The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1883-11-03

hitI as nc was thirty years ago MI.
Abby is u manager who has been in the
atricAl business about twelve years, but
till three years ago, when he managed
sara Bernhardt, he was scarcely known
outside the Park Thcater. He made
success aud some money. Then Patti
came here with very inflated notions of
her own consequence, and was Il dead
failure. Mr.. Abbey stepped INTO the
breach, pilOtCd tie diva safely through,
and poclctcd several thousand dollars as
pilot fees. Success emboldencd him. and
he found no difficulty i'll impressing it on
our new born arlstocracy that if they
wanted to keep from contact with the
sans culottes and canaille they must have
an opera house of their own. 1t is true
that he had had no experience in opera
management, but lots of them caught at
the idea, the money poured in like water
and the new Metropolitan Opera House
grew like Jonah'S Gourd, but it is the
old story of Achilles over again, or of the
wicked cid elf, who mingled u single
curse with thousand good fairy bless
ings.
They have every grand thing but one,
and the absence of that one is fatal.
Acoustically the house is failure. You
can't near, and in plenty of the five
dollar seats you can't see. When the
curtain fell ON both performances on
Monday night, ON all hands it was adj
ihittcd, except probably by Mr.. Abbey
and his manager, Mr. Tillottson, that
the Metropolitan Opera House was only
partial success while one of the lar
gest and most gratified audiences that
ever crowded the Academy, as the cur
tain fell, left the house with the convic-
ton that Col. Mapleson had scored his
granGesC victory in New York. The
liycricd lackIes who stood at the box
dools OF Vanderbilt, Gould, and others
of the like illl at the Metropolitan have
given mortal offence to the free demo-
cratic spirit for which New York is
famous. 1t is the first time in our his
tory that such an ostentatiOUs and Of
feusivc display has been attempted, and,
except from the shoddiest of the shoddy,
has met with unqualified reprobation.
New York is divided, both parties are
playing for tremendous stake. Zach
will fulfill lis engagement for thirty
1,a
will be in opposition nowhere but in
New York, and it is not at all propable
that either Of them will wish for any
thing like their present experiences. In
the competition the singers will get all
the money, so that little but .loIy will
be left for either of the rival managers.
Abbey has sounded his slogan, and the
clans are gathering. Mapleson has
nailed his flag to the mast, and swears
if it comes down the mast shall come
down with it. Abbey thinks lie has got
the money on his side, and Col. Maple
son knows he has got the responsibility.
II S moighty purity quarrel as it stands.
Hold your horses till after the holidays,
and when | get a peep at both ledgers
I'll give you trial balance.
AS told you week ago the harmony
of the democrats was hardly skin deep,
and as prognosticated the row occurred
over the spolls. The only thing that
befogs me is the names. l hardly know
III. u. 7 ~ Y
The parties to the row are Kelley,
O,Grady, McCue, McCarty, O'Brien;
Mclaughlin, Sullivan, Driscoll, Hennisy,
O 'Fiagerty, Dwyer, and McShane. 1t
would be refreshing if they would throw
in an occasional Smith Brown, or Jones,
hut there is no such man in the fight.
mittee struck in and proved fatal, for it
was found dead in the back parlor of an
up town club house last week. Re-
qniescat en- pace. Tammany is in its
warpaint Whoop, Look out O.
Crafty or death is the motto. O'Brien
was nominated by acclamaticn for regis
ter at the Cooper Institute at a tremen-
dous gathering of the hard listed amid
cries and shricks of down wild Tammany
Hall and the county democracy. Some
body is going to get hurt. / shall keep
III doors on election day. am now pre-
pairing a list Of the probable slain, and
hope you will not find on it.
Yours truly BRoADBRIM.