Dramatic and musical criticisms

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As the train Hint bears lift w ifo and elilld
1,1 temporary exile, nflls out of thu s ation.
t le husband draws a long breath. His ar-
guments have prevailed. His solicitude for
thy health of the little one, hisj, tender anxie-
ty lest his wife be unable to endure the hot
air of the town, and his desire that she should
b*', free from domestic ej*'‘s have brought

I about a separation. - The 'em necessities of
business chain him to his desk. Nervous-
| ness at breakfast lest they should miss the
train; a struggle in the baggage room; a
short and tender farewell, and he is again a
: bachelor. The air is rarer. The sun is
brighter. The horizon is less contracted.

| His walk is akin to a dance. He is tempted
to confide his joy to the impassive gateman.
His radiant face irritates the passer-by. He
j exults because he is free. He can go and
come unquestioned; lie is not obliged to
study the value of punctuality; he has no
commissions; no errands that turn him into
a beast of burden ; he can diue at the club or
f at a favorite restaurant; his evenings are
I his own. i

That very evening lie is congratulated at
j the club, where he dines, partaking heartily
J of dishes that are forbidden by the prudent
and loving wife. He talks till a late hour
with permanent and temporary bachelors,
and goes homeward without fear of reproach.
The house is his ; he can arrange windows
and blinds to his satisfaction ; he can read in
bed. And at the breakfast table there is no
one to interrupt him in the hasty acquisition
of the news of the morning. He looks for-
ward throughout the day to the dinner at the
j club, but, singular to relate, his enjoyment
does not equal the anticipation. The very
selection of the dinner is a nuisance;
there is no element of the sur-
prise that aids digestion, and old Mr.
Augur, whom he detests, sits opposite and
drones out his opinions on the tariff. He
seeks relief in a treacherous use of freedom ;
he calls on an old friend whose blue eyes
once thrilled him. She never married, and
lie, forgetting the numerical distribution of
the sexes, has at times reproached himself
secretly. Somehow she seems faded; her
eyes arc dull, he notices deep lines and a
crumbling chin. She thinks he has growu
: stout; she asks many questions about his
I wife and wonders when his daughter is com-
ing out.

The next day opens stormily. He, cannot
find certain articles o£ toilet. A variegated
vest lias disappeared. The maid-servant is
indifferent to his complaint. He dines at a
restaurant, and the different dishes taste
alike. He goes to a theatre and tries to
laugh, but the laugh is strangely like a yawn.
When he returns home he finds that the bed-
room is like an oven, for the blinds were not
closed during the afternoon. And now from
day today his spiiics droop lower and lower.
He tries pleasure trips ; in the railway car he
is crowded and stewed ; on the boat lie falls
in with a party of boisterous sports; driving
with a friend he escapes narrowly an electric
ear. He cannot endure the solitude of his
house ; the heartless babble of public dining
rooms intensities his loneliness. He has
heard all the stories of club companions, and
he is acquainted fully with their political
views. His liuen is not starched to his taste.
There is dust on the bureau. He misses the
eager look of the little girl, and her prompt
appreciation when he speaks. At the end of
two weeks the summer bachelor has symp-
! toms of dyspepsia.

The wife in a quiet, cool resort receives a
letter urging her return. If she were cruel,
she would delay an answer; but she replies
promptly that on account of the child she
wishes to finish the stay of a month. The
summer bachelor makes a heroic struggle for
enjoyment. At the end of another week ho
sends a telegram. The telegram announces
his immediate arrival.

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The substitution of the National Guard of
Pennsylvania for Pinkerton’s private army
is a welcome relief. If law and order can be
niaintained only by bloodshed, let it be the
affair of the State, which owes protection to
its citizens when they are in the exercise of
heir lawful rights.

Asparagus which Southe; insisted should
be spelt “sparagrass,” has been so plentiful
in Brunswick that nobody would pay a cent
tor a pound of it, and it was fed to cows and
sheep. The lovers of the table who groan at
his waste should remember that in certain
Western towns, as Kansas City, sweetbreads
ire not regarded as a delicacy, and are
thrown away by all selfpespecting butchers.

1 The death of Captain Meyer in n duel may
yet benefit France. A bill Is to he intro-
I duced providing a maximum penalty of a
year’s imprisonment and a fine of $400 for
I engaging in a duel ; if the duelist kills his
opponent, tho maximum imprisonment will
be three years and the fine $2500. This is
not the first attempt to introduce such a bil.
and tho question was considered seriously as
long ago as 1851. But inasmuch ns nearly
ill the leading public men o£ France have
jitlier called out or have been called out, the
problem was ticklish. The death of
Meyer, however, has provoked much feeling
and blunted tile point of Mark Twain’s joke
about the catarrhal dangers of a French duel
Sian early hour in the morning.

There will be a dozen volumes of the
memoirs of Kossuth, but a rash statement
made by the aged patriot to an English cor-
respondent may well shake public confi-
dence in the integrity of the facts narrated
therein. “I never read books printed about
aie nor notices in the newspapers.” Now
the man who “never reads newspapers” and
aas his “attention called to an article ’’ is
rpt to rise nervously betimes that he may
j anticipate the arrival of the carrier.

During the investigation of insurance
| affairs in New York city, it was discovered
that one of the most enviable and lucrative of
human callings is that of janitorship. bo in
the aftermath that follows the first crop of
Maverick Bank news, it is found out that
the indorsement of an elevator man carries
with it the credit of the Bank of England.

Etna awakes from her sleep and reminds
the vrorld of her former reputation. It is
hard for us to realize the terror and the ruin
that run in the streams of lava. Shipwrecks,
fires, floods, balloon and railway accidents,
earthquakes, and the work of the pestilence,
are not foreign to us; but in these days a
volcanic eruption seems an anachronism.

Many will remember the sensation excited
thirty years ago by the publication of Hugo’s
description of Jean Yaljean’s escape through
the sewers of Paris. And yet in all those
famous chapters there is no item of horror
as intense as the “slimy, filthy box”
through which nine men last Friday wrig-
gled their way to the light and possible free-
I lorn.

The letter of Mr. Tyndall on the English
flections is another instance of the bigotry
of the professional fair and free thinker.

] tThe man that calls attention to his tolerance
is often most illiberal, and Mr. Tyndall in
his attack v on Gladstone shows a malignity
I unsurpassed by any of the people, who “ are
steeped to the lips in sacerdotalism.” The
most pathetic feature of the case is that, in
ipite of his fear of meeting the fate of Bruno
If the Liberals succeed, the eminent profes-
sor has actually “postponed a visit to the
Aflps ” that he may vote.

The Headmasters’ Association in England
’ Is considering a pension scheme for school-
masters. The members all admit that there
Is a special necessity for some provision
against old age or disablement; and English
teachers who have passed middle age find it
difficult, it is said, to find engagements.
No feasible plan has as yet been
, suggested. The London Times is
In favor of a university scholastic agency
assuming the position of an unpaid agent for
carefully selected insurance companies ; there
would be a substantial reduction in the pre-
mium which would benefit the policy holder;
and the Headmasters’ Association would
recognize insurance as a qualification for pre-
ferment.

The English sparrow is surely a monster of
evil, for each year he is convicted of a new
| crime, nor are the depths of liis depravity
completely sounded, it appears that he
shows a vicious fondness for yellow, purple
and white crocuses, which lie greedily
devours even in the sheath. He also attacks
primroses. The fact that he thus obtains
food at a time of year when larvae, etc., are
scarce is a weak defence; for his right to be
hungry is not beyond the challenge of his
enemies.

An astrologer, whose worldly name is
Chaney, foretells Democratic success in No-
vember, moved by the fact that in the horo-
scope of Mr. Cleveland’s nomination “Mer-
cury rules Gemini, and is therefore ruler of
the scene.” However ballots may be in-
fluenced by this astrological event, it is easy
to see the fitness of the planet to the occa- i
non ; especially when the noisy clamor for |
spoils is taken into consideration. Accord- I
ing to the ingenious Dr. Lempriere, Mercury ;
not only presided over orators and do-
elaimers, “he was also the god of thieves,
pickpockets and all dishonest persons.”

Tho Westorn girl utilizes her knowfedgo of

science and the nomenclature GicreoR When

she writes a letter to her lover she does not

close with a conventional phrase, as “ Yours
always,” or “Your own,” heavily under-
scored. Sho puts the words “I’sittaeula
Swindoreniana ” before her name. At least,
so we are informed by a .St. Louis editor,
who reveals Ills omniscience in one of those
delightful “Question and Answer” columns.
He kindly explains the phrase as follows:
“ The scientific Latin name of Swlndern’s
love bird, a species of parrots remarkable
1 for their attachment to each other.” The
Western girl— bless her— is nothing if not
practical.

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I lllc numbei i of young men and young

women who go, to European cities to study

singing, or the use of a musical instrument
or composition, increases with eacii succeed-
ing year. Many of these students return to
us disappointed, discouraged and often physi-
cally rncapacited for future work. In view
of these failures, it is not surprising, then
that earnest patriots cry out against musical

(study in foreign towns, and allege that it is
unnecessary and disloyal to neglect the op-
portunities given in our own country. It is
true that there has bee,n a remarkable
advance in the condition of music
(in the United States. The schools
lof music are more thorough in the instruc-
tion, and their teachers are more competent.
Why should «he young student go to the ex-
pense of an ocean voyage? Why should he
ose valuable time in the acquisition of a
language so that he can understand the
meaning of his teacher? Or why should a
young girl subject herself to insufficient diet
and to the unpleasant experiences that fall
cm- ' ,e 0t ° £ unprotectetl women in a foreign

: But it is not merely a question of compara-
tive national advantage . The charlatan ex-
ists in every town. Poverty demands low
; Iiving m America as well as in*Gennany.
iNervous depression is not bounded bv Geo-
graphical lines. The lazy, the vacitlaUng
show tlie same characteristics even if thev
change the sky. The boy or the girl of mush
cal genius is recognized in Boston or in Ber-
lin. I he great question, however, is the
question of personal fitness. Formerly it
was thought that the musician, like the poet
vvas born; to-day the arts are trades open to
all. I o be able to please parents and friends
by singing or playing is an accomplish-
ment that may be acquired easily
It is a very different thing to fit’
oneself for appearance iu public, or to as-
sume the responsible position of a teacher.
Unfortunately, music is too often regard d
as tlie resource of tho faint hearted who
shrink from rough work, of girls who are
obliged unexpectedly to support themselves
of all those that seek “genteel” employ-
ment. The superficial accomplishment be-
comes the means of earning bread and but-
ter. There is no questiou of previous ap-
prenticeship; friends use their influence in
securing pupils ; and the blind lead the blind j
No hasty journey to Europe and back will
be of benefit.

The horn musician, in tlie face of diseng-
agement and poverty, comes to tin front, and
as a rule, gains au opportunity an a hearing’

He finds his way to the right teacher, for
there is sue!) a thing as instinct. lie finds
better instruction and a more congenial
atmosphere in Paris, Berlin, Brussels or
V-enna than in the cities of this country.

1 here is no need of labored argument con-
cerning tlie relative national advantages.

Tho time will come, undoubted!}-, when
it will not he necessary | 0
cross tlie Atlantic to learn and to hear. At
present, by the nearly unanimous verdict of
all serious musicians, tho patient pursuit of
knowledge in such a town as Paris or Berlin
is indispensable to tlie full growth of the
young musician of genuine worth. Not that
he should follow blindly the examples ffiven
him there, and be a clever imitator hut lie
may then be a master of tlie great art of
elimination, and his own individuality will i
be purified and sane.

The news of tlie serious illness of Mr.
George William Curtis will be heard with
sincere regret by personal friends and by all
those who have for years profited by the wit i
and the wisdom couched in the polished sen- '
fences of tlie gentle philosopher in “The
Easy Chair.” Our country is not to-day so
rich in things spiritual that we can afford to
lose the essayist who follows iu direct line [
the Steele of “The Tattler” a id the Thack-
eray of “The Iloundahout Papers,” the I
orator whose generous and lofty thought is 1
equaled by the serene purity of liis style.

The impertinent curiosity of the American
new -piper is each day more aggressive, un-

oentrolled. The Jenkins, once so bitterly
rebuked by Thackeray and Curtis, is now-
heard with eagerness as he retails his gossip.

A prominent journal gave an elaborate ac-
count this month of tire underwear of the
wife of a man in public life, and
oalled her by name. Perhaps, after all, it is
not the fault of the newspaper, when there I
Is no protest from the reader, or even the ’
wearer. Privacy seems a lost art ; the wash-
ing of dirty linen is an affair of public inter-
est.

The destruction of individuality is not con-
vened to the camp aud to the prison. It is the
tendency of modem autocrats of fashion to
reduce the domestics of a household to care-
fully oiled and polished machines. Take,
for example, the rules for the coachman,
drawn up by Count Wrangel in his “Book
on the Horse. - ’

“ The coachman shall sit in a straight but not
stiff position, with the arms touching his bo ly,
the legs stretched forward heel to heel, on the
-ight sole of the box. He mast never salute
anybody of his acquaintance whom he might
jossibly meet. His fe»et should not be covered
?ven in winter, as it might possibly lead people
to think that hi« footgear is not in order.”

Draco himself would have approved; and
the coachman must envy the limited freedom
?f the driven horses.

The too independent American is apt to i
question and even deny the value of the j
words “ not transferable ” which are often j
yrinted on season tickets. The value in
England was tested lately in court. A woman
gave two of her servants the use of season
tickets to the Crystal Palace. They w ere
suspected at the door and arrested ; as a re-
sult of mistaken benevolence the girls were
fined $15 apiece by the magistrate. Here, a
season ticket sometimes knows many owners.

The singular variety of mental disease
known as acute Wagnerism, is again re-
vealed in the recent discovery by certain
iisciples of the “The Master,” that the pro-
ile of rock, “The Old Man of the Moun-
.;-,ins,” is a remarkable likeness of W agner.
\nd in the translation of “The
Meistersingers,” by Mr. John P. i
Jackson, this “natural portrait of 1
Wagner” is given as an illustration, with a
title to the effect that it was “ formerly-
known as * The Old Man of the Mountains.’ ”
>ueh arrogance of cult is unknown even in
the shadow of the Baireuth TemDle-.

Ulstory repeats itself. When Iago was
maddened by the reproaches of Brabantio,
he summed np all his scorn in the reply,
“You are a Senator.” Mr. Comerford in his
late difficulty with Mr. Lee, President of the
B^ard of Aldermen, followed in like vein
with “ You are an Alderman;’’ then un-
fortunatelv for his reputation as a master of
epigram, he diluted the force by weak ex-
planation.

The English, not content with abusing our
spelling and complaining of "American-
isms,” are now assaulting our air. They at-
tribute the-uervous depression of Paderew-
ski and the throat trouble of Jean
dc- Reszke to our climate. “It is

doubtful even whether the golden harvest
reaped by successful artists in America
ig not too dearly bought” But there is no
law in this country compelling pianists to
tax their strength beyond endurance for the
sake of gain, and Mr.de Reszke finds that
our climate will allow him to accept engage-
ments that will result in making his stay
here permanent.

Onr theatre goers will mourn the death ol
pretty Lottie Collins, although their pleasure
was only in anticipation. It is the old story
of overwork from the desire to be suddenly
rich. The saddest feature of the tragedy is
that the silly burden of the inane song “ Ta-
Ka-Ra-Boom De Ay." first made famous by I
the per-onal charm and the dash of the j
singer, outlives the woman who gave it to 1
the public.

Whatever may be the result of the investi-
gation of the causes of the death of Josiah
Wasson, there is a grimnesa in the detail of

the attending Circumstances that mocks. the

Imagination of romance. 'Hie bitter words
between the men of 80 and 65, the special
application by the deposed clergyman of
chapters of Holy Writ that speak of the vis- ,
Station of divine wrath, the hoeing of the
peaceful earth »x-fore the di-appearance that
was followed by the finding of the dead— here
are incidents that arranged in fiction might
be regarded as wrenched, and out of keeping j
with New England country life.

Mr. Edward Walford for fifty years’ ser-
vice to literature was granted a few days ago
a pension of £100 a year by the English Gov-
ernment. The Pall Mall Gazette contrasts

the amount with thwannual pen-nwi of 1300 t
Which will soon be given to a doorkeeper in j
the House of Lords-wh© is paid £500 a year

—and adds irreverently, “ Better be a door^
keeper in.the House of Lords, et<x

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modkh.x rAJS'i i: i\ niTiox.

Modern nervousness is pleased with the
short story. Not that the story of a few
pages is a tiling of receut invention, for the
old Italians delighted iu it; it was known to
the readers of Blackwood when “Magn”
was a power in the land ; it served the
genius of Hawthorne aud Poe. But it is
within a few years that the realistic narrator
of a strange or a thrilling episode or the
keen etcher of character has won fame sud-
denly in a tale of scanty dimensions. The
conventional three-vuiume novel of the Eng-
lish circulating library is to the short story
as tiie five-act opera of the French or the
music drama of Wagner is to the one-act
melodrama of Maseagul and his rivals. The
reader of to-day craves suggestion
rather than elaboration. In former years
the hero of a novel was born ; his edu-
cation, his opinions, liis struggles, his
ultimate success or failure, together with
social, political and scenic digressions,
swelled the list of chapters— and the renting
of the orthodox novel was a task to be leis-
urely performed; im-rruption was admitted.

yes, welcomed ; the volunms were often
merely mild narcotics. To-Uav the short
story is swallowed hastily as a stimulant, a
literary cocktail. It provokes a laugh, or a
momentary feeling of sadness; it gives a
sudden twist to a nerve, or it is the text for
a sermon that may be preached to himself by
the reader. A cruel episode reminds one of
the vanity of life. A grotesque character
sketch induces doubt of human sanity.

: ”Tho art that is displayed in the short storyis
often and undeniably great. Here the French
lead easily. Their seuse of suggestion is
keenly developed ; they know the value of
artful simplicity. With them it is not so
much that which a character actually says
it is what he might or should say. Above all
the Gallic mind has the supreme gift of
artistic proportion. Nor is it rash to say
that the Americans are next in order, for the
rare genius of Thomas Hardy, as seen in
“Wessex Tales,” is not enough to establish
prior English claims, and the Russians are
not generally as powerful in the sketch as in
the work of long breath, which rivals the.
mightiness of the steppes hounded by far-off
horizons. It would be a pleasant yet un-
necessary duty to recount the catalogue of
distinguished American story tellers. The
names arc familiar; the stories are known
to all.

In this sacrifice to modern intensity lurk
dangers to the highest art. The attention of
the reader must be won immediately. The
strokes must be direct. The impression must
be lasting. Exaggeration and caricature are
apt to enter hand in hand with lorce that is
brutal aud with inference that is false. No
man in real life would be willing to be judged
by certain episodes in his career, and yet
these episodes would furnish the richest ma-
terial for “ copy.” Nor should the final sum-
ming up of character rest on such fleeting
episodes. In the haste to draw sharply, the
lines are often too heavy, or too much is left
to the imagination. In the desire to be
strong, the style often suffers, and in the
hands of uncontrolled realists the speech is
akin to that of the jester at the table of Can
Grande della Scala of Verona, so epigram-
matically described by Rossetti. Or, from
the longing to be intense, obscurity rules.
Or, from an imperfect sense of values, the
subject is intrinsically trivial, unworthy of
the labor of the polisher of sentences. The
man is lost sight of in the thought of the ar-
tist. It is in this again that the French ex-
cel. For even in the coarsest or most repul-
sive story of Maupa-sant there is the feeling
of humanity, the appreciation of the com-
mon, every day joys and sorrows of men and
vomen.

It seems that the Pennsylvania citizen
soldiers did not provide themselves with
beef or bread, but they tilled their knapsacks
witli bottles of beer, which they wrapped
thoughtfully in undershirts. According to
Artcmus Ward, it was a “gory member” of
the home guard who wrote to his friends dur.
lng the early days of the Civil War that
» wbat we brave boys need is fruit cake and
v allies ; never mind the blankets.”

It is said that the report of the death of
Mr. Astor was a “ hoax.” Such cruel prac-
tical jokes were regarded as a variety of
agreeable wit in the days of Theodore Hook;
but it was thought that they passed out of
existence with the death of “Dundreary”
botliern. No explanation is given of the
false dispatch concerning Lottie Collins, and
there is still an excuse for the life of her
song.

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Men and women live in fancied security- fit '
the foot of an Alpine glacier. Visitors come
from foreign parts aud examine curiously the
sluggish monster ; they crawl over its body;
they prod it with iron-pointed sticks; they
photograph the pleasing features. Or in- ’
valid* seek strength by inhaling .its icy \
breath. Suddenly, at night; < he ..glacier ds
impatient. It is awakened to a sense of out-
raged dignity. It destroys humanity, as a
man carelessly rids himself of tormenting in-
sects.

The Rev. Dr. Henry M. Field denies em-
phatically that his brother Cyrus was insane,
aud this is not merely an iustance of
loyal brotherly affection. That the mind of
a dying man returns to the early scenes or
the striking episodes of his life is not un-
natural. The wounded soldier in a foreign
land thought of sweet Argos; Napoleon
at St. Helena fought at Marengo ; even the
tavern-haunting Falstaff, just before the end,
babbled of green fields.

Sir Herbert Maxwell is the name of the
latest dispeller of illusions. He claims that
“ there is more good wine made at the pres-
snt time than in any former period of fhe
world's history ;” but he admits that, “ rel-
atively to those who can afford it there is
many times less.” Madeira that has been
twice. round the Cape is an "acid liquid,”
aud “20 port, my boy, suggests a compound
of Harvey sauce and treacle.” If this be
true, California may yet be synonymous with
Seres, and New Jersey more famous to the
true cenophilist than Kheims.

Professor Vogt divides women into “ poly-
metric and monometric.” To him the
Queen of England is a rare example of a
monouietric, who always chooses one man
whom “ she constitutes her ideal of all other
men of the same office, social class or pro-
fession. For the Queen of England, there ex-
isted only one perfect husband; only one con-
summate flower of statesmanship, Beacons-
field ; and only one ideally complete natural
scientist, August Wilhelm Hoffman.” But
all woman are surely monometric in the mat-
ter of husbands, that is, when they make
their selection ; and in this they will not
yield to Victoria, Queen of Great Britain and
Empress of India.

According to the report of the committee
of the Royal Society on “Color Vision,”
there is “cramming” for the necessary ex-
aminations to which engine drivers and sea-
men are submitted. Colors are shown to the
pupil and he is taught to discriminate. There
are singular facts connected with this pecu-
liar blindness. A temporary infirmity may-
be brought on by excessive smoking. A
huudred girls can be tested in the same time
as forty boys ; for color blindness is rare
among women. One examiner found a per-
centage of a little more than 3 in the 32,165
men that were tested.

Prof. Aleee Fortier is compiling a work on
Louisiana folk-lore, which will without
doubt be a valuable contribution to the lit-
erature of the American Folk-lore Society.
The material will come necessarily from the
traditions and legends iu prose and verse of
the negro, the Creole, the Spaniard and the
French, and possibly the Indian. These
legends find their mates in the. countries of
Northern Europe as well as in the aged lands
of Asia ; they often may be traced back to
the myths common to all early inhabitants of
the globe, the attempts to explain natural
phenomena.

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The Rev. F. B. Meyer of London, who is at
Northfield during the annual conference, was
unanimously called in June to succeed the
Rev. Newman Hall of Christ Church. This
church has a peculiar constitution. It is not
limited to any one denomination. “It is not
connected with the Church of En-
gland, the Free Church, the Countess

of Huntingdon’s Connexion, the Con-

gregationalists or any other; but it
is in fraternal union with all who love the
Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Members of
any Evangelical Church may join it without
renouncing their denominational prefer-

ences, and pastors may be appointed, irre-
spective of their views on baptism or church
government.” Nevertheless, baptism is ad-
ministered publicly, as occasion requires,
after one of the services. Mr. Meyer was
formerly a member of Mr. Hall’s congrega-
tion, and afterward the pastor of a Baptist
Church.

The inconsistency of V a fc»w ns voiced by
juries is shown again in the acquittal of Mrs.
Raymond, who was tried this week at Paris
for murder. The circumstances of the case
were parallel to those of the Deacon affair,
with this different' woman was killed by
an insulted wife. .t the sight of a young
and pretty brum i, hysterical and “fash-
ionably dressed,” appealed irresistibly to the
sjmpathy of the Jury.

vill not be given up on »^ n f dl ^ rder in
of the proprietor. IM*W*i* in tho dusty
the arrangefnen , which a treasure

by-ways, the circum-

ItanceTo'f'tS search ' shilrpened the zest of

the explorer.

I»E MORTinS

It is said commonly that Mr. William W-
Astor will now have the pleasure of reading
the obituary notices inspired by the false re-
port of his death. Will the reading be a
pleasure? It is better to make the instance
general; and the question then is this:
Would nine out of ten be satisfied fully if
they were permitted to know the post mortem
summing up of the character of their daily
walk and conversation and the results of the
work of life?

It is true that the traditional respect for
the dead warps the judgment. To analyze,
to apply tests to character and ability before
the funeral rites is still regarded as sacrilege.

It would be idle to investigate the cause or
to discuss the habit. In all countries death
puts an end for a season to adverse criticism,
words of warning and just rebuke. The
merits of the departed are swollen to abnor-
mal proportions. The ordinary virtues of
decent life become spiritual phenomena. The
failings and the vices are buried before the
body is lowered to its resting place. If one
shows a lack of conventional taste and holds
the balances he is likened by an indignant
public unto the hyena. And so there is noisy
praise or grateful oblivion until the advent
of the realistic biographer and the discloser
of private correspondence.

The superficial observer might insist, and
with apparent reason, that the ante-mortem
reading of post-mortem eulogy should afford
the reader particularly interested unalloyed
happiness. It should strengthen the good
opinion previously entertained; it should
arm him with fresh weapons for the fight of
the remaining years. For his associates in
business know at last the value of his ser-
vices ; his wife and children are now con-
vinced that he is a man of ability, a tender
husband and a sage father; the State is se-
cure as long as she nurtures such citizens ;
his deeds of charity are acknowledged openly.

Alas, there enters in the petty vanity of
man. Trifling inaccuracies disturb mightily.
Tlie date of his birth is erroneous as given.
Tile fact that he was at the head of his class
in college is unrecorded. The history of his
connection witli the militia is confined to a
few scant lines. Or there is no mention of
the leading case in which he won re-
nown. The title of his own favorite
article for a magazine is misquoted. ISo
mention is made of his declining an offer of
nomination to a petty office, although lie
was solicited earnestly by leading citizens.
Nor is he content with the terms of eulogy.
“ Genial ” is to him a cold adjective, and "a
man of force and integrity” seems an ex-
pression of faint praise. He is grieved
when he finds that the death of a neighbor
ate more space in the obituary column than
was allowed to the record of his own per-
formances. He awakes in the night and
wonders why the editor does not oversee his
I work with greater diligence, and lie at-
] tributes finally this particular negligence to
a long-hidden feeling of hostility. He sus-
pects his family and his friends of self-
contained and ironical commentary on the
fact that, after all, he was of so little impor-
tance. Tlie thought that he is in duty bound
to live up to his fictitious reputation never
| occurs to him. J / "j

i s'-

There is a club of women in Chicago that”
deserves respect and imitation. It was not
organized for the purpose of climbing
genealogical trees, originating and develop-
ing fads, or depriving men of their rights. It
is a boarding club for working girls on the
co-operative plan. New members are elected
the stewardess is appointed, bills are con-
tracted and paid by the members themselves
on the co-operative basis. The rooms are
cheerful and decorated with taste, and tlie
expenses are managed so prudently that in
June each, member paid only $2 61^ per week
*”r her room and her board.

