The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1886-12-18


several severe encounters in the prize fling.
The parlors were elegantly furnished and
everything denoted luxury and opulente.
When these bantams entered the ring they
were in the highest possible physical con-
ditiOn, for they had been in training many
weeks. The battle commenced, and for
one mortal hour they pounded each other
Till they were disfgured beyond human
recognition; and when, beaten, bruised and
manned into utter helplsssness they sank
senseless beside each other on the floor, the
wealthy ruiIians who had enjoyed the cruel
sport clapped their hands adorned to the
supper room to enjoy their champagne and
cigars, while the bleeding gladiators were
hurried into = hack at the door and carried
to their miserable lodgings in Houston
street, there to writhe in agony for days,
the penalty of their trade and the cost of
amusing these fine geNtlcmen. During the
fierce contest, where two human beings
we're being pounded to a mummy, not one
word of sympathy or horror escaped from
any ono of the assembled company, and
after they adjourned to the supper room
the entire affair was deemed proper sub
iect of congratulation to the host, several
of the company declaring that they never
enjoyed themselves 80 much in their lives.
Talk about your Spanish bull fights after
that. In that cruel sport horse is disem-
boweled, wild bull is killed or matadore
is MANNED. The injuries to the men are
! inflicted instantaneonsly and accor reaches
hira the moment he is wOnded. Not so
with the prize-ring brutes; they fight
viciously as wildcats till enc or both is
beaten into iasensibility, and this is one OF
the polite amusements of New York.
When Rome was rushing down to ruin, il
was just such scenes as this that marked
her decadence, and the proud mistress oil
the world became the mother of race OF
object and degraded slaves. Whit Will
the brutal sports of our aristocracv. thf
official corruption of our rn"hIclpal rtiers
and the utter Iottenness of our jury system
ti.f.y '-s>-S 1J-tsuy IHcaiI5. Thank fortune
we have much amusement that ia healtbist
and better than this. At the preseni
moment in musical circles, Wagner i,
supreme. Bcllini, Rossini and the rest o
the magic host who charmed us in our bov.
hood, and were the delight of our father,
and mothers, are getting to be pleasant
memories only; and now our musical people
are Wagner mad. If it be true that the
spirits of the departed do occasionally .uper
wise the affairs of this Sublunary spbere
Wagner must be having sweet revenge,
Last week was signalized by the production
OF his Tristan and Isolde, which Wagner
dying declared the masterpiece of his life.
In all romance there is no love legend
older than this. More than a thousand
years ago 1t was the favorite lay of the
minstrel In castle halls, and its origin NAV
be found among the old Morse legends in
the grey and dusty past. II is a bold de.
parture to strike from the Opera the mag
nliiceht precessions, the wonderful scenic
effects, the dazzling lights, the entrancing
Dallets; who but a man determined to die a
martyr, would ever have ATTEMPTED such an
innovations; yet this did Richard Wagner.
Farls rose against hiA, and his masterpiece
was Missed from the stage. London, Vienna
Berlin and Naples in succession turned
their backs upon the great composer
theodore Thomas. like the evangelist of
the desert, was heard crying aloud in the
wilderness-but it was not till the mad
King of Bavaria had proclaimed himself
disciple of the new apostle, that the world
consented to give Richard Wagner a hear
ing. While his recognition was by no
means universal during his life, his last
days were soothed by the unfeigned HOMAGE
OF some OF the best musicians of his time
Last week he captured New York, and
there is no doubt but Tristan and Isolde
Will be heard several times before the season
ends, The magnificent singing of Herr
Nieman and Frauen Lehman, and tbe
leading of Herr Anton Seidl, made this
Opera the grand success of the season sol
far. Still Opera is the rich mans aniuse
ment; any kind of Il respectable seat costs
fve dollars, and you can so as much higher
as your bank account will allow, There
is revolution, and a great one, taking
place in our theatres, which may even
tually place good Opera within the reach
OF the million. The Dime Museum which
originally was cheap, disrepuiable sort of
place, is being rapidly improved; ;and several
theaters are now opened where the general
is dime, and where you can see
performed by pretty clever companies, some
OF the greatest successes of Wallack's, the
Fifth Avenue, Daly's and the Union
Square. Now, while the general admission
is ten cents. you must not imagine that il
VIII secure you private box. Nothing of
the sort; when you get inside you discover
that the ten cent portion is not exactly |
suited to your constitution, and the gentle, !
manly usher relieves you of another ten
cents or quarter as the state of your bank
account warrants, or perhaps you prefer a
seat In private box fifty cents will secure
hat luxury; and many of these places are
As well conducted as any theaters in the
;ity. There is no doubt, but we are appro-
lehing an era of cheap and good amuse-
nents, and that tue extravagant prices
Witch people have been compelled to pay
viii soon be thing of the past. However
'atti at the Academy, filled it from pit TO
'olne. You eoHld not get your nose within
en- feet OF the door for an hour before the
performances commenced: vet the seats were
II Ill.