St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1903-12-12

music and the fine arts; as this
was denied him, his enegies were
expended in arranging, composing,
staging and leading success
fully operettas, melodramas and
classical concerts, using success
fully the crude materials at hand
in provincial town. He was al
ways ready to participate in church
or charity entertainments. regard
less Of creed, many time leaving
q sick chamber at imminent risk
of life, and against all protests, in
order not to disappoint, and to par
tiscipate in them. To relieve the
monotony of teaching, he taught,
until the nervous tension became
too great, and snapped beneath the
strain. He was younger at near
~ seventy than most men ut forty,
possessing q wonderful stock OF
nervous, but frequently mis-
Idirectad energy, Which was stifnu--
lated by opposition, and not always
wisely, he was seemingly without
personal ambition, or any desire to
accumulate money; this may have
been due to his life long stuggle
against asthma, but more probably
to a development Of the artistic, at
the expense of the business sense.
when in health, he could always
make money; in fact, he always
said, contemptuously that "any
| fool could make money!; he never
acred to accumulate more than
enough to pay his debts, or TO carry
into execution some project, and
always one of no material benefit
to himself. In despite of his chron-
ic complaint, his regular habits,
good appetite, will power and recu-
psrative forces, were SO good and
strong, that with the exercise of
the most ordinary precaution, he
would doabtless have exceeded the
age limit allotted to man, but be-
sides constant imprudent expo
sure to different Temperatures, he
was slowly, imperceptibly, but
none the less surely sapping the
foundation of his nervous force
and energy. Passionately fond of
Nature in all her myriad forms. he
fairly worshipped at her shrine,
and not day passed that he did
not detect some new, hidden beau
ty in tree Or shrub, or flower,
moonrise or q sunset, with it's gor-
geous colorings, was enough to
awaken his artistic instinct, and
lead to improvisations, on violin,
violoncello or organ; his touch on
the two former Instruments, even
up to q week of his demise was
still exquisite and full OF express
sion, giving one some idea of the
pathos of his playing, when at the
age OF Is, he won the encomiums
OF Joseph Menter, and the great
Wagner. He was an accomplished
linguist, a hard student and q vora-
cious reader, deyouring everything,
from the ancient, to the German,
French and English classics, works
on science and philosophy, to the
| daily record of current events in
papers and magazines. Honest,
moral, abstemious, with culture,
and personal charm, lightened by
| flashes of wit and keen sense of
the ridiculous, with power of mfm-
icry and satireskeen as damascus
blade, that often set the the table
In a roar, small wonder, that cou-
pied with his musical talent he
had, in his day, the entire Of the
most exclusive circles in Europe,
which never diverted his simple
democratic tastes, he loved society
for its culture, and hated it for its
hypocrisy. While not partic-
ularly interested in politics,
/ he was lifelong and con-
lsistent Democrat, intnitively
grasping the idea that Democra-
Icy represented the centrifugal
force in the Republic; and he had
a perfect aversion to monarchism
in any shape or form, and resistive
under restrictions, governmental,
or otherwise, save those founded ON
common sense, or established scien-
| tific facts. BY birth, education and
instinct IA gentleman, he was res
/ pected in every community where
he had ever lived. The end
fcame so unexpectedly, that
OF the members of his family, only
his wife and unmarried daughters
/ were with him at the close, when
his tired soul, wearied with life's
fitful fever, laid down In blissful
rest.
j He leaves q widow, four sons and
three daughters TO mourn his loss,
viz DIR. f. j. Mayer, of Lafayette
{ DR.. Chas. r. Mayer, of New Or
leans; DIR. r. A. Mayer, OF Vermil-