The Chicago lnter-Oo<Rn, while It allows
that “it would have been a noble compli-
ment to Whittier to invito him to write the
Columbian ode,” disproves the proverb con-
cerning tlie prophet and surpasses the faith
of the grain of mustard seed by declaring
that neither Whittier “ nor any other Ameri-
can poet is abler to satisfy the supreme de-
mands of the rare occasion than tho now un-
known, but to be celebrated Chicago poetess,
Miss Harriets. Monroe.”

The Schoolmastor, a London journal, de-
fends tlie teachers of that city from tlie
charge of negligence in the matter of street
manuers by stating that the civilizing in-
fluence of the school is of no avail on account
of tlie barbarism of the home. It admits,
however, that the rowdyism of tho children
in public places is a disgrace to the town.

Tlie treacherous treatment of the flannel
shirt by Mr. C. A. Dana, philosopher and
journalist, can only he accounted for by an
application of the doctrine of human per-
verseness, which fascinated by its workings
the mind of Poe. It was not long ago that
the Sun was the poet laureate of the flannel
shirt; essays were written concerning its
merits, with digressions in the style of Mon-
taigne. When the garment was at tlie height
of its glory, there was a suddden revulsion iii
the office of the Sun; and now its fame
shrinks even as the material itself.

The German clergyman that refused at
Meningen to marry a couple of his parishion-
ers unless tlie bride removed her orange-
blossoms, called the traditional ornament
“heathen tomfoolery.” But in ills work of
destroying the vestiges of paganism he
should begin at the beginning, and change
tlie names of the days and the months.

It seemed as though the journey of tlie
Avion Society of New York to tlie chief Ger-
man cities would be an instance of carrying
coals to Newcastle, or owls to Athens ; but
tlie concerts in Berlin have been crowded,
and tlie singing under tlie direction of Mr!
Van der Stucken lias won tlie highest praise.
Nor were the songs so cheered only in cele-
bration of Germany and German customs and
traditions, “ Dixie’s Land ” and “ Tlie Star
Spangled Banner” showed that tlie Arion-
ltes are loyal to the land of their adoption.

OM LOVK LETTERS.

The romantic Queen of Roumania, known
to readers of books as “ Carmen Sylvn,” en-
couraged her nephew, the Crown Prince
Ferdinand, in his wooing of Miss Vacareseo,
a girl without title and without money ; for
she was fond of her. Tlie Government,
however, looked askew at the lovers; there
were pleadings and threats ; the attention of
the young man was called to the charms and
the advantages of Princess Marie, tlie eldest
daughter of the Duke of Edinburgh. The
Crown Prince was persuaded. He regarded
not the wisdom of the old maxim, and before
he was off with the old love lie was on with
the now. There was a final wrench, and
' Miss Vacareseo was left with tender memo-
ries and a thick package of letters of a highly
inflammable nature, which were signed with
the name of Ferdinand.

The Crown Prince was unacquainted with
the sage remark of Martin Van Buren to the
effect that it was better to walk ten miles to
see a man than to transact important busi-
ness by correspondence. Pen and ink and
paper were the accessory mediums of the ex-
pression of his feelings. He catalogued her
charms ; he confessed his own unworthiness;
lie spoke of happiness as dependent on tlie
existence of one woman ; lie swore lasting
fidelity in two worlds. Miss Vacareseo was i
not crushed by tlie desertion. She sought re-
venge; she meditated its accomplishment.
To kill her former lover would be a common-
place action. Tlie murder of the body was
naught in comparison with the stabbing of
the mind. To disfigure him by an unexpected
application of vitriol would be to lower
herself to the level of tlie jealous Parisian
shopkeeper. Or, if her revenge led to a
tragedy, sympathy would frown on her and
she would be forced to submit to the unpleas-
ant formalities of trial and execution. At
last she devised a torture that would wring
the heart of her rival and make tlie faithless
one ridiculous. She sent daily to tlie Prin-
cess Marie a love letter written by Ferdinand
to her before he knew of his Engli-.ii sweet-
heart. The same mail brought to Marie rival
letters. She was thus enabled to compare
tho protestations of affection, notice or miss
improvement in literary style, and give her
individual answer to tlie question whether a j
woman may not prefer esteem that is ex-
pressed iti phrases refined and purified by the
process of experience to tlie crude outpour-
ing of natural, unreflecting and impetuous
passion.

Tlie poisonous malignity of the beautiful
Vacareseo is probably without parallel in the
long chapter of feminine revenge. To have
sent tlie letters in a package to Marie would

have given tlm^prefei red one a stnldu^ shock ;
but by such an action Miss Vacareseo would
have run the risk of being conquered by the
generosity of thh Princess, who mtgh: have

returned thorn to Ferdinand unopened; for
I there have been such instances reoorded — in
| plays and in novels. But what woman could
resist the temptation of dosing daily her
curiosity, even though she knew in advance
the effect of cumulative poisoning? One day
in. fune a letter came from Ferdinand in
which ho quoted flattering verses; but the
year before he scut the same verses to “ the
Vacareseo woman,’’ and underscored them
heavily. He had exhausted the epistolary
language of passion before he wrote his first
love letter to the Princess. The first glorious
crop was gathered by a woman of the people;
to the granddaughter of Victoria falls tlie
scanty and bitter aftermath.

Tlie barbarous Chinaman will gamble even !
when, transplanted, he is surrounded by the
advantages of civilization. He follows the
example of white men of antiquity, of tlie
middle ages and of our own enlightened day.
Yee Sinn and Goon Dong and Goon Doy play
fan-tan and “ rettery ” in Harrison avenue
just as American fellow townsmen indulge
in poker in the club rooms of more fashiona-
ble streets.

Gen. Harding, equerry to Queen Victoria,
was one of the six hundred who rode into the
valley of death at Baiaklava. By an irony of
life; the man who was spared by sword and
bullet, shot. and shell, died yesterday from
the results of a carriage accident.

The omniscient reporter has discovered a
man at Homestead who would blow up
gladly the entire Carnegie plant, for he could
thus prove to tlie world the superiority of the
explosive mixture of Ills own inven-
tion. He has the customary qualifications
and traditional characteristics of his kind.
He is a chemist, reserved in his manners, and
lie lias only been iu America a few years.
“He can hardly speak a word of English,”
and it will be noticed again that English is
not the native tongue of Anarchists, dyna-
miters or other chemical promoters of tlie
redistribution of property and the inaugura-
tion of the millennium.

Lovers of the drama will be interested in ]
the news from Bay Head. Mr. Casey, wlto
will be stage manager at New Orleans at the
production of the melodrama in which John
L. Sullivan is expected to take tlie leading
part, was not content with the physical con-
dition of the playactor. He found that sea
.baths, long walks, violent exercise with
balls and bags brought tardy results. But
lie kept Mr. Sullivan from his bed engaged
in the study of a new play, “Capt. Harcourt,
or the man from Boston,” and the loss in
flesh was so gratifying that Sullivan “will
spend some portion of his remaining even-
ings iu study."

I lie Woonsocket Reporter is curious con-
cerning the disappearance from tlie world of
American girls with phenomenal voices
|vho have aciiieved big reputations in tlie
European conservatories, who have made
successful debuts at musical entertainments
of piominence, but strangely enough they are
never or seldom heard of in their own native
land. ” These reputations are often fictitious.
Foieign coi respondents in many cases act
merely as advance agents, for they are be-
sieged by the mothers, or influenced by pa-
triotic feelings; or they lose judgment in ad-
miration of the girl. It is an easy matter to
gain a hearing at “musical entertainments of
prominence,’ and it is still easier to obtain
fulsome and printed praise. The singer of
genuine worth does not disappear from view,
unless she prefers marriage to a career and
lakes to herself a prudent husband.

A .v i.Uil r. i> com:.

Tlie pleasure of a summer visit might be
genuine if the confidential relations that
should exist between host and guest were de-
fined and understood. It is not given to
every one to play tlie entertainer. The ideal
host is neither an innkeeper nor the governor -
of a penal institution ; yet there should be
unwritten rules and regulations which would
meet the approval of the guest. In certain
English country houses it is the habit to take
from the visitor his purse as soon as lie lias
crossed the threshold. This practice cannot
be commended. It is an ostentatious manner
of assuring tlie guest that he will he iu want
of nothing during ills stay. But there is a
similar custom in jails, and such an indecent

libortv on the part of a host might be accom-
panied fitly b\ iho entrance of a barber and
a photographer. Such paternity in house-
hold government wounds the self-respect ol
the stranger, wh" surety needs no blunt n*-

; minder that he is dependent for a time on
■ charity.

With the exception of the hour of dinner
> there should be no clock of amusements : nor
i should the amusements he compulsory.

, There are upright and amiable people that
' during a vacation do not feel the m'ed of ac-
tive exercise. An invitation to go a-tishing
at an early hour in the day does not appeal
to them. Such an invitation may be sug-
g. sted : it should never be issued as a com-
mand iu the saddle. Others do not delight in
the solemnity of a processional drive. One
man craves the privilege of rummaging at
will in a library; but he is obliged to read a
novel-with-a-purpose, so that he may be con-
tradicted thereafter in criticism by the host-
ess, who insisted. If that abomination of
desolation, a casino, is in the neighborhood,
why should a man, wearied by the past sea-
son, be required to attend a lion and look the
jaded reveler? Is not the cool piazza more
to be desired than a tramp of inspection of the
farm? Is not the lounging in careless attire
in the privacy of one's chamber to be pre-
ferred to whist in the company of three en-
thusiasts? Truly, these questions may be
reversed. The individuality of the guest

should be recognized ; he should feel at lib-
erty to consult his own tastes and inclina-
tions.

It is well to have the length of the visit
fixed. The stay should not hang on the
caprice of the guest, so that his departure be-
comes a movable feast. There is nothing
churlish in an invitation with time restric-
tions. Rotation in hospitality preserves
friendship. Few have the winning ways of
the Chevalier Strong, who. when he was in-
vited for a week, made the house his
i permanent abode without the wonder of his
j host. As soon as a guest lias told his stories,

I ventilated his theories, shown the various
| movements of his hobby-horse, why should
; he not make room for another ? Many tunes
| may be played in the course of a week or ten
days, and they may please ; but when the
^ other members of the company know them I
| so intimately that they can whistle them, the
| man with a new repertoire Is welcome.

The depression that rules in many country
houses would be removed if it were under-
stood that no fees should be given to serv-
ants. In a European hotel the head porter
j or the waiter pays for the privilege of sorv-
l ing that he may receive the customary fees
and reap the rich harvest sown by ignorant
and extravagant Americans. Why should
the system of tipping prevail in a private
house ? If the host cannot pay just wages he
should not employ servants, nor should lie
entertain guests. Where fees are expected,
the civility of service is turned to expectancy,
and traiued attention is the sharpest avarice.

At table, where all cares should be forgotten,
the silent waiter is then more terrible than
the sword of Damocles.

Warden Lovering admits that his prisoners
are allowed to have tools in their cells, but he
claims that they are only little ones, such as
••small planers, knives, chisels, etc., ” which
of course arc worthless in the invention of
escape. A wily convict, who knows the pos-
sible uses of such implements when they
-erve men of patience and skill, would smile
sardonically at this childlike admission of j
the Warden. I

The conflict at law between H. H. Ban-
croft, the historian, and X. J. Stone, the
superintendent of the publishing of the bulky
volumes of Californian history, is full of curi-
ous incident. Mr. Stone in his answer dis-
ejoeos that the profit on the histories in cloth
that are sold for S173 is £87 7.7. He claims
that Mr. Bancroft left the prepara-
tion of the books to others, “ some
of whom did better and abler work
;han said plaintiff was capable of, and a
great many others did infinitely worse work
than the plaintiff would have or could have
• done.” He also states that the publication of
“the biographies of men of note, called orig-
inally “Chronicle of Kings,” was not far re-
moved from a blackmailing scheme. They
that know Mr. Bancroft, or even the. readers
of his Interesting autobiography will be slow
In believing the injurious statements.

Charity grows each year more domestic and
more practical. The distribution of ice to '
the sick poor of New York showed most fav-
r.rable result* in the trying weather of last
week. In Franklin square, Philadelphia,
cool milk is given free to all who ask for it.
The milk Is contributed by Chester county '
farmers, and it is served in a tent from 11 to |
2 or 3 o’clock.

The Adirondack and St. Lawrence Rail-
way is open to passengers, and the whistle
and the boll are heard in tracts of forest
where for years the cry of the loon and the
cracking of trees alone broke the stillness.
The old frequenter of these woods will not
be consoled for the loss of the pleasing sense
of privacy that was akin to loneliness by the
information that the bullet and palace cars
“excel iu elegance of finish anything ever
before placed in the service of the public;”
but to the invalid the comfort of the ap-
proach will he welcome.

i Our country and our people are to the na-
tions of Europe a raree-show. The foreign

, critic stands at the peep-hole and comments
audibly for the benefit of the surrounding
crowd. It is just now the turn of Mr.
Scliaffmeyer, who finds fault with our women
because they neglect sewing and dislike the
darning of stockiugs. The conclusion is,
then, that they are frivolous, if not absolutely
immoral. The saddest result of Mr. Schaff-
meyer’s explorations is tire discovery that
the German woman, the model housekeeper, |
becomes corrupted in these respects as soon !
as she settles here.

The Canadian Niagara Power Company
was organized Saturday and officers were
chosen. The purpose of the company is to
develop the power of the Horse Shoe Falls
and thus utilize a great wonder of nature.
The idea is repugnant to the sentimentalist;
it is as though Samson were bound again
with fetters to grind in the prison house of
the Philistines.

Death was merciful to President Grevy in
taking him away from the scenes of the dis-
graceful actions of his son-in-law. The scan-
dal concerning the sale of decorations was an
outrage to sensitive French honor, and it
broke the heart of Grevy. This is now par-
ailed, according to French ideas, by the
proof that Wilson secured office by corrupt
means, and the punishment was swift and
sure. The primitive ideas of the French
people concerning the importance of money
in elections may well excite wonder in the
more experienced countries of Great Britian
and the United States.

Lauy Jeune has turned her attention from
the deplorable condition of the fashionable
Englishwomen to the low wages of domestic
servants in England, and she compares the
wages there "with those paid in this country.
Servants are treated in much more barbarous
fashion in Germany, as any one who has
studied the social life of the Germans will
testify. The sum of $3 a month is consid-
ered fair wages. The girls are poorly fed,
they are confined to the house and are under
strict police supervision ; they either sleep in
a dark cubby-hole reached by a ladder or on
the kitchen floor, for only in the new houses,
built on a sumptuous plan, are there sep-
arate rooms for servants, and the prevailing
discipline is scolding, varied occasionally by
boxing of the ears.

The people of Peterboro’, N. H., may well
be congratulated on the erection of the
library building, which is the gift of former
residents of the town. The rooms will have
modern conveniences for 40,000 volumes, and
will be fire proof in every way. This Peter-
boro’ Library has always been free, and
therefore of general advantage to the towns-
folk. Such preservation and generous dis-
tribution of books cannot be too warmly en-
couraged. It is not necessary to agreo with
Bronson Alcott in the belief that if every
dweller iri this country were provided with
the complete works of Plato, the millenium
would not long be deferred; but the knowl-
edge of the noble thoughts of the. acknowl-
edged great is surely one of the mightiest fac-
tors In the making for righteousness.

In the bicycle run of yestorday, from Boston
to Portsmouth, the heavy men wore at a dis-
advantage. Mr. l’liilbrlck, for example,
who is considered “ one of the best long dis-
tance runners in New England,” was almost
winded by the difficulties of the rough roads.
He weighed 180 pounds. His companion, “a
much lighter man,” took the dispatches from
him and made the ride to Ipswich with ease.
Just as in boat races or in military opera- i
tions, where the light, sinewy, well-trained I
poney-man best hears fatigue and is master
of his wind.

The aristocracy of Great Britain is enriched
to-day by the entrance of Connie Gilchrist,
t He variety actress, into its ranks. The Earl
of Orkney is not the first nobleman who has
thus subjected himself to the supercilious
comments of his associates. The line of such
“mis-matchcrs ” is a long one, and it goes

back to the first performances of John Gay's
"Beggar’s Opera.” It is the woman who is
generally the greater sufferer in these in-
stances, and it is she who finds ou“ that the
marriage is unequal, and that her rusband is
below her station.

Xx^j 7 £ ''j

as kkkok of jtnte’roKic.

A singular case was lecided lately in a
London court room. It was in the days of
the raging of the grip tint Mrs. Carltll read
in a newspaper the, advertisement of the
Carbolic Smoke Ball Conpany. The com-
pany promised to give £1110 to any one who
should have the influenza after buying and
using one of the balls, according to the
printed directions. Mrs. Catlill inhaled the
preparation of carbolic jio.id regularly— that
is, three times a day for two weeks. In spite
of her forty-two seasons of inhalation, her
self-disinfection was in vain, and she caught
the influenza. When she demanded the for-
feit, the company object'd. One of the
grounds of the refusal was that the plaintiff
did not take the earbolii acid into her sys-
tem at the office of the clmpany, but this
condition was not iu the advertisement. An
action was brought. Mr. Justice Hawkins
tried the case without a jury, and directed a
verdict to be entered for the plaintiff for the
stated sum with costs.

There were four questions of fact and law.
First, there was a contract. A. promise was
made publicly and in print to give each per-
son who followed the directions of the com-
pany and then caught the influenza the sum
of £100, and there was a statement that the
company had placed a large amount of money
in a bank that was specified to meet possible
claims. Nor did the advertisement to be
binding require a stamp. Again, the offer
was not a wager, and the agreement was en-
forceable by action. Here the Judge framed
a definition that will be of interest to all
members of the sporting fraternity. “If
either of the parties may win but cannot lose,
or may lose but cannot win, it is not a wager-
ing contract.” The -Smoke Ball Company
could not win, for the buyer never promised
to pay money or do anything if the nostrum
protected her from the disease. There was,
therefore, no wager. And finally, the con-
tract was not an insurance.

This story of a lawsuit may be used in the
pointing of various morals. The Judge said
that sensible people might be sure that the
company was not in earnest when it made
the proposition ; on the other hand, “such
advertisements do not appeal so much to the
wise and thoughtful as to the credulous aud
weak portions of the community.” This
statement, however, cannot go unchallenged ;
for there is little wisdom in the day of panic,
and the sick man who finds no certain reme-
dy or sure relief is often ready to consult the i
astrologer or the Indian medicine man ; to
submit to electricity or the laying on of
hands. Certainly in this particular case the
“weak and credulous” Mrs. Carlill was
wiser in her generation than the children of
light. But the great lessons of this decision
apply to advertisers. The Carbolic Smoke
Ball Company was possibly too confident in
its belief in the efficacy of the com-
pound; when it backed the belief by a
promise, it should have been ready to fulfill the
promise after a purchaser was thus doubly
afflicted by the disease and the supposed pre-
ventive. Or the promise was only exuber-
ant rhetoric, like unto the advance notices of
the traveling circus. In other words, it was
a bluff, and the surprise wa? great when the
purchaser did not at once throw down her
hand. Advertisers of medicine may thus
learn the value of calm and chaste diction.
It is a good thing to arrest Che attention or to
lure the reader by an apparently incongruous
anecdote; there is room for humor or classi-
cal allusions, but a promise of pecuniary re-
ward in case of failure may steel the body of
a buyer against the potency of pill or potion.

Housekeepers would not fear fatal acei-
lents resulting from the presence of poisou-
)us fly-paper if the turtle of the smaller va-
riety were substituted and allowed the free-
dom of the kitchen and the dining room.
The sphere of its usefulness is not limited to
the destruction of insects. It would serve as
a household pet and afford the children rare
amusement. Its habits are simple; and a
fresh lettuce leaf, undressed, would fill its
heart with gratitude.

■ Sir Edward is a sanguine man if

he really belie?®* that a ship canal across
Ireland and a tunnel connecting Ireland and
Scotland wonW solve the problem of Home
Rule, and bring immediate peace and
harmony. Tile digging of .tlio canal might
;ive “employment to thousands;'* but the
idea of selt-sqverument is mightier than the
noise of pick and shovel or dredging machine,
nor is it to bo dislodged by tho thought that

Ireland might be on the shortest sea route to
the West.” I

Although -Edison does not share the tra-
iitional lot : of the prophet in his own coun-
ty, his fame in foreign lands is of extrava-
gant proportions. Myths circle about his
head; he lias the fabled powers of tho l)jin;
and the Solomon of the Arabian nights is to
him a weakling. The story of the French
professor ” who was alarmed by the rumor of
r gigantic infernal machine devised by Edi-
lon for the pleasure of the German Emperor
jml the blotting out of Paris is only one of
the many instances of his extraordinary

reputation. .

It is rumored that Mr. Henry Labouchere
will be the Commissioner of Works and
Buildings under the approaching Liberal
reign. Here would be a novel experience
for the editor of Truth, whose public life
has been devoted notoriously to undermin-
ing, tearing down, upsetting and general de-
struction.

The story of the cool reception of Gen.
Walker’s speech by the dons of Trinity Col-
lege, Dublin, is a singular commentary on
the state of affairs in Ireland, where the high
in authority seem loath to acknowledge the
bravery of men of their own land displayed
in a righteous cause. But perhaps to the
Dublin professors, as to certain other Eu-
ropean observers, our Civil War was nothing
but the conflict of “two armed mobs mov-
ing aimlessly, and incited without reasoD.
Or possibly the coolness was due to the nar-
row vision of “the insular eye,” which so
often moved Thackeray to indignation.

A

DEPAKTIKE

/

OF StORT,

The report that there is discord at Bay-
reuth even before the first trumpet call of the
first day of the Festival will not surprise the

observer of the W agnerian cult. When V ag-
ner first conceived the idea of a music temple,
where his music dramas could be performed
according to his peculiar theories, he was in-
fluenced strongly by artistic motives, although
arrogance and cunning were in his plans and
proclamations. Encouraged by his patron,

i the mad King of Bavaria, he chose a small
| town, out of the beaten track pursued by
■ travelers, wanting in attractions that might
j divert attention. The temple was set upon a

ii hill. A certain number of performances
ji .were to be given there at stated intervals by
!' men singers and women singers devoted to

him. The journey to Bayreuth should be a
pilgrimage ; the performance itself a solemn
I ceremony, intelligible to the initiated
i alone. And so the German prepared
himself that he might be in fit spiritual
condition. He studied pamphlets which en-
deavored to explain the symbolism of the
text and the hidden significance of the
music so that he might, with Mr. Choate,
dilate with the proper emotion. After the
first year of the experiment the number of the
worshipers increased steadily. There were
societies formed in different countries for the
purpose of preaching the gospel and convert-
ing the heathen. Tracts appeared with ex-
traordinary statements written m still more
extraordinary language. The desire to be
present at the celebration of the Bavarian
rite was not confined to Germany. Hie
traveler, when lie made out his list of things
to be seen, put Bayreuth by the side of the
North Cape, and “Parsifal” was grouped
with a Spanish bull fight and an Italian car-
nival. Wagner himself began to deny liis
artistic theories hv his managerial actions.
He died, and his wife Cosima ruled in his

stead.

Under her administration the temple be-
came an opera house. The fanatics foresaw
the desecration and muttered complaints.
Last year there were loud and angry prot-
estations. For tickets were sold to the first
applicants; English gapers and American
gushers sat in the seats of the faithful ; the.
management was parsimonious; cheap and
inexperienced deelainjers of music were on
the stage; the scenic equipment was inade-
quate; and, according to the testimony of
many, the music-dramas of Wagner were
given in a more satisfactory manner and in
stricter accordance with the original wishes
of the composer in other opera houses of Ger-
many than in the very temple built by him

l

; H is not surprising, then, that to-dav there
| are dissensions, and real and premature com-
plaints concerning the management. The
tourist has shoved aside the pilgrim. The
| money-changers have invaded the temple.

| I hat which was particular and apart is now
common. Nor should the sane admirer of
tho genius of Wagner he distressed by the
[ departure of the glory from Bayreuth. A
i great musical work is not peculiar to one
place or one generalion. Musical genius
laughs at boundary lines. It is better for the
permanent fame of Wagner that it is not now
necessary to go to Bayreuth to hear him in
perfection. The man was hidden by the
clouds of rank and flattering incense; the
frenetic antics of the worshipers inspired
[suspicion and repulsion. II is operas r. :st
Ibe judged by the standards that are in use In
conventional opera houses. Mozart and
Gluck, Weber and Rossini, Bizet and Verdi
submitted to the simple tests. When an un-
bridled admirer of Wagner demands balances
of unusual construction fqr the weighing of
the worth of his hero, he must not be sur-
prised if the worth is at once questioned and
the demand regarded as a symptom of acute
mama.

The consumption of beer in Germany shows
a great increase within the last five years.
In 1880 there were 990,000,000 gallons to
1,141,000,000 gallons in 1891. This is an in-
crease of about 17 per cent., while the popu
lation lias increased by only i per cent.

Now that there is an attempt at the re-
habilitation of the character of Miss Ilclfene
Vecaresco before her death, she may be held
more fortunate than Helen of Troy, Cleo-
patra, or Lucrezia Borgia. The knight
errant, or wielder of the white-wash brush,
is the Roman correspondent of a leading
Parisian paper, who knows “personally aud
positively” that the deserted one never made
an “unfair use of the letters from the. Crown
Prince ;” never sent, never intended to send
them, one at a time, or in bulk, to her Eng-
lish rival. Meanwhile, the English newspa-
pers affirm the receipt by Marie of letters
that were not for her.

The feminine folly of rigid obedience to a
prevailing fashion, without regard to person-
al qualification, is apparent daily to even tile
careless observer. The low-necked gown, in-
door and out, is now the thing. Its coolness
is an additional argument for its adoption.
But the result is disastrous when the wearer,
like unto the three sisters of Sir Peter Chil-
lingly, is marked by a- fine development of
bone. The sensitive man, the man of artistic
feeling, then sighs for the revival of sumptu-
ary laws, and quotes approvingly the lines of
Holmes:

<• Snoner than wander with your windpipe bare—

The fruit of Eden ripening in the air—

With that lean head stalk, that protruding elnn.

Wear standing collars, were they made of tin! ”

It is now claimed, and in defiance of the
authority of Moses, that the days of our years
should be five-score years; and if we lived
according to nature, the strength of the years
on the other side of the summit would not
necessarily be labor and sorrow. But great
length of age is not in itself desirable: “In
short measures life may perfect be;” and
the man that envies the fortune of the carp
or the chough should read each New Year’s
Day Dean Swift’s account of the Struldbrugs,
who live in the Kingdom -of Ltigguagg, and
rejoice that a limit lias been fixed by kindly
Nature to the possibilities of mental and
physical .decay.

The churlish conduct of Mr. Rudyard Kip-
ling in Montreal shows that his ill-breeding
Is chronic and not sporadic. The American
is to this novelist as the red parasol to the
oull, and whenever Mr. Kipling descends
among us lie is expected to prance and paw
the air and toss his head. His shabby treat-
ment of courteous subjects of liis Queen is a
proof that liis bad manners surround him as
an individual atmosphere which knows no
boundary lines.

The unrestrained disciples of Wagner have
talked noisily of the overwhelming triumph
of the music-dramas of “The Master" in
London, and have proclaimed the immediate
introduction of an English version in answer
to popular clamor. But the facts are not j
with them. It is announced that Augustus j
Harris will give no more performances of j
“Das Rlieingold ” or “Tristan” this season,
and the extra “Cvklus ” is abandoned. Nor
will he bring out the works of Wagner in
English unless £5000 be guaranteed “to
secure the season from pecuniary loss ” dur-
ing one mouth. An official circular shows
that, apart from the Wagner society and the
publishers, only 200 guineas out of the £5000
wanted has yet been subscribed by the pub-
lic, aud that £’.200 is still needed.

We must look this year to Nova Scotia,
Maine and California for apples. In the
great apple belt of western New York, the
prospect of the crop is discouraging, and it
is said that the situation is still worse in
Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Ohio and
Michigan.

