Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-08-17

Gated at night far and wide by its line of cleo
trio lights, which so illumine the street that
Re Of Ffsf int W s Il m nf ne
win WORK mischief il It IS sG used S generally I in
ace OF the softer yellow light of gas.
plight: paying s. for an eligible seat, and for
tunate in securing 1t at that went rather to
see see the building than for the performance.
you it may be said briefly that it is the largest
theater in the world, covering three acres of
ground, and that all the resources of modern
magnificent edee Of the KIND kind in existenee sis mSs.
Four or five hundred houses were torn down
to obtain a site for the house. at cost
ing the building was about $S,0lO,0OO
The government &C contributes an annual sub
sidy Sf nearly 100000 for the support Of the
Paris has great operate show house? The
opera Saturday night was Faust This is not
the regular operate season, there are no star
yet the house is crowded nightly at prices con
siderably beyond the usual prices when there
IS no Exposition: In fact the operate season
usual rules excluding those from the fashion
able parts of the house who do not wear a
dress suit have been suspended for their ben
eft: just as the rules have been, fOrbidding
visitors TO the Louvre galleries to carry canes
and umbrellas. AS have said, there were no
great performers in the cast of Faust Satur-
day night. but the chorus, orchestra, ballet
have an idea of in America. and such as are
probably to be seen nowhere else in the world
though the opera houses of Milan and Naples
House contains seats for but 2 l56people. but the
a lOwance of room for the stage and orchestra
is immense. In the representation of F'lltst
there were upwards of a hundred musicians
In the orchestra, and at the same time lin the
scene where Siebel enters with his sOldiers)
1ul brass band on the stage. In some of the
scenes there were three hundred performers
on the stage, and, it is needless to say, not a
stick" amongst them. In the church scene
there was real organ of size to do credit to
any OF our Washington churches. The trees
nuiIdings, &c, in the stage settings were SO
Teallstlc as to be really deceptive, and the
backgrounds were managed in a way to give
an apparent depth of miles to the view The
supernatural machinery was wonderfully ef-
opera was performance such as has never
been dreamed of by those who have witnessed
II elsewhere.
DOES IT PAY?
1t would seem that an opera house of this
costliness and lavish expenditure for support
was pretty costly luxury, and yet, no doubt,
as one of the means of making Paris the great
pleasure resort of the world, it pays" The
French people are called frivolous, but they
have about as keen an eye for business and
money making as any people on the face of
the earth. Paris has more theaterS and places
of amusement than any other city in the
world, and they all seem to be crowded
nightly by visitors. So of the exposition build
ing. the shops the hotels, the restaurants. No
wonder the ParisianS would like to continue
this golden harvest, and the idea has been
gwen out that the exposition would be con-
tnued month or two longer than the time
contemplated, but it takes more than one to
make bargain OF that sort, and hear that
the commissioners of other countries will not
consent to an extension of the time beyond
the lSt OF November. The exhibitors have eff
fected inSuranceS only up to that time and in
various ways an extension of the time would
be incOnvenient.
There are a good many familiar Washing
ton faces in Paris just now. see here l.. G.
Marini, Charles A. Wetmore, James R. Young,
George w. Adams, c. w. Thorn, E. G. Davis,
George NJ. Oyster, Rev. Mr.. Myers and others
A quartette of Washington dOctOrS-W. v.
MarmiOn, j. II. Hall, j. G. Beale and G. L.
Magruder-whO came over in the Scythia are
on their way here. Several of our Washing
ton boys are getting quite Parisian-fOr in
stance, Young and the handsome young fel-
lows upon Commissioner McCOrmfck's staff
who talk the lingo like natives. Even George
oyster, who has been here less than week. is
frequently addressed as "MOSeer" by country
FIenchmen inqu.ring their way about Paris.
Mr. Adams lwho has just arrived from Lon
is taken for swell Englishman, and when he
dons his eye-glasS and brings shOrt-sighted
scOWl to bear upon the garSOngs, they imme.
diately address him as Milford" The writer,
whether because he has the air of the proud
bird of freedom or because of his bilious com
plexion, is instantly detected as an Ameri-
can. C.. s N