The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1878-07-06
For The Cecil Wing
BROADBRIM'S LETTER FROM PARIS.

GERoME's GREAT BRONZE sTATUE--THE
ART GALLERIES OF THE EXPOSITION
ARTIST LIFE IN PARIs--THE GRAND
oPERA-AN ARTISTS FATE.
At last the art galleries of the main
building may be said to be substantially
finished, but l regret to add that the grand
palace of the Trocadero, from which so
much was promised, is so far only monu-
ment Of that "vaulting ambition which
overleaps itself and falls on the other SIDE"
One solitary work of art graces the noble
vestibue of the palace which, we all sup
posed, was to contain an exposition of the
assembled genius of the world The work
| speak of is g Waiting for the Signal" in
bronze by Gerome, and few nobler works
of art are to be found i'll the entire Expo
sition. The scene is the Roman arena:
gladiator has fallen in the combat and his
victorious adversary stands over him with
uplifted sword to give the final blow; the
one who has fallen raises up his head and
hands with an implorng look of mortal
agony and fear. The work is noble, and
worthy of the great artist; but, as | said
before, the galleries of the main building p
are finished, and now, from the banks of
the Seine to the Ecole Miitaire, it is one
continued art congress of nations France
occupies considerably more than onehalf
Of the entire ground; and, on the whole,
the exhibition considering the occasion) is
far from satisfactory, while there are some
works of superlative genius; respectable
mediocrity prevails, and the pleasure which
the visitor would otherwise experience, is
marred by gross vulgarity and indelicacy,
as shocking as it is disgusting. l do not
now aiude particularly to the great num-
bers of nude figures that offend the eye at
every turn, so much rs the gross sensualism,
which is calculated to brutalize and de-
grade instead of elevating and refining;
are some Of the interpretations of French art
an invncible argument in the hands of those
who believe in the doctrine of total de-
pravity. OLD worn and hackneyed as am;
forced, by the necessities of my profession,
into frequent disreputable occasions, con-
fess l never pass through this portion of
the Exposition without a feeling of humil
iation and burning shame at the vulgar de-
graduation of a noble art, which should
administer in its highest Interpretation to
the purest and hottest qualification known
to the mind of man. | know that there
are plenty of these travelled Solons and
would be critics, male and female, who
esteem it an especial merit that they have
arrived at a condition of thorough and
brutalized insensibiity, and they talk
| learnedly about the necessities of art; but
| if you want to know what art is, in it's
| highest, its noblest and hottest interpreta-
ton, go into the Austrian Department,
which is one of the grandest and purest in
the eutre Exposition; there while there is
everything to inspire and elevate, there is
nothing to offend or degrade. The Eng
lish American and Italian departments
also share the general commentator. /
shall return to this subject at an early day,
but l now want to say word about the
character of this great training school,, for
| no sketch of Paris can be perfect without
a knowledge of its art life and the methods
| by which it is pursued. Paris is full of
young men and young women who have
entered the race FOR fame, some of whom
stake, not only their bodies, but their souls
on the doubtful result of the contest. A
place in the royal galleries of the Louvre,
or in the splendid collection of the Palais
de l'Industrie, are the tempting prizes that
lure them on; or, if they are singers, the
plaudits of the Italians or the laundering
vivas of the Grand Opera. They come
here from happy homes in England and
America and countless numbers of them
perish in the race.
| They study in Germany and Italy, but
Paris is the final Mecca to which they turn,
and not one in a hundred is ever heard of
after No wonder that the poor mothers
who seek distinction on the lyric stage are
lured on to ruin. The dazzling splendor
of the Grand Opera has no parallel in the
world. On a fashionable opera night the
Boulevard de rOpera, which stretches
away towards the Tuileries, is all one blaze
of glory; electric lights flash in every
direction turning night almost into day;
mounted chasseurs guard every crossing
and every avenue, and soldiers, in splendid
uniforms, line the passages and stand
sentinel at the doors. The building, which
is the most magnificent and imposing
dramatic structure in Europe or America,
seen from without, exceeds the most ex-
travagant anticipations when viewed from
within. A broad marble staircase, white
as the driven snow, leads to magnificent
vestibule, lined with immense looking
glasses, set in walls and pillars of the rarest
| CONTINUED ON FOURTH PAGE.