Nebraska Newspapers

    THE OMAHA DAILY BEE : SUNDAY , FJEBKUARY 27. 1887.-TWELVE PAGES 9
lor Twenty-Fire Tears in an American
\ Amusement Temple.
FOOTLIGHTS FADED FOREVER.
Favorite F CCH I'nttl's First Visit
Orlsl and Mnrlo Vcstvalt Pic-
colomlnl KcllogR'8 Debut
Notable Bulls.
NEW YonK , Feb. 23. [ Correspondence
of the HEE. ] The scene of so many lyric
triumphs , the home of fashion twenty-
five years ago , the resort of the cultivated
taste nnd".irti9tic cxcollcnce of Now York
is to bo closed ; converted into a beer
garden , perhaps , or a German thrcatre }
given ever to purposes of which its pro
jectors and owners never dreamed.
Within those walls I heard the farewell
of Grisi and Marie to America , in Lu
cre/la Horgia , There the sumptuous
queen of tragic opera waved the arms
which it was said were the same that the
Venus of Milo had lost , and with a grace
and passion and dignity that have never
been equalled since , hurled the im
precations and accusations of the Druid ,
or implored for the life of Gennaro , with
n superb majesty and nathos that made
the infatuation of Ferrara credible ,
There the greatest tenor of our time
warbled out the dying strains of Edgardo ,
or the love notes of the Splrto Gentil to
enraptured audiences. The final scene
of the Favorlta. when Grisl crouched and
crawled at the foot of the cross and then
arose in the rapture of love , as Marie
dragged her to him , and both sang the
inspiring notes of the iinale equalled in
dramatic power and passionate ex
pression anything seen or hoard on the
modern .stage. Ihis was the cujmina-
lion of Italian opora. The rendering of
Mich artists was as indispensable to the
masters of song as the Instrumentation
of to-dav is to the embodiment of
Wagner's" idea ; but singers like thcFO
produced ollccls of exquisite expression
and melodic delight not surpassed by the
greatest triumphs of instrument or or
chestra in the German harmony. Not
only
r.UJSl AND MARIO
have icft their memories in Irving place.
There the ' Huguenots'1 nnd the "Trqva-
tore" were first produced in America.
There ViMvali , the Pole , first sang the
notes of Azttconn to a New York audience ,
and with nor line presence and magnetic
bearing fora while fascinated young New
York. There the delightful trio Hrignoli.
Amodio and La Grange so long reigned
supreme ; a tenor full of sweetness , if not
of lire ; a baritone rich , full and sonorous ;
a soprano cultivated , refined , expressive ,
elegant , anil able to interpret the music
of Meyerbeer , Doni/.etti , Verdi or Mozart.
La Grange and Formes in the third act of
the "Huguenots" gave a rendering that
has hardly been surpassed of that ox-
qulNito scone ; and in Uobert lo Diablo , in
tin * great trio , without accompaniment ,
where the struggle that comes to every
man , between temptation and principle ,
is portrayed with a grandeur and power
fully equal to the expression of the same
Idea in the Tanhanser , an effect was pro
duced that the greatest musicians and
composers might envy. At this opera
house
KEU.Or.fi MADE HEU DEHt'T
in Kigoletto , while Colonel Stebbins , her
friend and patron , looked down from his
box and shared with his family and the
audience the pleasure of that artistic
success which ho had done so much to
render possible. I remember going behind -
hind the scenes to congratulate the new
prima donna on her voice and her boots ,
which both were lino. Hero also , of a
Thanksgiving night , Patti first sang in
oporn , twenty-six years ago , to a scant
and once , wlfo little dreamed they were
present at the entrance into the musical
world of one of its greatest prodigies
and queens. Nor not the most hopeful
friend or enlightened critic anticipated
the brilliant career that awaited the timid
little maiden , scarce svcnteeu , who came
out as Lucia di Lammermoor.
I'ICt'OLOMINI IIE1ONED HEIIE
for a season ; not the greatest of singers ,
but .surely ono of the most delicious of
actresses. In comic roles she can never
have been surpassed. The exquisite
coquetry with Hodolfo in spite of her love
for Elviuo. in the ' 'Sonnambula ; " the
malicious archness of Hosina , all through
the "Harbor1 ; the half unconscious
naughtiness of the Hatti-Uatti , and of the
minuet in "Don Giovanni" were brimfu ]
of womanly wiles and artistic genius.
