The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-07-06

1t must be mentioned and perhaps with
some regret, that most Of the references to
Germans, English and Americans in the
Paris press are of q more or less satirical
character; but all these references together
scarcely equal the columns devoted to Anam
alone. The French, as a rule, have most
thought for those countries in which they
have colonies-and this is but natural-but
just now their enthusiasm about Anam
amounts to a mania. Anam is oil the fash
ion, the mode, the rage, the latest fad. The
Anammite theatre is packed at every per-
Torrance; the Anammite voitures eight two
wheeled carriages drawn by hand are sought
by all the fine ladies' the Anammite open air
restaurants and factories are constantly sur
rounded by enthusiastic Frenchmen.
Not only does the Partisan press give elab-
crate pictures of the scenes In the Anammite
theatre, but all the plays are analysed and
critiques given; the actors have as much
space as the New York papers ever gave to
Irving or Bernhardt, Forrest or Macready.
And the names of the Cochin Chinese ''stars"
are Tho Che, Qui, Thinh, Bueb, Rit, Thao,
Phung and Dang. Part of the report OF Le
Monde nlustre is worth reading.
'There is" says the critic, "a grand swish
and crash-it is the prelude. The melody is
much as if grand mass of kitchen utensils
should be rolled down stairs. A door flies
open and man-no, monster in an indie
scribably hideous mask--enters and goes
through many contortions. A second enters
and does the same-they are introducing the
play, without words! Then come the armies
and there is a battle. Anammte swords
olash spears and shields mingle ferociously,
blood flows apparently Gt is really red silk
streamers), they tumble in every direction
till the stage is covered with corpses. The
uproar is terrible"
We can easily believe him. The few words
spoken in the play indicate that the king, Ly-
Tieng-Vuong. is defeated and the succeeding
acts show how he loses his followers one after
another, until with few faithful ones he
hides in q jungle. Then in pantomime the
enemy set the woods on fire to drive him out
He rushes to an opposite corner and sinks ex-
hausted, but when about to be beheaded his
long absent adopted son rushes to his rescue
and puts the enemy to flight Then follow
the combats of the son, his success, the reen-
thronement of Ly- Tieng Wong, the death of
the villains and the triumph of virtue. So it
seems the Anammites have some good ideas
of dramatic art. But the important part Of
ton proper, is the richness and solidity of the
silk robes, the elegance of the fans, the excel
lence Of the weapons and general fineness Of
finish of the articles used by the actors
There has been much criticism by English
and Americans on the ground that the affair
was a scenic show rather than an exhibition
of arts, sciences and manufactures, but this
defect is rapidly being remedied. The first
edifice completed and filled was the hall Of
the iron works, and it is a wonder
The hall is about 800 feet long and $50
feet wide (discarding the fractions of meters),
and all its vast interior is full of whirlng,
changing, beating engines and men. In q
cloudy mist of iron dust whole regiment of
blacksmiths are necessarily active, while on
every side wide mouths vomit fire, and from
these are drawn the white hot bars from which
are rapidly fashioned the thousands of pro
ducts of the order of Tubal Cain. 1t is
claimed that every form Of blackslnithing
known to man is here in progress. The spec
tators walk along raised central gallery
and look down into this Dantean inferno
without main