Flie vacation olAho summer pilgrim i* tlm
busy season of thefhousebrenker. Flats arc
opened easUy with false koy8i an(1 8uburbnn

houses are entered with out exciting the sus
pleion of tho neighbors. Valuable*, such as
silverware and jewelry, should be left In a

Lrr P TTi’ an<1 D °, t bc guarded simply by
doors of thin panels and flimsy locks.

American critics and readers who have
spoken flippant, y of tho “insanity” if
certain descriptions in the novels of Dostoiov-
sky or cried out against their absurdity are

Sarat e oVri SP r tf h llJ i l ° rea '‘ the detail * the
baratoff riots, which w ere incited by the re

port that the existence or cholera inthe city
was invented by the doctors. y

whicb report , of a boat raoe on the Hudson in
"Inch members of the Ward familv
part seems like a chapter of ancient I, £££
Pet it was not so many years ago that the
names of Josh” and “Hank” and “Gill”

rices 5hH h0 'i d W ° rdS ’ and iu international
races the sturdy men defended well our rep-
utation. Boating blood runs in the family us
.Provodby the consanguineous rivalry ’ of

3 -2 T-f 2

SUMMER CATALOGUES.

Exchange editors and inventors of para-
graphs now find food for mirth in the society
chronicle that was published lately in the
leading newspaper of a town in North Caro-
lina. It appears that there was guyety in
j Wilson ; there was a constant arrival of
j guests ; the season was at its height. Parties
and picnics, balls and other amusements
were drawn in detail in the Mirror, and the
editorwent so far that lie indulged himself
in thumb-nail descriptions of the visitors.
These descriptions are mere sketches, but
they are full of suggestion, and they are not
devoid of verbal color. There is no prelude,
no vorspiel, as an invocation or a prepara-
tion. The editor plunged at once into his
subject. “In addition to the lovely maidens
we mentioned last week as adding to the
brilliancy of Wilson’s magnificent coronet of
attractiveness there has been a glorious aug-
mentation this week in the radiant presence
of such sparkling jewels as resplendentiy
beautiful and bewitchingly fascinating
Miss Nannie Speight of Tarboro’
and then follows a catalogue of noble
dames. One is “transcendently lovely and
very graceful ;” another is a “splendid type
of splendid beauty.” “ That perfect mold of
svveetest witchery, the gloriously enchanting
j Miss Lollie Lewis of Goldsboro’ ” is only
I equaled by “ that glorious crown of glorious
womanhood, the quintessence of sweetest
loveliness and the embodiment of the rarest
charms and the noblest virtues, the pure
fouled Miss Lena Taylor of Whitaker’s.” It
is not surprising that the editor was moved.
“The presence of such glorious maidens
sprinkles golden sunshine in many a dark
and gloomy heart, and brings up that sweet
and beauteous spring of feeling where
flowers bloom in such glorious beauty. May
Heaven’s own dew of cheer and comfort fall
upon their lives and sweeten and purify
them, even as their angelic presence has
sweetened and purified ours.”

Tills chronicle of society in a village of
North Carolina may excite the laugliterof the
unthinking, who heed the swollen language
and overlook the sincerity and enthusiasm of
the writer, and so the bombastic sentences
| are quoted in other newspapers and there
are ironical comments. The keen student
of sociology finds “society” paragraphs in
these same newspapers, and he remarks that
the chronicle of summer life in a Southern
village and that of vacation days passed in
Northern watering places vary only m de-
gree. If he is a Bostonian lie is enabled to
follow the movements of the men and women
of liis city as though he were in daily com-l
inunication with them. He dines with Mr.
Charlesgate and he assists Mrs. Vernon and
her lovely daughters in their sea bath. He
knows. the prevailing fashion of bathing suit
and tennis dress, aud by the courtesy of the
reporter he may note individual variations.

He is supplied with mental photographs of
women whom he knows only by name, and
he occasionally has the pleasure of seeing
at his breakfast table striking cuts of
leaders of society. Or lie discovers
I that liis judgments were false.
The girl w ith a crooked nose is described
as “ a dashing beauty," and au ill-favored
cousin is changed into “ an exquisite blonde
i with wonderful eyelashes.” There is a
curious equality in the newspaper column of
fashionable notes, as there is in the crave.

The grocer rubs elbows with the customer;
the dressmaker disapproves of the figure of
her patron.

The student, then, regards these lists of
names as summer catalogues designed for
winter reference, which are superiorin detail i
to the blue book or the family directory. The -

young man in search of a wife may Vato |

notes that will be of genuine assistance dur-
ing the winter campaign. But the makers of
thc'e catalogues might study the methods of ;
booksellers with advantage. They are more
houest In the exposition of their wares; we
tind such ponses as “back -broken,” •‘foxed,” \
“shop-worn,” " pages missing.’’ “ spotted/’ I
Modern realism demands unflinching uceu- !
. racy in the description of physical and men- '
f&l characteristics. Irregular teeth, a slight
squint, or a marked impediment in the gait
should not be passed by as unworthy of at-
tention; should not be plastered over with
sonorous adjectives of vague praise.

In a Southern murder trial of a peculiarly
morbid nature, it was stated yesterday that
when the accused rode bareback, "it was
sideways like a lady.” and there was no proof
that she rode man-fashion and thus gave
symptoms of Insanity. But there are many
Northern girls on lonely farms and Southern
girls on broad plantations who never use a
woman’s saddle and whose mental soundness
has never been questioned.

The great Napoleon objected to the many
holidays of the Roman Catholic church, and
there are Americans who view with alarm
the increase in this country of appointed op-
portunities for recreation. Surely no patriot
will object to the public commemoration of
the 400th anniversary of the discovery of
America by Columbus, although the modern
biographers, who have discovered to their
swn satisfaction that the great example of
sublime faith was* false and cowardly pirate,
may stand apart and be at their bre asts.

The suspension from duty of Captain Red-
ford. of the City of Chicago, is not too severe
a punishment. In a thick fog, when the
weather was uncertain, near a dangerous
coast he drove his engines at full speed and
neglected to take the necessary precaution of;
frequent sounding. A great steamship may
possibly run the chance in a fog of cutting
a sailing vessel in two without injury to
itself ; but the rocks of the Irish coast laugh
at the machinery and the strength and the

speed of man.

The conduct of the Emperor of Austria is
worthy of the imitation cf all true lovers of
music. The musical season is over and he
would fain rest; therefore he declines to
hear the proffered serenade of the New York
Arion Society. The members of the Impe-
rial family of Austria have for many years
been patrons of music, and this refusal is not
due to dull ears. But the Emperor recog-
nizes the value of absolute rest; he knows
that music is a luxury which loses when it
becomes familiar and common ; it is not a
dailv, imperative want, to be gratified as
though it wore a stomachic demand.

The Parisian students who howled down
Miss Jeanne Chauvin, although her “eyes
were sparkling with intelligence’' when she
attempted to read her thesis for the doctor s
degree at the School of Laws, are not the
first to thus show disapprobation of the
female clothing herself in the at-
tributes of man. Readers of Charles Reade s
**A Woman Hater” will remember the in-
dictment drawn by the author against the
cowardice and meanness of students of
Great Britain, as shown in their public
demonstration-, against their female associ-
•ate 5 . But perhaps the Parisians thought
that Miss Chauvin was greedy. She is
already a licentiate of literature, a laureate
of the Faculty of Medicine and a licentiate
of law. She lias also obtained prizes in

civil and Roman law.

!

r or me removal or warts mere are mystic
and pro-ale remedies without number. Theft
is often the first inzredient of the old
woman’s cure ; the stolen piece of meat is
applied to the hands and then buried at the
cross -oad-. as though it were the body of a
-ulcide or an Hungarian vampire; or the
hands are washed In a silvern basin in the
beams of the full moon. But Hr. Lewis
I>ewi- proposes a simpler cure, which is, to
smear the wart* in the blood of the porpoise.
Thi-> will be rather for the benefit of coast
dwellers than for the good of dwellers in .n-
land towns, where, the apothecary seldom
carrie.-. a porpoise in his stock.

The Charleston News and Courier learn 4
;hat our townsfolk are eating large and lus-
cious fre<h figs from California, and it asks
respectfully how ” sure-enough fresli figs,
wi'h the dew of the morning on their, and
light of -unshine and flavor of flower* in
'.r.-ir hearts,” were ever transported from
r a.ifornia to Boston and delivered in eatable
rendition. It claims that if such transporta-
tion is possible. South Carolina can supply
f.r the United State*, “the finest figs,
t:,c ! gg^st figs and the mo-.t cf them.” But
it fears that we have blundered and mistaken
”a sweet potato or Japanese perslmon or
pawpaw, or something of that kind for the
ambrosial fig.”

u i> ■ i

THE VOVELS UP OXADORIMI.

The writer of an article in a late number
of tho British Medical Journal rails at novel-
ists for the errors that swarm in tho medical
incidents and opinions that are found in
works of fiction. Thus, the old revolutionist
Noirtier, with his winking eyelids, is an im-
possible paralytic, however impressive he
may be to the reader of “Monte Cristo.” In
another story Pumas introduces a guillotined
head that speaks and weeps. Dickens be-
lieved, apparently, in the possibility of death
from spontaneous combustion. Baldassare,
in “ Romola,’’ did not suffer from amnesia or
agraphia ; “it was a form of cerebral disease
known only to the eminent novelist.” Bul-
wer Lytton confounded astrologic and thau-
maturgic dreams with the precepts and the
discoveries of medical science. Wilkie Col-
lins stumbled constantly, although he prided
himself on his special knowledge. The list
of such literary sinners is a long one.

Now it is true that impossible symptoms,
impossible remedies, and impossible deaths
are recorded in novels, as in poetry and in
the drama. It is true that in the “Tale of I
Two Cities ” the discovery of chloroform is
anticipated, but the tragic pathos of the sub-
stitution of Sydney Carton Is not discounted j
thereby. No apothecary can compound the I
prescription of Mr. Stevenson that wrought i
the awful transformation. The death of Col. I
Newcome would not move the reader to a
keener sense of personal loss if the treatment 1
of the physician were given in photographic
detail. Tlie true novel reader does not miss
such realistic touches; and he does not re-
ject the impossible. He accepts the horse of
brass that rose airward in the Arabian tale as
well as the double that confronted Howe the
night before the evacuation. The charms
and powders used by wise women of the
East are no more strange to him than the
mysterious power of Matthew Maule. When
he reads a novel he does not expect a medical
pamphlet or a geographical report. The
old-fashioned novelist lived in his own
world. He invented his natural phenomena,
his history *and his detail of social life.
Bohemia has a seaport; the roc is the largest
of birds ; the Wapentake is high in authority
in England; shipwrecks and murder trials do
not always meet the requirements of sailors
and lawyers; the unknown sin is discovered
in New England. To-day all is changed.
The novel is a polemic. Or a Georg Ebers is
the favorite of a season, of whom the
scientists say that he is a good novelist and
the novelists declare that he is an excellent
Egyptologist. Another writer describes mi-
nutely the hospital, the mine or the battle-
field. If after a scene of tremendous passion
there was murder in a room, the first duty of
the novelist. is to describe the appearance of
the clock that ticked impassively the seconds
of life and death.

The reader is willing to learn his history j
from Shakspeare, Scott, Dumas and Hugo. j
To him their knowledge is universal. He
will nqt quarrel with their views on medi-
cine. The death of Krook is as real to him
as the death of Coupeau, just as the Water-
loo' invented by Hugo is more vivid to him
than any dry and accurate description of the
battle where mediocrity triumphed. He will
agree readily with Mr. Hall Caine, who
thinks that the most noticeable thing about
modem fiction is its lack of invention.

Sir Henry Trueman Wood, Secretary of
the Royal Commission on the World’s Fair,
praises us to his countrymen without stint.
He finds each trip new beauties in our na-
tional character. We are “go ahead” and
“active,” and the Fair will be a “great suc-
cess," and will open at the appointed time.
But the finest flower of our civilization is the
American reporter. He is “honest, earnest,
ambitious,” and his “eagerness for news
does not impair his politeness.” Sir Henry,
who is certainly wise in his generation,
“loves and respects him."

The tragic death of Lieutenant May leads
the New York World to moralize concerning
the slow promotion in the military service
and the naval service of the United .States.
The World claims that the prospect of end-
less subordination induces melancholia and )
it is not surprising that suicide follows. Yet
life itWf is subordination to superior forces,
and thWruest courage is in patient endur-
ance. Nor is there any proof in this particu-
lar Instance, as the World admits, that Lieut, j
May was influenced by such despair.

Purists as well as discoverers in language
are agitated in Ohio. They seek the proper
word to designate the crime of the murder of
a married rnan by his wife. Some think that
“uxorcide ” should be used without regard
of sex'; the suggestion of “marlticide” is In-
dorsed warmly; “conjugiclde’’ is pressed by :
enthusiastic newspapers.

Realism has invaded napery. The aesthetic
housewife now chooses napkins that are em-
broidered in vegetable designs. Aspara-
gus, carrots, mushrooms, wheat, radishes,
parsley are the models. Silks of the natur-
al colors are used when possible. Thus the
plenty of the house is apparently doubled,
but it is doubtful whether the pleasure of
the guest is thus increased. The distribu-
tion of napkins will prove a lottery tn
which the blank will dull the appetito of
the man with whom the vegetable does not
agree, and the prize Will whet abnormally
the winner. For a hostess, however, to pre-
sent the counterfeit of radishes when they
are not in season is to acknowledge kinship
with the Barmecides.

There was an increase of 753 miles in the
mileage of Canadian railways in 18D1. The
total mileage is now 14,209. The earnings in
1891 were $48,192,099 ; and the net earnings
were $13,231,(549. The amount of Govern-
ment bonuses paid was $147,105,432.

French scientists propose to erect an obser-
vatory on the top of Mont Blanc, and the
work will be begun in a few weeks. As
they can find no rock foundation, the wooden
building will rest on six heavy screw pillars,
which it is thought will secure a firm hold in
the solid ice. This experiment has been
tried ; a hut was so fixed last fall, and this
spring it was found that the ice had not
moved and the hut had not suffered damage.
But the solid ice is treacherous, and it may
turn out to be no surer foundation than the
sand chosen by the foolish man. The build-
ing will have two stories; the lower rooms
for the accommodation of guides and visitors,
the upper, with a cupola, for the use of the

Db^fvp.ru,

Costo Rica is making extensive prepara-
tions for an exhibit at the World’s iair. A
collection of more than 3000 birds will be
placed in the galleries adjoining the gardens.
The idea o£ the Commissioner is to place
the plants of his country in these gardens,
and also the living fishes and animals, and to 1
build two kiosks for the practical exhibition
of coffee and cocoa.

When the cowardly Sultan of Morocco told
England’s Envoy, Sir Charles Smith, that he
was powerless to protect him from murder
and the Mission from massacre, the English-
man reminded him that in such a case
another British Minister would be in Fez
within a month; “but there will not be a
Sultan in Fez then.” Surely a brave reply,
worthy of the traditional bulldog courage
and Berseker blood of the long line of diplo-
mats that have preserved the honor of a
nation and made the life of an Englishman
sacred in the wildest lands.

According to a contemporaneous and ac-
knowledged authority on dr$ss, if a girl is
accompanied in public by a dog, she should
dress in harmony with the dog or change
dogs with each dress. Brown and gold
brown tones are in sympathy with an Irish
setter. Vestal white matches the grim
visaged white bull terrier. The vulgarity of
a yellow dog is mated by proper artificial
shadings of hair.

There are novel features In the training of
Mr. Jack MeAuliffe for the approaching
mill at New Orleans that will commend
themselves at once to the thoughtful, lie
kills potato bugs, pulls weeds, swings the
icythe aad milks cows. Now if he could be
persuaded to keep in such constant training,
ivith winter exercise in chopping and
iplittlng wood, and to refrain from all mill
work, he would be a valuable member of so-
ciety, although he might not win cheap no-
toriety. ^

The refusal of Mrs. Barbara Turner of
Columbus, Ohio, to live with her husband
because he snores has provoked sermons oh
the enormity of the husband's offense, and
many possible remedies have been suggested.
Kate Field’s Washington advises us all to
Imitate the example of the noble red men,
who are taught from their infancy to keen
their mouths shut. This is not a new Idea.
Some years ago George Catlin, who knew
well the habits of the North American
Indians, wrote a singular hook called “ Shut
Your Mouth,” in which startling pictures
showed the coutrast between the sleep of
civilization arid barbarism, and the white
snorer was depicted as a loathsome object.

Niagara Falls has within a few years been
the scene of melodramatic suicides and silly
wagers that led to death ; but there have been
few fatal accidents, and it is said that the
tragedy of Sunday is the llrst that ever hap-
pened inside the Cave of the Winds. It would
appear from the account that the accident
was due to carelessness, from a wish to save
time by taking a shorter route. Rocks, how-
ever, give a treacherous foothold, and by
rapids or ou mountain side, it is always wiser
to make haste slowly.

Mr. Marcus Mayer Insisted that a clause In
the new contract with Patti should read as fol-
lows: “ Marcus R. Mayer shall have the right
to announce this tour as a positive tour of
farewell of Mine. Pattl-Nlcolini in North
America, and Mme. Patti-Nicolini binds her-
splf to write him a letter on this subject, which
he can publish.” But the farewells of Patti
have always been positive, and in fact their
positiveness has only been equaled by their
frequency. This next trip she will say good-
by forever to seventeen towns that she has
never visited, and S3000 in each town will
assuage her grief.

The decendants of Governor Thomas Dud-
ley of Massachusetts will hold a family re-
union here October 18. Such gatherings are
to be commended heartily. Not if they are
held. merely for vain-glory or for the indis-
criminate praising of ancestors; but in these
days, when the value of patriotism is ques-
tioned, when the flag is scouted as a vague
idea, and when the word American is pro-
nounced under the breath, it is a good thing
for New Englanders to recall in company the
adventures, trials and triumphs of the sturdy
men and women that begot them.

Readers of the fascinating book of Lady
Brassey will hear with a sense of personal
loss that the yacht Sunbeam was wrecked on
an island in an Australian gulf. And so the
tragedy is complete. The suicide of the
woman that made the yacht famous is fol-
lowed at last by the destruction of the thing
she loved.

That the poisoning at Salisbury Beach was
due to ptomanies may or may not be proved
by the analysis of the Harvard professors ;
but people cannot be cautioned too often and
too strongly in the matter of diet during the
hot weather. Ice cream, cream pies and
milk itself should not be taken into the sys-
tem recklessly ; for it is one of the deplora-
ble facts of our modern life that milk, the
simple, necessary and nutritious food, is fre-
quently impure, on account of the careless-
ness or the greed of the seller.

The people of the West show an ingenious
versatility in the invention of social pleas-
ures. A young man who is “prominent in
the social circles” of Columbus, Ind.,
wheeled last week “a popular society young
lady” through the principal business streets
of the town on a wheelbarrow. There was a
wager, and the young man divided fairly the
stakes with the belle of the occasion. There
was “much cheering,” and an ice cream sup-
per was served after the performance of the
feat.

Bergman shows the great characteristic
trait of the modern Anarchist, i. e., intense
personal vanity. Thus his first question to
the reporter was, “ What do the people say
about my act?” He resented the charge that
he was a “ bum printer ” at $8 a week. He
denied the aid of confederates, and said with j
pride, “All credit belongs to me.” But the
Nihilists of Russia, with whom the Guiteaus
and the Bergmans would claim kinship, sink
individuality for the benefit, as they think, j
of humanity. Immolation of self and selfish I
interests is the first article of their terrible
creed.

Dr. Hale writes in a sensible and interesting
manner in the Atlantic concerning the ad-
vantages of compulsory declamation in
schools. There is now apparently a pre-
judice against this useful exercise, but, as
Dr. Hale says, the practice gave the boy an
ease that lasted throughout life and could
not be acquired in other ways. That Dr.
Hale profited by the lessons of his youth is
known not only to his townsfolk, but to the
Englishmen that a few days ago were
charmed by the fluent and witty presentation
[of shrewd sense.

^7 ^ 7

J A DA.VOEROM BEXGPACTOB.

The pessimist Is not without excuse when
I ho prefers open enmity to enthusiastic
friendship. Wo have nil suffered by the
blunders of zealous friends, by their mis-
taken preconceptions of what we should
wish and do. The man that by his calling is
dependent on the interpretation of his
thoughts by others for ultimate success is pe-
culiarly a sufferer. The unknown play-
wright is handicapped at the start by tho
actor who lias good will and is devoid of
temperament. The poet sees a sworn foe in
tho amiable public reader who mars the
beauty of Ids verse by a nasal twang and a
strange pronunciation. So, too, the composer
of musiois at the mercy of players or singers;
the children of his brain are often cruelly
mangled by those who think they act in
kindness.

Mr. F. X. Arens, an American composer
and director, has been for some time going
to and fro in Germany for the purpose of giv-
ing concerts of music composed by Ameri-
cans. He appealed to the patriotism of
American lovers of music lor financial aid,
and he begzed Americans in the towns where
the concerts were given to support the glory of
I our national flag by iheir presence. Not con-
tent with this advertising of his own claims
on public attention, he was in the habit of
sending foreign newspaper clippings to the
newspapers of this country, with the request
that his missionary labors should receive due
notice. The clippings were always of a favor-
nble nature, and they appeared originally in
the little newspapers, printed in English,
that clironiclo the movements of English and
Americans abroad. In their fulsome lines
ten words were for Mr. Arens to one
word for the composer whom he intro-
duced. Mr. Arens, no doubt, considered him-
self a missionary, but lie undertook his mis-
sion without the consent of the men whom he
represented, and in certain instances, it is
said, he persevered in his self-appointed task
against their earnest remonstrance. Nor
were such men ungrateful in their protesta-
tion. They realized the impudence of the
claim of Mr. Arens to a special hearing, they
| knew the danger to their reputation when
the Germans heard their works performed by
a “scratch” orciiestra. or a respectable
orchestra with few rehearsals under the di-
rection of a man in whom they themselves
had little confidence, and it is not unlikely
that they had no illusions concerning the
[ real value of their music when it was judged
j from the standpoint of nationality. They
j knew that Mr. Arens would occupy the large
| tent of the show, while they would sit In side

ibooths and be pointed out with the aid of
■Mr. Arcus's stick.

! Great expectations were aroused in certain
German cities by the announcements made
by Mr. Arens. These expectations were not
realized, and the leading critics were kind in
silence, or said frankly there was nothing
characteristic, nothing new in the American
compositions. A short time ago Mr. Arens
gave one of his concerts in Vienna, at the
Musical and Dramatic Exhibition. The re-
marks of two Vienna newspapers may he of
interest. A writer in the Neue Freie Presse
Edward Hanslick— thinks as follows :
The works which were performed made an

I i“ p ^ e 1?! 0n Iike the familiar faces of Berlioz,
Blszt, Wagner. Schumann anti Volkmann seen !
In a concave mirror. Singular that in the
blessed land of inventions so little musical in-
veution and originality is to he found. Ameri-
can music is only a reflection of our culture,
and. has as yet been unable to lay claim to the
title of a native school of art. It arouses the
sympathy of the European listener to detect a
streak of ideality such as is generally not ex-
pected^from the land of the almighty dollar.

_ K- Paine's symphony and Mac-

.uowejl s suite movements are constructed on
the best models; they are the Mendelssohns of
the New World. Others, like Arens, Chadwick
and Bird, now sit beneath Ydragsi) and listen
to the croaking of the Wagner ravens, and
anon m company with Schoenefeld, place their
hecatombs before Berlioz and Ltszfc. * * *

I he adherence to form and a commendable
command of the art of instrumentation justify
the belief that American music may yet reach
a higher plane. A lovely artistic striving is
already to be seen."

Surely this was written in a kindly spirit,
however, is more severe:

The American composers whose works Con-
ductor Arens produced day before yesterdav
are admirably schooled artists who think ele-
gantly, and who lack nothing except the chief
thing-individuality, original gifts. * * * |
Tho best impression was made by the two sym- ,
phonic movements oi John Knowles Paine — an I
energetic allegro with a fervid introduction !
and a long a very long— but rather piquant I
scherzo. The themes of the two movements are
plainly influenced by Schumann and Spohr,
but treated with considerable art. A suite by
MacDowell, with a pretty second movement
based on an idea imitative of the shalra, gave
the most pleasure."

But, however flattering certain of those !
sentences ir. y be to tho composers named, I
the charge of a lack of individuality will out- i
weigh tlio praise. That tills charge was
made so bluntly is due, without doubt, to the
Preliminary flourish of trumpeta and tlio
naming posters. Onr composers should not
he thus thrust into foreign notice by an
earnest seeker after self-glorification.

-- ... 1 , 11 . 11 , mu new Siberian railway

will bo of material benefit to the Russian
people, for It touches the grain district of
Tobolsk. Some 400,000 cattle are also sent
yearly from tills district; the roads at present
are so bad that many cattle perish. The
railway will give an outlet to a country con-
taining over a million inhabitants.

The came of polo in which a prominent
and useful life was sacrificed is fresh in the
minds of all Bostonians. Tuesday, in one of

the. finest games ever seen in Wen-
ham,” a player received "a terrific blow”
over the left eye; he appeared when time
was called, his eye bandaged, and “his shirt
front covered with blood.” Yet many who
are addicted to this noble sport cry out
against the pummeling of each other by
strong men inured to blows, and they call
bull fights barbarous.

Sir Riohard Wallace once heard the elder
Dumas laughing boisterously in his study
and was told by a servant that Dumas was
working and that he often laughed like that I
at his work. It turned out that the great I
novelist was “in company with one of his
own characters, at whose sallies he was sim-
ply roaring.” But this was years ago, when
imagination went hand in hand with animal
spirit. It would be difficult to imagine one
of the modern in tense- realistic-analytioal
j school so easily diverted.

Judge Read of Baltimore says, and “with"
out fear of successful contradiction,” “that
we are the finest looking body of people on
this planet;” which seems a cautious state-
| ment when other judicial dicta are consid-
| ere< l- For he thinks that there Is a striking
parallel between the Americans and the
ancient Greeks-in the attention paid to I
physical culture; in the beauty of the
women; in the “quick, critical, buoyant"
mind; in the rapid rise and fall of political I
favorites. He might add, and m self-glori-
fication.

Our language is constantly enlarged by
phrases and words born of accidents, crimes
amusements and political occasions. In con-
nection with the Homestead riots it was
announced gravely in a newspaper that the
detectives had been “ rendezvoused” at a
certain place. This innovation cannot be
commended, for it is in the first place an un-
provoked assault on a foreign language, and
a violation of the rules of international
courtesy.

The old saying, “ An Englishman’s home
is his castle ” has defended many an outrage- (
ous deed. Mr. Hannay, the London Magis- 1
trate, protested against this ancient saw the
other day, and said the idea that a policeman
should remain in the street from fear of vent-
uring into an Englishman's castle when he
heard cries in a house or was summoned to
prevent personal violence, is “a most foolish
notion.”

Tony Robert-Fieury thinks that the Amer-
ican painters in Paris are too apt to be
attracted by new theories, to follow the radi-
cal members of the ultra-modem school.
Chorley once made a like reproach when he
wrote that “the Americans have shown a
marvelous proclivity in instrumental musio
towards that which is occult and Incompre-
hensible, and are already far in advance of
us in comprehending that which seems full
of darkness and doubt to our eyes.” In
dreading the charge of conservatism, our
painters and musicians are undoubtedly in-
clined to accept a new gospel, even before
they have digested the words of the fore-
runner.

It appears that since Queen Victoria com-
manded Melba to sing at State concerts, “the
domestic cloud which hung over her is
wholly lifted;” that is to say, in more
homely speech, the fact that a suit for di-
vorce was brought by her husband against
the singer for flagrant cause is not an ob-
stacle to her social success at Court. This is
singular, for the Queen has long been famous
for the rigidity of her views on questions of
morality ; but the magic of a golden voice
seems to have disarmed even the prejudices
of a Queen.

