Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-02-10

from terror. Thus we are in presence of
the humiliation Of Will, of self; of the
distinction of functions whose union con-
stitUtes ordinary mental life: of states of
lnsensibilily, OF rigidity and of letnargT,
Nhere lite itself seems to disappear, and Of
augmented eXcitatiOn of the nerves, WI
the muscles, senses, and certai~. in+oiioc
tual faculties; attain an extraordinary de-
yelOpment. ~
me E doctor lays no claim to producing
lie" ms: certain people can be uncon-
SciOusly magnetiZed, and seem to like that
situation. He does not believe IN nervous
or magnetic fluids; physical agents suffice
to produce the phenomena; the operator
counts for nothing. Thus the admission
of raw of light entering an obscure room
and striking the eyes of a pTediSpOsed in
diyidual, will induce hypnOtism. The
doctor cOnfesses he has no theory to
breach; science has no explanation to of
fer, but he recommends the study of the
phenomena over as wide a field of ObseTva-
ton as possible.
AN INCOME TAX THAT SOUNDS IN
PLEASANT
to the NOlscians' ears, is in the air. The
Minister of Finance sees no other way of
raising the wind but by a new or in
creased taxation. He swears by all the
gods of Olympus that no new Offices shall
be created. and the functiOnary who
dares to memorabilia for an addition to his
salary will be served with a notice to
quit.
The government, the municipality fof
Paris and few newspapers have been in
quiring into the prevailing distress among
the working classes. The conclusion is
that the misery is very real. 1t is graft
flying to find that the unemployed do not
belong to the Anarchists. But what is
less satisfactory, no one can indicate
solution. One of the leading builders of
Paris states that two years must elapse
ere the building trades come right again.
The ragpickers are likely to be made hap
py-the authorities will afford them more
time to root among the dust boxes of
house holders before the contents are
carted away.
One Of the most striking proofs of the
progress of Parisians in taking an in
terest in matters outside the notifications
is the dispatch by a metropolitan journal
ola live special correspondent to TOnquin,
to the seat of war. Perhaps there is
truth in the general observation that Par
isians having been Indifferent about colo
MES, may explain why France displayed
but little interest heretofore in the matter.
When Voltaire observed, the loss of the
Canadas represented only a few rOods less
of snow, he expressed the feelings of
Parisians. The writer in question de-
nOunces the SueZ canal as very ugly,
but its utility, its Importance, must be
estimated by the shipping passing
through, as Her0dotus, to impress US with
the vastness of the great pyramid, sup
plies the quantities of onions consumed
by the wOrkmen in its construction. Port
Said, it appears, is nothing but gigantic
European brOthel, tempered with money
OT-yOur-life male element. SueZ is the
Arabian Cythera. The stOkers of the
packets when passing through the Red
sea have the slenderest ffg-leaf tOiletteS,
and the place where the bad niggers go to
ought to have no secrets for them should
it be their fate eEer to be sent there.
NJ. Massenet, the composer of the operas
the "Roi de LahOre'' and SHerodiadle."
has won 4 fresh success in his ''ManOn."
1t is to be regretted that he did not bestOw
his talent on a more fitting subject than
the Old-153 years Of age-smutty novel Of
the Able Provost. 1t is the trite story of
unchaste and adulterOus women appeal
ing for sympathy to the society they out
ragged, for the natural punishment of their
Notwithstanding, neglected and
ignOminious death. All the spare time
and help we have ought to be devoted to
virtue in rags. Passionate love does not
beautify corruption. "ManOn LescOut"
was beautiful young girl Of q proud
family, on her way to a convent school;
at Amiens, where the diligence changed
horses. she encountered CheYalier Des-
grieuX. They no sooner saw but they
lOved-and elOped. Subsequently they
came to Paris, DesgrieuX living with, but
always intending TO marry ManOn, his
mistress. DesgrieuX was arrested by his
father and sent to the Seminary of st. Sui
pice to be educated for the church. Manon
became a demi-mondian, till, dis
covering the whereabouts Of DesgrieuX,
she found her way, as n penitent, to
make her confession to the Seminary and
abducted the young priest. The unfortu-
nate couple led wandering life, finding
in the lower deep a lower still. He was
imprisoned for gambling; she was trans
ported as a prostitute. and ultimately the
beautiful sinner expired on the sands at
Havre in the arms of DesgrieuX, who had
organized a rescue. Hatery and Scribe
attempted, unsuccesSfully, to set the
story to music. Mussenet has been more
fortunate. The music is written with
great elegance, and is attractively curl
Gus from many novelties in point of Oper-
attic treatment. 1t is a continued eX-
change of melody between the orchestra
and the artistes, full of unexpected mod
ulations, grave, soft and pOetical. The
best songs are those executed by
ManOn and DesgrieuX at their first
meeting. Then the duet in the semi
death. The latter did not succeed as
hit, as in the ''Dame aux Camellias" and
sFrOu FrOu." Madame HeilbOrn and NJ.
Salazac interpret the music absolutely
perfect. AS in the novel, so in the opera,
there are only two roles. Massenet in his
earlier days was a Wagnerian, and SUBJ
scribes still to that composers natural
or scientific ideas in principle. Massenet
aims tosurrOund his characters with their
special lyrical and dramatic atmospheres.
Each has the music peculiar to their roles.
Thus ManOn has hers, gay and melan-
choly: local, dare it be said, human? One
of the librettists is Heilhac, but VINO
detests music like TheOphile Lautier, that
held the only difference between ordinary
noises and music was, the latter was the
most wearisOme and costly.
NJ. MARCEL DEPREWs HAS DELIVERED
a very interesting lecture at the Sorbonne
on the employment of electricity as a
motive power. Indeed. his name is
prominently identified with the idea. He
exhibited a very respectable Ndsmyth
hammer, worked by electricity. that could
crack nuts as well as bend huge bars of
iron. In a few weeks he intends to be
able to supply Paris with electricity as