Ah mo ! the long procession of beautiful
women nnd delightful singers and
actresses ; the queens and peasants , the
nuns and ladies , the mau Lindas and
Lueias singing out their woes so that you
wished they would never cot well ; the
Btately Semiramides , the rattling , drum
ming viyandiorcs ; the abbesses that rosn
from their tombs in ballet dresses to enchain
chain the son of Robert : the saucy
Susannas who flirted with Figaro ; the
gipsies , the Trayiatas , the Safes , oven
tlio fair Homeos where are all the en
chantresses now ? Their graces and
smiles all past , their songs all silenced :
the curtain fallen forever on their charms
and arts.
Even thn music is forgotten that in-
Fpired them another siirn of thu change
tfiat has couio over Now York. For 'tis
not only the stage , and tha style of the
niiislo , but the pcoplo and their manners
that are difierent. The fashion has
pas-o < l away. Yet who that know the
old life nt tun academy of musio but regrets
grots the ibillghtful house where ovorV'
body could see everybody else , where the
1.ADIiS : WKIIK NOT STUCK
llko milliner's figures in a shop window ,
but sat as iu a drawing-room , surroundci !
by their friends ; whore a man could walk
about and find a dozen acquaintances as
ho passed ; whore it wap possible lo get
Y ' - > v without peering at a hall
into n u *
illegible namo. orpcnp.J--- through rrn" an
jinte-room full of cloaks and oTbi.locs. !
nnd then perhaps blundering and tloun-
dering into the company of people you
do not know. Who docs out recall the
gay look of the house whore you were
near enough to recognize a friend across
the theatre , whore elegant women were
accustomed to sit In the parquet and bal
cony In opera hr.ts nnd light colored
rloaks.n costume often as ollcctlve as full
dress , but which Is no longer known , and
which gave tlm whole audience n bril
liant efiect as dtileront as possible from
thu funeral aspect of the lloor of the
Metropolitan ,
In those days , too , the pcoplo wore far
better known ; not only known to thom-
Fclvo , but distinguished by reputation
L1 * and character ; people of mark , whom
any country might bo glad to consider its
representatives. Great authors like Han-
croft and Irving , cri-at lawyers and
judges' , composers like Fry and Hristow ;
men of national fame in poli'ics were as
abundant in Now York society as in those
days thov nro rare , and all \\cnt to the
opera. They even
WENT TO THE OlfAUlTV HALL ;
for thii was one of the events that made
the old academy of music notable. People
ple then were moro certain of themselves ,
and not afraid to walk , or even to dance ,
on the lloor of the opera houso. They did
not lind their gentility HO delicate that they
' must shut U up in boxes where no ouo
could approach save through an ante
chamber. Now the few who consider
themselves somebodies , especially if they
havit recently eonin to that conclusion ,
uro too muc4i. afraid of being jostled by
.lio u who are nobodies.
For-at no other place does saclc'ty wilk
lie lloor dccoluttee , add in dross coats ,
TJEOQ
VACANT LOTS CALL ON US
In all Part * of the C ity , at the. SM nan .For and licfiilcncc
LO WEST ES ,
1513 Farnam St. 1513 Farnam St.
Have moved their office to 1513 Farnam St. , to the office formerly oc
cupied by Paulsen & Co.
TIPTON PLACE.
This beautiful addition is in the northwest part of the city ; is high and dry , overlooking all of Omaha
and Council Bluffs : is built up all around it ; has good Schools , Churches and Stores within 2 blocks of it , and
is the most desirable Property in the city. Is cheap and is sold on such terms that any one can buy ,
This is a snap. There are only a few lots left and they are all the very best. Come and see them , It
costs nothing ,
I
This is the best property in the market for the money. The North
western depot will be located either on this property or very close to it.
Don't let this slip. Lots only $275 to $350 each ; $50 cash , balance $10
per month.
Remember the Change of Location , 1513 Farnam St.
Three lots ncitr Sdunilcru .SV. , Three lots in Jtcscrvoiiad < l ,
\tnllenoitth \ of I'lainriciv , only cheap ; only $20O cash on each
$1VOO cai > li ; casiterms. . This lot , balance easy.
beats any body's snap.MOTTEll One cunt front tot on I'arh arc.