Three "blood red ” neckties were found
with* whole ••wagon-load" of books and
papers and circulars and letters and other
articles of an " inflammatory nature,'* In the
room of Bauer, the Anarchist. The neckties
were taken to police headquarters “to be
more carefully examined.” It Is certainly in
questionable taste to chose such a lurid hue
for personal adornment in this weather, and
persons addicted to red neckties may well be
regarded as suspicious characters, but the
police think they have stronger proof against
Bauer than any disclosure that might come
from a rigid examination of “neckwear.”

X

A XEGLECTEI*

COUFOKT.

;

The roof is the watering place of the poor.

Not that the sufferers seek the housetops
when the Dogstar at high noon barks at the
tenement and its swarm: but when the sun
is through with his day's work, panting
humanity raises itself from the festering
Street and hunts the evening breeze. The
roofs are crowded ; the fire escapes are lined.

Even so in older and wiser countries, the
chambers are abandoned at sundown ; heavy-
eyed men stroke solemnly their long, white
beards end read the future in the stars ; there
arc ccolioi drinks and the lone Dines that i

'discourage impertinent conversation; there
is the grateful sound of water and the tink-
liDg of an antique instrument picked by a
woman's hand. Thus the night brings peace
and comfort.

Tbc example of the poor, as well as the
habit of the Orientals, might well be followed
by all of us iu the fiery season of physical
discomfort, nervous worry, and mental ex-
haustion. The roof garden as a substitute
for the theatre has won success in New
York, as the managers and the frequenters of
the Casino and the Madison Square Garden
will testifv. There is no doubt that such
gardens will be found next season in other
cities, for many must stay at home, even
though the heavens are as brass, and they
will seek eagerly amusement with comfort, i
But the roof of the private or the apartment |
house should thus contribute to the pleasure (
and the restoration of the dwellers therein.

That such a plan is feasible even in this
prosaic country is shown by the description
in the New York Mail and Express of a pri-
vate roof garden in the city of New \ork.
The house itself is a seven-story building,
containing apartments for twenty-four fami-
lies. The roof commands a view of the East
River, the hay and the Narrows. The entire
roof space is turned into an artificial garden.

A flooring of dressed timber covers the real
roof; there are strips of manila drugget.
The stone coping is surmounted by boxes of
plants, vines and mounds of moss. There
are tnbs and boxes with oleander, palms,
rubber plants, cacti, etc, A bower shelters
benches and tables, and will accommodate
forty or fifty people. It is made of wire-
work, which is covered with running vines.

A framework supports in the daytime a can-
vas awning. There are easy chairs and
swings and hammocks. According to the
Mail and Express several plans of projected
apartment houses for the West Side, which
were recently submitted to the Building Bu-
reau, provide for such gardens. 1 he tem-
perature on the particular roof above re-
ferred to is ten degrees cooler than on the
sidewalk. Nor is it surprising that when
real estate commands such high prices in the
city builders find it desirable, as an architect
says, “ to put the yard over the house instead

of behind it or at the side.”

It is said that on such a roof Isabella Urqu-
hart learned the solo that took her from the
chorus ranks; Hallcn conceived the idea of
“Later On,” and Percy Gaunt composed the
“now popular song, ‘Push Them Clouds
Away;’” hut even if these statements are
true, they should not be urged in objection
against the aerial garden. If comfort must
be joined with mental Improvement, our old
friend Thomas Gradgrind could drill the
children in the distances of the planets and
the Identification of constellations; lectures
might be given on humidity and the different
use; of the thermometer and the barometer;
or Carlyle's philosopher might hold dis-
course on the pettiness of the world beneath
and the grandeur of the eternal verities. All
roofs. It Is true, are not adapted to this sum-
mer use. The necessity of an adjustable or
a reversible house covering, which would I
protect in winter and enlarge the air in sum-
mer, might spur the invention of our archi-
tects and remove the reproach of coavcn-

The assassination of Mr. Page, a Philadel-
phia broker, is only one of th^many trage-
dies of the stock exchange. It appears from
the facts in the case that the broker had
tried in vain to persuade the assassin to close
his account and warned him against buying
certain stocks. But this species of gambling
is like dram-drinking. The speculator’s
losses finally turned his head and l^e thought
he saw in the broker the author of\ his self-
inflicted misfortunes. \

The performances at Bayreuth tills season
do not excite the customary interest. The
English newspapers, which in former years
criticised them at length, this year pay them
little or no attention. The cause of this
change is undoubtedly the greed of the
widow Wagner and her associates. The
N. Y. Tribune puts the matter iu a nutshell
when it says: “The fact is that unless there
is a prompt return to the traditions of the
early festivals, unless Bayreuth is made the
training school in which Wagner’s purposes
and methods shall be taught in obedience to
the laws laid down by him and understood
by the musicians— not as interpreted by
Madame Wagner — the festival will cease to
have a reason for existence outside of that
which is the motive of the showman.”

The case of the Rev. Edward Bean, who
was locked up on a charge of being drunk
and disorderly, when in fact he was sick
nigh unto death, is by no means an isolated
one. Policemen are not always endowed
with discrimination, and an epileptic fit or a
fainting spell is often to them aggravated
intoxication. The charge of drunkenness is
lightly made, and it is unfortunately so com-
mon that the policeman thinks but little of
it; to a sensitive man such public disgrace, ■
even though the error is corrected, is danger-
ous in physical results.

The organization of a company to work in
>u endeavor to recover sunken wealth brings
to the mind a chapter of forgotten history.

In' 1780 the frigate Hussar, with £900,000 on
board for the payment of British troops,
cried to pass through Hell Gate on her way
to New London. Off what is now East One
Hundred and Thirty-fifth street the ship ran
against a rock, and sank. In 1794 the English
Government attempted to find the lost
pounds, but it was prevented by our own
Government. The other day a New York
reporter put on a diver’s suit and struck the
deck of the Hussar. He found iron work,
broken crockery, bottles and the bones of
men. A dredge is now at work, and a silver
umbrella and one guinea have been recov-
ered. Whatever the result of this search
may be, the diggers of the hidden treasures
of Capt. Kidd will again he encouraged, and
they will see him by faith in li is “long, low,
black, rakish craft,” seeking along the coast
a convenient hiding place.

Mr. Gladstone has lost finally his patience,
and shown that he, too, is mortal. He can
endure with equanimity the taunts of politi-
cal adversaries, the charge of treason, the
inockings of polennsts and even the pain
arising from misdirected gingerbread. But
when an “ eager partisan ” indulged himself
in the odious familiarity of thumping the old
statesman on the back, Mr. Gladstone “ be-
trayed symptoms of nervousness and ordered
the coachman to 'drive off quickly.”

No verbal appeal, no written sermon in be-
half of the Fresh Air Fund, is as powerful as j
the sketch by Mr. Woolf in the last number
of Life. This drawing of grim pathos and |
heart-breaking intensity is peculiarly per- 1
tinent in these dread days of the slaughter of ,
the innocents.

<2"l J4 r

A growing evil.

At the annual Conference of Swiss Jour-
nalists assembled lately at Basel, a proposal
was made to carry on a war against “Natur-
alismus” in art, literature and the drama.

I A resolution was introduced and carried
unanimously to this effect: “ It is the most
serious duty of the pres.) to maintain an en-
I ergetic warfare against that aesthetic and
1 moral aberration which under the title of
‘ Naturalism ’ glories in the representation
of the mean and the degraded, of tho nasty
and tii% hideous. It is an object worthy of all
our efforts and powers to preserve for the i
Swiss people, pure and unspotted, their own j
old and eternally true ideal of the good and |

eautiful.” There was a discussion con-
ng the publication of the realistic am
ralistic details of crime “ under the form
ws.” One of the speakers advised a,
non self-denying ordinance of all tnc
.papers.” Another reminded Ins hear-
hnt “ the abstinence of the better sort o
aals would act as a temptation to some
ulator to supply the very matter which
omitted.’'

| Now tlie thoughtful person that realises
j tho enormous influence of the modern news-
paper. an influence that is, however, as often
subtle as it is direct, will praise the motives
of these foreign journalists, indorse their
resolution, and desire earnestly the imitation
of their example in this country. For the
newspaper is to many not onlj news, but
literature; to some it furnishes their only
reading matter; and, naturally, familiarity
with the details of crimes and executions
blunts the sensibilities of tho reader and
suggests a strange code of personal conduct.
But the shrewd manager of a newspaper,
who looks first of all to circulation and
insists on “hustling" as the first, the great-
est, and the last of journalistic com-
mandments, will smile at the Quixotic
declarations of the simple Swiss.

He would reply, if his opinion
were demanded, “A newspaper is not an
eleemosynary institution ; it is a machine for
making money. The successful manager
does not waste his time in attempts to re-
form mankind; it is his duty to please his pub-
lic, and the public at large demands the very
-details that the Swiss gentlemen condemn as
vulgar and immoral.”

Furthermore, this manager would point to
the fact that morbid or prurient curiosity is
not confined to tbc ignorant and the vicious.
Nor could his statement be contradicted with
success. It is a singular and deplorable
characteristic of human nature that an ac-
count of crime, even in most horrible form,
fascinates many men and women of gentle
lives. It is also true that graphic descrip-
tions of the abnormal and the monstrous,
of fatal accident or deed of brutality, spur
languid curiosity or change the first
feeling of repulsion into exaggerated interest.

It has been so from the beginning of the years.
Grave philosophers have indulged in morbid
and vain speculations. The Fathers of the
Church, as Saint Augustine in “ The City
of God,” have shown an unhallowed zeal in
prying into mysteries that are better left in
darkness. The first murder has excited
warm discussion concerning the weapon of
Cain ; some have argued gravely that inas-
much as Cain was a tiller of the soil he slew
Abel with a convenient tool; and Milton de- ,
clares confidently, as though he had wit- j
nessed the bloody deed, that Cain “ smote i
him into the midriff with a stone.” Nor in
the lapse of ages has mankind lost this curi-
osity.

A newspaper, however, can state the fact
that a prize fight took place and it can name
the winner, without animated descriptions of
“human chopping blocks” and reproduc-
tions of the brutal scene. If a murder is
committed, it is not necessary to paint tlie
red detail with Flemish fidelity. If there is
stealing by a well-known townsman, it is
indecent to invade the household of the thief
and take pen sketches of the innocent
women of the family. A newspaper worthy
of the name should not be merely one long
continued detective story ; it should not bA a
daily Newgate Calendar. The old idea that 1
it should make for the public good still pre-
vails in the minds of conscientious editors,
and thoughtful readers. The newspaper that'
panders deliberately to low tastes, which
should be repressed, not only injures society i
as a whole ; it is tlie encourager and abettor •
of crimes to be committed.

The abomination of desolation known as
the London music hall is comparatively un-
known to us, and it is to be regretted that
Mr. Rudolph Aronson proposes to turn the
New York Casino into the favorite lounging
place of the London “Arry,” and cheap
swell. It was only a year ago that Mr. Aron-
son announced his intention to make the
Casino a temple of art for the benefit of mu-
sic and the restoration of operetta worthy
the name.

The bravery displayed by the unfortunate
Englishman and American who met a terri-
ble death in attempting to reach tlie highest
crater of a Mexican volcano, is the bravado of
betters, not true courage. The tragedy is a
modem illustration of “Excelsior,” the pop-
ular poem, in which a young man with a ban-
ner perishes without reason and without pos-
sible benefit to humanity.

Inventors of jests have spoken ironically of
fme “thinking parts” for the benefit of
actors and actresses of mediocrity. The
younger Salviui has turned this jest into
serious fact. The new play “Rohan the
bilent ” is a one-act piece of an hour, and
although Salvini is on the stage nearly all
that time, he does not speak until just before
the fall of the curtain. Not that this silence
is a new idea. There is the Lone Fisherman ;
there is tlie silent partner in “ Pounce : ” and
in one of Offenbach’s operettas a chorus of
mutes goes through the motions of singing,
but there is no speech until the refrain “For
we, you see, are dumb.” ,

The "Russian Government has accepted
Baron Hirsch’s proposition to lead 5,500,000j
Jews from Russia to (new homos in foreign
lands within twenty-five years. This year
there are to be only 21,000 of these emi-
grants, hut favorable concessions have been
ruado to all those that wait their turn.

The check for 8923.788, given by the city of
New Orleans to the administrator of the
Myra Clark Gaines estate is the colophon
of the final chapter of a thrilling and almost
incredible romance. The brave woman who,
in the fneo of discouragement and rebuff, per-
severed and showed the faith of inventors
and martyrs, died about seven years ago, and
her reward is posthumous. She, however, had
the satisfaction before her ending of know-
ing that the Supreme Court of the United
States proclaimed the righteousness of her
cause.

Sucli addresses as tho one delivered by
Miss Alice Stone before the Woman’s Club
at Chautauqua on the care of the sick room
are valuable. She explained the proper
arrangement, furniture, cleaning, warming, i
ventilation and the care of the bed and the '
bedding. It is a sad fact that to the sick :
man of means, the hospital ward is often
more comfortable than his own room, and
the nervousness and the iuexperience of the
loved ones of his family contribute to the
danger of the case, so that he is intrusted to
strangers.

The frequenters of restaurants who are
disquieted by the growth of the habit of
feeing waiters might imitate the example of
the American that died the other day at
Florence. He would not tip, but he left
waiters and hackmen a substantial sum by
will. The gratitude of the waiter, which is
a lively sense of favors to come, would thus
be prompted during the life of the testator.
And after death, in this country, where wills
ire so often made only to be broken, the
heirs-at-law might easily maintain their
interests, or at least arrive at a compromise.

The Anarchists in New York are calling
each other names, and are divided evidently
in purpose. Emma Goldman, in her violent
attack on John Most, dubs him “coward,
liar, dissimulator, and at the same time a
vvashrag.’’ Few will dispute the accuracy of
this mental analysis, although the term
“washrag” leaves much to the imagination.
The only really good word for Most is the
crowning reproach of Miss Emma, “that he
has often said he would rather be a Carl
Schurz than John Most”— a speech that
hints at possible repentance.

The French cigarette maker has the ad-
vantage over the consumer of her wares.
The Government appointed a commission to
investigate the effect of the process of manu-
facture on the health of the employes, and
the commission reported that the making
was much more wholesome than the smoking
of them. After some years’ service these
girls are assured a pension, and if they suffer
by illness or accident they get the pension
before the appointed time. A girl turns out
8000 cigarettes in a regulation pile, and in
one factory in Paris 1,500,000 cigarettes are i
made in a day.

It is now claimed that the poisoning at
Salisbury Beach was due to the impurity of
the well water. There is too often criminal
carelessness in the choice and the care of
wells at sea side resorts and on country
fftrms. No pains are taken to prevent pollu-
tion ; the old oaken bucket sung by the poet
then becomes the covenient weapon of
death ; and the cool and sparkling draught
of Nature is as fatal as the wine of the
Borgias.

It is reported that a surgeon in Munich
has performed the difficult operation of ex-
tirpation of the spleen. If the wisdom of
the ancients prevailed to-day, the patient
would henceforth he free from melancholy ;
but this mysterious organ is now chiefly
valuable as material for the speculations of
evolutionists, and certain theorists regard it
as the cheap bequest of the immediate pre-
decessor of man.

The real brutality of the Russian nature,
which is revealed when the veneer of its
chromo-civilization is scratched, is put in
strongest light by a recent order of Mr.
Nechayeff-Maltzeff, the Chamberlain of the
Czar. A firm in Paris is building for him a
pianoforte of unusual dimensions. It will
stand on six legs, and the sound will be at
least three times as strong as that of an ordi-
nary instrument. This ingenious machine
of torture will cost about $ 10 , 000 .

A PIONEER OP M r.TlIODISIl.

An old man is living in the town of Plain-
field, III. His name is Stephen R. Beggs,
and lie is over ninety-one years of age. In
his younger days lie was a friend of Jesse ]
Walker, who was to the early Methodist '
Church of the West what Daniel Boone was J
to the early settlers, “ always first, always
ahead of everybody else, preceding all others
long enough to ho a pilot to the newcomers.”
The sixtieth anniversary of Methodism was
celebrated last week In Chicago, and
“ Father ” Beggs, who was the organizer of
the First Methodist Church in Chicago, 1832,
spoke from the pulpit. “ This is a great age
for relics,” said the aged man ; and, indeed,
his recollections sound to the cars of the
younger generation of the East as tales told
by travelers who have seen strange lands.

He was born in Virginia in 1801 and his
parents moved, when he was a little boy, to
an Indiana farm. The neighbors were Shaw-
nee Indians, and massacres were not uncom-
mon. Education was found in a log school
house with windows of greased paper. There
was one short winter term ; the text book
was Dilworth’s Spelling Book. The boy was
born of religious parents, and he began to
preach when he was about 10 years old. He
was admitted to the Missouri Conference and
he became a circuit rider. He preached
every day except Blue Monday at points from
18 to 20 miles apart. His clothes were coarse
and full of holes. “I used to let the holes re-
main, because the holes lasted longer than
patches.” The women once pitied him and
they carded, spun and wove him a suit of
jeanj, which “hung on.” Once he rode
about in a calico morning gown. His pay the
first year was $33 : the second, $20. “I had
two qualifications for a Methodist preacher,”
said Father Beggs. “ I had a back for every
man’s bed and a stomach for every woman’s
victuals. We had no dyspepsia iii those
days.”

He preached in Chicago in 1831, and his
claim of being the first Methodist preacher in
that city has not. been contradicted. He was
married in the same year, when he was called ;
“the handsomest man in Chicago.’’ He 1
made a journey of 800 miles to show his bride
to his father. Her trunk was an old-fash-
ioned pocket handkerchief. The rain fell on |
them ; they forded swollen creeks, and one ;
time they rode twenty miles in their soaked
clothes. “ I don’t wonder the angels took her |
home,” said the second wife, who now com- I
forts the old man. j

When he first went to Chicago there were
no sidewalks, street lights or streets. The
water of the river contained “ three ague
shakes to every pint.” He lived at the fort,
and the night before his babe was born the
fort was struck by lightning. He adminis-
tered tlie sacrament in a log cabin. The
communion table was an old tool chest ; the
cabin was used alternately as a parlor, a
school room, a sitting room, a kitchen and a
bedroom. At the conferences they ate hog
meat. When the Black Hawk war broke out
and Scott sailed over the lake and fired his
cannon women grabbed their children and
ran for miles into the open country.

To-day there are 107 Methodist organiza-
tions in Chicago. The total membership of
the first society was 7 ; there are now 17,169
members of the Methodist Church. There
are colleges and newspapers and a book de-
pository, which are engaged actively in
Christian work. The man who was the first
in the field now lives in sweet aud simple re-
tirement in an Illinois village. Peter Cart-
wright said of him: “That man Beggs has

enough stub and twist in him to make two
archangels and one of another kind;” yet he
was not of a sternly aggressive nature. It
was hinted last week by a Chicago writer
that the secret of Fathpr Beggs’s success was
his good humor, as well as his true humility.
Good humor has undoubtedly saved his
youth, for young he is to-day in all save
years.

Epigrams and anecdotes are not only of an
adjustable nature, fitted to all persons and
occasions; they have their periods of appear-
ance and disappearance, like the brilliant
comets of thesky, Lord Randolph Churchill
is now referred to as “a man with a brilliant
future behind him ;” but this biting speech
came years ago from the mouth of Heine,
when Alfred de Musset was under considera-
tion.

It is a pleasure to note that the art exhibi-
tion in Allen street, New'York, for the ben-
efit of the tenement-house population on the
East Side lias proved such a success that it
will he kept open at least several weeks
longer than was at first intended. As many
as 1200 people have been seen in the gallery
of an evening, and the liveliest interest lias
been shown in the study of the paintings of
value which have been loaned by generous
owners.

The accident by' which Mr. Robbins of
Springfield lost his lllo is the latest of this
season in the European roll of unusual
length. Tlie tourist in foreign lands is pro-
tected carefully by rules and regulations
against his own carelessness so far as rail-
way tracks and steamboat landings arc con-
cerned; but there is no police control over
the caprices of glacier or avalanche, and
such an accident as that by which Mr. Rob-
bins was killed Is generally the treachery of
Nature, not to he anticipated, not to he pre-
vented.

the proprietors of cabs and busses in Lon-
don protest against the introduction of as-
phalt pavemonts, on the ground that horses
would suffer thereby. It is said in reply that
if the French horse-shoe were used there
would be little danger of accidents from slip-
ping. Unfortunately for this plausible de-
fence, horses shod with these shoes slip con-
stantly on the asphalt pavements of Paris,

Poor old “ Billy ” McGarrahan was the rich
man of a day; for the Presidential veto fol-
lowed closely the passing of the bill that was
for his relief. It should be observed that
President Harrison does not deny that the
claimant is entitled to compensation ; but ho
is of the opinion that the burden should not
fail wholly on the Government. The real
remedy would therefore seem to be in a re-
vision of the bill itself.

The disclosure of the fact that rum in great
quantity is shipped to Africa for the demor-
alization of the natives was a severe shock to
the philanthropist. It seems that these sav-
ages are to suffer further corruption, for Mr.
Edwin Cleary proposes to give “comic
opera” along their coast and in the interior.
A few years ago a French operetta company
traveled in Western Asia and met witli sing-
ular adventures. The 'repertoire of Mr.
Cleary is not yet known but it will doubtless
include “A Trip to Africa.”

That terrible chapter in the history of New
England, the tragedy of witchcraft, was
brought vividlj' to mind yesterday by the
commemoratory exercifts held at Danvers,
and by the dedication of a tablet to the
grateful remembrance of the faithful friends
that believed in the innocence of Rebecca
Nurse. And yet the delusion that led to the
hanging of guiltless men and woman was by
no means confined to the superstitious and the
fanatics of New England. It was enter-
tained universally on the European conti-
nent; and in England we find the gentle and
learned Sir Thomas Browne testifying
against alleged witches, and Sir Matthew
Hale, a pillar of justice, sentencing the poor
wretches to death.

If the riding of bffiycles brings health to
many and fame to some, there are also at-
tendant discomforts aud anuoyances. A cit-
izen of Southport, Conn., was arrested lately
at Fairfield for “vain sport and recreation,
by then and there riding about said town
upon a certain vehicle, known as a bicycle,
to tlie great disturbance of the good people of
the State.” There is a species of throat
disease known as “bicycle throat,” pro-
duced by continued riding, and the symp-
toms are dryness, irritation and inflamma-
tion of the throat and larynx.

/ -

MR. llKSANT AS JEKEMIAH.

There was a time when tlie successful au-
thor was regarded with wonder, as though
lie were the one favored child of tlie skv. It
was supposed commonly that the poet
caught the measures of tlie skylark ; that
the plot of a novel came suddenly, in the
night watches, to the restless inventor; that
the thought of the essayist sprang, clothed in
shining raiment, from the fertile brain. The
literary man was born, not made; he wrote
only under the influence of inspiration ;
hunger and dissipation were the nourishers
of thought; his personal appearance pro-
claimed his calling; his debts were counted
a glory; his irregularities were expected ; his
crimes were pardoned.

To-day literature is a trade, and the men
and women that engage in it are not required
to serve an apprenticeship. The novelist
works a certain number of hours a day, or
turns out so many pages of copy. His writ-
ing is to him a sober and necessary employ-
ment, as Is tlie making of a pair of boots to
the shoemaker, or the plowing of a field to a
farmer. Trollope hears a clubman complain
of one of his characters, and the next day he
kills her. The poet no longer invokes the
aid of the Muse, and he prefers a comfort-
able room and a rigid regularity of meals to
a garret and a gnawing stomach. The essa}--
ist borrows an idea from a living or a dead
friend, and spins out an article of the con-
ventional length. In former days the author
existed solely for the interpretation of Nature
and Humanity to his fellows. Now the phe-
nomena of nature, the history of tlie race
and the heart of man serve only as material
for the business purposes of the author.

Now, as then, the greater number of us
feel an interest in famous writers. \Js Alex-
ander smith phrased it nearly thirty years
"ago, “ We like to read about thorn, to know
what they said on this or the other occasion,
wbat sort of house they inhabited, what
fashion of dress thev wore, if they liked any
particular dish for dinner, what kind of
women they fell in love with and whether
their domestic atmosphere was stormy or the
reverse.” To l>e sure, this is not new a “ pe-
culiar interest." as it was when Smith wrote:

the prize fighter, the millionaire and the
skirt dancer share this species of adoration
with the poet and the novelist. When
Walter Besnnt writes of the advantages and
the disadvantages of his calling many will
read his opinions. And many will bo dis-
appointed, for there is in his article in the
Forum of August little that will gratify
curiosity and nothing that will serve the re-
tailer of agreeable gossip : the article is a
complaint that once or twice is dangerously
near a whine.

It must be remembered, however, that Mr.
Besnnt confines his remarks to the condition
of the literary men in England. Hefindsthere
few or no encouragements to the literary
life: “of outside encouragement, none, none,
none.” There is no academy, as in France,
to maintain literature on the same level as
other liberal professions. “Every man man-
ages his own affairs for himself as best he
can; that is to say, he cannot manage them
at all.” He is to the publisher as “a mendi-
cant dependent on the doles of his master.”
The literary profession has no central college
or institute that might regulate the business
management. “No worker in the world, not
even the needlewoman, is more helpless,
more ignorant, more cruelly sweated than
the author.” There is a national contempt
for the men that write; they are not
invited as literary men to national
functions; they are not asked to assist in the
unveiling of busts of departed brethren; they
are not, with one lonely exception, admitted
to the peerage, and thus they are rated pub-
licly below the brewers. “The most remark-
nble point in the Victorian age will probably
be the fact that the men who made the
greatest glory of the age— the men of science
and of literature— received no honor, no
recognition, no encouragement, from the
advisers of the Victorian court. They have
been absolutely neglected.”

Then there is the question of dollars. The
number of men that live by the production
of original work, apart from journalism, is
comparatively small. “Half a dozen dram-
atists; about a hundred novelists; a few
successful writers of educational books, and
a few publishers’ hacks.” At the same time,
Mr. Besant claims that there are over fifty
novelists in America and Great Britain
whose income from the literary calling
amounts to more than a thousand pounds a
year. But there are few that can afford to
live by writing.

The encouragements are “the joy of it;’’
“the honor of success,” as it is seen in the
profound popular admiration for the man
that has succeeded. Mr. Besant thinks these
encouragements are powerful enough per-
haps to counterbalance all the discourage-
ments; and he believes the discouragements
may be remedied by “men and women of let-
ters acting together as a company, a guild, a
profession, an association.” But the many
discouragements spoken of by Alexander
Smith are unnoticed by Mr. Besant, although
they are not peculiar to Great Britain. It is
possible that they would seem trifles to the
ingenious novelist; and yet “trilies make up
the happiness or the misery of mortal life.”

The objection of officers and men to the
baptism of a ship by a married woman may-
be a silly superstition, but such whims of
sea-faring men may well be tolerated. Steam
and steel have destroyed the romance of
maritime life, and if the sailor were now
deprived of the enjoyment of his pet super-
stitions, he would feel himself aland lubber,
and no longer the superior of stoker and
marine. _

Although the failure of the plan to secure
the Althorp Library for the United States
may awake disappointment it is a relief to
know that thi- remarkable collection will be \
preserved intact, and will be devoted to pub-
lic use. The dismemberment of a great li-
brary and the pillaging by selfish collectors,
who value books only for the sake of rarity,
is to the advocate of broad and liberal edu-
cation as sheer vandalism as was the burn-
ing of the libraries of Alexandria and
Heidelberg.

