The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1883-11-03

years ago, and in his lecture the other night
he gave it as his belief with the strongest
emphasis that language could command
that secular teaching ought with all good
Catholics to supersede lay teaching. What's
ever may have been the opinion of his Pro-
testant hearers, if any such there were, it
might not be difficult to guess, but to a
Catholic thsarguments were unanswerable
and if followed out to their fullest results
would lead to the withdrawal of every Cath
olic child from our public schools. There
is no doubt but the matter is being serious
ly considered by the church, of how to keep
their lambs from straying into stranger
folds. OF course [ have no means of know
ing absolutely, but if it really is the pur-
pose of Monsignor Capels visit to shake
our public school system, the Catholic
church could not have selected wiser or
more popular advocate.
Whiskey did it. Young was the name of
! the man, and murder most foul the crime
| The murder was almost similar in circum-
stance to that for which miserable drunk
| l.
Evidently the hanging of Hovey on Friday
had not impressed itself as an example on
| Young, for a more deliberate and coward
ly murder has not been perpetrated in this
city for years. His brutality and drunk
eness had caused his wife to leave him and
seek protection at her mothers. Her hus-
band found her on Tuesday afternoon and
deliberately murdered her in her mothers
presence. Score one for rum.
But tell US something about your new
opera companies, I think | hear some of
my fair readers say. Well, [ will, and I
want you to keep this to yourselves, as I
would not have it made public for the world.
[ was in hopes to see the British lion cover
before our glorious eagle, but I confess it
with humiliation and shame that the lion
didn't cover for cent, and that he lashed
day and Friday as if there were no such
| things as eagles in existence. When we
read all the details of the new Metropoli-
tan Opera House, with its wonderful ap-
ing, and its marvellous acoustic properties,
we all send good bye to the gallant Colonel
of Her Majestys Opera. But he is not
gone yet, and at the present writing does not
seem likely to go for some time to come.
Here is just how the matter stands. Both
companies are strong in musical talent.
| The sopranos, contraltos, tenor and bassos
are among the foremost singers of the world.
Two better orchestral leaders are not to
| be found in Christendom. Each is backed
by all the money requisite and necessary
to carry on the opera regardless of expense.
The stockholders of the Academy are all
wealthy men, and while there may not be
Jay Gould or Vanderbilt among them,
there are dozens and dozens of them that
would not feel themselves honored in the
slightest degree by Mr.. Gould's or Van
derbilts acquaintance. In addition to the
above, Col. Mapleson understands the opera
business as we'll, if not better, than any
man living. 1t is a queer business, made
up of a thousand details which can hardly
be mastered in an ordinary life. Col. Map
ready to learn any new thing to-day as he
was thirty years ago. Mr.. Abbey has been
in the business about twelve years, but till
| three years ago, when he managed Sara
Bernhardt, he was scarcely known
outside the Park Theater. He made a sue
cess and some money. Then Patti came
here with very inflated notions of her own
| consequence, and was a dead failure. Mr..
Abbey stepped into the BREACH piloted
the diva safely through, and pocketed
several thousand dollars as pilot fees. Sue
| cess emboldened him, and he found no diff
| fculty in impressing it on our new born
aristocracy that if they wanted to keep
| from contact with the sans culottes and
canailles they must have an opera house of
their own. It is true that he had no expe-
rience 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 Jonahs Gourd, but
it is the old story of Achilles over again, or
of the wicked old elf, who mingled a single
| curse with thousand good fairy blessings.
| They have every grand thing but one,
| and the absence of that one is fatal. Acous-
| tically the house is a failure. You can't
hear. 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 admitted, except probably
| by Mr.. Abbey and his manager Mr.. Tillott-
son, that the Metropolitan Opera House
was only partial success, while one of the
largest and most gratifed audiences that
ever crowded the Academy, as the curtain
| fell, left the house with the conviction that
Col Mapleson had scored his grandest VIC
tory in New York. The liveried lackies
who stood at the box doors Of Vanderbilt,
Gould, and others of like ilk at the Metro
politan have given mortal offence to the
! free democratic spirit for which New York
is famous. 1t is the first time in our his
tory that such an ostentatioas and offensive
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. Each will
fulfil his engagement for thirty nights, no
matter what the cost. They will be in op-
position nowhere but in New York, and it
is not at all probable that either of them
will wish for any thing like their present
experience. In the competition the singers
will get all the money, so that little but
glory 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 he has got the mon
| ey on his side, and Col. Mapleson knows
| he has got the respectability. It's moigh-
| ty purity quarrel as is stands. Hold your
horses till after the holidays, and when l
get peep at both iedgers I'll give you q
trial balance.
As told you week ago the harmony of
the Democrats was hardly skin deep, and as
] prognosticated the row occurred over the
spoils. The only thing that befogs me is
the names. [ hardly know whether | am in
| New York or Dublin. The parties to the