, ,
MOTTEll atabiinjatn MOTTEH ,
. I , .
1513 Farnam Street. l l''i Farnam St.
side by side with anybody who pays. In
the street , if it walks , society is mulllcd ,
has on its hats and high bonnets ; at the
theatre or Dclmouico's , though it shares
the amusements of the unfashionable ,
and sometimes sits on the same benches
with them , it is passive ; amused , not
amusing ; at church , if it prays by the
side of .sinners of another set , it is , of
course , in separate pews , just as it listens
( or laughs ) at the opera in exclusive
boxes. Hut at a ball you must seem to bo
a part of the crowd ; you move among
the others ; you can't "be told from them
except by the initiated. Yut even this
sacrilico society once mad" to charity.
Now it takes tickets , and if it attends the
ball , it only looks on from _ the grand tier.
It is true a few fall into the march at
the opening ; that one may do , and not
lose caste. And how odd it seems ! A
quarter of a century ago some of the
same peoples were doing the same thing
ac the academy of music that they now
do at the Metropolitan. I could tell you
their names ! Hut there are nioro
TOL'1'Er.S AND HALO HEADS
in the procession to-day ; or , perhaps , it is
other heads ; those that were groy or bald
then have disappeared altogether , I fear.
The chaperones of those times have gone
to their last ball , the social queens have
entered a kingdom not of this world. The
most frolicsome belles "beforo the war"
are the dowatrors of 1S37it is the dan
cing men that 1 know who sit in the boxes
and look down ; perhaps they have good
reason.
When I think of the other changes still ;
when I see the crowds of people who have
not only grown up or grown old , but have
come in" and jostled aside those who were
once so important ; when I remember , not
only the belles that are passeo
and the beaux that are bald ,
but the fortunes that have been
spent , the names that have been forgot
ten though their owners are still alive ;
when I see sonic who were once socially
powerful , now humble and obscure ; people
ple who lorded it over society and
refused admission to their parties to
sonio whosocourtesis they are now happy
to accept ; charitable courtesies which
they can return only by their presence ,
which still confers a distinction
I say again. The fashion of
this world passsoth away , hook at
the list of the patrons and patron
esses of the charity ball a long scroll of
half-known names by the sitto of a few of
social distinction. Many were not on
that list only live years ago ; they were
not then of consoqucnco enough to bo
allowed to bu > places with u dozen
tickets. In live years more they will
consul1" whether they care to bo on the
list at all ; alia 'in ' ! : decade they will besought
sought after ; it will bo TnpjT ft ho confer
distinction. In twenty-live y 3ftfs VOU
can.become of "old family" in New
York. If your father and mother were
in society , your aristocracy is incontest
able.
Twenty-live j'oars ago the charity ball
was an event. There were no "assem
blies " " " "matriarchs"
, no "patriarchs" or
then nobody dreamed of dancing at Del-
monico's ; there were no other opportunity
for so fine n lloor or so iargo an assem
blage , and nearly everybody went , because -
cause it was the only chance in the year
of seeing so many of the fashionable
world together at onco. Of course there
was no more beauty then than now ;
there was no smarter gowns ; and , of
courso.what ono sees in one's youth has a
glamor that lusts across n generation ;
there is always a halo when you look
back. Hut for all this I insist there was
a distiction about New York fashion that
has not entirely remained. There were
more men of importance to bo seen ,
Now the really
lUrOUT.YNT MEN OF NEW YOHK
nra not in society. "Society" is com-
Cosed , not of people whom society wants ,
ut of poppio who want to bo in society.
Thero.is iniinitelp more wealth and dis
play , and infinitely less that attracts cul
tivated and refined men and women.
These are thrust aside by the throng , or
frightened by the impossibility of keen.-
ing up .with the show ' , or disgusted wiih
the success of 'vulgar ostentations ; or
they lind so little to in to rest their tastes
or'roward their exertions that they keep
nioof , and society is uot good company ,
it is a pageant at which those who dance
and dress and dine sumptuously congre
gate for their own purposes.