It appears that Hugh O’Donnell, who w ars
iately earning SlfiO a month, was originally a
scrap sweeper in the, employ of the company
with whom he is now at war, and at the be-
ginning he welcomed the thought of 07 cents
\ day. The very conditions with which he
finds fault enabled hlrn to lead a comfortable
life at borne, enlivened oy thoughts of sea-
side vacation*. ' — ■

The people of this city may take ni melan-
choly and selfish pleasure in reading of the
suffering of other citizens during the late
hot weather. The death rate of last week in
Baltimore, for example, was unparalleled In
the history of that town. There was a total
of 457, against 207 in the corresponding week
of f»i, and of this total 224 were under five
years. Our east wind may bo rude and even
dangerous at times, but in the dog-days it is
a thing of mercy and a positive salvation.

Jamaica ginger is not the only refuge of
dipsomaniacs when they cannot get whisky
or other familiar aids to intoxication. Bay
rum, burning fluids, cologne and any prepar-
ation for household use that spurs for
a moment the stomach or fires the brain are i
sought eagerly by the diseased. As long as
personal liberty is allowed, the victim of al- 1
coholism will find poison in that which is
apparently harmless and invent singular
ways of self-gratification.

The hot weather is favorable to the discov-
ery of serpents of all descriptions. The sea
serpent was seen lately in Lake Ontario, and
when a bold man beat it on the head with an
oar, “ it disappeared with a hiss like that
made by a buzz saw.” The passengers of the
Trinacria, and among them were thirty howl-
ing dervishes “ who will illustrate the faith
of Mohammed at the World’s Fair,” saw a
fiery snake ‘in the sky which sported for
three-quarters of an hour, while the barome-
ter went down, the wind died away, and there j
was a slight shock to the vessel. And now
Dr. Scoville has discovered and identified a
mound snake 1900 feet long near Lebanon, 0.,

“ on the old Stubs farm.”

The career of the late Lord Sherbrooke, more
familiarly known as Robert Lowe, was a re-
markable exhibition of the triumph of mind |
aver physical infirmities, and parallel in cer- |
tain directions to the public life of Henry
Fawcett, although the useful period of its
duration was shorter. Lord Sherbrooke was
an albino and nearly blind, and yet he won
the chief prizes at Oxford, made a fortune in
eight years in Australia, and seven years
after bis entrance into Parliament he el-
bowed his way into the ministry. But his
brilliancy was dulled by admission to the
peerage, and in his later years his mind
seemed as clouded as his eyesight.

The travels of Prince Bismarck are a mel-
ancholy close to an epoch-making life.
Kiugs once stood before him and listened to
his commands ; now he pours out his woes to
students as he drinks beer with them. The
organizer of the perfect system of govern-
ment by bureaucracy now urges his country-
men to prevent such government. The vet-
eran recounts his former deeds, nor realizes
that lie lags superfluous on his country’s
stage.

It seems hardly possible that Queen Vic-
toria will carry her feelings of personal re-
sentment so far as to create a public scandal
by attempting to avoid the necessity of send-
ing for Air. Gladstone to form a new govern-
ment. Her bitterness rests on personal
rather than political grounds, and it Is of^
long standing. The Queen is after all a
woman, and as she feels that she was once
slighted by the Liberal leader, female spite
may lead to royal indiscretion. But her ad-
visers know the temper of the people of
England, and they would not permit such an
exhibition of petty revenge. Still, the aged
man may he obliged to journey to Balmoral ;
and tho result will be worth the labor of the j
trip.

2_- f

■v

FERrLEXISO STATISTICS.

The history of murder in its infinite va-
riety is not only a delight to morbid readers
and a prick to the grim fancy of a De
Quincey ; it is a necessary text book to the
student of sociology, the maker of flaws and
the philanthropist. The murderer is no
longer considered merely as a dangerous
animal who sees everything red; iie is now
the subject of peculiar study and scientific
Investigation. Hereditary influen es, physi-
cal formation, local surrounding s are ex-
amined carefully. The child’s thumb may
point in innocent days as an index finger to
future homicide. A special diet mky fire the
blood. Physical and inevitable changes may
turn a sane human being into a riging ani-
mal. Mental disturbances ari?of suddenly
and defy examination and classification.
And so we bear much from French, Italian
and German men of science concerning the
disease murder: nor is it surprising that
amiable men and women wax sentimental in
accepting a theory as a fact, deplore rude and
tragic punishments and believe in agentlcand
educational restraint that would restore the
murderer to the society which lie lias robbed
of a life. Statistics concerning murder are,
then, of value, although they are often in-
complete, perplexing, or aids to inconse-
; quential or dangerous reasoning. _

i The recent bulletin of tlin’.G'ensiis Bureau i
! shows that on the 30th of June, 1890, there were
1 in the prisons of the United States 7380 per- ]

sons charged with the crime of homicide. 1

With the omission of doubles, there were
0958 men and 393 women; 4425 were white,
2739 were negroes, and there were 94 Chi-
nese, 1 Japanese and 92 Indians. Of the 393
women, 233 were imprisoned in the Southern
States, and 201 were negroes. The question
of native and foreign parentage was consid-
ered, and without any definite result ns far as
national tendency to homicide is concerned;
but 329 could not speak the English language.
Arizona seemed the favorite dwelling place
of murderers, for there was a proportion of
900 to each million; then came Nevada with
896. Massachusetts had only 38 to eaeli
million, and was surpassed by Delaware with
30. It must bo remembered that criminals
arc fond of roaming about, and 801 killed in
States in which they did not reside.

It is believed commonly that the predomi-
nating causes of murder are intemperance
and ignorance- Tho figures of this bulletin
are likely to provoke animated discussion.
A great number of these criminals were not
without education. Two thousand four hun-
dred and fifty-seven could neither read nor
write, bid 1553 of the illiterate were negroes.
Tlie illiterates were 13 per cent, in the East
and 12 per cent, in the West. Seventy of the
murderers had been to college, 108 to high
schools, 11 to medical schools, two to scien-
tific schools and one to a law school. One
thousand two hundred and sixty-seven were
habitual drunkards, but, on the other hand,
1282 were total abstainer^. It appears from
these statistics that idleness and ignorance
of a trade are surer guides to this crime than
inability to read or the habit of drunken-
ness, but it would be foolish to build an
argument on such premises. So, too, would
it be vain to draw a definite conclusion from
the marital relations of the men and the
women in prison. There were 3015 who

were never married ; 2715 were married, and
703 were widowed. It is a valuable fact,
however, to know that although only 1225
were idle at the time of arrest, 5175 of the
6938 men had no trade.

Certain contemporaries have commented
on the great increase in crime, and particu-
larly murder, in this country in the last dec-
ade; and they point to the increase of 27.17
per cent, in the number of homicides in the
years from 1880 to 1890; but the number of
murderers in prison is not necessarily in pro-
portion with the general population and many
numbered in 1890 were also counted in 1880,
for certain States have abolished the death
penalty, and in Kansas the date of an execu-
tion rests with the Governor.

Theories concerning the causes of the
crime, its possible prevention, and the
remedy best fitted to our present social con-
dition may bo evolved from such statistics,
but tho scientific treatment of the subject
will not be based on such generalizations. It
does not follow from these figures that total
abstinence is a characteristic of a murderer,
or that a collegiate education is likely to he
crowned by homicide. At the same time it is
idle to claim that education pure and simple,
without any cultivation of the moral sense
or fostering of religious instincts, will of
itself be a check rein to the passions of man-
kind. ‘

The congestion of baggage rooms and the
crowding and the delay of trains of yester-
day, were due to the fact that August 1st is
to nmny an inexorable day of departure, not
to be turned into a movable feast by change
of weather or business complications. There
is a prevalent idea that the first of this month
is fatal to the dwellers in cities, and men and
women flee the town as thougli it were
plague-stricken. This regulation of life by
the calendar is seen at other times and in
other ways. There are estimable people,
for instance, who don light flannels the first
of May and heavy underwear the first of
November, although Nature laughs at their
system of “domestic economy.” And
although they suffer they find consolation in
the thought of a regular habit.

Theatrical managers are just now under
the suspicion of the law, and it is not im-
probable that they will be subject to the
dictation of unions. There is an attempt in
New York State to protect members of
“barn-storming” companies against courage-
ous and impecunious managers and to insure
payment of salaries. Then the members of
theatrical protective unions, composed of
carpenters, gas men, property men and stage
hands, held a convention yesterday in New
York, • 1 agreed in fixing a scale of wages.

And , c here in Boston it appears that the
grant.ngof a license depends on a promise
to keep the stage free from “gagging” of
Aldermen and other city authorities. I .
will soon he in order for theatre goers to .
combine in self-defence against sensational
playwrights and the inventors of “comic
opera.” I

The German! sj are not unwilling to lonrn
from the experience of remote nations. The
great battles ofjour Civil AVar were studied
by their officers with protit, and the lato
experiment of bicycle courier service be-
tween Chicago And New York taught them
an object lesson! that they imitated quickly.
A rider started the other day from the Bran-
denburger Thoii Berlin, with a dispatch to
be delivered to llie garrisou commander at
Cologne, and relay couriers were in readi-
ness at regular intervals along the route.

A correspondent calls attention to the
slanderous natufe of a paragraph now in cir-
culation concerning Matthew Thornton, the
third signer of the Declaration of Independ-
ence. The statement has been made that
after the signing he repented, becamo “an
English sympathiser,” was put in prison,
and was only released by means of Masonic
influence. A correction of this statement! ap-
peared lately in the Salem Register. ' Dr.
Thornton, it seems, never wavered in his
patriotism. He was not forced to live on
English soil, as lias been alleged ; in 1770 lie
removed to Exeter, and the following year lie
bought the Sutvvyclie farm on the banks of
the Merrimac. Ho died at Newburyport,
ripe in years and honor, in 1803. His grave
near Thornton's Ferry, N. H., is covered by
a white marble slab, inscribed with his name
and age, and the epitaph, “An Honest Man.”
In 1887 the Legislature of New Hampshire
voted $1000 for a monument to be placed
over his grave. In these days when there is
a general whitewashing of suspicious char-
acters of the past; such an attempt to blacken
the memory of a patriot is singular.

The formation of the great sealskin com-
bination known as the George C. Treadwell
Company, which by arrangement with the
Victoria sealers may take from London dyers
and finishers a trade which has been theirs
exclusively, brings to mind the simple life of
the man whose name is used in the title.
About sixty years ago Mr. Treadwell, who
was of a Connecticut family, invented the
dye named after him, and which gave him a
world-wide reputation; the formula was
kept a profound secret in spite of the at-
tempts of rivals to discover it by honest and
dishonest means. Although lie died in Al-
bany a rich man, liis life was simple to the
point of sternness. His house was governed
by old New England rules that seem to have
been imported from Sparta. His one thought
was his business; outside of that he took no
pleasure, and he had but a slight interest in
the ordinary affairs or innocent pleasures of
humanity. The conduct of the Hudson Bay
Company in closing certain posts was due to
lower prices received for bear and beaver
gkins. There seems to be no decline in the
demand for sealskin.

This is undoubtedly a country of free
speech, but it is a grave question whether
such outrageous harangues as the shrieks of
the New York Anarchists against the law
and public decency should be allowed. There
is danger of magnifying the importance of
the opinions of such men as Lum and Pen-
kert if the police interfere and turn the
blatant orators into martyrs. On the other
hand these speeches may be to the half-
crazed and vicious immigrant as the match
to the powder keg. Fortunately there is an
element of the grotesque in all these meet-
ings, and when Mr. Dyer Lum, in speaking of
“The Hero of Pittsburg,’’ declares that
“When a man like him decides that he is ready
to leave the world and to take a respectable
Christian witli him he does right ” he excites
chiefly ridicule, mingled with contempt.

The sad death of a Boston man who
fell dead in Gloucester while hurrying to
catch an outward bound train may remind
the nervous and those disposed to affections
of the throat, lungs and heart of
the value of time. This time is val-
uable not in the sense of money
but of health. It is safer and wiser to allow
a few minutes leeway in the pursuit of trains
and street cars than to incur certain discom-
fort and possible accident by the mad rush so
characteristic of the American people.

Our managers of theatres might follow
with advantage a custom of their Mexican
brethren. In many theatres of Mexico the
acts of a play are charged for separately.
The spectator pays for the first act when he
1 takes his seat. After the fall of the cur-
tain a collector appears and asks payment
for the second act. If the spectator is dis-
satisfied or devoid of curiosity lie leaves the
theatre; if he wishes to follow the plot or is
pleased with the antics of the low cornel - « ,

he pays the second installment. The in. .
duction of this custom would undoubtedly
spur tlie playwright and the actor. The
c-ritir might then measure easily the merits
of the performance by counting the audience
after each act, but he would be obliged to re-
main until the close that he might “ verify
his suspicions.”

Chicago is alivo to the danger of its street
crossings, and calls loudly for an elevation
of railway tracks.- And not without reason ;
for within the last six months one hundred
and fifty were killed and four hundred ami
I tiftv were maimed for life.

THE WAIt AGAINST O.IGS.

It would appear from the recent action of
the Board of Aldermen in refusing a license
to a theatre unless the managor agreed to
protect the authorities against jests and gags
which might offend Aldermanic dignity that
Boston, as well as London, is to be provided
with a public censorship in dramatic matters.
It will be remembered that some time ago
the Aldermen of this city passed solemn
judgment on the alleged immorality of a play
produced at one of our theatres ; but the cases
are not parallel. Then there was a ques-
tion of an alleged offence against public
morals ; now it is a matter of official sensitive-
ness. The Alderman is fond of going to the
theatre. Of a social disposition, he takes his
friends, and while lie thus sublets the hos-
pitality of the manager he cannot brook the 1
dull or pointed joke of a comedian sug-
gested by the management of civic affairs
or the personal peculiarities of the city
fathers. He therefore tries to compel the
manager to prevent the use of the Aider-
manic body as a target. The manager may
say that ho cannot be held, responsible for
the written lines or the impromptu gags
spoken by members of a company over which
he has no control, as long as decency is pre-
served ; but this defence is not admitted. As
Alderman Sullivan puts it:

Ihe committee have made the managers
agree to the proposition simply because they be-
lieve that ill-timed and cheap gags founded on
nothing and directed toward a representative
body do much harm and have an effect of lower-
ing the dignity and casting uncalled-for reflec-
tions. Other cities have this provision in all
permits granted to theatres, and become places
the delivery pf a gag involving thefiame of'any
city official is punished by a fine of $50.. Why.
in Portsmouth. N. H., there is a law against it.”
There are classical precedents for such
censorship. According to the ingenious
Suetonius, Caligula was a zealous reformer
of the stage, a man after the heart of Jeremy
Collier. He was in the habit of ordering the
ov eiseer of the spectacles to be scourged in
fetters, during several days' successively, in
his own presence. He burned alive, in the
centre of the arena of the amphitheatre, the
writer of a farce “ for some witty verse,
which had a double meaning.” Unfor-
tunately we are left in ignorance of the
precise nature of this ancient gag, but with-
out doubt it reflected bitterly on the admin-
istration of Caligula. And the books are
i ull of instances of the loving care exercised
by the rulers of antiquity in the manage-
ment of theatrical matters.

The Aldermen are no doubt disgusted at the
impertinence and the incongruity of the
gag, and their sesthetical taste is naturally
offended. They go, for instance, to a “comic
opera,” in which the scene is laid in the
court of Louis XIV. The jester is not con-
tent with consistent fooling ; at the request
of the Cardinal he sings a topical song and
seizes the opportunity to indulge himself in
anachronisms. He alludes to base ball,

| Poker and the achievements of the AYestEnd
Street Railway Company. It is true that
the wretched comedian is encouraged by the
thoughtless audience, although the applause
may be the expression of future hope rather
than past or present satisfaction. But an
Alderman of Boston is not so easily tickled.
His sense of historical perspective is out-
raged ; lie does not wish to censure indirectly
the ignorance of the audience, and so lie puts
his complaint on personal grounds, and is
unwilling to set himself above liis fellow-
townsmen, as his office is often a local acci-
dent.

Or the Alderman knows the past history of
the stage and remembers how Aristophanes 1
lashed the yard politicians of his day; he
calls to mind the influence of Beaumarchais
on the Frenchmen ripe for revolution. The
comedian is to him a traditional foe. No
wonder that he longs to cut his claws.

For the statement of Alderman Sullivan
must be regarded as merely a pretence, a
subterfuge. It is true that Cleopatra and
Henry Irving objected to counterfeit pre-
sentments on tile mimic stage; but the Sen-
ators at AVashington sit undisturbed when
Iago taunts Brabantio with liis office. Nor
did Dogberry object to the public record of
the opprobrious epithets applied to him. Our
Aldermen are either eon servers of art, or
they know the disastrous effects of a gag
when it is used in undermining social and
political fabrics.

The comparatively close proximity of
Mars interests not only tile astronomer who
hunts for snow mountains and canals; it ex-
cites the mind of the astrologer. AVo are re-
minded that the Homestead riots are syn-
chronous with tills approach; that in years
ago, when Mars was also near us, thorn wero
riots in Pittsburg; 13 years before was the
year of Manassas, and 15 years before that
the battle of Chcrubuseo was fought. The
astrologer does not mention the fact that
more bloody events were remarked when
Mars seomed to avoid us.

ne irom soreness and tickling of the throat
will be of interest to all specialists. During
the day lie drank a little beer. AVhen lie be-
gan to speak lie called for hot beef tea, as it
is a mild and non-intoxicating liquid warm
and soothing to the throat.” As he an
proached his peroration he sipped whisky
that lie might modulate his voice more effect-
ively. Butin insisting on tho list of these
medical prescriptions, Mr. AVatson has shown i
surely personal feeling rather than a devour- I
mg zeal for the dignity of the House or the I
public welfare.

Whiie the Southern Democrats, aided by
e New York Sun, are fighting against the
proposed contribution to the AYorld’s Fair
the people of Chicago may consider with ad-
vantage the public spirit of the people of
uelva and Palos, who now pay tribute to
Columbus and his crew and wish it under-
stood that they, the descendants of the
manners, are doing it, not Spain. At the
| same time the Spanish Government is inter-
ested in the memorial services, the artillery
salutes, the aquatic processions, the waving
of banners and the braying of brass bands,
j and in short, the general and particular
junketing ; and it offers its aid.

The “young man at Berlin,” who is such a
thorn in Bismark’s side, has sailed his yacht
n tlie race at Cowes. Certain contenipor-
anes argue gravely that his purpose in so
doing is to give an impetus to yachting in
German waters, and to thus fire the maritime
spirit of Germany. It is barely possible
however, that the Emperor is fond of the
sport and wishes to crow over his relations
by marriage. At the same time yachting is
fast becoming a fashionable amusement
aloDg the coast of Germany, and the amuse-
ment is an education for sterner maritime
affairs.

The report that the tall, thin girl is the
mistress of fashion this season is contradict-
ed by the story that comes from Maine. The
Mayor of St. John’s has received a letter
from a farmer of that State who says that he
wishes to aid a sufferer by the fire. He will
pay “ a female help ” good wages, and when
lie knows her well he will marry her “if
agreeable.” But she must be " plump” and

not under 150 pounds in weight. Then the
writer adds : “ Two persons may thereby be
made com fortable and happy.”

Honors often wear singular disguises, as
when Mascagni, the composer, is appointed I
to the Committee of Management of Hos-
pitals by the Municipal Council of Leghorn I
It was thought perhaps that the musician |
who in his “Cavalleria Rusticana” has
so shown his ability to fret the nerves might
be of service in the diagnosis of neurotic |
cases.-

The rruscees oi r'uouc reservations nave
been chartered by the Commonwealth to pro-
vide the admirers of any beautiful or historical
spot in this State “with a ready instrument
for making that spot a reservation and for
insuring its perpetual care.” Owners of
beaches, bluffs, bill tops, ravines, groves,
river banks or roadsides, are thus enabled to
benefit the public and themselves; for such
places properly cared for enhance the value
of adjaeent real estate as well as beautify
the neighborhood. The giver of land or the
contributor of money for this purpose may
be a “Founder, Life Associate or Contrib-
utor,” according to the extent of liis gift.
At present there are two Founders, twenty
Life Associates and two hundred Contribu-
tors enrolled. A copy of the Trustees’ re-
port will be sent to anyone who requests it;
and all correspondence should be addressed
Charles Eliot, 50 State street.

Superintendent Seaver, in his address
before the Harvard Teachers’ Association,
was right in calling the habit of giving tru-
ants, after conviction in court, to the keep-
ers of jails and reformatories, “a burning,
crying shame.” A truant is not a raging
criminal, and the natural impulse of every
healthy boy to go a-fishiug, to play ball or to
skate even during the hours of school is not
necessarily a symptom of original sin. But
to put a boy of a susceptible age in company
wlth professional criminals is simply to adil
to their number in due course of time.

Opinions differ, naturally, concerning tne
wisdom of widening Tremont street by re-
moving the sidewalks to arcades within the
buildiugs. Foreign shops thus protected
thrive in business, as in Paris, London and
Berlin. Relief from congestion of the street
might come if Mr. Carter's advice were
regarded promptly: “Keep teams moving,

prevent pedlers from stopping in the street,
and keep the stands out."

There is a lively interest in the maps of
Mars, and the planet by its close approach
has shown that the chart of Schiaparelli
needs correction. It would be of more im-
mediate benefit if we improved our own sur-
veys and redeemed American cartography
from its present reproach. It is not too
much to say that the ordinary maps and at-
lases within the reach of Americans of
limited means give an inadequate idea of the
topography of their own country. The ex-
lellence and the cheapness of German maps
sre known to all, and it is said by experts
:hat even Japan is better mapped as a eoun-
try than the United States.

Passages on the will of Cyrus W. Field are
pathetic even in the legal wording. The
behavior of his son Edward had brought loss
and shame to the generous father, whose
last thoughts, however, were of a loving and
forgiving nature. “ I wish to promote har-
mony and avoid bitter feeling between my
children.” This will is in strong contrast
with the, testaments of certain richer men
who have deliberately wreaked posthumous
vengeance on innocent members of their
household or thus thrown apples of discord
into the gathering of mourners.

The mystery of the Salisbury Beach poison-
ing is now sinister. The thought of individ-
ual carelessness or imprudence on the part of
the guests, and the fear that village-laziness
had corrupted the water, are driven out by
suspicion of murderous intent. It seems
hardly possible that personal spite could go
so far as to injure the innocent as w ell as the
;nemy or enemies; and it is to be earnestly
Soped that the suspicion will be proved
unreasonable.

Certain railway and steamship companies
in Switzerland have insured themselves
against all losses arising from accidents
either to their employes or to their passen-
gers. For every workman killed the com
pany pockets ..=2500; for every passenger,
S»vii. This statement has been offered in
' explanation of “the recklessness ” that had
led lately to fatal accidents in Switzerland,
but the report is hardly credible. Letters
from the scenes of these accidents to the
London Times have spoken in the highest
terms of the care and the attention shown by
the officers and crews of the com-
panies, and the Swiss, who live largely by
the support of foreign tourists, would cer-
tainly, from mere policy, do all within their
power to insure safety of travel.

Revolutions, destruction of dynasties,
peaceful successions are alike welcomed by
the collector of postage stamps, for he can
then add to his collection. The com-
memoration of the discovery of America will
appeal to him, for it is stated on good
authority that the Postmaster General has
approved of designs for a new series of
stamps, and each design will represent some
incident in the life of Columbus. It is to be
hoped that both the designs and the selection
of colors will be a credit to governmental '■
taste, for our country and all its belongings j
w ill be subjected to keen foreign criticism. ’

Justice is figured commonly as serene, im-
perturbable, not to be shaken by the fragments
of. a world, not to be annoyed by the stings of
criticism. Her ministers, however, are men
of human passions, and Judge Pickett of
New Haven Is perhaps not to be blamed for
his severe censure of the newspaper reporter
w ',o had ridiculed his decisions, made false
statements, and encouraged indirectly deeds
of violence. Newspapers occasionally forget
that a Judge is not responsible to them ; that
rases should be tried by Judge and jury, not
by public opinion. Nor should a verdict be
anticipated or influenced by the public press.

To-day is the 100th anniversary of the
birth of Percy Bysshe Shelley. There are
commemorative editorial articles and critical
reviews of his rare politic genius; and scan-
dal mongers seize the opportunity of reviv-
ing in pungent paragraphs the unfortunate
episodes in his domestic life. The late Prof.
Freeman lived in an atmosphere in which the
past was as real as the present, and when his
attention was once called to a discussion
about Shelley’s first wife, he wrote to a
friend: “Why will they trouble .us with

this Harriet question ? You and I have quite
enough to do v N* Helen and Theodora and
Mary .Stuart’’/ ^

The attention of writers of "comlc^fcia,”
who complain that there is a lack of color
and an absence of material for stage display-
in an American subject, is called to the
fact that there are about sixty camels roam-
ing at will in the Arizona desert. These
catnols are the descendants of fifteen which
were imported by the Government before the
war; they were found unsuitable for the
work assigned them and they were then
turned loose. Audiences delight in the
appearauoe of animals on the stage, and the
camel might bo introduced consistently in
an operetta in which the action is in the
remote territories.

The practical American has turned the
amusement of dancing into a formulated
exercise. He has discovered that an average
waltz takes one over or about three-quarters
of a mile; a square dance is half a mile,
and a galop is a good mile at a
run. A girl of ordinary attractions and
attainments would cover easily during an
evening fifteen miles, without the intermis-
sion strolls. Physicians may iu the future
prescribe two square dances or three waltzes ;
the prize-fighter will find ten galops an
agreeable manner of reducing flesh ; and a
pleasing favor of the future German will be
a richly ornamented pedometer.

A long continued sojourn on a high moun-
tain top may cure the victim of the tobacco
habit. Mr. Whyniper noticed that the desire
was killed at a great altitude. When he and
his guides were on Chimborazo, at an eleva-
tion of 10,000 feet, they found smoking such
hard work that they abandoned it gladly, j
for they could breathe only with an open \
mouth.

The usefulness of the banana seems un-
limited. N,o longer is it merely a delight to
the consumer and an encouragement to the
practice of medicine.' Meal is now made
from it in its unripe state, and this meal will
keep as long as flour. The producing power
of the banana is great, forty-four times as
great as that of the potato, and it is expected,
that the meal will ultimately lower the pres-
ent price of a loaf of bread. Its skin gives a
fine fibre from which cloth can be manufact-
ured; tile juice furnishes an indelible ink,
and it can be fermented into vinegar. Beer
•an be made from the meal, and the Germans
. have found a method of turning the banana
nto a nutritious sausage. These statements
are said to rest on good authority, and it is
not improbable that this versatile fruit may
yet become a substitute for family butter or
be used in removing superfluous hair.

AX ABKICVMTBAt CENTENARY.

The Massachusetts Society for Promoting!
Agriculture was incorporated one hundred
years ago. The centennial anniversary this
year is commemorated fitly by the publica-
tion of an interesting and valuable report of
the present Secretary, Mr. Francis H. Apple-
ton. This report is naturally of a retrospect-
ive nature; at the same time it is full of. sug-
gestion for the present and the future. It
w-ould he a pleasure to review it at length
and in detail; but scattered instances of the
cnrioslties of Massachusetts agriculture may
be of more immediate interest.

And first, this society is not only prior in
date to all others in the State, but, as a cor-
poration, to all others in the United States.
Even European societies were few’ in num-
ber; there were only two in Great Britain.
The names of the petitioners in 1792 are
many of them familiar and honored to-day on
account of the men that now bear them. The
petitioners were prompted chiefly by senti-
ments of patriotism and philanthropy. There
were no party questions involved. There was
much discontent; there was poverty which,
in many cases, was akin to destitution.
Leading men of both parties saw the solu-
tion of the problem in the judicious cultiva-
tion of the soil. Now this soil itself w’as in
many places exhausted, and there was no
adequate method of restoring it. Tools were
cumbrous. Four-wheeled farm vehicles were
unknown. Singular superstitions prevailed.
Seed was sown and timber cut with regard
to the condition of the moon. When Charles
Newbold of New Jersey made a plow-
mold board wholly of cast iron the farmers
feared it, for they thought it would poison
the land and promote the growth of weeds.
To plow shallow was the only rule. Cat-
tle were exposed to the rudeness of winter
that they might “ toughen.” The use of salt
in curing hay, rotation in crops, the plowing
in of green crops were unknown. Fruit
cultivation was confined to the production of
cider apples. Neither neat cattle, horses,
nor swine were of any breed. The men who
thought improvement in agriculture possible
were dubbed in tavern talk “gentlemen
farmers.”

