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    Aug. 2, 185lj ®&* *,*&btt. 735

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    OPERAS AND THK.VTREX. When a horse has f...

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    <£nn$nn Mtmntnxit

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    Thus page is accorded to an authentic"Ex...

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    THE CENTRAL DEMOCRATIC EUROPEAN COMMITTE...

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  • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

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    «• Criticism. During The Fortnight I Hav...

    lation . Othello turns out to be a stamping , ranting 1 , spluttering gentleman with very imperfect knowledge of the English language , or Figaro has nothing but impudence : is Criticism then no lawful occupation ?—is scorn no duty ? But the Critic has a higher office . He is the aevere guardian of public taste . He has to keep a

    vigilant eye upon the universal tendency in all publishers , managers , and purveyors , to appeal to the lower appetites of men . He is the esthetic Policeman . [ Ah ! how true that illustration ! How often this aesthetic Policeman forgets his stem duty in the amenities of cold meat and pickles , and finds it impossible to speak the truth of his Amphytrion when that truth is not flattering I ]

    I dare say the grand seigneurs of criticism look down upon us weekly and daily Critics ; occupied with theoretic considerations , studying only the great works of past times , all the merits of which have been pointed out , and all the faults discussed , they fancy Criticism of ephemera must be easy and trivial . And no doubt , much of the printed talk that distributes immortality to the successes of a day-seeing , in every historical novelist a rival of Walter Scott , in every singer a Malibran , in every painter a Raphael—no doubt this is easy enough . But , did it ever occur to you what a perilous thing it is tobeforced to label as good or bad , true or false ,

    books , plays , pictures , singers , actors , before the world has decided ? The Critic has no time given him to compare his impressions with the impressions of others ; he cannot like the grand seigneurs just referred to , turn back to what others have said ; he has no finger-post to guide him ; thebook lies open before him , he has no guide but his own taste , he cannot wait , he must pronounce at once , pronounce at his peril : He may write " This will never do " against an Excursion , he may write " This is a work of genius" against the flimsiest fabric of the season ' s manufactory—and his judgment is a stake ! To such a man , Criticism must be what Longinus defined it , the result of abundant

    experience—ttoXX ^ ean ireipct ; -reXevrcttov emyevyrifAa . Only long experience and tact can give him that rapidity and certainty of judgment ; and with aU his experience , with . all his tact , how often he will make egregious blunders ! Emerson says with great truth , " A deduction must be made from the opinion which even the wise express of a new book or occurrence . Their opinion gives me tidings of their mood , and some vague guess at the new fact , but is nowise to be trusted as the lasting relation between that intellect and that thing . " This may help to explain the queer judgments given by even wise men on their contemporaries . Having shown that Criticism is lawful , is difficult , and perilous ,, it would be easy to show how grave and lofty it may be . The Greeks—our teachers in all things—cultivated Criticism with becoming gravity . I could fill a column with the titles of lost works ; but the names of Plato , Aristotle , Aristarchus , and Longinus are enough . I note an interesting distinction between Plato and Aristotle in their treatment of Art ; the one proceeding deductively from some d priori principles , the other proceeding scientifically , deducing principles from the actual facts before him . Plato says "fine things " about Art ; Aristotle aims at

    detecting the laws . Of Aristarchus we have only the tradition of a great name ; LongiiHis—or another , for the authorship is not clearly made out—has left us a beautiful and intereHlirur treatise on grandeur of st yle—falsel y translated ' On the bubltme—anil the Ilalicamassiiui Diony . shiN some trumpery criticisms , which arc « heltered from contempt by the august dignity of Creek . Latin literature has also its Critics : it * Cieero , its lacitus , its Quinetdlian-to be read with pleasure ay and with profit . IJlIt I should liko \ t > send Uumclilliaii to a "first representation , " with the neceswty of his proceeding straight from the theatre to the pnnUiiK-oiuYe , and there sitting in judirment on the new work , his article to be . read by thousands before he is awake on thu morrow '

    Aug. 2, 185lj ®&* *,*&Btt. 735

    Aug . 2 , 185 lj ®&* * , *& btt . 735

    Operas And Thk.Vtrex. When A Horse Has F...