There are , indeed , as manv charming
people scattered about New York as else
where , or over ; but the elements are
rarely crystahzod. You lind ono inter
esting or distinguished man at this house ,
one fascinating or clover woman at an
other ; scarce any hostess has the art to
briiiK a room full of them together. Yet
anybody who knows Now York can think
of half a dozen women with fortune and
acknowledged position , with wit and cul
ture of their own , who might have made
their houses centers of as brilliant a so
ciety as exists anywhere in the world ,
but they have been too timid ; they call it
exclusive , but timid is the word. They
dared not ask those they would have
liked , for fear they themselves might be
the subject of talk. Hut they nave not
known their own power. Mankind still ,
as in Pope's day , is "born to be con
trolled. " There arc crowds of
mtlC.IIT AND Ct'LTIVATKI ) WOMEN
iu New York society to-day , old habitues
and now comers ; of the Knickerbocker
families , and interlopers equal to any ;
but the bright men arc rare ; they won't
goto teas or to balls , and they don't care
lor a dinner every night , no matter how
sumptuous , unless the company Is as
choice as the cuisine , and the talk is as
good as the wino. The result is that
there is no ono circle in Now York
where every body of decided importance
is sure to bo found. A man of tinim-
pcachablo surroundings and acknowl
edged social distinction may be utterly
unknown to another of precisely the
same stamp. This situation could not
and docs not exist anywhere else in the
world.
Rut a society that docs not include the
most distinguished pcoplo of the neigh
borhood is not "society" in the sense in
which the word is used olsowhoro. Those
who give dinners and balls , oven if well
descended , and used to the etiquette of
fashionable life ( which all of them arc
not ) , cannot and do not constitute ! soci
ety. They may call it so and chronicle
its doings , but it will not bo the good
company'of the place until it attracts
not admits , but attracts , pcoplo of im
portance other than fashionable.
ADAM HAUEAU.
KBtilSTKIt KIKNOS.
Men Who Are Always hooking at Ho
tel IteRiaccrH.
"What did that man wayt to find in
this register ? " asked a HKE reporter of
Clerk Davenport of the Millard , yester
day."If
"If you can tell mo I'd like to hear
you , " said the gentleman with the snowy
sblrt-iront.
"Uo looked at every name on ( ho last ;
thrco pages , " said the scribe , by way of
explanation.
"Yes , and so do a hundred others every
day. They como to the counter as
if they desired to register , 1 hand them
a pen , nnd sometimes they do not
know enough to dec line It. They pore
over the pages , as if they were looking
for some friend or business mau , and if I
should ask them , whom they wanted ,
live-sixths would bo unable to tell mo.
This class of pcoplo is most numerous
when wo are most hurried. They stand
in the way of guests , assume an import
ance which ill becomes them , reach for a
tooth pick , turn around and eventually
slink away after they have caused us a
loss of time , and patiencoaad given great
annoyance to our boua-tido patrons. "
( Jan consumption be cured ? Yes. Ono
man only , discovered the laws of gravi
tation. Ono limn only , discovered the
virtue of vaccination. And ouo man after
years of study and rutlcction , has discov
ered the euro for consumption. Dr.
Piorco's "Golden MedicalDiscovery" is
its specific. Send two letter stamps and
get Dr.Pierce's pamphliit treaties on
consumption. Address , World's Dispen
sary Mtidical Association , Huli'alo , N. Y.
"VIVA VERDI ! VIVA VERDI ! "
Triumphant Eeception of the New Opera
"Othello11 in Milan.
MAJESTIC AND MASTERLY MUSIC
Superb Scenery I'crlcct Costumes
and Chorus A Great Orchestra
Indifferent Cast Unprece
dented Honors ,
MILAN , Feb. 0. [ Correspondence of
the HEE. ] The grand opera house ot la
Scala has never before contained an audi
ence that could compare with the ono
that assembled last night in honor of
Verdi's newopcra/'Othollo. " From pit to
dome the immense auditorium was filled
with eairor faces , sparkling eves nnd bril
liant toilettes. The now electric lights
shed an indescribable softness over par
quet and gallery , and the scene recalled
some fantastic tale of the kings' courts in
the Arabian Nights. The Italian court in
itself afforded a dazzling mass of colors ,
and Queen Marghorita's ladies of honor
and the high-bred Milanese women were
covered with jewels , tully an hour be
fore the. curtain arose every seat in the
house was occupied , and the light mur
mur of expectant voices coming from
three thousand throats , perfectly audible
yet discreetly indistinct , reminded you
of an enchanted forest on a moonlight
night ; where every leaf and llower stirs
to the rhythm of some wandering breeze ;
where the million confused sounds of re
dundant nature , freight air and zephyr
with an endless breath of imitative har
mony. No ono was too oxaltcd or too
proud at this greatest of all solemnities ,
to jostle the conladlna on the doorstep ,
or the fruit-vendor humming a Verdin-
ian measure under the portico of La
Scala ; all were frantic to bo seated before
the curtain went up. Pride of rank ,
birth or position gave w.iy before the
universal homage which Italy still sows
in pnrounial laurel atthofcetof her great
composer.