In the infancy of this society clergymen
gained many premiums. A gold medal was
awarded to Kcv. Jonathan Newell of Stow
1 for a method of draining ponds. The Rev.
William Welles of Brattleboro’, Yt., gave’
full directions for making small beer and
strong beer in his essay on the cultivation of
barley; for home-brewed beer was then in
niiiv.-r-ai use. A clergyman in 1WS wrote a

premium essay on compost aud won the gold
medalof the society. Mr. Appleton explains
this clerical competition by suggesting that
other experimenters did not, as a rule, feel
competent to express their experiences on
paper, and rural clergymen of that day were
obliged to farm, as their salaries were
meagre.

It is most interesting to note the gradual
introduction of improvements in seeds, cat-
tle and implements. On one occasion $45
was drawn from the funds of the society to
pay for a quantity of seeds of the early Vir-
ginia wheat. There was a special importa-
tion from England of several varieties of po-
tatoes, for in 1792 the potato was not in com-
mon use in this country, and the turnip was
the favorite vegetable. Mulberry seeds were
brought over at an early (late. State lines
were ignored when the gold medal of 1802
was awarded to a Connecticut man for the
importation of 100 Merino sheep. A like
medal was given to Seth Adams of Dorches-
ter for an importation of a pair of these

sheep. From the year 1814 dates tiie prac-
tice of importation by the society itself of
choice breeding animals, the first instance
having been from France of two bulls and
two cows of the Alderney, or what is known
as the Jersey breed.

Tiie story of the labors of Thomas Jeffer-
son in behalf of the improvement of the
plow is told in pleasant language. Tiie his-
tory of the cattle shows is treated graphi-
cally. The dinners of the society were given
at the Dudley Tavern or at the Bull’s Head.
The bills of fare are preserved, and we know
that “Madeira wine” and cider were the
favorite tipples. The guests were the dis-
tinguished men of the time. John Adams,
Daniel Webster, Judge Story, Edward Ever-
ett, Commodore Bainbridge and Commodore
Hull, Captain Basil Hall of the British Navy
and General Coffin of the British Army were
thus entertained ; and Audubon and Spurz-
heim once sat down together.

But there is hardly a page of this report
that does not include an interesting fact or a
curious reminiscence. It is a pamphlet that
is entertaining reading to all comparers of
the past with the present, to all who are
eager to know the successive stages of the
material development of this country.

Because Mr. Howells ^confesses that when-
ever he has given way to inspiration “and
dashed off a lot of work,” he has found the
next day that it was simply rubbish, lie is
called by certain contemporaries a plodder,
devoid of imagination or poetry. But the
method of illustrious writers of novels is a
refutation of this charge. Hardy and Zola
are men of daily and routine desk work, as
were Thackeray and Balzac. To be sure
there was one great exception, the elder
Dumas; but a Dumas is not born in every
‘decade or every century.

The search for gunpowder in the Parlia-
ment buildings, which has been made at the
opening of every Parliament ever since Guy
Fawkes and his keg were ready for action, is
an interesting tradition. It is akin to the
equally traditional habit of looking under tiie
bed for a man. If the search were rewarded
in either case, sublime faith in the possibility
of such a find would be justified, and the pre-
vailing curiosity as to the effect on the hunter
would at last be gratified. _

' The death of Mr. John Macgregor does not
seem to be noticed widely, and yet by his
Story of the Voyages of the Rob Roy canoe
he gave a decided impetus to canoeing. His
first voyage was twenty-seven years ago,
when the sport in this country was practi-
cally unknown. The author was a mau of
versatility, for he was a wrangler at Cam-
bridge and afterward a writer and a sketcher
for Punch.

Tiie publication of the Russian State
papers in tiie Svaboda of Sofia shows that
Euphuism is still preserved in diplomatic
languages. Nothing could be more delicately
worded than the letter of the Minister in
which lie hints at dynamite “as the best
means to bring about a rapid change in
Bulgaria,” and desires that a visit from
Prince Ferdinand should coincide with an
appearance^ of cartridges.

A writer in the Fortnightly Review pro-
tests, and with good reason, against en-
nobling the high kick, which now seems to
rule the stage, by calling it a dance. It is
nothing in reality but a gymnastic exercise.
Tiie art of stage dancing in this country is at
low ebb. No dancer of late years could have
moved Margaret Fuller and Emerson to their
famous expressions of joy at the sight of
Ellsler. And yet the ballet as conceived by
Jean Georges Noverre, the great master of
the art, Is a noble Institution. “It is a liv-
ing picture of the passions, the manners, the
ceremonies, and the costumes of all the
people of th< earth.” But his description
was written a century ago.

his

intellectual burstlfication " (to borrow a
happy phrase from the New York Sun), is
not original .with him. The verb is found in
the great English [Dictionary of Dr. Murray.
It was used as early as 1805 in an American
magazine, and Hope in his “English Cathe-
drals” says that 1 )“ an expanse of wall may
be arcaded.”

Drivers of carriages at summer resorts can
not be too careful in the matter of displaying
lights after sunset. Several accidonts with
serious results have ; happened lately in coast
villages near Boston, on account of the dark-
ness of the roads. During the reign of the
moon, village authorities save gas and elec-
tricity ; but the very brightness of the moon
makes the shaded ways the more obscure.

The absurdity of the present system of an-
nouncing the titles of operatic singers in
England and America is again seen in the
publication of Mr. Abbey’s plans for the
next season. We find bunched together
“Miss” Reid, “Mile.” Nordica; “Mile.”
Eames ; “Signor” Rinaldi; “M.” Teste, etc.
Now Mrs. Eames-Story is neither a “Mile.”
nor a “Miss.” Madam or Mrs. Nordica is
not a “Mile.” The singer or player
should be known according to the

custom of the country in which he
performs. Joachim in Germany is an-
nounced as “Herr Dr. Prof. Joachim.”
When he plays in Paris, “M. Joachim” ap-
pears on the programme. If he should come
here, lie would be then “Mr.” Joachim. At
oresent our programmes are polyglot, and
“Herr” and “Frau” rub elbows with
“Signor” and “MJle.” It would be better
to borrow the uniformity of the French in
this matter.

That was a manly deliverance of opinion
in the judgment of Lord Chief Justice Coler-
idge regarding the action in which a work-
j ingman sued the Duke of Rutland. The
impudence of the Duke’s son and his out-
rageous treatment of men of the “lower
classes,” “could not be tolerated from any
person, Duke or other,” said his Lordship.
Years ago another English Chief Justice
sternly rebuked a Prince, the hero of Shakes-
peare and known afterward as Henry Y.
But Prince Hal hung his head because he
knew the rebuke was deserved; while the
Duke’s son showed temper even in the court
room.

The Pall Mall Gazette quotes Gibbon’s
“Decline and Fall” as follows and finds a
singular parallel between Dandolo and Glad-
stone :

“ Henry Danuolo (Doge of Venice) was 8+ at
his election (a. d. 1192) and 97 at his death
I A. D. 1205.) tie shone in the last period of
human life as one of the most illustrious char-
| aracters of the times.”

The newspaper, however, does not pretend
to limit Gladstone’s usefulness by prophesy-
j mg the date of his death.

VICARIOUS XATIOXAU T Y .

Camille Saint-Saens has accepted the invi-
tation of the Music Committee of the World’s
Columbian Exposition, and in May or June
of next year he will conduct his own compo-
sitions and appear as a pianist and an organ-
ist. This is welcome news to our musicians
and lovers of music; for although there are
composers of greater genius in Europe, there
is no one of such versatility in his musical
excellence. He is one of the chief operatic
composers of France, and is. beyond dispute,
the greatest composer of instrumental music
in that country at the present day. He is an
, organist and a pianist of the first rank He
is a remarkable reader of scores, a man of
profound musical learning, a writer of brill-
iant articles concerning music, and an agree-
able and witty conversationalist. The desire
to see him, the animal curiosity to examine
with the eyes an animal of distinction will
be great, and his arrival and his perform-
ances will be important dates in the history
of music in America.

It is understood that other celebrated com-
posers and performers of Europe have been
invited by the committee to direct their own
works or to play the compositions of others.
The list is one of illustrious names: Eubin-
stein and Tsclialkowsky; Brahms and
Joachim; \ erdi and Boito; Gonnod and
Massenet. It is doubtful whether we shall
have the pleasure of entertaining all these
men. Verdi Is young musically and old in
years. Gounod’s health is an uncertain quan-
tity. Then there is the vague terror of the
ocean that keeps so many foreigners from
visiting us. Some of the composers may un-
dervalue the general advance made in music
during the last twenty years, for they have
read or heard of the. great success of un-
worthy compatriots in the United States,
“the land of dollars,” as it is still called, half
contemptuously, half enviously, by leading
German critics. Others may feel that thev
cannot afford the time, or they may fear lest
they become a part of a raree-show. Yet the
invitations were worded in a most courteous,
generous manner.

When one of these composers will take
the stick in hand at Chicago lie will facV
players not foreign to him, perhaps, hut
foieign to this country. Fqr how many
pnativc-l.'pru .Awrj^j&gjre i a ike. fatuous

i orchestras of Chicago, New York or Boston?
Mow many native-born conductors are at t ho
'bead of these orchestras? Is not German
the language heard in the rehearsals? And
yet those orchestras are supported chiefly by
American money, and they play lor Ameri-
can audiences. Mr. Saint-Saens, for example,
will, at Chicago, control an orchestra of men
of various nationalities; the Germans will be
]h a great majority; the Americans in a
| ludicrous minority. Ho is a man of biting
" it. Surely the incongruity of the situation |
" ill tickle his Gallic fancy. Or reverse the |
case. Let us suppose that the French people I
invite Prof. Paine to direct bis orchestral
compositions at the Trocadero; the orchestra
that would play under him would be made up
chiefly of Frenchmen who were taught in
French schools; there might bo a very small
minority composed of Belgians, Italians,
Spaniards and a stray German, for musicians
are of a roving disposition. If Prof. Paine
should go to Berlin or Milan, he would find a
German or an Italian orchestra.

It is not that we as a people express no in-
terest in these matters. There is much talk-
ing, there is constant writing concerning
music. But when it comes to actual perform-
ance, we appear to prefer vicarious to active
participation just as certain Orientals pay for
the dancing of which they are extravagantly
fond, but condemn personal activity in the
dance as a rude and unseemly exercise. We
call the nations of the earth to Chicago*. The
foreign mechanic, the foreign physician, the
foreign farmer and even the foreign artist
" ill see there the proofs of our native in-
genuity and skill. The foreign composer
I will find there no national orchestra.

(p — .

CAHEJfSLTBM.

i The Roman Catholic Church in the United
states, as a church, has always supported the
j Government of the United States. Cardinal
I Gibbons voiced the sentiment of this most
powerful body of citizens in his sermon at
Milwaukee in 1891, when the Pallium was
conferred on A rchbishop Katzer:

” The Catholic Church in the Unite,; State,

oeuspicuons ior its loyalty in the cen-
tury that has passed away, and we, I am sure,
will emulate the patriotism of our fathers in the
us slory in the title of American citi-
zen. We owe an allegiance to our country, and
that country is America. We must be in liar-
mony with our political institutions. It matters
not whether this is the land of our birth or of
our adoption. It is the land of our destiny.
Heie we mtend to live, and here we hope to
cue. And when our brethren across the Atlantic
resolve to come to our shores, may they be ani-
mated by the sentiments of Ruth when she de-
ermined to join her husband’s kindred in the
land of Israel.”

J lie sincerity of such sentiments was
proved beyond a doubt in the Civil War. when
thousands of devout Roman Catholics gave
their influence, their money and their lives
in the deience of the Constitution.

It is not surprising, then, to find a cour-
ageous and learned priest, the Rev. John Con-
way, tlie editor of the Northwestern ChroD-
m.e, exposing in the August number of the
Review of Reviews a conspiracy of German-
merican priests against American suprem-
X, tu , s country. This conspiracy began
in 1884, when eighty-two German priests were
sent to Rome with a petition to the Propa-
ganda asking for the removal of certain sup-
i posed grievances. The petition was rejected
summarily. It was renewed in 1886 by the
Rev. P. A. Abbelen of Milwaukee, and it may
be stated here that the priestly promoters of
foreigrusm belong chiefly to the Archdioceses
of bt. Louis and Milwaukee. He asked that
German-speaking parishes be put on an equal
footing with English-speaking ones. But
such has always been the case. Rome also
decided that newcomers are free to go to any I
church they please, whereas Father Abbelen '
pegged that they might be assigned to a ^
church of their own language. In thwarting
the mission of the Milwaukee priest Arch-
bishop Ireland and Bishop Keane were
largely instrumental.

Hus is not a domestic dispute of ecclesias-
tics. A political move is covered under the
name of religion.” In this country the lead-
ers in the preservation and the increase of
loreignism are certain priests who came to
tins country late in life ; they have not been
able to shake off early influences or grasp
the American mode of thought and pro-
gressive spirit.

They are supported by a few German-
American Bishops and by the Roman Catho-
lio papers printed in the German language.
These priests and Bishops are regarded by
j R a R ler Conway as the tools of Caliensly, the
. Austro-Hungarian representative at the

Vatican,! and lie defines Calienslylsm as “ a
combined effort of occlosliwtios and Journal-
ists, mostly German, with the representa-
tives of foreign Powers for the purpose of
promoting foreignisni in this country, and
for using tho Roman Catholic Church as n
means to that end.”

These conspirators wish to get a pre-
ponderance in the Episcopate of this coun-
try. They demand tho preservation and tho
propagation of the German language in the
United States. Mr. Conway says;

“Tho ugly discussion over the Bonnett law in
V\ lsconsin was ill reality an outcome of this
foreign movement. There were a few objection-
able details of minor momont in the law. but
tho underlying principle had for its object to
advance the interests of tho language of tho
country. The promoters of forolgnism attacked
the law as radically wrong and they succeeded
in doing tho very odious thing of dragging in
j the Catholic Church in Wisconsin to help tlioir
schemes.”

Fortunately for our country the great body
of Roman Catholics agree with tho Arch-
bishop of St. Paul: “We acknowledge the
Pope of Rome as our chieftain in spiritual
matters and we are glad to receive direction
from him. But men in Germany, or Switzer-
land, or Ireland, must mind their own busi-
ness and be still as to ours. * * * Nor will
the authorities in Rome listen lor a moment
to Caliensly or his friends. The well-known
policy of Rome is to trust the hierarchy of
each country, and to encourage in each couu-
I try Catholicity to the manner born.”

Among the countries foreign to Germany,
the United States holds the foremost rank
as a purchaser of works of art at the Munich
exhibitions of 1889, 1890 and 1891. A greater
sum was expended by our people in this pur-
chase than by the citizens of Munich, and
it was nearly as great as the total spent by
Germany ; for the American total was $ 94 ,-
155. As a result of this substantial appreci-
ation of Munich art, Germany, it is said, will
make every effort to be well represented in
this department at the Chicago Exhibition.

The French Government has been forced
to take measures to remedy the abuses in the
matter of decorations. The Wilson scandals
are fresh in the minds of all ; and the Legion
of Honor at one tune was bestowed in such
abundance that it was almost an honor to be
without a ribbon in the button-hole. A less
dignified order is known«rTfie Palmes Acad-
emiques, which, given to the just and the un-
just, have lost their value; but the Minister
of Instruction has determined that the cre-
dentials of every applicant shall henceforth
be examined rigorously. It has been pro-
posed to lay a tax of 50 francs on every palm,
and thereby contribute to the sinking of the
national debt. This, however, seems a doubt-
ful means of limiting the number of appli-
cants. It is difficult for us to understand the
burning desire of foreigners to receive the
often empty honor of such decorations. It
is a mania not confined to any one class; and
this mania has nowhere been more amusingly
described than in “Decore,” a short story
by Guy de Maupassant.

A peanut trust has been organized, with
officers in due order down to the Assistant
Doorkeeper. It festablishes the price of pea-
nut sacks, operates factories and defies rings
and speculators. The world’s peanut centre,
by the way, is Norfolk, in Virginia. A pea-
nut factory is the pretext for a strange
nomenclature. The very definition is to the
Northern man as deep a mystery as the in-
scription on exhumed Oriental stones: “A
peanut factory is a place where they put the
goobers through such process as wheat has
j to undergo when it is being cleansed of eliaff
and rid of cockerel.” Virginia truckers reap
a harvest of $8,000,000 annually from their
market, which includes “tops” and
“ tailers.”

Many Americans envy the sidewalk life of
foreign towns, the tables set in front of cafe
or restaurant, where the lounger can sip his
coffee or iced drink, or even eat in public,
watching the passer-by. It is more than
probable that such lounging in an American
public street would provoke the ridicule of
the small boy and the disapprobation of the
serious citizen. As yet we are too conscious
of ourselves, too thoughtful of the opinion of
the public concerning individual action. But
here in Boston, a more relentess foe than
Dame Conventionality would be the East
wind. Our climate is churlish, treacherous,
or deliberately ironical.

The statistics of English bankruptcies and
arrangements for the past half year are not
agreeable reading for our Anglomaniacs,
who point continually to the “prosperity”
of England for their own political purposes.

A very decided increase of failures is ap-
parent all around. In the wholesale branches
the number is 548, against 499 in the June
half of last year, of which as many as 46
are in the Manchester district, contrasted
with only 19 for the first half of 1891. Re-
tail failures number 4008, against 8388, an
increase of 18§ per cent., and are distributed
over the various trades impartially.

The prices obtained for the Viva and the
Citv of Chicago show again tlie shrinkage in
value of abandoned machinery. Whether it
be an engine or a printing press, '
'-light nse or temporary damage turns valua-
ble property into a thiug of little value. If
it is true that there was a stock of valuable
wines on the Alva, the buyers may have
made a more profitable bargain than they
anticipated.

The Prince ot Monaco has followed the ex-
ample of other illustrious meu and made his
appearaneo ou the lecture platform. It was
his modesty, no doubt, that prevented him
from discussing “The Doctrine of Chances
or the statistics of Suicide,’’ and thus ad-
vertising quietly his business. He spoke of
“Tides and Ocean Currents," and the Presi-
dent of the association thought that a pro-
posed scheme of the Prince would result in
timely warning to mariners of Atlantic
storms. It is a pity that the Gambler- Prince
does not invent a system of preventing ship-
wrecks on the reefs of his casino.

Xewburyport is not the only New England
town where the eemeterv suffers from ne-
glect. Broken tablets, flourishing weeds,
effaced paths, show’ too often that the dead
are almost forgotten by the living. However,
this is not always due to carelessness. Many
dead worthies are w ithout living representa-
tives ; or the members of the latest generation
are in far Western towns. At the same time
it seems as though town authorities might
easily prevent a cemetery from becoming a
reproach to the patriotism and reverence of
the inhabitants.

Such exhibitions as the “ public praise of
Allah “ in the Madison Square Garden yester-
day by twenty-three howling and seven
whirling dervishes, are an outrage against
a grave and dignified religion. Theatrical
managers viewed the performance with an
eye to possible business, but they were dis-
gusted, as were the newspaper men in search ]
of material for copy. Police interference j
might well he allowed, for such exhibitions j
are against the public good and a reproach to
the sincere faith of many Mohammedans.

Certain foreigners regard our “ palace J
cars ” as immoral, not in the common sense
of the word but as destructive of self-respect
and dignified privacy. The privacy of the
sleeping car is, to be sure, as “ tumultuous
a- that insured by Emerson’s storm, but the
American sense of humor turns that which
might be. unpleasant into a joke. Mr. Pull-
man has applied for a patent on a new ven- i
tilator, which will add materially to the
comfort of day and night. His device is
directly the opposite of the old contrivance.
Instead of having the ventilator in the roof
alone, it is intended to be used also in the
windows, so that a current of air may^be
.sent into the upper and lower berths.* **

The Emperor of Germany studies even
when he is yachting, and a copy of Zola’s
novel. “The Downfall,” Ison his work table.
From this powerful story he may learn of the
horror and misery of war, and thus be
tempted to curb his martial inclinations.
T Istoi’s “War and Peace” and “ The Con-
.-.■ript,’’ by Erckman-Chatrian, might be
added as suitable text books for the educa-
tion of a ruler of armies.

MtEHARt COLLaBOEATfOX.

The appearance of “The Xaulahka, a
jovel w ritten by Sir. Kipling and the late Mr.
Haleitier, has provoked an animated discus-
sion concerning the advantages and the disad-
vantages of collaboration, which has been de-
Qur-d as “a form of enthusiastic friendship to
which writers of fiction appear to bo specially
liable." This species of partnership is not a
t!.: gof modern invention. In the days of
Elizabeth. when prose was poetry and tropes
jn the mouths of laborers, Beaumont
an i K. etcher, twin stars of the first magni-
tude in the dramatic firmament, wrote
plays in company as they drank wine at
the Mermaid. There were playwrights of
that age that were imprisoned for their joint
labors. Fletcher was associated with Shak-
spear: in the making of "Henry VHl.’’

There are notable modern Instances in Eng-
land and in France, in the drama and in the
novel: Beade and Taylor; IJesant and Bice;
Erckinaim-Chatrian ; Meilhac and Ilalevy.
Ironed, French playwrights are partial to
si ch partnership. Plays, the texts of operas
ar d operettas, and novels, are often signed
wi i two names, sometimes with three, or
fc'tn four. .

Some claim that the advantages ot tins
?y item arc great. One author acts as a com-
p'u nent to the other. He restrains fancy
w hen it is too exuberant or he supplies it ,
when it is lacking. He- checks diffuseness, ]
or i r i • e 3 the plot into coherency, gives a

i callstic touch to the conversation, puts uere j
and there a dash of local color. Or he may j
not take the pen in his hand; he may stand 1
off and view the work, as a connoisseur in
the studio of a painter. He thus gains an
idea of the proportions, of the values; he
recommends a stronger background, or ho
complains of certain lights. It is a case,
they say, of “ two heads are better than
one.” But much depends on the interior of
the heads.

To discuss the question by citing instances
is to argue from the particular to the gen-
eral. Without an attempt at argument, it is
of interest to examine the modern instances.
The weakest of Charles lleado’s leading
novels was written with the help of another,
and Vet the aider was an experienced, yes,
wily dramatist. Since the death of James
Rice the novels of Mr. Besant, although they
are agreeable reading, have lost in the great
flow of animal spirits. The keenest critics
have deplored the yielding of Messrs. Kipling
and Stevenson to the admission of a partner.
On the other hand, it is impossible for the
reader to separate Erckijiaun from Chatrian.
Their novels are apparently the work of one
man. Meilhac and Hafevy have dissolved
their partnership by mutual consent, and
neither seems to suffer thereby, for each, as
an individual, has produced admirable work
since the dissolution.

It is uot to be denied that the effect of such
partnerships is chiefly to stimulate the curi-
osity of the reader or to provoke disappoint-
ment. He plays at liare-and-hounds with
the authors. A passage here reminds him of
X, and there a peculiar y w'orded paragraph
suggests the hand of Z. He is sure that the
heroic and the love see les are by the well-
known author, and he charges the padding
to the assistant. Now lis judgment may be
often at fault. One map have imitated pur-
posely the style of the ither; or the Homer
may have nodded, and the unknown one
may have shown unexpected power. The
reading of the novel of partnership becomes
then the attempted solution of a problem.

The great novels of the world are due to
the imagination of individual writers un-
aided except by experience and by knowl-
edge of the human heart. Fielding, Thack-
eray and Hardy, Balzac, Dumas and Zola
speak to the reader with personal intensity.
When tw& speak to him together, although
there are rare exceptions, and he then hears
but one voice, his attention is distracted ;
curiosity perhaps holds him to the end; but
tho Vinnk does not master him.

It is said that the Emperor William- is
deeply mortified by his late marine defeats,
and it is hinted that such defeats would
Have been impossible in German waters.

Yet it would seem as though even the re-
spect due royalty and the sycophancy that
begs preferment would give way to the keen
desire of a yachtsman to bring his boat in

first.

l'awning, which was formerly regarded
pnlv as a symptom of boredom or disease, is
now the chief feature of a Swiss cure.
“Pharyngitis, catarrh of the eustachian tube
and pain in the ear” are now relieved or
absolutely healed by yawning at
stated intervals. How this yawning is super-
induced is left to the imagination of the
reader of Dr. Naegeli’s discovery ; but here
is ample material for the jests of the para-
grapher or the sneers of the literary and the
dramatic critics.

A contemporary remarks with justice that
the tour of the Arion Singers in Germany
lias accomplished more toward asserting tho
respectable position of music and music-mak-
ers in the United States “than has been
achieved by all the rubbish that has been
talked and printed about encouragement to
American composers, and by all the societies
gotten up for the demonstration of this, that
or the other point during the last ten years.”
Mr. Van dor Stucken proved to the singing
societies of Germany that in purity of tone
and in expression they might learn from a
club, younger in years, not governed by hide-
bound tradition, made up of Germans imbued
thoroughly with American ideas-

• The efforts of London philanthropists bear |
fruit at last. A few days agp there was an
indisputable proof of the existence of culture
in tho East End. A Mr. Chapman Cohen,
who, when lie was baled afterward to the
judge, described himself as a “scholar,”
harangued a crowd in the open air on the
subject of “Evolution in Creation." His
doctrines were distasteful; his arguments
wore inconclusive. Shouts arose: Down

with him!” “I.vnch him! ’ and Break up
the programme!” Such an enthusiastic
manifestation of scientific interest is only
rivalled by the disputes in Boston each
eason concerning the merits of orciiestral
conductors, the “temperament!’ of pianists
or the architectural features of a public
building.

Mr. O’Donnell, who visits Boston to assure
himself that he is “ in touch ” with the
worjeingmeu, shows great good sense in re-
fusing the opportunity of “ making capital
out of his position and taking to the stage; ,
although from a reporter’s description it j
appears that he has natural histrionic ad-
vantages, such as “ strongly marked featuies, .
and a charming smile that flits constantly (
over his face.”

The 250th anniversary of Gloucester may
well be celebrated with rejoicing. Nor in
summing up the history of the town should
the bravery of the men and the women be
forgotten, a bravery displayed not only occa-
sionally, as in times of war, but daily in the
pursuits of peace. The fishermen are they
that go down to the sea in ships, that do
business in great waters. Too often they
snatch in vain the food for others from the
jaws of death. The women endure patiently
the strain of waiting and bear up heroically
under suspense and certain loss. AA ithout
doubt, because the tugs at their own heart-
strings are so severe, their hearts go out so ■
generously toward the sufferers by fire and
flood in other towns.

American ships must not ouly sail under

an American flag; they must be commanded

by American officers. The officers of the
City of New Vork and the City of Paris have
therefore taken out the first papers to secure
naturalization. Not that Captain Watkins
loves England the less, but that he loves lus
swift ship the more. And here is a modern
instance of the old saw, that the dearest
thing to a skipper is his vessel.

The wildest fancy of the librettist of
Italian blood is but a conventional tale to the
story of passion that comes from Mereagliano.
A girl plans to aid her lover in a duel, and
fires simultaneously with him at his rival.
She kills her lover, and the bullet of the
rival strikes the girl. Or is there a more
tragic scene in the works of modern Russian
novelists than the tragedy at the ball at
Moscow. It seems as though Nature yawned
at the attempts of novelists and finally cried
out in disgust “Come, now, I will set you a
model for imitation.”

