The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1905-08-26
ESPECIAL coRREsPonpENcE.l

knowing tndt tneSe troubles are Dut tuc
clouds of day, is preparing the great
est season of French Opera in its his
tory.
This enterprise was inaugurated
months ago and is under magnificent
swing. Fortunately it is one of the
many fine projects under way which the
lancet of the stegomyia has not been
able to blight with its poison, for behind
it is ample money, and already Impre-
sario Charley, VINO has been in France
for the past three months, has the mat
ter of selection of artists and chorus
we'll under way. By the time the sea-
son will open-and, maybe, under the
measures inspired by a knowledge Of
how fever is transmitted, long before
the panic will be over; even the timOr-
Gus will admit the city safe, and French
opera will be the Mecca of all lovers of
music and the beautiful for hundreds of
miles around.
New Orleans has always taken pride
in its French opera. This great institu-
ton has been the center around which
its social gaieties reYolved as well as
the great magnet of its lovers Of art.
A winter without 1t would be as incom
plete as spring without the world
famous Mardi Gras celebration. Moth
ing has been able ever to take the place
of this superb attraction. 1t is known
ha
Metropolitan Grand Opera of New York
is. Tourists travel from Maine and far
away Oregon to spend the winter here
on its account, never missing perform
ance. Our sugar planters and men OF
wealth up the country and from Missis-
sippi and Texas bring their families
here for weeks and sometimes for the
season, just to enjoy every performance.
There is a zest and enthusiasm to the
great affair which no other kind of the
atIical entertainment We know affords.
Who has ever heard such outburSts of
applause and bravuras and enthusiasm
as are awakened by great prima don
ma? And what can equal the delight
with which the audience greets Mons.
LIE Tenor, who has ingratiated himself
into their affections, as he makes his
appearance? A phlegmatic English
man, not accustomed to such demon
strations in his British theatres, asked
one night, as a great falcon appeared
and the house went wild before she had
sung a note: 81 beg pardon, deah boy,
is this the night for the lunatics? You
know, in England, we haye theatre
nights for the lunatics." BY and by, as
the superb throat, modulated by the
luxuriant fancy, began to warm that
audience with its pathos and its passion,
even the Englishman adjusted his mo-
- nocle and exclaimed, ''By Jove, do you
know, this is interesting! Aw, see!
Interesting, do you know, aw!'
OF late years, the French opera has
not maintained the high standard set.
This has been due to variety of causes.
Mainly has it been due, however, to a
system which saddled the entire respon-
sibility on the impresarios. The pay
roll of a season of French opera is suf-
ficient to start bank of some proper
tions. For one man, the impresario, to
assume liability for it, is for one purse
to undertake very big contract. IL
the season goes we'll, so much the better
for that purse. If otherwise, let 1t be
a veritable fortunatus' purse, or it will
be exhausted. Fortunes have been
coined and lost in French opera. When
it is winner, it is gold mine 1t is a
glorious thing for the man who has sin
ple-handedly undertaken it. 1t beats
cotton speculation. When the venture
goes the wrong way, the impresario is
like a bear on bull market Some OF
our impresarios have made great sue
cesses and others failures. Sometimes.
the same one would meet with success
one season and comparative failure the
next. AS a result of the failures the
New Orleans venture has acquired
slowly the reputation among French
artists of being uncertain. II success
full. the season is glorious high sala-
ries and a season long enough to bt
highly profitable without firing the art
ist out. But, if unsuccessful, cut sala-
ries and shortened season. This repn'
tation made it harder and harder for the
impresario to go to Paris and get jus
the artists he wanted. He had to per
shade instead of commanding the mar
ket, which, on account OF the highe
salaries, he ought to have been in DO
sition to do.
With these facts in mind, Thoma
Brulatour inaugurated and, in manner
underwrote scheme which is certain t.
make the approachingsseason one OF th'
very greatest in history. He organizes
a purse from among the well-to-d'
lovers of music here, and in this man
ner undertook to guarantee the season
The impresario is no longer the finan
cial butt. He is in the employ OF thi
body of men,. A sufficient amount ha
been guaranteed practically to run tn
entire season, if the opera did not max
"a cent.
The result is that NJ. Charley is il