BOITO'S UIWETTO.
Franco Faccio's appearance in the con
ductor's chair , which ho has lilled so long
nnd so well , was a signal for thunders of
applause. The orchestra at once struck
up a few glorious chords represontlnir a
tempest , which was followed by an In
stantaneous rise of the curtain. Hoito
begins his libretto with-tho .second act of
Shakespeare's "Othello. " The scenes are
laid in a maritime city of Cyprus , and
afterwards in Venice , 1 must first speak
of the Italian's pojt's work , to which
Verfi baswritten uchjnibluuo measures.
Arrlgo hoito is gifted In "arts , niuS'o nsd
verso , lie has laid a hand upon the im
mortal bard's work , which placed by an
other man than he , might have boon
heavy with sacrilegious weight. Hello
has transposed , added to , and do not
start In sorno ways adorned the play of
"Uthcllo. " Ho has done what no ono else
has yet done : ho has made a study from
our classic which , while not absolutely
Shakespearean , puts the English poet in
a still newer light. The enormous dilli-
culty of nuiKing an operatic libretto from
a play , is in itself an almost insurmount
able obstacle. What to retain , what to
reject , what will loud itself to the con-
tines of a musical space , what cannot be
compressed within the limits of musical
expression , are considerations weighty
enough in themselves to paralyze the
most facile pen or imagination.
THE FIUST ACT.
Hoito began to think of his "Othello"
fifteen years ago. Six yeaio ago ho sat
down and in as many months wrote and
completed his libretto. U Hews with the
lnniiidity which trauquUllscs waters ruf-
lied by the wildi-st storm , and rotlccts the
light which we see on' the wave lately
freed from the blucKnesdof tlu < hurricane.
The opening scene on jho island of Cy-
prns presents lago , llo erigo and Cassio.
A chorus sinirs u hymn of victory , rejoic
ing .that Othello nnd his ships have been
saved from Turk and tempest ; a briudUi
by lago represents the Moor's wish that
the city rejoice. "Every man takes on a
merry mood ; some begin to dance , some
to make bontiros , and each man goes
to what snort and revels his addition
leads him. " Cassio and Montana take
these instructions literally , and the duel
follows. Montana wounded , Othello ar
rives. Cassio delivers up his sword , and
the people disperse. Dcsdcmona appears ,
and a tender love duet finishes the first
act.
act.It
It will bo seen that Hoito , in cutting the
first act of Shakespeare's play , by sup
pressing Desdemona's appearance before
the senate and transposing the duel
scene , brings heron at the moment-whon
calm must follow the storm. Instead of
two almost nondescript apparitions , we
have one , which , by its present arrange
ment , is the climax of the act , and , philo
sophically considered , the veritable situa
tion for such a climax. As a piece of
dramatic writing , I have never seen its
equal in intensity. One situation follows
another with such headlong rush that I
can only think of the arrows snot from a
bow.
GRAND SINGING.
In the second act , we have lago'.s solo
and great scene , with a short speaking
duct for Cassio and lago. Djsdomona is
scon at the back of the stage receiving
gifts from women and children who are
singing a chorus that forms n most orig
inal accompaniment to a duct with lago
and Othello , both of whom stand well to
the front. The chorus finished , Desdo
mona comes forward to solicit Cassio's
return to the Moor's favor ; a quai lotto
follows , and the act ends with a grand
duet between Othello and lago.
Act third is where wo have most of
Hollo's changes from the original text.
