News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1894-11-08
sf1eR 1-ER MONEYS WORTH.
What Three American Travellers Saw In n
Partisan Opera House.


What Three American Travellers Saw In y
Partisan Opera House.
American travellers abroad come up0S
many sights and customs that are
strange to their American senses. Here
is an incident of an opening night at
the Chatelet theater, Paris. that will
not soon DO forgotten by certain party
of there New Workers who witnessed it.
The presentation was of Berlioz's
Faust" in accordance with popular
request. 1t had been given in the clos
ing spring nights, and in .he fall was
put on again. with th@ same artists in
the various roles. Certain numbers
notably "Marche Hongroise" and Meph-
isto's song-had captivated Paris, and
an overwhelming crowd was at the
doors on the opening night TO hear their
favorites.
Now, there is a peculiar custom in
vogue at the Chatelet for admitting and
seating the audience. They enter in
squads and each squad must be seated
before another can get in. OF course
this is admirable when time is no OBJ
ject, but on this particular night the
crowd was too great to be handled in
this slow way. And the curtain went
up, and the movement of the opera, I'M
der the direction Of NJ. Cologne, pro
ceeded when no more than two-thirds
Of the audience had been seated
In the first balcony sat three New
Yor6ers-a married couple, with a young
lady acquaintance The opera proceeded
over the heads of the moving, restless
audience for an hour, when an ominous
murmuring of voices began to make it.
| self heard above the tones of the orches-
ira. 1t muttered, rolled, vibrated, grew
and conveyed feeling of danger from
some unknown peril. The young Amer
lean matron, nervous as American wo-
men are, took fright
at is fire, " she whispered to her
husband. THE theater is Oh fire. You
must take me out quick, or we shall
be crushed as well as burned"
But the husband was obdurate, and
as the noise Of voices increased in vol
ume and angriness he turned to reassure
his wife and her friend.
''Be easy. 1t ism fire. This is 60
ing to be one of the sights of Paris, and
l wouldn't miss it for lot on Broad
way"
By this time the menacing attitude
of the audience had forced itself upon
the attention of NJ. Cologne His must
clans ceased playing; he looked at them
imploringly, glared at the bowling au-
dience defantly, rolled out a command
cracking with RS, waved his baton and
went on.
Then the audience passed from fret
full repining to offensive action. With
common impulse it swarmed forward
oyerran the orchestra, and some 40 zen
clambered upon the stage itself. They
| silenced the musicians, shouted, danced
back and forth i'll an apparently uncOn-
trollable rage, shook their fists under
the noses Of every one in authority and
introduced a sudden and unwelcome el-
ement of anarchy into the evenings
spectacle.
"What is the matter? Can you make
out what they're saying?" the young
lady asked.
"Why, yes" the escort replied
"They couldn't get into the theater in
season to hear the favorite numbers
and they feel cheated. This is the pop
ular Partisan expression of outraged
feelings.
"But what are they goingto do about
it," asked his wife. "WilI they tear
the house down? Do let us go away at
once "
''No, they'll hurt no one but M. Co
logne, and not him if he does what they
are demanding"
Whatever is that?"
GAS near as can make out, it is to
go back to the beginning and play the
entire score again. That means an eX-
ira hour, and no wonder he objects"
But the objection proved futile. Aft
er ten minutes of charges and counter
charges, of negative shakes of the head
and affirmative shakes of many fists,
Mr.. Cologne turned back the pages of
his score and again raised his baton.
The excited audience was Gained in a
moment and became seated and atten-
| 1--WE. Inc JuONeneHG prOceeuOu SmOOIn-
ly, triumphantly, with appreciative APP
| plause Feelings of the most perfect
harmony existed. And the Chatelet
scored a great success.
''Now, in New York, " said the Amer
lean as he took the two ladies to their
hotel, 1--WE wouldn't have done it so. "
Il should think not" said his wife
in earnest patriotism.
mo" he went on, there we would
have talked about our hard luck be-
tween the acts, and the next morning
would have fought the thing all over in
the newspapers. And we wouldn't have
seen the opera either. 1t seems to me,
my dear, that the French character has
a feature or two which the American
would do we'll to initiate. I"
VERY WELL" said madam. I'm
glad saw the opera twice over in one
evening. Pm very much obliged to
those Frenchmen. But, all the same,
I'm quite content to be and remain
American New York Times.