The sun., 1900-12-13
FRENCH OPERA THE ISSUE.
>tw0Rtrs,s 'ovsiDrRi,o mr. rsry
~ ~ nm tNSfIff TfON
. vote 3" Ne tsL-n "p Ds. ~ whs'h't :"
Abandon the ttsn'h Opsts. which We
usen rs,sb,,.hsd tor . tsntu'' fnr'I'h
tsu ffov dins out rfsu,h In Louisiana.

NV Drtrt't tbac ~ Tho '1'o ~ lt'frh
b ns ~" lanrrar" of Tho social ard riue'nl world
! M N"w uilcnus y n b" sciilod or Toe ~ when
tho Now Orlrlua opera Assorlatlon viii deter
nine whether N" French opera h1ldns shan
cnnHrur ~ M" homo NJ French opera ~ he
abandoned 10 tngli,h drama snvNc" var
ia helrg vngcd over this tssue. and ~ has lad
/ m" effect of sending n.y. Opera stock from ~
! - SIPS u share although the stock has never
/ declared n dividend The English faction !.
strong and II u control, the opera house tho
! present will 10 tho last season ~ French opera
! In New Orleans even n ~ ~ heaien now. no ono
! doubts ~ its triumph IN the end IN" French
! element here is growing less WITH every '"nr
! md losrg ground rapidly
| French has loat IN. ofNc+,l and legal status
| In New Orleans In the last two decades oricl-
! ral'v used altogether IN m" CIV touHcl Legs
| lsture aud courts. II afterward had 'o dNd" ~"
| honor-. and New Orleans and al southern
Louisiana became bngua The plain'N
could bring suit In English or In French Wit
| nesscs could deliver their testimony in cl'her
| language and Councilmen and members Of III"
Legislature could Introduce bills and resolutions
| or speak In their mother tongue. whether II
| werc that ot France or En gland Thl~ condition
| orarairS has long since passed away, and French
| has ceaSnd 10 he the of''Clal tongue in any c1se
except some auction advertisements for th"
sale of real estate
But II French went ont as legal and leCis-
latlvc language. IL maintained its social status,
! and its headquarters was tho French Opera
House Here Il is supported by century Of
tradition. ard the French opera has been during
all this time the centre OF society in the Cre-cent
City The opera has established tho rules OF
etiquette and all balls. parties and entertain
ments are regulated 80 "a not 10 interfere with
: I, al ina IA IN
other in New Orleans. far greater indeed than
II could possibly be In any other American city.
! because of the dominance OF the Tin race here
/ The opera, moreover, has history and ira
dlton which entitle It 70 consideration. II IL
/ nearly a century old. and during that century
| Il established itself 81 firmly here that large
part Of the community will not know what 10
! do whom IL Ia gone
! French orera established itself in New Or
| leans In the early part Of the century. when an
, opera troupe which was performing in Port au
| Prince Hayti. was driven out BY the negro
| ins,irrectlon II came to New Orleans and
prosperei here theatre was Hnallv built for
| H. and some seventy years ago an opera house
| on Orleans street, which was regarded as the
finest structlr Of its kind whom Il wos put M
. md survives t,-Iav after tho most varied
fortunes of probably any huilling In tho citv,
having been opera house criminal court build
ING. dance hall and now convent for negro
nuns and orphans, the only one of Is kind out
side Of Baltimore
In the sos, In what were known as the
| French days Of New Orleans. the present Bour-
| bon street opera house was built In the heart
Of the French district II I. ftre. lars" build
! ing the larg in the South. with arrl" room
and the accumulated scenery and costumes Il
a half century There for aftv venrs French
| opera has made its home and foursNed The
opera house has never been a financial success
! The association which owns II NOT only has
declared no dividends but has had to pvt up
| money 70 cover deficiencies. and whom tho asso-
ciation has MANAGED the opera itself the do
! fcioncy has been very large and the assessment
on the members heavy But It was regarded
as bel nc 90 much Of A feature Of Nv Orleans
! and was so enjoyed bv IT, people that the opera
hs. been insisted on season after season in spite
The opera in New Orleans was really run on
! hi-h scale. and nrarlv nll IL" grent"r SINGERS.