He has written a trio for Cassio , Othello
and lago. called the handkerchief trio ,
so admirable in form nnd poetry that it
fits the English bard's play as a glove
fits the hand ; then follows a duet between
Dtisdemoua and her lord ; and ono. more
terrible for lane and Othello , then comes
the linalo of thu third act , which , in spite
of its force , cannot help shocking the
Anglo-Saxon worshiopcr at Shako-
spearo's shrine. Wo Know that Othello
was a Moor and a brute , but wo cannot
imagine that ho would have done what
Hoito makes him do. The senators ar
rive and announce now honors for
Othello nnd also his required departure
for Venice. Othello , worked up to the
suprpmest heights of jealousy in the preceding -
coding duet with lago , breaks forth into
a paroxysm of passion unknown oven to
Shakespeare's here , Desdomona comes
forward and begs to bo allowed to ac
company her lord ; she again almost im
prudently pleads Cassio's cause , when
before court , senate and populace ,
Othello Hings her to the ground , scream
ing
"TO EAKTH AND AVEEf , "
and dealing her such n blow that the
united. | ) conl9 ntJli iorward with ono
commingled cry of shame a.nd horror. ,
While the chorus rages , the -Moor , with
bowed head , sits aside , but the quartette
ended ho starts up , and sends oil' the
court , senate , and populace ; seemingly
alone , in a lerriblo fury , he attempts a
cry for vengeance , when his force for
sakes him , and ho statrgors and falls in
sensible to the tloor. At that instant ,
lago who had loitered behind a column
of the peristyle , rushes forth , plants Ills
heel on the Moor's ' breast and , with ac
cents of piteous scorn , sings in contrast
to the senate's cull for Othello nnd the
people's acclamations to the Lion of Ven
ice. "Look upon him , hero ! Hero is
your Lion of Venice ! " The curtain falls.
This scene , as I have said , is Hoito's
chief innovation , and it seems to mo an
unnecessary ono. The original scene is
itself terrible enough to give the world
an idea of Othello's character. This
added expression of brutality strikes the
first really discordant notot > f exaggera
tion in an otherwise extraordinary li
bretto
The fourth act is fairly traditional.
The Moor kills his wife , but spares lago ,
for the traitor llces with u scornful ,
"Never ! Ah ! Ah.on ! his perjured lips ,
while the Moor ends an existence that
has never known peace.
Verdi's music , throughout the whole of
the first uct , is ot u majesty , nobility ,
power and inspiration which he has
never before surpassed , perhaps never
before equaled. The orchestration for
the tempest chorus , the chorus itself , the
brindisi and the duet parlanti or vocal
speaking , form ono succession of sub
lime pages , rich , not alone in genius and
style , but fraught with that superior ex
cellence of technique which the me
chanic's hand , after years of practice
alone , knows how practically to set forth.
Verdi knows what the public wants ; ho
knows how to touch
THE ruiiuc HEAUT ;
ho knows every musical variety of light ,
shade , and clloct to the nicety of a hair ,
and to the nicety of a hair weighs them.
Perhaps in "Oliello"ho : has shown less
respect for the feeling of the public than
ever before. Divine bars of melody are
cut by so-called philosophical breaks ;
surprise follows delight , and incredulity
succeeds desire. Verdi has not sacrificed
Verdi as he has so often dono. Verdi re
mains Verdi ; an Italian and a composer
who , in spite of innovation , temptation ,
and revolution in modern music , has
written a work intensely Italian , and an
op'jra which only an Italian could write.
I began by speaking of the first act , but
the same power andinspiration is visible
throughout the whole opera.
As for a technical description of the
music , why need I tell you that an irre
sistible torrent of chromatic scales and
groups of three ami four describe the
tempest ; that lago sines a brindisi in I )
minor , or Othello an air In A llat ; that
Desdemona's tears and laments How in E
natural , with harp accompaninibiit , or
that Othello's rugo and crime , again in A
llat , are preceded by a passage for the
contre-basso unique in the philosophy of
musical composition ? When I say that
from the beginning to the cud Verdi has
written four acts of grand and extraor
dinary music , you will Know that a vocab
ulary more or loss of set phrases can no
moro enhance the value of any opinion ,
than It could depict your appreciation of
Verdi's masterpiece. Novord picture
can adequately describe the ingenious
work ; no words can portray the onthu-
siaiin It excited , nor the ovations it won
for its composer.
