"nativism" In Paris

The directora of the Paris Grand Opera, in answer to oriticisms that, althongb subsidized, they were producing foreign instead of French works, recently drew np a list by which they showed that during the past 20 years they bad xnounted 38 operas by Frenchmen and enly 6 by foreiguers, the frwo outsiders being Wagner and Verdi. M. Maurel, the Parisian critio, has now carried the tatistics back to the beginning of the century. It seems that the last generation of Frenchmen were not so particular as to the nationality of irnsioians. From the year 1800 down to the present time the Paris Grand Opera has produoed works by 109 Frenen and 82 foreign composers. On the other hand, ife appears that only 6,984 performances of French operas bave during this period been given, as against 8, 149 representations of works by foreign musici ans. The French writer lamenta that his compatriota preferred foreign works, although in fairness it should be aaid that the list probably includes the operas of Meyerbeer, Rossini and other great maaters of a previous generation, who, although not French bv birth. were nractically Parisian by adoption,