The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1878-12-06
THE RIVALS WREATH.
A Startling Scene that Horrifled an
Italian Audience.

under any circumstances is inconceivable
to the people of colder climate, but
Gambrica had excited it beyond itself
Her figure, large, symmetrical and com
manding, recalled Cleopatra or Juno
Her features were sweet and noble. HeI
eyes, endowed with the power of music
carried with every glance the highest
emotions of poetry and music. The pub
lie worshipped her. She was an empress
"a goddess. 1t was curious to witness
the tempest of delight which involved
the assembly and overwhelmed the per-
formances In a chaos of frantic accla-
nations.
Gambrica was an italian. With hel
first breath she had inhaled fire from the
sun. Had she been born in Nova Zem-
bla that bosom had held heart of pas,
sion. Enthusiasm for good or evil would
have been her leading quality. Had she
been bred in the cell of convent her
vestal veins would still have run fire. Ed
ucation might have modified her impetu-
GUS disposition; it could nor have chilled
it utterly. But her education! The all
of the north had never cooled her blood
She knew not the awful solemnity of sol
itude. She had always lived in the glare
Of public observation and quaffed the in
tOxicating draught of public applause
1t had become to her a necessary aliment
"a vent-a demand Of her nature. With
out it she would have faded as a rose
without light. 1t was her air-her SUM-
shine. Foryears she had been the most po-
tent attraction in herfairy theatrical world
In infancy she danced like fairy or floated
as an angel amidst murmurs ofdelight. As
ripened her form and touched it with the
fascinating graces of girlhood she had
dazzled mortal eyes as sylph, naiad OF
princess, and at length, years rolling like
summer hours over the rose, had only ex-
panded it into greater loyeliness, had
only awakened new and more dangerous
power, she had queened it as if indeed a
veritable enchantress. Aided by all the
magic of poetry, painting, music and ro-
mance-now amid the gorgeous story of
Oriental lands, now leading on the warm
dreams of the burning South, now SPELL
bound in the far gone days of Arabian
fable-to the sober inhabitants of the out
er earth she was only known as the hero
inc of those magnificent phantasmagoria.
Adoring fame and dwelling amid Its
little sympathy with or knowledge of the
ed by her as if it hoated N the streams.
She scarcely knew ambition, for she was
on the "topmost round"
The world was below her, mankind at
her feet, and at the sound of her voice
they bent, or rose like the sea beneath
the trident of its monarch.
She was the embodied dream of the
poet; she became in turn, each passion /;
she was the priestess of nature, crea-
ture half earthly, half divine.
He who had not seen Gambrica had
seen nothing. He who had not heard
her had not lived.
1t was bright life that she led-her
simple appearance forever greeted by
thousands and thousands with tumultu-
Gus rapture; her rising upon nations like
that of Aurora, whose approach chases
the shadows and overspreads the sky
with rosy light.
Upon this night, after long absence,
she was to appear in her best part. The
Neapolitans attended, for a thousandth
time, to enjoy the wonders and witness
the triumph of their queen of song.
The second part of the piece was cn-
trusted to young girl who had trem-
blingly ventured to make her debut upon
this evening. Her simple and sweet
taste, the quality, extent and power of
her voice, had more than once gained
word of condescending encouragement
from the despotic mistress of song She
did not come on until after the entrance
Of Gambrica, by whom, as well as by the
audience, her unpretending efforts, her
unpronounced name, had been unnoticed.
But scarcely had she appeared when
murmur of applause ran through the
audience. Nothing more unlike Gam
brica could be imagined; yet so soft, in
genuous, modest and spirituelLs were her
air, shape and countenance, and so won
derful was the impression created by her
appearance, confirmed and deepened by
her voice and grace, that, as if by pre-
concert, an audible and universal whisper
of "Who is she?" was heard, and gener-
al stir from all parts of the house. As
though afraid to give utterance to their
emotions In the usual manner, the audi
ence remained for some moments in
kind of suspense, looking to behold a
heavenly illusion dispelled and this love-
ly visitant utter some tone or make some
motion to relink her in their minds with
their associations of earth. She proceed
ed, however, in her part; she gave few
Introductory passages in the same new
n. ms on 41,o e
brilliant and most difficult solo, executed
with taste, ease, simplicity and power
not excelled, not equalled by Gambrica
herself, startling "Bravaw ''Braval" ut
tered in the tone of one carried away by
rapture, broke the spell of silence and
shook the house.
The performance was stopped, the au
dience rose In a body; handkerchiefs,
gloves, hats waved in the air from the
high dome to the feet of the lovely being,
herself astonished at the tumult she had
raised. Gembrica, from the green-room,
heard these ominous sounds and felt the
boards tremble under her feet She hast
ened forth, and from an unobserved re-
treat, beheld the sight blasting view of
rival, potent with all the spells of grace,
youth, beauty, genius-raised like Venus,
full formed from the deep, mounted upon
her pedestal, waving her wand, and
WELDING, with hand yesterday feeble
and unknown, all her thunders. From
the bps of hundreds, too, she heard un-
disguised raptures, sanctoning, leading
on this triumph of the new and all re-
splendent enemy. Her ears rung with
the continual and simultaneous peals.
Each one seemed bolt directed at her
own head. Her breath failed, the strength
forsook her limbs, rage and despair seized
her bosom, paralyzed her efforts and
painted themselves on her countenance.
1t happened that the piece represented a
tale not unlike the reality of those inter
ests and emotions which were thus brought
into action, and that the two competitors
before the audience bore roles which gave
q fatal illustration of the downfall of long,
successful ambition before the rising of a
purer and lovelier star.
Marina gained each moment in the es-
TEEN of the audience. The very dissim-
litude between her and Gambrica gave a
new impetus to her success. For the
inst time the world discovered that ma
ture had other gems than those which
they had worn to the exclusion of all
others, and with the caprice for which
they are celebrated, they were prepared
in an instant to throw aside that of which
they became weary. After Gambrica,
Marina pleased by force of novelty and