\ m.EATI.VO TENOIt
Tnmagno , the tenor , looked and acted
Othello , but ho did not sing ; ho bleated ,
Desdomona has never been n favorite of
mine In history , and the present expo
nent of tlio role suggested to mo all my
thousand unavenged wrongs laid at the
door of Hrabantio's daughter. Mme ,
Pantaloon ! Is an excellent person , but us
Dcsdcmona she ought to have been
smothered the night before , at the dross
rehearsal , Her voice is naturally line
and dramatic , but she has no morn
knowledge of the pure art of singing
than I have of the real science of astro
nomy. She has a vlla emission of Voice
in the medium open notes ; the upner
notes nro clear , but rarely in tune. T ! ;
lovely music assigned to Othello's wife
nuist have spk'a'Jid ' resisting powers not
to iiiiv'5 ifuten iial in her mums , or throat.
In appearance , Aline. Pantaloon ! is like
wise unfortunate ; she Is short , slightly
cross-eyed , and of a nhysical plainness ,
which dwarfed the already insignificant
Desdomona. She acted very well in the
first nnd third acts , but not .so well in the
last. Of the other singers let me say
. . . ,
lliu nutn | unit i in. ' o vs > i73iu i i
really fair si'cond tenor ; ho , at least ,
know how to sing , but nature evidently
never intended him losing at La Scala.
The ovations to Verdi and H > ito
reached the climax of enthusiasm. Verdi
was presented with a silver album filled
with the autographs and cards of every
citizen in Milan. Ho was called out
twenty times , and at the last recalls hats
nnd handkerchiefs wore waved , and the
audience rose in a body. The emotion
was something indescribable , and many
wept. Verdi's carriage \\us \ dragged by
citi/.enato the hotel. He was toasted and
serenaded ; and at live in the morning
crowds were still singing and shrieking
Viva Verdi ! Viva Verdi ! Who shall say
that this cry will not re-echo all over the
world ? At bveiit.v-four tliis sicond con
quer may well exclaim Vuni , Vidi , vjcij
SUNDAY NIGHTS IN OMAHA ,
Scenes in The Various Banco Halla of th
City.
THE PEOPLE WHO GO THERE.
A Motley ThrotiR nnil How It Is Com
posed Ijlijulil Uerrcshinonts
Tlio Toughs who co There
to FlRlit Sceucs.
The Sundny Dnnoos.
A nocturnal visit to the numerous Sun
day dnnco halls in this city would dis
close the fact that however well the Sab
bath day may bo observed in Umahn , the
Sabbath night is not as rigorously re
garded as strict Puritan ideas would re
quire ,
There are thrco or four of these dnnco
halls in this city , all of which throw their
doors open to the public on Sunday
night. Ono of the most largely patron
ized is a hall in the southern part of ( ha
city , several blocks bcfoxv the Thirteenth
fitrcot bridge. Promptly-at eight o'clock
the music strikes up In this rosort. The
crowds of men and women , boys and girls
begin to Hock in. In a very few momenta
the initial waltz is commenced by the or
chestra , which is composed of a violin or
two , a cornet , clarionet and bass viol. The
feet begin to lly , and it Is not long before
the lloor ! s full of a jostling , joltlne , but
merry throng ot dancers. A polka or a
schottlschc succeeds the waltz , then a
square dance and so on. The ripple , la-
conius , varsovienue , walta-quadrillo ,
make up a programme which keeps tlio
crowds busy until after midnight.
All kinds of people can be seen tripping - "
ping on the lloor of this hall. There is
the staid laboring man of Swedish , Dan
ish or German nationality , who is there
ccgularly every Sunday night with tliu
healthy , rosy-cheeked damsel , upon
whom , us his best girl , ho lavishes his af
fection. D.inring in thu same set with him ,
perhaps , is a gambler , who has left the
faro-table long enough to enjoy the
pleasures of the evening , with a Icnialo
friend. Opposite him you can spy the
brawnv form of a man who can be seen
any day in the week dr.viug a coal
wagon. A giddy youth who sells calico
in a Farnam street dry goods store com
pletes the male port oa of thu set. All
clashes of laboring men , hack drivers ) ,
cab drivers , coal heavers , gamblers , bar
tenders , dry goods clerks , servant girls ,
waitresses , and women whose reputation ,
will not stand a critical test , jostle to
gether in the heterogeneous throng. Hy
no means are the dancers con lined to the
lower classes. Quito occasionally you can
see gliding through the crowifa young
man who belongs to good "sassicty , "
and with whom the best young ladies ot
Omaha an ; proud to share the pleasure of
a waltz. Ho has thrown cares and con
ventionalities to the winds , and is enjoy
ing a "night out. "
Dancing is by no means the only pleas
ure enjoyed here. On either side of the
main platform is a long.narrow platform ,
on which are placed tables. Around these
arc seated the thirsty , quatllnir beer , wino
or something stronger. White aproned
waiters lly hither ana thither , anil during
the intermissions between the dances are
kept tremendously busy answering the
calls that arc made upon them. Though
twenty-live cents admission is charge-it
for every man that enters the hall , it in'
said the larger portion of revenue from ,
these dances comes from the .sale of'
liquor.