. Patti Ger-ter, Amir. &c. lave at one time
: sung on itS boards II brast"d Of trad tion
! md three 0ererations who ha| heard to crerss
I recularitlcs Of sin Then. TOO. tho Latin M
ture breaks ont with mere enthu u-,l-IH er tne
/ The r ght - hiss singer ia assorted end on
| loved by the patron Of tho orera in New Or
leans and man d ST. ger has hso, ha@ ,ha" ont em,
enthuaia, n gets FAR hnvond what would be
.nae no, n orr az anad, and tae1 eR b bc %
rise IN 'hc sr2t to TaSS GSrTn,c . IaS
"'Tf,' TSs s8lns sreet dcuty %th the French oper,
IN New Orleans has been tho shortnos' o' the
| season and the fact that no other ilaCo IN tnii
o%~ o2era /. restyfcted % to Franc. he French colo.
| MES and Latin America, elsewhere IN" opera
is sung in Italian or German Here II / consld-
cred wrong q 90 70 III" opera IL lont, anu IN"
| season therefore, has 10 close in February Nher
tho New Orleans troupe ran be- taten with an
eIal safety InS ' }w2 Tprf !, pr TGg Gr9- orc1E HgE
companies to 81 Louis ard Chicago and oth"r
wc.tern towns. This seasons tour will take
is more popular than IL. the West
For som. year. rs: Fenh has 0SG been TnpFdg
po.pla,ion Of Scw orleans and ,trSc-toU,h.
z that Of Ioui.iaIa s.nth :, r., R.d kXer arr Gt
west Louisiana. where the don..naut rae" il
tcadan speaking Fench pntol, akin 20
ns us' out NJ the s'I n"tve ar tongue. whic ho- little
grammar, and no literature. that - latter WI
for the so-called creole or romho. the resro-
! French spoken by about hall tho negroes N
dosna twenty year aSo c.n .at - hn eync. Sy
understand French in any form In New
Orleans and tie nsri,hes imnCdI9';GIy around
| but cannot last much longer IN tho CITY i "a
raridlv giving pllce g. English PT.hthv
half the croolcs speak English h1bituallv and
quart or do not under. tGud their mother tongue
| NJ all The division lines between creole and
, American society have been broken down
| Trolley car- have scattered the crooles over
| Tie city Instead Of thclr being confined to n
| single quarter. as formerly, while tho Italian
Invasion Of the FrcVCh'qunrt"r "le vie uN c1rre.
has driven them in greater numbers into the
| American district, uptown
| Now come. tho final blow In tho proposed
| abolition Of French onera IN New Orleans
! This will not h" done without Il battle. and
! the battle viii come oll az the meeting Oi the
! q, ora association on Dee ~ III" French
| faction admits that the opera house has never
declared dividend aud il never likely 70 do
co. but insists that the social and inuSical advan
| tages of season Of opcra moro than corlpcn-
| eate for tho financial los They point ont
! that In Europe most opera houses receive sub
sdes from the government, and " III public
| opinion In New Orleans would not tolerate ia"
! C.tv's aporopratiu- Slfn0N1 wear to sup
| port he opera. H." association which is com,
posed of rIcn u wealth, can make Vi the needed
! subsidy or bonus
| ON the other hand. thc American faction
| pooh -pooh- tradition lf French opera does
| not nav in New OrlcIu- tloV sAv, then some
| thing cl,c must bc substituted for Il that does
| pay So largo and lgud-olnr a building ought
| 10 be Of som" use and value. instead of hcug
| closed for nine months oI tie yCar. OF cuuI-e,
| tho creole and lreuci. element, for whom the
opera house w0s huilf. have long succ lost