    OPERAS AND THK . VTREX . When a horse has for some weeks been " out to grusN , you can inni ^ 'ine the dumb inarticulate , dis-Kust with which he once more bom , his neck to the «> JIar . e m ore " ecs up " to the iiiH irin voice oi Ins master ; yet in a few minutes bin blood wnirns , and he ih as Kiiy and active under the yoke I fm . 7 " . Soinetl »» K <> f tl >» t feeling was mine when " »» " inyHclf again in tho warm atmosphere of habit « WCnf grtlmhV "W ; i » a Lew minutcH old « WU 8 reiwwrUHl tjieir empire ; arid I uctu ^ ly ¦

    [ caught myself shouting " brava " with remarkable purity of accent . Nevertheless , a few lines must serve to chronicle the musical events . Nothing short of a column would suffice for L'JEHsir d'Amore if Viardot ' s delightful comedy , and Ronconi ' s irresistible drollery were to be characterised ; and poor Signor Ciaffei was too completely extinguished ( or as the Italians say , " he made a bottle " ) to need columnar pillory . Then the Linda di Chamouni as performed at her Majesty ' s drove me away after the first act , so that I cannot be discursive upon it . In passing I would say , however , that Marie Cruvelli earned the distinction of being the worst Pierroto ever heard

    in England , and that her sister Sophie showed more ambition than self-knowledge in attempting Linda , through which she screamed and scowled as usual , and drove me , as I said , from the theatre . If that be her conception of the lively village maiden , I can compliment her on its perfect originality . From Linda I turned into Covent Garden , and saw a part of S emir amide . That was singing . Giulia Grisi does not slur her notes ; she does not find it necessary to scream her effects ; would it be possible for

    Cruvelli to learn a little moderation from la Diva ? With so fine a voice , so young , so ambitious , so energetic , it is grievous to see her losing ground every day by inattention to ths fact that Singing- is the primary condition of lyrical success . Alboni is an inc omparable study for her in this respect . On Thursday that exquisite singer played Ninetta in La Gazza Ladre j but I reserve criticism till next week , when a comparison with Covent Garden can be made .

    Rachel has closed the longest engagement she ever had in England ; and the public ought not to forget that Mr . Mitchell fulfilled all the liberal promises of his programme , and produced the pieces he had named . In the present day , this fidelity to promises is really a trait to be noted , so shamelessly do other managers violate their word . Having said so much , and having been greatly indebted to Mr . Mitchell for the intense dramatic pleasure afforded me , I must still say that , in contradiction to the Times , I see very decided falling off in Rachel ' s personations of classical tragedy—her readings are often new , but frequently not intelligent , and always inferior to what she formerly

    gave . Her elocution is singularly deteriorated , not unfrequentl y sinking into a rapid gabble , as unintelligent as it is unintelligible ; and the cadenced rhythm of those verses which require such art to deliver , and which she can deliver so exquisitely , became often destroyed by her hurry to reach a ' " point . " I note these drawbacks , but I am not the Jess susceptible to the charm and fascination of her acting . She is what she must always be , an incomparable actress , an actress of genius . Her grace is ideal ; her grandeur imperial ; her scorn withering ; her vehemence irresistible . Were her defects hundredfold greater , I should still rush to see her as a rare and accomplished Artist !

    Drury Lime has opened its doors once more . American and French Horsemanship display attractions " on the boards which Garrick , Keinble kcan have trod "—but , after having been trodden by Mr . Anderson and his company , I really do not see how Legitimacy can feel insulted . The philosophic l ) arber m Dickens , refused to shave a dustman , " We must draw the line somewhere " says he , " and we draws it at bakers . " U tho Drama equally nice and discriminating ? The public were supremely indifferent to the attractions of the lej / itimate troupe , and they rush to set : the horses

    Mrs Warner is playing ; i farewell cn ffatfe . mont at duller s IVvlls , before going to America . She ia a great favourite , and , in certain characters , may be said to be the only accepted actress on our ntage . Vivian . Uncu . ani ) and Tin-: 1 •„ ,.,.. (<; rkc ; ouv ) . —The fonc ... htoad of attc .,, di ,, to the w , lf « r « of tho unfortunate ' eoi . lo whom h <> govern * , and . savin g his country from the . . oprmu . h of ben , ;; th ,. worKt KOVC . * . d 8 tat , j , , f lln ? t ! IK tmttllwr nrv nr ,.. i « 4 .- It ,. . ' ""'" " HMUf » Ku rnH to II ( fur tho

    ., . ,, ,, ye , ,, v , n «» , »• ,. «„ of KuKlnnd ! H , m . Kht as well como to London , ui . d try coavrrt Mr . ( ,, b , l ™ to the « on ,-l ,, , or , ' ,, „ - nuL y co , ni , an , « . « to tho old roadi . About eighty y « ar » « , a l' « . 1 mo . i he t , « otHinnn wuh not « outi > iit with pruymj lie boldl y oiitrmlSt . lWi -H at hi Kh nw «« , » n « l add ? 3 " » l . » l . iu- «« , i » u loud vuico , bv the tit , of c-rtu ^ x ^ ri & fy '^^ 'w g ^^^ &^ v ±% KdiliJ " 1 S <> lry , 1 > luco lo toaoh )) e"P '' - " Rood Jit im H ° ° l'U > huUC 8 t fan » tic »»««>» «» lil > und S u ° ° K 1 UU t 0 flc ^»» d . _ x * vA iiuitri Sw * .