The interesting address of the Rev. Mr.
Mayo before the Y r oung Men’s Christian
Union in Union Hall brings to the mind an
undeservedly forgotten hook, Hopkins’s
“The Youth of the Old Dominion.” The
fearful struggles of the early Virginia col-
onists, the avarice that led to crime, and the
starvation that turned men into ghouls, are
there graphically described, and tlie book is
full of the evidences of long and painstaking
research. The settlers of New England were
not alone in their toil and privations.

Baron Rothschild of Paris is said to be
mad, and his insanity finds relief in break-
ing statues. Such a species of acute mania
might be of public benefit to our inhabitants
■who cross the Common and the Public Gar-
den, and by a twisting of the immigration
law concerning skilled laborers, the Baron
might be welcomed bere as an expert.

When Dr. Sarah Stevenson of Chicago saw
children arrested for bathing in the lake
when tlie thermometer stood in the nineties
and there was no relief, her soul was moved
within her, not on account of tlie offence of
the children against “ public morals,” but
-with pitv for suffering humanity. AVitli the
aid of tlie Mayor and a few intelligent and
kind-hearted businessmen she secured the
erection of bath houses, and procured towels,
trunks and the other necessities of decent ,
bathing. In other words, the poor of Chi- j
•ago are going to have baths free. Such
iractieal and admirable philanthropy should
je widely extended.

The young man at the seaside or among
the mountains may now take courage, and
tlie summer girl may well consider her ways.
Mr. Justice Law ranee, at a trial the other
day in Chester, England, declared that “the
scales of justice must he held equally be-
tween man and woman,” and the twelve in a
box granted £5i> damages to a young man
whose feelings had been trifled with by a
woman of independent means.

Another instance of tho fact that all
rations are not prepared by Nature for col-
onization, is given by the failure of tlie
flirsch colony in the Argentine Republic.
The iand, it is said, was chosen without wis-
-joiri, and the men and women, hud-
dled’ together in tents, have been
living there for months in idleness.
Englishmen have met with similar disr j
courageinents in the first days of settling,
hut they have held fast with bull-dog
tenacity, and now the wilderness blossoms as
the rose. Eight hundred discouraged
Hebrews have sailed lor Europe, and the
scheme of Baron Hirsch seems frustrated on
account of the shiftlessness of the recipients
of his bounty.

i t'U- </

A POSSIBLE JI MP.

In these days ghosts must be provided with
credentials. Even in Virginia, where eacli
family of importance is provided with an ap-
parition that prowls about the plantation and
mourns the departed days of patriarchal and
ante-bellum grandeur, the genuineness of a
phantom is now investigated. Men of scien-
tific acquirements dispute the posthumous
poetry of Lord Byron, who emerges from the
recesses of a dark cabinet for the edification
of the faithful ; and they view with suspicion
the long line of deceased relatives who are

I addicted to writing messages on slates,
whether they were known in this world as
“Uncle Amos’’ or as “Aunt Maria.” And
yet these same ghosts may well shake their
gaunt sides with laughter, for science admits
frankly that there are mental experiences
and phenomena that she cannot explain ;
that Mrs. Piper, for instance, “ has shown |
in her trances a knowledge of the personal 1
! affairs of living and dead people which it is
| impossible to suppose that she can have
! gained in any ‘natural’ way.”

Prof. 'William James has contributed to
the August number of the Forum an interest-
ing review of the proceedings of the Society
for Psychical Research and the results ob- j
tained by the investigations of the members.
The purpose of the society is well known,
first, “ to carry on systematic experimenta-
tion with hypnotic subjects, mediums, clair-
voyants and others and, secondly, “to col-
lect evidence concerning apparitions, haunted
houses and similar phenomena which are in-
cidentally reported, but which, from their
fugitive character, admit of no deliberate
control.’’ Now Prof. James claims that “as
a sort of weather bureau for accumulating
reports of such meteoric phenomena as ap-
paritions,’’ this society lias done an immense
amount of work. But he admits that it has
not fulfilled the hopes of the founders in the
matter of experimentation.

Members of the society were instrumental
in exposing the fraudulent claims of certain
mediums to be able to control physical phe-
nomena, such as slate writing, furniture
moving and so forth. And in like manner de-
ception in “thought transference ’’ was de-
tected. even when it had been agreed by keen
investigators that the persons in question
’had “ an inexplicable power of guessing names
and objects thought of by others.” At the
same time these experimenters came to the
conclusion that the large percentage of cor- 1

lect reproductions by the subjects of words,
diagrams and sensations occupying other peo-
ple s consciousness was entirely inexplicable
as the resuit of chance; but it is a singular
‘act that “since the first three years of the
existence of the society no new subjects have
turned up with whom extensive and syste-
matic experiments could be carried on.’’ An
explanation of the apparently strange cre-
dulity of many sensible people shown at sit-
tings and seances is the fact that the eye is
deceived so easily by the quickness of the
hand. Then, too, no one knows how far mind
reading and hypnotism are exerted in creat-
ing and keeping alive such popular delusions.

Prof. James, who evidently has a partial
belief in the supernatural, or in the exists
once in each one of a “subliminal” self,
which may make at any time irruption
into our ordinary lives,” explains the disgust
| awakened in the minds of many scientific men
by the very words “psychical research” as
due to the fact that the reports of phantasms
are tedious reading ; the facts are separate,
and seem to bear no relation to the rest of
nature. On the other hand, he thinks that
if Messrs. Helmholtz, Huxley, Pasteur and
Edison were to simultaneously announce
I themselves as converts to clairvoyance,
thought transference and ghosts, “there
would be a popular stampede in that direc-
jtion; and Prof. James admits that sooner
or later the cat must jump this way. The
reasons for this belief are given at length,
and they deserve the respectful attention of
all who are interested in the subject. Nor is
it likely that Prof. James will be disturbed
by the protests of correspondents of the New
York Tribune, who claim that such a jump
would frighten women and little children,
injure society and contradict an opinion once
t expressed by Goethe.

According to a report of the Board of
Electrical Control, 62 telegraph poles and
-.011,960 feet of overhead wires were removed
from New York city; during the month of
June. Foreign visitors who found in this
.network and element of picturesqueness
will perhaps mourn, while the citizens re-
joice. If such disfigurement be picturesque,
Boston can surely enter rival claims.

It is the turn of waiters to object to the
tip ’ system, for certain employers lower
their wages when tippihg is the habit. As
the total of the tips is a fluctuating sum, the
, waiter naturally prefers fixed certainty to
irregular generosity. The whole system is
| wrong ; it harms the proprietor, tho waiter
pmd the customer.

The fact that $63,fl0o was made by the
selling of ham sandwiches and mutton pies
sxeitc • surprise in certain quarters. But if
dally profits in such a business aro apparent-
ly small they arc quick and sure. The
vender carries no doubtful stock, as does his
brother, the bookseller. Tho druggist may
lose by speculation in quinine; but ham and
bread are seldom fevorish or dull. Then tho
assuranco of habit on the part of customers
must be taken into consideration. A man
contracts a tftste for sandwiches, and, when
he once finds satisfaction, he never leaves the
source of gratification. “I eat beans now,
because I ate beans then” remarked the
Boston man to Artomus Ward. He might
Slave added “and at the same place.”

Whether or no cholera lurks in the rags
brought by the Galileo to our port, the au-
thorities acted wisely in the matter. The
shipper may have provided satisfactory affi-
davits, mdde in good faith, to the effect that
I each and every bale of the invoice is free
from any possibility of infection, but lie is
not omniscient, and there is no absolute
knowledge in these things. It is not possi-
ble to take too great precautions, in view of
the fact that the disease is spreading fast in
Bnropeau countries.

Although, according to the astrologer,
Mars may have encouraged the strikes, he
1 seems to desert them in spirit as he recedes
from the earth. The Building Trades strik-
ers have made an unconditional surrender in
New York city; the granite cutters of Ver-
mont and Maine are restless, and, unless
there is speedy aid, they will not stay out;
and over 500 of the old men at the Duquesne
steel works are now in their places. The
speech of the Irishman at Duquesne is the
whole matter in a nutshell: “The jig is up.”
Meanwhile, who can calculate the loss to the
whole business world by these vain conflicts?
The loss in wages in New l’ork city alone is
estimated at $ 1 , 200 , 000 .

Prize-fighting, it seems, is not confined to
professionals, and it serves to display the
prowess of the gilded youth of this genera-
tion. At the late affair at Ballston the pro-
ceedings would in certain respects have won
the approbation of the noblemen of England,
who are the patron saints in the sporting
calendar. There were seconds and a time-
keeper; Mr. “Billy” Edwards, the well-
known light-weight, vouchsafed to accept
tile position of referee. Local pride may be
gratified, for victory perched on the fists of
the young gentleman who pursues his sports
during the winter season at Harvard Uni-
versity. At the same time there are laws
concerning mills ” and the grinders at such
mills recorded in the statutes of New York.
Noi should the report that there was unfair
interference after the second round be over-
looked by the student of sociology.

Ihieves grow bold in our streets and snatch
at pocketbooks in broad daylight. Women
give them provocation, and almost excuse ;
for the sight of a stuffed wallet carried care-
lessly in the hand is a temptation to even a
poor lounger who has not served his appren-
ticeship of crime. While women imitate in
certain ways the dress and the manner of
man, it is singular that they do not copy his
accessible and useful pocket. For watches
and pocketbooks were intended originally
more for private service than for public dis-
play.

Mr. J. F. Forth, a maker of lace curtains,
seems to be a man of horse-sense. When the

I McKinley act was passed, he wa-; doing busi-

I ness in Nottingham, England, and he found
out that his profits were cut down and he
could not afford to send shipments to this
country. Instead of sulking in England and
praying for a Democratic victory in “the

j States,” he comes to America, starts his fac-
tory in Wyandance, L. I., and proposes to
give employment to several hundred people
‘ who will receive American wages ” Mr
Forth says that everything to his advantage
is in this country, and that in time he will
sell his lace in London.

Aggressiveness and destroying false idols
have been claimed by the realists as their
own peculiar privilege. But the gentle apos-
tles of the Ideal who write for “The Knight
Errant,” the Boston quarterly devoted to the
liberal arts, have armed themselves with
hammers to smite “the Philistine,” although
m this case as in others, the Philistine is
simply a man who does not entertain
the opinions of the writer. The key
note is sounded by P ro f. Norton,
who claims that “even the most enthusiastic
assertors of American progress in the arts
can hardly refuse to acknowledge that there
has not been as yet in America a single
painter, sculptor or architect who has created
a great work of art.” Such tearing down
without any apparent building anew is de-
scribed by “The Knight Errant” as an at-
tempt to light the lamp of a pure and lofty
Ideal on the altar of truth.”

A 11 lope(l that tho report of the

dramatfeatlon of Hardy’s latest novel is not
well-founded. It is a story for the closet,
not for the stage. Tho grimness of the sltu-
ttons, the irony of the descriptions, would bo
dost | In the attempt to turn them Into dra-
matic dialogue. Nor Is poor Toss, a character
for nmme representation ; to put her in flesh
and blood upon the stage would seem a dese-
° r ** lo . n ,’ The very title of the novel would
prejudice tho play. In this matter of titles
the French are masters. How full of sug-
lnstance > *s “The Road to

hel)es ’ t he name of Dumas’ late st couiody.

1 lie celebrated Madam Adam, who edits a
magazino and is the creator of a salon in
I aris, counts among the most curious and
unexpected facts for mothers in Franco tho
emancipation of French girls, caused by
their intercourse with American visitors,
the french girls, according to her
may now be seen alone on horse’
back, at receptions where they are

announced, and they even go in the street
with an unmarried escort. This has been
brought about, she thinks, by tho life at
watering places, by croquet, by the difference
in the literature allowed young girls It
is a singular fact, that as ’ in
Prance the young girl i s given
greater liberty, here in America among
the ultia-fasbionable, the reins are drawn
more tightly. Even in country towns such
scenes as were depicted by Mr. Howells in
the opening chapters of “A Modern Instance ”
are now of rarer occurrence. The city girl
is accompanied by a maid when she goes
shopping, or by a trusted friend; but she
does not have the liberty enjoyed by the
women of twenty years ago.

X

y l ° ~ f ^

OIK SLAVISH BKESS.

Our men and women have no national cos-
tume. Prosaic or ajsthetical, they copy
blindly the dress of England or Franco. The
choice of the man is necessarily restricted,
for, although he may envy secretly the gor-
geous costumes of past ages, a high silk hat,
spike-tailed coat, and baggy trousers must
form the centre • of his personal ornamenta-
tion. In Chicago, where Doud Sifico already
lends color to the streets by appearing in his
native costume of a loosely cut coat of a dark
blue cloth, brilliantly embroidered, Turkish
breeches “large enough to hold a bale of cot-
ton,” boots of red material, trimmed with
patent leather, a turban of high proportions,
circled all about with gold lace and em-
broidery, and with ornaments of gold peep-
ing from every fold of his dress ; in the city
of Chicago, where during the coming days
of the World’s Columbian Exposition Ara-
bians and Moors will vie with tlie representa-
tives of the peasantry of Europe in richness
or quaintness of attire, a meeting of the
Illinois Merchants and Garment Designers’
Association was held lately. Much was
expected of this meeting, but, alas,

| tlie expression of opinion was confined to
platitudes concerning the dignity of the pro-
fession. It was admitted, for instance, that
“tho profession of tailoring has been and Is
looked upon as demeaning and unworthy tlie
consideration of respect of young minds de-
sirous of adopting a trade or calling and its
members subjected to the petty, mean and
bitter ridicule of many,” and it was resolved
that the only remedy is the establishment of
a national college of tailoring from which
master tailors may graduate. According to
1 Mr. H. Francis Scully, “who made an elo-
quent plea for the elevation of the art,” “the
enlightenment and artistic requirements of
the iiBielmiULCfintuo' fleces&itaRL the intro-
duction and production of a higher order of
art in dress ; ” but he said not a word about
the necessity of a national costume to cheer
tlie eye and identify the patriotic wearer.

Tlie modern newspaper, in addition to its
legitimate functions, such as publishing news,
guiding public opinion, combatting abuses,
etc., lias lately usurped the duties of teach-
er of science and etiquette, detectives.
Judges and juries, and it gives naturally
much space to the matter of dress. There
are fashion plates, with notes and comments.
The “society columns" by the introduction
of full descriptions of costumes worn by well-
known women at all hours of the day and
night and under all possible conditions arc
converted into object lessons for tlie in-
struction of the reader. As this species of
newspaper is a cheap encyclopedia of all
tilings knowable and certain other things,
there are full directions for pefsonal adorn-
ment from crown to sole. Street gowns
should be chosen with reference to the color
of the hair, and for evening wear the gown
should harmonize with the eyes. Black em-
phasizes unduly the lines of elderly women.
Incongruity in the color of a prayer book will
ruin the effect of a carefully conceived cos-
tume. i. e., will strike a discord in an otiior-

I

wise harmonious «lross; the cover should, I
therefore, be in accord with the lendins tone j
of the garment, so that blue velvet or scarlet j
morocco will not be a jarring note. A !
woman who is really intelligent should have
her head shaved and wear a wig of exquisite
coiffure. There are many paragraphs of
Mich valuable advice, but there is not one
word concerning the value of nationality in
costume. Mrs. Parker at Chautauqua urzed
the necessity of the study of individuality
in dress, “the sensible way of putting brains
into clothes ami there can be Individual-
ly of cut and decoration even in garments
tliat are at the same time peculiarly national.

i'ven our shop girls that are obliged to
wear black follow the example of their sis-
ters at Bqrlin. Our men and women, how-
ever well dressed they may be, are without
national distinction. There was a time when
the American man was known by a peculiar
■combination of broadcloth, stovepipe hat
and yellow duster; but the disappearance of
tin- duster is complete, and w ith it vanished
sure identification. Our hope of future dress
is in the Illinois college, in sfiite of the seem-
ing indifference of the Faculty.

Many of the people of South Carolina are
indignant because the Charleston News
8nd Courier published the other day a record
of homicides in the State— fifty-two in twenty-
eight weeks— and they say that the publica-
tion will discourage immigration. To this
complaint the News and Courier replies
sensibly: “The harm is not done by pub-
lishing the record of our homicides. It is
done by the homicides. W e have a bad name
already and have earned it. It is too late to
talk about ‘scaring off immigrants.' They
have been avoiding us for years, and we
have no doubt that the published reports of
lawlessness in our State have been an effect-
ive agent in turning them away.” In this
connection it is gratifying to note that no
ialse sentiment on the part of the jury pre-
vented the punishment of Col. King of
Memphis, Tenn., for the murder of Mr.
Posten. It was the action of the Governor
that spared his life and turned the just sen-
tence of death i»to imprisonment.

That sensitive women are inclined to look
at hardened criminals with sentimental eyes
is a long established and inexplicable fact.
Flowers are sent to murderers ; delicate food
is given to prison wardens for the benefit of
the condemned ; and it was only the other
day that a Western woman of good repute
was eager to marry one of the Ruggles
brothers. A singular instance of this mental
■weakness or depravity is recorded in New
York State. Perry, a desperate man who is
notorious as a train robber, is now in Auburn
prison. A womaD, pitying his lot, requested
permission of the Warden to furnish the
criminal with “a nice new mattress,” pur-
chased with the proceeds of her Sunday
School Missionary Fund. The Warden was
amazed at this misapplication of “charity
begins at home,” and replied that the State
furnished all convicts with such necessaries
as would tend to reform them.

The itch for political preferment is con-
tagious, not confined to men who have served
their apprenticeship in the primary caucus.
It will be remembered that Thackeray was
tore when he stood for Parliament and was
lefeated by the votes of learned men who
i ad had no time to read “Vanity Fair.” Now
t is reported that Mascagni, the composer of
“Cavalleria Rusticana,” was a candidate for
•lection to the Town Council of his city, and
gave np his legitimate work for electioneer-
ing. The people of Ltvamo, who love his
music, voted that he should devote all his en-
ergies to the writing of operas. It must not
be forgotten, however, that Mascagni has an
ingenious publisher, and the incidents of the
daily life of the composer come quickly to us
by cable.

The bloody tragedy at Fall River is not
without incidents that are fit for opera
bouffe. The discovery and the abandonment
of “clues," the suspicion under which all
who knew the Bordens apparently fall, the
sha.se after Portuguese and gypsies, the
sudden apparition In the remembrance of a
man with a singular and strange pallor and a
oomblnation of black eyes and dark mous-
tache— all these might be part and parcel of
a libretto in mockery of the police of an ex-
citable village in lower France. Meanwhile
reputations are undoubtedly ruined or
cruelly outraged by the mysterious shrugs
and winks of baffled investigators.

The presentation of a loving cup by the
Troy Citizens’ Corps to the Ancient and Hon- |
orable Artillery Company, is a graceful act, j
that honors both the givers and the receivers. I
.•inch courtesies not only promote friendship
between military companies; they serve to
establish the fact that .State lines are only for
the convenience of geographers and sur-
veyors.

- <

COX CERVIX G SALUTES.

A grave question of etiquette is now under
discussion, and it is this: How shall a

gentleman salute his servants? In a lc-
eent issue of The St. James Gazette there is
a letter from “A Surhurban Bachelor,” con-
taining inquiries as to tlio proper form of
salutation between “ social superiors and in-
feriors.” What is he to do when he meets in
the street a female servant of his household ?

The “Bachelor” claims that a bow is

“clearly inappropriate;” he does not cross

suddenly to the other side, or gaze abstract- i
edly toward the zenith ; hut he seeks refuge
“ iu smiling inanely at the girl.” Now, as a
correspondent of the New \ork Iribune
well says, the question of the Englishman is
characteristic of his race. No man of Latin
blood would hesitate for a moment in the en-
■ counter: he would greet the servant by a re-
moval of the hat. . .

In America such problems of social eti-
quette are still unsolved in spite of the in-
cessant labors of Mr. McAllister and his de-
voted followers. The relations that should
exist between master and servant are defined
only in the common law as changed by code
and statute. In an annotated English
edition of the first book of Artemus Ward,
the editor found occasion to remark that
“the term servant grates harshly on the
American ear.” It is true that in New Eng-
land thirty years ago, even in towns of im-
portance, the “help” was often the equal of
the one “helped,” and there are villages
where this is true to-day. The daughter of

a neighbor would assist for a “spell” m the

housework; if work was slack on one farm,
a young fellow would “hire out” under an
adjoining farmer.

The “ hired man ” was frequently a person
of repute; he was called “Mister” by the
children of the employer; if he drove the
employer to his place of business, the drive
was enlivened by talk of politics ; nor did the
“ hired man ” refuse to vote against his em-
ployer at town meeting, if he disagreed with
his views. So. too, the female “ help ” was
consulted by the woman whom she helped in
all matters of economy, taste and social gos-
sip But in this Arcadia no employer would
have taken off his hat to a servant whom he
met nor would the hired man have so recog-
nized the presence of his mistress. This was
! not from boorish indifference or the arro-
gance that often is cloaked by humility. It
tvas not the habit in street salutations to
raise the hat as a tribute to woman in either
high, equal or low position. When young
men, who had visited the city for a time, re-
turned, and tried to introduce the habit, they
were regarded as popinjays, and were under
suspicion.

We now live under a new dispensation, and
yet, as a nation, our politeness is more in
actual deed than in surface polish. Individ-
I ually and collectively we bow awkwardly.

The American hat sticks closely to the Amer-
! ican head. It is removed, as an afterthought,
when the object of its homage has already
passed by. It takes no notice of the last
drive of the dead. The American cocks las
hat as he pleases, indoors and out, and thus
follows the example of the man in “ Leaves
of Grass.”

Surely no one wishes to see here the cus-
tom of bowing .with hared head to man.
There may be 'clTses in which this reverence
is permissible. The Bishop of the diocese
might expect this politeness from liis parish-
ioners; it might be allowed to the Governor,
the President, or an aged and respected ex-
pounder of the laws. But better the hat
jammed defiantly over the eyes in the pres-
ence of man than the exceptional courtesy
that is influenced by obsequiousness and
sycophancy. No American should hesitate,
however, to bow most graciously to cook or
maid in street or crowded horse car. She is no
longer a “help,” it- is true; she is a woman of
authority who knows her power. American
shrewdness should recognize her claims not
only in private and harassing domesticity
but in the open air and iu the public meeting
Xilaccs.

Games have their disappearance and their
Tevival. We all remember when there were
croquet clubs, croquet tournaments, and

croquet pamphlets without number. Did

not even the gallant Capt. Mayne Reid write
an exhaustive treatise on the subject? And
then It went out of fashion, liko unto
a thing of dress. Yet a few faith-
ful souls have kept the faith, undisturbed
by the louder claims of laivn tennis;
for it is reported that the National Croquet
Association will shortly hold its annual tour-
nament in Norwich, Conn. The reader of
this statement is tempted to examine at once
the date of his newspaper; but it is surely
1892. A contemporary suggests that it will
now be in order to organize national shinny,
town-ball, mumblety-peg and bull-pen asso-
ciations for public appearance in tourna-
ments.

• - - =

Is the House of Commons more dignified
in its proceedings than our House of Repre-
sentatives, or is there less talking for bun-
combe m English debates? During the
delivery of his speech Mr. Gladstone had
occasional recourse to his customary stimu-
lant, sherry flip. Is it possible to conceive of
a member of the Opposition calling attention
to the fact or insinuating that the venerable
statesman was under the influence of alcohol?
And yet there are members of Parliament
that are total abstainers, to the verge of
fanaticism, and Mr. Gladstone has bitter

enemies.

When civilization enters into what we are
pleased to call a barbaric country, paradoxes
spring up on every side. Here is a singular
instance in the French colony of Tonquin.
Before the arrival of the French, pirates
when caught were decapitated. The execu-
tioner used a large sword in a
bungling manner, and the unpleasant
operation checked the piratical ardor
of the surviving members of the
fraternity. It was thought that the in-
troduction of the guillotine would aggravate
the horror of death. On the contrary, the
natives of Tonquin are said to be delighted
■with the smooth working of the machine,
and it is anticipated that there will be re-
newed activity in piratical circles, for death
is now without its terrors.

In the discussion concerning tne em-
bellishment of the Public Library Building
and the consequent expense, it should not be
forgotten that the chief object of such a
building is the safe and convenient accomo-
dation of the contents. The books them-
selves are ornaments of great value. Their
display is the first necessity. Retrenchment
may affect the exterior of the building; it
should not hamper the librarian or the public.

The interesting address of Mr. Dimmick,
the Master of the Wells School, at the Old
South, on “Marco Polo and His Book,”
brings to mind the great change in opinion
concerning the veracity of the Venetian
traveler. For years he disputed with
Herodotus the first position among writers of
unbridled imagination ; but the whirligig of
time brings in its revenges, and many of
their wild tales are now known to be sober
realism. Polo has suffered at the hands of
translators, and he who wishes to know the
book of the brave and shrewd adventurer
should read it in the edition prepared by

Col. Yule.

The condemnation of the action of Gov.
Buchanan in the King matter speaks well for
the sentiment of the people of Tennessee.
Mr. Poston, the brother of the murdered
man, did not exaggerate when he said that
“ license had now been given to every man to
buckle on his six-shooter and go to killing his
enemies with the assurance that he would
be hanged for it.” But it would
a pity if this righteous indignation
•W#re to take visible form in mob
violence, and it is to be hoped that the citi-
zens of Memphis will preserve their dignity.
Burning a Governor in effigy does not restore
public confidence in the wisdom of the ex-
ecutive office. The most pathetic feature of
the affair, and an instance of the forgiving
love of woman, is the fact that the commuta-
tion of the sentence was due largely to the
entreaty of the wife of the murderer,
although she had been treated cruelly and
forsaken by her husband.

Now that Lizzie Borden has been arrested
and is in the hands of the law, it is to be
hoped that the newspapers which have been
pursuing her with almost personal spite will
allow her to be tried by Judge and jury.
The reporter who invents a theory and plays
at detective necessarily shapes all to meet his
end; but public opinion should not be
twisted for his advantage. In the eyes of the
law Miss Borden is innocent until the jury
brings a verdict against her. That she has
already been condemned by irresponsible
writers is a grave reproach to the decency
and a stumbling block to the authority of the
press.

Mr. Gladstone may now be content, for al-
though the path to ultimate success is full of
briars and stony places, although his QueenJ
sends for him undoubtedly “with inostex-|
treme disgust,” he has forced the question of
home rule for Ireland on the attention of
the people of England, and they have declared
in his favor. The cheers that greeted him inj
the House of Commons after the division
fatal to the Salisbury ministry arc sweeter
to him than elevation to the Peerage, and
the forgetfulness that would fall to the lot
of “Lord Liverpool.” Not without great
reason did the aged statesman say the other
day that the only inscription on his tomb-
stone should be “ William Ewart Gladstone.”

The Knights Templars will hold their next
triennial conclave, 1895, in Boston, in spite
of the earnest efforts of the Knights of
Cincinnati. The peculiar advantages of our
city for gatherings of this nature are now
fully recognized throughout the land, and in
paving us a compliment the Knights have
acted also for their own pleasure. They will
be warmly welcomed, and the noted hospi-
tality of the city will be a corroboration of
the wisdom of their choice.

The people of West Roxburv may well be
uneasy, for the rcoord of 20 incendiary fires
In 18 months, without an arrest, is enough to
shake the security of the night and excite
doubt concerning official vigilance. The in-
cendiaries are impartial in their work, and
the fires do not seem the work of personal
spite. A barn that blazes is the favorite
choice ; and the “fire-bugs,” or pyromaniacs,
are actuated apparently by wanton mischief,
the desire of gratifying their eyes.

