The herald., 1896-04-15

are no people on this earth in whom ad-
| miration for talent and artistic genius Is
| engrafted deeper than in the breasts
of Americans. Whether this rare gift is
exhibited in the form of long-haired
virtuoso or maestro who can successfully
navigate the dangerous depths of a Bee
thoveu senate, Bach fugue, the technical
pyrotechnics of production of Pagenini
or interpret Tartini's nightmare related in
the DEVILS Senate; the rhespian who can
passably illustrate Shakespeare's meaning
in his Gloucester, Henry or Hamlet; or the
vocal demigod who can place them on
terms of acquaintanceship with Wagner,
Rossini, Verdi. Gounod, Bellini. etc.. or
throw the light of understanding upon the
tuneful setting of Goethe's great concep-
tions, it is ali the same; there is no place
in existence where the genius can reap the
dollar harvest as here in America.
But in accordance with this rule. the
class which finds Europe and the far east
of this country not sufficiently app recia-
tive of their sterling qualities to risk idle
cash in an investigation. find their way to
the west, and especially cities lowering
about the 100000 population mark. Of
course, there are exceptions to this: the
two greatest living artists of their kind,
Ysaye and Paderewski, were with us not
long ago; but nevertheless the rule gener-
ally Is as stated.
One thing is certain, however. While
lectation land money! generally mean to
give something in return for our patronage.
in other words, to make us laugh, cry, or
else keep us from induIging in these lux
uries-the proprietors or managers of the
houses evidently have not considered that
a financial remuneration for these kindly
offices is quite sufficient, and that a sort of
counter-irriIant in the shape of novelty
should be thrown in.on the heels and horns
plan. The man with the note book feels
with the intuition of past experience that
it must make the knees Of an operate as
pirant quake when he walks into our the
aters, and is confronted with a
curtain having the appearance of
patchwork or crazy quilt, or the seat
of a neither garment of white.wash artist,
and jammed full of gratituous advice
on what to wear when you go to funeral or
other cheerful entertainment and where to
get 1t for an Insignificant consider alton, or
how to cure an attack of measles or tooth
ache with malacial lasstude thrown Inland
where you can buy a secondhand stove or
pawn your overcoat with an avuncular rel
ative next door to where the greatest sac
ritlce sale of artificial hair in the history
of our glorious nation is going on. 1t is a
lucky circumstance, TO my idea. that there
is not another counterpart of these mons
trosites on the ceiling where the stage
favoritea can see them, else. who knows.
when in the midst of such bloodhound
ling SceQe as WDoF6 Tue noaVy Ntllallls Wltn
uplifted knife says twill you be mine,
Pauline' the heroine might absent-mind
edly murmur "bet yer life if you'll buy me
Slam-bang bicycle.''
In one of the theaters, wild attempt
at internal mural decoration has been
made. We all have been struck with the
perplexties involved in the problem
whether the golden haired Tor some other
shaded) muse up over the stage is walk
ing forward or is on the retrograde. Her
face presents TO the audience q smile of
greeting. and she appears to be adj
vancing, but as the eye drops little 10
the means of loc ,motion, doubt takes
hand in the game, and there is an uneasy
feeling that she is deceiving us, and
while her face says one thing, her pedal
extremities say another, and we are ra-
minded of Captain Marryatt's encomum
on womsnkind i'll his Pacha of Many
Tales. Then there is another daub
which the audience have been pleased to
designate Trlby, I presume on account
of the dimensions OF those useful MEM
bers which have lately acquired that dis
tinctive name. Those feet were evidently
built by the artist before the rest of the
body was applied, and he found that if
he kept his proportions, there would prob
| ably be room enough if the ceiling was
raised about two more stories. Then this
embryo Murillo evidently forgot 20 curtail
! the pedal expanse and proceeded to