; and modern music of
composers like Berlioz, Saint-Saens, Dukas, etc. This Society has just
installed itself in the ancient chapel of the Dominicans of the
Faubourg-Saint-Honore, who have given them the use of it.]

[Footnote 242: Of late years there has been a veritable outburst of
concerts at popular prices--some of them in imitation of the German
_Restaurationskonzerte_, such as the Concerts-Rouge, the
Concerts-Touche, etc., where classical and modern symphony music may be
heard. These concerts are increasing fast, and have great success among
a public that is almost exclusively _bourgeois_, but they are yet a long
way behind the popular performances of Haendel in London, where places
may be had for sixpence and threepence.

I do not attach very much importance to the courageous, though not
always very intelligent movement of the Universites Populaires, where
since 1886 a collection of amateurs, of fashionable people and artists,
meet to make themselves heard, and pretend to initiate the people into
what are sometimes the most complicated and aristocratic works of a
classic or decadent art. While honouring this propaganda--whose ardour
has now abated somewhat--one must say that it has shown more good-will
than common-sense. The people do not need amusing, still less should
they be bored; what they need is to learn something about music. This is
not always easy; for it is not noisy deeds we want, but patience and
self-sacrifice. Good intentions are not enough. One knows the final
failure of the _Conservatoire populaire de Mimi Pinson_, started by
Gustave Charpentier, for giving musical education to the work-girls of
Paris.]

Attempts have been made at different times to found a _Theatre Lyrique
Populaire_. But up to the present time none has succeeded. The first
attempts were made in 1847. M. Carvalho's old Theatre-Lyrique was never
a financial success, though quite distinguished performances of operas
were given there, such as Gounod's _Faust_ and Gluck's _Orfeo_, with
Mme. Viardot as an interpreter and Berlioz as conductor; and the
directors who followed Carvalho--Rety, Pasdeloup, etc.--did not succeed
any better. In 1875 Vizentini took over the Gaite, with a grant of two
hundred thousand francs and excellent artists; but he had to give it up.
Since then all sorts of other schemes have been tried by Viollet-le-Duc,
Guimet, Lamoureux, Melchior de Voguee and Julien Goujon, Gabriel Parisot,
Colonne and Milliet, Dev