About ten or cloven o'clock the crowd-
grows hilarious , and then a new feature
of the evening's fun is developed. Tlio
lighting begins. There are usually iiv
tlio crowd several specimens of tho.
Omaha tough who would rather light
than eat a square meal. Several irlasses
of boor and a real or iningjnary gricv- ,
ancc are sullicicnt to set his lists to work
ing upoil the countenance of his oppon
ent. For a few moments tlm scene is a
chaotic mixture of blood , black eyes. ,
broken noses , .sulphurous profanity anil' '
'
Hying beer glasses. A dozen men o'n ono
side and a do/en on the other are tug
ging away in an attempt to part the
pugilists. The police come to the rescue ,
work their clubs handily for a few mo
ments , and then thu lighters are carried1
bruised and bleeding , oil'to jail. Several
olliccrs are kept on hand for such emer
gencies , and manage to preserve very
fair order.
Another dance hall , almost opposko
this one , is the Hohemian hull. Hero on ?
Sunday nights the people of this nation
ality , young ami old , enjoy themselves !
to tlio music of a fiddle , bass viol nnd !
cornet. This hall is not nearly as largo
as tlio other ono , and its patrons are al
most entirely limited to the Hohcmians.
"Heor on thu side , " with a tight or two
now and then , adds to the evening's on-
tcrtalmcnt.
There is another hall also in the south
ern part of the city which is a very pop
ular Sunday night resort , especially for
Germans. From eight o'clock'until after
midnight the pleasures of the dance are
enjoyed , to tlio music of a really good
orchestra. Those dances are attended
for the most part by the Germans , al
though a dancer of the Swedish or Dan
ish nationality may occasionally bo seen
gliding through the crowd , Heor and
wino dispensed during the intervals be
tween the dance-numbers , serve to keep
the throng in a happy mood.
The crowds which attend thnso dill'or-
cnt dunce halls are made up of suhstim *
ti.illy the same elements. The women ,
for the most part are respectable , though
several notoriously fast characters are
always to bo seen in the crowd of dancers
or spectators. It must bo said that n > : my
of the dancers are young girls scarcely
in their teens , whoso morals , alack' ' are
as loose as their parental restraint. And
it is by no means an uncommon sight to
find small misses of seven , eight or ton
years of age dancing at these places. To
what extent these children must ho in-
lluenocd by such contaminating associa
tions , let the moralizing render deter
mine.
ODDS AMI ENDS.
_ _ _ _ _ * *
Stray I-euves From u Kuportcr'H Note
Honk.
"Well , when in the name of all that la
celestial , are you going to die ? " asked
A. D. Jones of John M. Clark , two day a
Mr. Jones is seventy-four , and Mr.
Clark seventy-nine years of age ,
"Younroiivo years older than lam ,
ami yet you don't use a cano. It is you
who ought to have this stick of mine , and
i ought to bo running oven inoro lively
than yen are. Hull ain't. "
"Thank you , I tlvn't want your cauo
until I get to bn an old man , " fuughingly
retorted Mr. Clare.
. - . <
"I have just made my will , " said Judge
Neville yesterday toV. . H. Ijams , clerk
of the district court. " 1 Icol J am yet
ting old , and now I would like to gut
two or three yountr men to witness it "
"Then lot mo suggest one of the young
meii | " said Mr. Ijams.
mediately . . . .
ifostion. Mr. Clark , though within leu
days of being sovonty.-niiio years ot ago ,
is one of the youngest men of his yi-ur *
iu thu country.