Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-06-22

| llngton lacy who has been spending several years
in Europe.-Ed. 7. P. IT,
geneva, March, 1871.
have been to few concerts hero this
Winter; heard Alfred Jaell play. lie is now
the latest, funniest little man, perched on
short, stout legs, and plays in the smoothest,
liquidest way. Runs and trills seem to flow
out OF his fingers, instead of being played by
their movements heard Marie Lass sing
She is enormously stout, and is laced so tight
she can hardly breathe, was disagreeable,
had cold, but sang well. Kontski, | have
heard repeatedly, at concerts. lie always
plays with effect. The longest piece never
seems tedious when he plays it. There is
large, very plain and naked concert hall
here, called the Sale de Ia Reformation,
| owned by q company who let it very cheap,
not more than $50 francs, but under various
| restrictions, as that the whole centre of the
house, where are the best seats for seeing or
hearing, shall be only one franz, the upper
gallery 30 centimes. There il gallery for
which they can ask FIVE francs, reserv-
ed seats or two francs, not reserved but
as one is much less conveniently situated
there, no one goes except few who 20
late, or like TO be out of the crowd. The
one frame places hold over = thousand, so
you cal estimate the quantity Of cheap de-
light 10 be had here. Add tho free lectures,
and you see what improvement and pleasure
are open to the cOmmonalty here. of course,
musicians are annoyed, as this is large, fine
hall, and they can only ask limited price
for places. There are also other restric-
tons no lady can sing in q low necked
dress, the programme has TO DO submitted to
the committee who have a strong bias for the
classical and serious after an encore, per
formers are not allowed to come in aud play
another piece under iino OF three hundred
francs, etc. etc. All of which seems very
puritanical. but at any rate it secures good
and eleyating style of music at a nominal
price, for the classes not rich. They also do
not let their sale to any actor or actress, OF
allow anything approaching acting.
The churches here are organized curiously.
There seems to be no settled pastor, but the
clergymen preach round from church to
church. 1t is generally announced in the
clergyman particularly eloquent, there is
perfect crowd, not only of strangers, but
Of Gcneyese 50 all the seats are soon I'LL
ed, and the sexton then lets you chair at
few sous, in which you install your
self in the aisle. But | do not under
stand how they get on without
regular settled ministry. When there IL
nothing else one can go to hear Pere
a. 81. IL bn hau
left the Romish church and calls himself
Ctreier tdthOhYus. lie simplties the ser
vice and reads it all in French, believes in
purgatory, invocation Of saints, and the real
Presence, but rejects the new doctrines OF
immaculate conception, and papal inialli-
biity believes in the marriage OF priests
and has married an American widow, and
has u dear little boy. lie was invited one
Sunday afternoon to preach IN the English
church The service was read by the Eng
lish and American clergymen in English,
then he preached in French, very eloquent
ly, On Ylo necessity Of union Of Christians
against Superstition and infdelity the two
DANGER OF our times and Oi the French ma
ton particularly. lie was much pleased at
the friendly invitation. lie has been trying
to get an opportunity to deliver some DIS
courses III Paris. and alter some dlihculty
the permission has been given him by Jules
Simon, the minister. lie has law suit
now with the heirs Of Count Montalem-
bert, who confided to him during his life,
manuscript on L'EspGyn> II Ia L'5erfs. with
n view to its publication. lie waited four
years after his death for the heirs to publish
!, and they failing to do SO, he had it pub
lshed in the Biblotheque Lnrerwt'e, a
magazine issued at Lausanne. IL is beauti-
fully written and speaks in the strongest
terms Vi the baneiul influence OF the inqulsi-
ton and superstition on the welfare oil
Spain. 1t would seem pity that such
beautiful and earnest teaching should be
lost to the world, or kept from it at this
iuncture.