd, whaieboned corsages, butterflies q court
plaster on the face, and, strange IS it NAV ap-
presenting in reality IN IMPOSING and elc-
gaut toilette, The interior arrangement for sup
nortiug the skirts at that ape we're no more
Complicated than at present, ss the whole cle-
xhieh slit inclines. Therefore, We 1 shall not
enter into minute descriptions Of toilettes, as