The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-07-22
A NEW ORLEANS CELEBRITY.

New Orleans, as tho metropolis Of Louisi-
ana, may well be proud of her many Claims
| to being the first city in tho South. Before
/ the war, whose internecine tbunders began
tho ruin from which she Is only now emery.
ing, she was without doubt tho great artistic
city of the United States and the unrivalled
queen Of tho Western musical world. Her
Opera was only surpassed by tho Grand
Opera In Paris, which, unlike ours
was largely subsidized by the gov
eminent her concerts displayed a
| musical taste and education such
as was attained by no other city on this sdie
OF tho Atlantic, and in all questions OF taste
and art she was considered a supreme arbiter.
Even tho dilettanti from the highly educated
centres Of tho Old World came here, learned
| something and departed pleased. When the
| war broke out all her youth sprang to arms
and under the shadow of the Confederate flag
showed to the world that heroism was
also a part of their manly nature. When,
| overpowered by numbers, the heroes
who had survived a hundred battle
| fields sullenly laid down their arms they
endeavored by industry to repair their
shattered fortunes. But the sectional bitter
ness of their enemy continued to Cypress
them. The heavy hand of military despotism
weighed them down. but they struggled man.
fully on; they made tho 14th of September
they made the 9th of January; they freed
themselves and their State from oppression.
and now look forward to brighter days.
At d moment like this 1t Is pleasant to re-
call the memories Of the past and recur to
the time wlfen New Orleans was Queen of the
South by reason Of the beauty Of hor women,
tho valor OF her men and the native taste and
elegance which prevailed here But we have
gone further back In the realm Of memory
than It was our intention to do. What car
ried us there was the announcement in the
Partisan journals that Mrs. Alice Fleury
Urban had signed an engagement for the
next season as 'tprima donna" at the italian
Opera in Paris
In the halcyon days of New Orleans, when
our city was gorgeous with riches and radiant
with the glories and pleasures Of art, Curto,
the eminent professor and maestro, who still
lives to perpetuate artistic taste among our
youths, was interrupted in one Of his promen-
AIDES by the sound OF a child s melodious voice.
He stopped before the house whence issued
of that delicate little instrument struck his
artistic ear as being so perfect that he entered
the building and there saw seated at the piano
a young girl who might have been about thir-
teen or fourteen years old. After cxcusing his
forwardness, he begged the young girl to sing
once more for him. She complied, and he was
so delighted with the pureness and scope OF
her voice, and with the natural dramatic
taste and sentiment of the uneducated young
artist, that he prophesied for her the bright
est future, and Immediately proposed to UNI
dertakc, without compensation, her musical
education. The generous offer was accepted
and thus was a star of the first magnitude ID
the musical world sent forth to shine upon
the world.
The first time that we meet with Miss Alice
Urban, after this. is in the winter Of 1862, the
memorable year when Butler, whom Ossian
would have designated, as :" he Of the many sill
yer spoons" ostracised those Of our fellow
citizens who were then styled registered
enemies" On certain night preceding the
famous order a concert was given for the