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    Thus Page Is Accorded To An Authentic"Ex...

    Thus page is accorded to an authentic " Exposition of the Opixuons and Acts of the Democracy of Earope : as such . we do not impose any restraint on the utterance of opinion and , therefore , limit our own responsibility to the authenticity of the statement . ;

    The Central Democratic European Committe...

    THE CENTRAL DEMOCRATIC EUROPEAN COMMITTEE TO THE POLES . Poi-es , —You have nobly suffered ; you have bravely fought ; each man among you is a living incarnation of his country . Thinking of Poland , all Europe repeats the words addressed by a Pope to your ancestors— " Every handful of your earth is a relic of martyrs . " You are then worthy to hear the truth . We love you , and we feel ourselves worthy to speak it to you . You are called to conclude the European struggle , which your brothers of the south and of the centre will begin . The last battle between absolutism and liberty may perhaps be fought upon your plains ; your war-cry then must be the formula of life for the Sclavonian people . You have great duties to accomplishj your People has always had the presentiment of them , and for that reason , come what may , you are and always will be a nation . And yet yon didnot in 1 « 4 S , respond , with the energy of which you are capable , to the appeal of the Peoples . Wherefore ? Because

    since 1846 you have been wanting in unitary organization . Thought has progressed with you ; action has lost its continuity and strength . It might be said that you , the descendants of ancestors who listened to the Gospel sword in hand , have voluntarily ceased to bear witness to your national faith ; and that you await the resurrection of your country and liberty from the slow course of things , or the convulsions of the West .

    Undeceive yourselves ; country and liberty will be restored to you , only as you are ready to sacrifice yourselves for them ; for , if the general laws of humanity point out to us the end , it is our dut y as apostles , combatants , martyrs if need he , to attain it . Doubtless your brothers of the othe European countries can do much for you ; they

    will not forget that your breasts were their bulwark against -Mahomelanism . . But , above all , it is necessary that ( lie conscience of the Polish People should be ready fo affirm aloud and unceasingly , the right that Poland has to exist ,, and right , ° rel member , is only made manifest by the accomplishment of a duty ; life is not thought , it is thought reduced to action . Awake , then , and act !

    I here were those who exclaimed to you in I 84 R pointing to Berlin and Vienna in revolt- — " All is done , liberty will come to you from on hi <> h with out effort , without battles . " Ji , have " you not too surely learned , that against despots liberty can only triumph by force ; that nationality cuimol be recovered by concession , but . must , reconquer iis existence lor itself ; ' Yes , we know it ; Vienna and lierlm wijl riKC a « sun ; but it is not by sending them deputations Com your national committees it is not b

    y demanding from them reforms that you will recover your country ; y OI , can do it bv ransoming , t with your lives , in respondhm to the movements of . Vienna and Herlin by a sudden out ' burst ; in throwing yourselves between the nations and the lv . ngs as the reserve of the European democratic army ; in drawing , he sword f . - the newC . ospel ol humanity , "for our LU , a , t , j and for yours I he . se noble words , addressed by you to ( he Russians , „ , 8 : to , must be repeated in the thick of the combat to all the Peonies of tho crusade .

    Io _ aII , -St : lavonian . s , Latin . ' ,- , ( , ' crmans , for the UtK-stioii ls no longer one of a particular interest , hut of a principle , —we would almost say of a dogma , ol the dogma of human . solidarity , your nationality will only revive with all the rest oithr oppressed nationalities . The . old map of Europe yet bears the ink-stain of Catherine : thin map must he remade . An alliance of Kin /^ s has con-Higned Poland to the grave : an alliance of Peoples alone can break open its tomb . The spirit , of weariness and inertia—the spirit of individualism and iui . stni . st , — these are the two vices which you must labour to destroy . Created by your aristociiu-y , ( liey have been the cause of

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Aug. 2, 1851, page 19, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_02081851/page/19/