the damage done, however, was slight.
"the fine stone employed in the construction was brought from quarries in sweden, scotland, italy, algeria, finland, spain, belgium and france.while work on the exterior was in progress, the building was covered in by a wooden shell, rendered transparent by thousands of small panes of glass.in 1867 a swarm of men, supplied with hammers and axes, stripped the house of its habit, and ed in all its splendor the great structure.no picture can do justice to the rich colors of the edifice or to the harmonious tone resulting from the skilful use of many diverse materials.
the effect of the frontage is completed by the cupola of the auditorium, topped with a cap of bronze sparingly adorned with gilding.
farther on, on a level with the towers of notre-dame, is the gable end of the roof of the stage, a `pegasus', by m.lequesne, rising at either end of the roof, and a bronze group by m.millet, representing `apollo lifting his golden lyre', commanding the apex.
apollo, it may here be mentioned, is useful as well as ornamental, for his lyre is tipped with a metal point which does duty as a lightning-rod, and conducts the fluid to the body and down the nether limbs of the god.
"the spectator, having climbed ten steps and left behind him a gateway, reaches a vestibule in which are statues of lully, rameau, gluck, and handel.ten steps of green swedish marble lead to a second vestibule for ticket-sellers.visitors who enter by the pavilion reserved for carriages pass through a hallway where ticket offices are situated.