The effort of the Germans of the West to
keep their language in the public schools
side by side with English is due to the belief,
shared with them by many of their country-
men abroad, that it will be ultimately the
universal tongue. This species of patriotic
arrogance is not confined to the Germans.
The sailor in Marryat’s “Poor Jack”
was sure that tire French would
never be seamen until they learned English,
"for their lingo is too noisy to carry on
duty.” James Howell quotes a Spanish doc-
tor who had a fancy that Spanish, Italian
and French were the only languages spoken
in the Garden of Eden; the Tempter per-
suaded in Italian, Adam begged pardon in
French, but the sentence of perpetual exile
was pronounced in Spanish.

It is said tiiat the American Library As-
sociation Council, of which Messrs. Whitney
and Cutter of this city are members, will be
among American librarians what the French
Academy is among French scholars, but
such a comparison is worthy of the in-
dignation of Mrs. Malaprop. The
French Academy is a unique institution,
that has made for literary righteousness in
France; and Matthew Arnold once went so
far as to openly envy his literary neighbors
their advantage. At the same time there are
French critics who think that in the effort to
polish, the Academicians have discouraged
strength and choked originality; but these
critics have not as yet been admitted to the
“ Immortals.”

The Russians boast that Vladivostock, the
coast terminus of the Siberian Railway, will
be a mighty town, one of the first maritime
and commercial cities of the world, the pride
of the Pacific coast. But a city does
not become great suddenly, by the com-
mand of a Czar; nor does the build-
ing of docks and walls insure a thriv-
i»g trade and swelling population.
There are caprices in business ; there are
freaks in the fortunes of towns. Years ago
a Czar drew a straight line between two of
his cities and ordered a railway; the railway
was so constructed; but instead of its now
passing through populous towns, as it was
anticipated, miles of sterility lie on either
6ide.

This is an age of hasty generalizations, and
statistics are used in the support of wild
theories. Here is a case in point. It is said
that of all so-called civilized countries Russia
has the largest number of women criminals,
especially of the upper class. These Russian
women are addicted to the intemperate
use of tea and cigarettes; there-
fore the crimes are due directly
to these stimulants. But this
theorist forgets the fact that a great number
of these criminals are imprisoned purely for
political reasons; they are under suspicion of
Nihilism. And it must not be forgotten that
the cigarettes used by Russian women
are of the mildest description, probably not
so injurious as the sweet-fern that is so dear
to country children.

The invention of a clock with a phono-
graph attachment, the dial of whicii repre-
sents a human face, from the mouth of which
announcements of the hours are made,
is a direct infringement of Friar
Bacon’s patent. He, it will he re-
membered, constructed an android that
made remarks at regular intervals concern-
ing time. It is also claimed by some that the
telephone was not unknown to him, although
it is the fashion to charge all modern inven-
tions to the ancient wisdom of the Chinese.

The leader of the Cow Boy Band, which
at present ‘causing a sensation ” in Denvi
is evident y a disciple of the new roman!
schoo , and a close follower in the footste
of distinguished conductors of the Ea^t I
carries a Winchester rifle, and his commam
are given by the crack of the deadly weapo
It is commonly reported that his' men pit
with unerring precision, for they know 11
inevitable result of a false note or a failu
respond to the beat.

The Californians have attained such a I
pitch of cultivation that the Yosemito Valley !
now seems to them unsatisfactory. It is not
"spectacular,” and the commissioners pro-
pose to remedy nature by the introduction of
tho electric light. The dynamos will be run
by the power of the waterfalls.

a sirrEjtr/iJocs heixo.

There seems to be a preconcerted and
simultaneous movement on tho part of many
uneasy women in Europe and America to
dispense with man. Not that they would
drivo him off the earth ; but he is no longer
regarded by them as a necessary part of the
machinery of the world. The idea that he is
lord of creation was exploded long ago. It
is true that there are women who are not
averse to marriage, and, therefore, there may
be excuso for man’s existence. Otherwise in
the evolution of tho race he would be
merely a superfluous and singular portion
of the new organism that might be allowed
to remain or might be extirpated without
serious result, like the spleen in the human
body.

There is a new school of female thinkers,
of whom Miss Beatrice Potter of London is
an illustrious example. They teach a new
doctrine, one not wholly disconnected with
Ibsenism. “Marriage is all very well, if it
does not interfere with work; but marriage
as a profession is obsolete. Her own de-
velopment is the principal thing that woman
has to compass.” And so we find women en-
gaged in the trades and callings that were for
along time thought peculiar to man. There
are female clergymen, doctors, lawyers, con-
fidential clerks; women control great busi-
ness enterprises; they are known in the
haunts of brokers ; they collect fares in horse
cars ; they play in orchestras ; and in a West-
ern town there is a female successor to Eliiiu
Burritt. They sound each tone of the gamut
of journalism. And it is claimed that in a
few years women will handle iron with a
greater dexterity than is now shown by
strong men in the mills. Their knowledge of
their power lias led women to look down on
: the other sex, and the man hater is now more
common than is the man eater of the Oriental
jungle. A female journalist expresses this
sentiment in the following pleasing words:
“Men and the ways and the habits of men
are uncongenial to women. Strength greater
than their own repels them, manners dif-
ferent from theirs, habits that they cannot
share, appal and disgust them.’’

In former days, when the annex was un-
known, a girl was educated by her mother,
friends and the subtle influences of her sur-
roundings for matrimony. The young man
whom she met in drawing room or at a ball
was to her a possible husband. The mother
was an anxious and loving establisher of
households for two and often three genera-
tions. The novels of England until a recent
date were full of billing and cooing and woo-
ing. From Fielding to Trollope, from Rich-
ardson to Thackeray, all novelists agreed that
girls and boys were created chiefly for mar-
riage. The end of the mother’s duties was
synchronous witli the conclusion of the story,
and the curtain was rung down to the peal of !
wedding bells.

But the higher education of women lias
changed all that. Man is no longer an object
of adoration. Take the ease of Miss Beatrice
Potter, for example. She apparently has no
time to investigate the merits of man, even if
she has suspicions concerning the justice of
the sentence pronounced against him. She
is an economist. She waxes enthusiastic at
the sight of statistics. She is a contributor
to the Nineteenth Century and a writer of a
book on the co-operative movement. She is
a rent collector in the East End. She is an
active Socialist. In her leisure moments she
studies philosophy with avidity. Nor is she
a great exception in her habits. The female
heart of to-day is, first of all, an anatomical
organ ; its palpitations come from anything
but the sudden presence of a man. Blushes '
are now due to ignorance alone. Smiles and
tears are only provoked by scholastic success
or failure. And it is left for a French woman,
Madam Adam, to regard home as the true
dominion of the female ruler and domestic
occupations most worthy of her intelligence.

Man might well be disturbed if he took
feminine opinions, protests, defiances ancl
denunciations as wholly serious. He re-
members the judicious conduct of Brer’
Rabbit in time of danger. The actions of
these modern Amazons belie curiously their
words. Take again the case of Miss Potter.
She was married this month to Mr. Sidney
Webb, L. C. C. (of the Fabian Society).

The caprices of death-dealing lightning I
were seen during the grent storm that swept
from Buzzard’s Bay to Salem. The boy in
the tower was spared ; the woman in the cel- |
larwas killed; and yet the bolt struck the
tower. Old traditions were thus set at
nought, for safety was supposed to dwell in
cellars. M'eusethe lightning for our petty
purposes, but we know as yet but little of
Its nature. And at times, as though out-
raged by being compelled to do man’s service,
it rebels and shows its giant strength.

1 iie friends of Mr. Cleveland realize that
pen and ink and a copy of “The Complete
Letter Writer,’’ are dangerous articles of
library furniture. Job regretted that his
enemy had not written a book ; if lie had en-
joyed our civilzation lie would have begged
only for a letter. Mr. Cleveland should med-
itate on the practice of that wily politician,
Martin Van Buren, who once said that he !
would rather walk ten miles to see a man
than stay at home and write to him.

Prison bars and bolted doors do not dis-
courage the modern reporter. The Sheriff
welcomes him, the Warden greets him with
a smile. He is on agreeable terms with the
matron, who, as a rule, is “a motherly look-
ing lady.” The world is enabled by his in-
vestigations to lead the life of the prisoner
from day to day, and thus it knows that Miss
Borden will have biscuit and coffee, tea and
bread, and corned beef, boiled and hashed.
The privacy of the dungeon is mocked; and
the fierce light of journalism turns darkness
into day.

It is not likely that Harvard University,
with its traditions, with its motto “ veritas,”
with its keen spirit of investigation, and its
knowledge of the value of elimination will
become a sectarian institution. Certain Uni-
tarians see in recent attempts to “ convert ”
their children a deep-laid “jesuitical” plot,
that among its ramifications includes a
scheme to gain control of Harvard. But in
the meantime why do not the Unitarians
swell their number and increase the potency
of their leaven by making counter assaults
on the Episcopalian flock ?

The founders of L ale would surely rub
their eyes in wonder if they only knew of
the psychological ambition of Prof. Scrip-
ture. He proposes to test the mental states
of fatigue, whether it be superinduced by
over study or by intense application to the
doctrine of chances as governing athletic
contests. He has also rigged a singular in-
strument for examining the sense of temper-
ature, as the surface of the human body has
separate hot and cold spots. A temperature
map thus prepared will be of interest to any
one who, in the dialect of New England,
feels “all streaky,”

It is not surprising that the American con-
suls in foreign lands view the proposed re-
duction in their salaries with dismay. They
are not at present too well paid, and they are
not on an equal footing pecuniarily with
their co-mates from other countries. The re-
duction would afflict with special grief the
consuls who, from inability to speak the lan-
guage of the people with whom they are sup-
posed to do business, are obliged to hire a
foreign assistant.

Pope Leo is evidently much interested in
the success of the World’s Fair. Nor does
he wish the Roman Catholic Church to he
misrepresented in the exhibition of her edu-
cational methods. It is fortunate for the
Church and for the Fair that this educational
exhibit is under the supervision of such an
able man and broad-minded American as
Bishop Spaulding of Peoria.

The recent death of William A. Stephens
of Philadelphia did not attract particular at-
tention, and yet, as the editor of Vanity Fair,
he was well-known from 1859 to ’61-2. It was
an admirable paper in many ways, and it
even excited the admiration of the Atlantic
Monthly of that day; but the Civil War
killed it. Its contributors were men who are
still remembered. “Artemus Ward,” Geo.
Arnold, Charles Dawson Shanley, and Mul-
len, the artist of rare fancy, have joined the
majority; but Aldrich and Winter] Stedman
and Leland now give pleasure to a genera-
tion that knows not their earlier work.

American theatre-goers who have suffered
both in London and in Paris from the fee
nuisance will sympathize heartily with Mr.
H. A. Jones, the playwright, in his crusade.
Unfortunately, as Lord Chief Justice
Coleridge happily expressed it. the system
was embodied in concrete form, and the
spirit enshrined in the body of a particular
middle-man. Freeing one’s temper by letter
is apt to be an expensive luxury, and Mr.
Jones was obliged to pay £60 and costs for
the publication of his indignant rhetoric.

Col. H. Olay King is not oas.ly sat. sued.

He demands more than the use of Ins life.
Wholesome rules and regulations seem to
him personal indignities. He Inghl
offended, for instance, when the Wanlen of
the Tennessee Penitentiary would not give
him whisky to drink, although he has been
accustomed to it from his youth up. He
agreed with his wife in protesting against
no e il clothing as an unwarrantable reflec-
tion ou the high position of ^

Whether he objected to the compulsory bath
H not known ; possibly this sanitary regula-
Uon is not enforced in Southern prisons.
Meanwhile the popular feeling in Tennessee
against the action of the Governor still raw.
in spite of the knowledge of petitions of
“thousands of the best citizens of the
country.”

It would be of interest to find out the
opinion of the medical faculty at large con-
cerning the heroic treatment to which victims
of sun-stroke are subjected in the hospitals
of Philadelphia. The patient is plunged into
ice-cold water. One of the sufferers died
the other day of pneumonia and eight
are now sick with it. At the
same time it must be stated
that 67 out of 86 patients were discharged
from the hospital as cured. The curious
feature of the remedy is this: That ac-
cording to a resident physician, "People who
are easily overcome by the heat are also sub-
ject to congestion of the lungs. 1 his violent
immersion may well be questioned, if there
.ie truth in this medical opinion.

A PECILIAK CATALOGIE.

A table of American millionaires was lately
published in a prominent newspaper. It
contains the names, residences and occupa-
tions of about 4000 people whose fortunes are
above the million-dollar mark. It appears
from this list that many of the millionaires
inherited their money and are by trade gen-
tlemen of leisure. Our English brethren
mi-lit point to this table as a proof of an
alleged national failing: the snobbery of
riches. For snobbery is not confined to ag-
gressive self-satisfaction or pride in a long
line of ancestors. Of all kinds and conditions
of snobbery that were catalogued by Thack-
eray, the snobbery of riches is unquestion-
ably the meanest variety. The publication
of a list of American millionaires is a sop to
the appetite of the snob; but it is not alone
for this reason that the publication is re-
gretted by the judicious.

Mr. Mallock,.who is nothing if not para-
doxical. eulogizes •‘smartness.” ‘‘Smart-
ness,’’ he says, “whatever people may say to

I the contrary, requires personal qualities of !
by no means a common order. Mere wealth
is not enough. There must be the knowledge
of liow to use it. * * * Smartness, in fact,
represents the perfection of superficial liv-
ing, and it has a natural, one may, indeed,
say a legitimate, influence over persons of a
certain temperament in all ranks.”

Unfortunately in this country the use of
the word “smart” as applied to a rich man
does not include the knowledge implied in
Mr. Mallock’s definition. We have not gone
beyond the primary meaning, the adjective
applied first to that which smarts and sec-
ondarily to that which causes smarting.

We are inclined to estimate our men by the
price they bring in the public market. The
millionaire must be a smart man to have
gained his fortune, if he started at tho
-cratch : to keep it, if he receives the fruit of
his father’s labor. Tho lawyer who aids in
wrecking a railway or booming real estate
is smart in the eyes of many ; he that con-
fines himself to his legitimate business is a
plodder; just as the speculator, whether he
makes bread dearer to the poor or ruins
humble stockholders, is considered smart
nntil he fails. The standard of success is
the amount of the pile gained in the under-
taking. How often is the advice, “I would
not do it, for there is no money in it,” given
to a young man who meditates a serious
undertaking that would benefit his fellows
and his own character. This constant cry of
“smartness" incites the greedy to specula-
tion ; it kills the modest enjoyment of daily
life; It is a foe to matrimony and the happi-
ness of the household; it too often summons
paresis or disgrace. As a nation we are af-
flicted with diseased or exhausted nerves, the
consequence of mad haste In money-getting;
our consolation is that foreign nations call
ns “ smart.”

It Is not necessary to examine here the
question of whether a Government under
which men of vast wealth exeit a mighty in-
fluence and compel the adoration of the un-
thinking is not a plutocracy rather than a
democracy. Nor docs it follow that because
a man is rich he Is necessarily unscrupulous
or profligate. To be sure, the wisdom of the
ancients frowned on the rich. “ A very rich
man can hardly be a very good man ” Is an
appropriate page heading of Prof. Jow-
ett which sums up Plato’s opinion :

“And good in a high decree
and rich in a high degree at the same time
he cannot be.” The books of olden time are
full of such utterances. 13ut there are Aroer-
can millionaires who have acquired their
money honestly and by their own industrj,
and who make good use of their temporary
treasure. On the other hand there are hun-
dreds who through the mistaken kindness of
inheritance are drones in the human hive or
minister wantonly to their own selfish pleas-
ures. A young man who lives already in
the hot atmosphere of speculation by reading
the list of these applauded rich men may lose I
easily discrimination aud confound good j
with evil. V

'J'H 1'. V Al.l r. OF JOlltSALS.

The publication of the notes and the recol-
lections of Sir Richard Wallace under the
title of “An Englishman in Paris” has ex-
cited more than ordinary interest. 1 he son
of the Marquis of Hertford, who was the
original of Thackeray’s “ Lord Steyne,” had
peculiar opportunities for seeing. He also
knew the valuo of discrimination in the
judgment of men and things. He was a
keen and kiudly critic of human nature, and
he was a graceful teller of stories. No wonder,
then, that his reminiscences of Dumas and
Sue, De Musset and George Sand, the Citizen
King and Louis Napoleon and other cele-
brated men and women are now read with
zest.

It is true that Sir Richard was fortunate in
the people whom he met; yet it is not un-
likely that if he had remembered the speech
and the habits of human beings of lesser
fame, his chronicles would have still enter-
tained, so great is the charm of his narration,
and so insatiable is the curiosity of man.

The reader of Pepys’s diary often skips pas-

sages relating to grave historical personages
to read of the adventures of the wife, that
“poor wretch” with whom Pepys quarreled.

The knowledge of the stuff and the pattern
of her gown is of as great a value as the
description of a court function, bo, oo,
the memoirs of that precious rogue, Cellin ,
the tricks of the vagabonds and the roisterers
stand side by side with the schemes of
Cardinals and Envoys. We read eager y
of the manners and customs^ of pas
ages. We are not indifferent to
the hours of meals, the table furniture, the
styles in dress, the amusements, the supersu
tions of those of former days. Harrison s
I England is, therefore, more highly esteemed
i by the judicious than is the work of Hume,
i and the memoirs and the journals of gossips,
j male and female, outweigh bulky collections
of State papers. „ . „

The journal is of singular importance to
the historian. He can find his dates and offi-
cial documents by patient research, but to
present in flesh and blood the figures o
past is a more trying task. A careless a u-
sion in a diary intended for private pleasur
or written with one eye on posterity may re-
create tho forgotten appearance of the man
whose speeches or actions were carer j
preserved. Tho details of daily and common
life thus assume great proportions.

We suffer in this country by want of suen
documents. Here and there is a hook like
the Diary of Philip Hone; but we know
more of the manners and the thought of the
French for three and four centuries than ol
the customs of our own forerunners. I e
history of the development of any one of ti e
arts in America is the more difficult to a
writer on account of the abscnceof testimony
of men who saw the origin and the growth.
Take the history of music here in Boston.
There arc a few books in which there are
stray references ; there is a history of the
Handel and Haydn Society; and the future
historian must consult these few works and
the newspaper files. Now suppose that
a man living among us, honored
by musicians and laymen, told in his own in-
cisive yet picturesque style the story of his
musical adventures from the time of his im-
migration unto the present day ; not with the
express view of making history, but as Tail -
incut or Do Goncourt. He might describe
Boston as it was when the people first heard
his violin ; the musical habits and tho taste ,

the character of the associates who worked

with him in the cultivation of the art. 1 hat
sucli an oratorio was sung in a certain year
is a matter of fact that may be more or less
valuable. It would be a greater pleasure to
become acquainted with the men and the
women who were on the stage the evening o
that performance.

If a student of medheval superstitions
were to read in the book of a German anti-
quarian that once upon a time a murdered
man sent a spiritual communication to an
unknown woman in which he gave the de-
tails of his death and the description of the
assassin, aud that thereupon the authorities
of the town endeavored to trace the foot-
steps of the alleged murderer, would he not
wonder at the credulity of that day? And
yet an instance that is parallel to this hy-
pothesis is recorded in the newspapers of
this morning, and the town is Fall River.

The pride of Boston in one of its most
noted institutions has received a fatal wound.

Mr. John Stetson, who is an authority, ad-
mits that in Paris this summer he ate a
broiled live lobster that excelled anything of
the kind he ha d ever before tasted.

It appears that the royal disquietude of
Viotoria is not entirely due to the personal
triumph of a “ Radical ” or to the fear of
Imperial dismemberment. She dreads the
necessary changes in the royal household,
for the Whig families of aristocratic rank
are few among the supporters of Gladstone.

The Mistress of the Robes and the Ladies of
the Bedchamber are likely to be women
hitherto unknown to her. This is a matter
that unfortunately was overlooked in the
late election, and it is surprising that Salis-
bury and Mr. “Joe” Chamberlain did not
press it home to the voters.

Zola in one of his novels described a well-
to-do father dividing his property before his
death among his children, who at first quar-
reled, in supporting him, over the question
of whether he should be allowed sugar in his
coffee, and finally abandoned him, so that he
died wretchedly. This description was cen-
sured at the time of publication as brutal and
impossible. Yet a man 99 years old has just
be°n committed to a poorhouse in New York
State because one of his sons will not take
care of him. He has 12 children living and
they are in comfortable circumstances.

The Emperor William, whether he is defy-
ing Bismarck, sounding the bugle of war, or
watching yachts sail by him, is always a
picturesque figure and an unfailing delight
to, tho student of sociology. He now proposes
to take his son, the Crown Prince, a-journey-
ing that the boy may he better fitted for
his imperial responsibilities. His first trip
will be to the North Cape, for, as William re-
marked to Queen Victoria, “ Communing
with the magnificent scenery of Norway and
association with the rugged natives would
broaden his mind and arouse his deeper feel-
ings.” The Emperor is unacquainted, ap-
parently, with Ruskin’s opinions on the in-
fluence of savage scenery on man.

Many will remember, when they read of
the revival of “The Black Crook,” the in-
dignant protests and fierce denunciations
provoked by its first production. To the
eyes of to-day it seems a harmless spectacle.
Were we then too prudish, or are we now too
careless? For surely, in comparison with
theatrical exhibitions that succeeded it and
now are seen, the adventures of Hertzog and
Rudolphe seem meat for babes.

We have much sympathy for the prisoners
in Siberian mines, and we wax indignant
over the conduct of the Russian Govern-
ment; but we forget that in many of the
Southern States of our own country there is
a system by which convicts are sold in gangs
to labor. The cruelties of this system have
been exposed by Northern philanthropists
and fair-minded Southerners. The system,
however, prevails, and the recent incen-
diarism and murder at Tracy City are but
trifling incidents in the history of cruel
barbarism in a C hristian land.

Nesbitt may have stabbed himself to ex-
cite symyathy or he may have been assaulted
cruelly ; he at least has fired the imagination
of a reporter. A morning contemporary re-
marks as follows: “The blinds of the

house of John Cahill were drawn yes-
terday, and nothing would tend to show
that such a noted character as Nesbitt
was lying in bed on the top floor.” How
pray would the precise presence of Nesbitt
he indicated by means of inanimate objects?
By open blinds, or by a peculiar arrangement
of the curtain? And if Nesbitt were not “a
noted character,” w ould the blinds have been
more communicative ?

Lord Dvsart is not satisfied with his posi-
tion as chief cook and bottle washer of the
English Wagneriads ; he is notv prominent
as an apostle of dress reform. He argues,
and he argues sensibly, that when he has
paid for his seat at the opera, he has the
right to appear there in any decent and
reasonable dress; that he should not be
compelled to don a swallow-tail coat and
white cravat. The idea that an operatic per-
formance is a function that demands the
dress of ceremony is dear to all who look
upon tho opera merely as a fashionable
amusement of “tho upper class.” And it
was for this reason without doubt that Ha/.-
litt was moved to w’rite his famous diatrflje.

It is said that the Dori foiled inn of paint-
ings will ho brought in .ts entirety to New
York, and already are these pictures praised
extravagantly in advan®. No one denies
the rare imagination and the skill in black
and white of Doth, who was In his private
life a most amiable and industrious man.
But he had ono burning ambition,
and that was to bo known as
a great painter. In Paris his claims were de-
nied, although a small picture by him hangs
in the Luxembourg. As he thought justice
was denied him in his native country, he
went to London, and the gigantic pictures
painted there excited the wonder of the pop-
ulace; but even in England, the home of
mediocrity in art, ho was not esteemed as a
painter by the more judicious.

The attention of Mr. Howells is respect-
fully called to an incident in American life
that shows the great advance in country
manners since his study of them, as revealed
in “A Modern Instance.” A young man of
Abseeon took a handsome young woman of
the same place '‘out buggy riding,” and, in
the course of conversation, put his
arm around her, meanwhile driving skillfully
with one hand. The young lady, unlike the
heroine of Mr. Howells, protested vehe-
mently, and the young man was brought be-
fore the magistrate, who placed him under
bonds to keep the peace. It is gratifying to
learn that ‘‘there was a good deal of sym-
pathy” for the offender. f

/ £

A CASE OF “TB QUOQUE.”

The writer of an article that appeared in a
late number of the London Author has sud-
denly found himself notorious on ac-
count of his savage attack on women en-
gaged in journalism. And yet perhaps
“himself ” is a sexual error, for the spite dis-
played is feminine in its intensity. Let us
be courteous, however, and assume that the
author is a man. He frames his indictment
with considerable ingenuity, for lie mixes
together facts and theories, suspicions and
confirmations, until his argument seems
stroug. Indeed, he grows indignant at the
thought of women earning money by writing

for the newspapers, and ho delivers himself
with Johnsonian dignity. “Those, however,
who prize that vigor and virility of sentiment
and writing which characterize the best mas-
culine pens; who ueplore the personalities,
gossip and feminine tone which find so prom-
inent a place in many of the papers; who
value style, and scholarship, .and humor, all
i of which stand a chance of being neglected,
if not lost, will see reason for regret that so
much of the literature of the day is written
by women.”

In other words, this writer objects to the
vulgar gossip and “the personalities about
the conversation, mode of life and move-
ments of persons who are in no sense of the
word ‘public,’ * * * and whose fastness,
or money alone, makes them the object of
this rubbishing tittle-tattle.” According to
him “(with the exception of a few individual
women who have made their literary reputa-
tion elsewhere) the better sort of newspaper
work, which includes leader writing, review-
ing and miscellaneous literary articles, is not
in the hands of women at all, whose main
business is concerned with paragraphs and
articles about social functions, the shops,
fashions, cookery, home decoration and re-
ports of lectures, meetings, weddings and
so forth.”

It is true that there are women who make
a trade of retailing or inventing gossip for
the use of newspapers. Some work in secret.
They go to receptions, they make many calls,
they are seen in public places, and no one
suspects that they are hunting material for
copy. Others acknowledge frankly their
calling. They ask personal questions with
note book in hand. They cover impudence
with a laugh and the remark: “You know

I must get my living.” Death is no more
sacred to them than marriage or bankruptcy.
They are impervious to hints. Their
skin is thicker than the proverbial
shell of the tortoise, which was at last
pierced by contempt. And doors often fly
open to them, although the inmates of the
hohses would have them shut, for they know
that the visitors carry the keys of publicity.
An insult, i. e., a refusal to answer an impu-
dent question or supply superfluous informa-
tion, is speedily avenged. The insulter is [
stabbed in a “society column.”

Again, such a feminine Paul Pry is an en-
emy to literature and the arts of painting [
and music. Music, for instance, is regarded j
by these reporters as a social function; and
[ in flattering notices of singers or players the
i female reporter bows to the ukase of the
tyrannical patroness. Personal predilection

I may govern the pen. A tender smile or a
subtle compliment addressed to the reporter
is of more value than an artistic performance
in gaining newspaper notoriety. The re-

i porter of this ciasiTis not dismayed by the
fact that she hns never learned the rudiments
of the art. She may sing ballads out of tune,
or sho may be deaf, it is immaterial; she has
audacity, and at a moment’s notice she would
interview a stray Bishop or review an ency- i
clopoedia. / ' |

Aftor all, is she not without excuse? She 1
Is obliged to earn her living; she is not
capable of better work, or she has learned
by bitter experience that such work is often
rejected by “ hustling’’ managers, who can
find no room for it; her column of personal
gossip and flippant chat is readily accepted,
and she knows that it is read. A persever-
ing woman, with the aid of her natural
witchcraft, can make herself invaluable in a
newspaper office by extracting “interviews ”
from public men who would frown upon a
male reporter. Nor is the evil which the
writer of the above-mentioned article de-
plores due alone to feminine depravity.
“Tuquoque” might be the reply of any
clever woman to the male assailant. For are
there not gossips and romancers in the
journalistic ranks of the sterner sex? Oris
the work of the female journalist read only
by women ?

President McLeod of the Reading Rail-
way states that nearly a month ago at a
meeting of workmen, where Grand Master
Sweeny presided, plans were laid for the
present strike, and Master Workman Mc-
Namara proposed force, such as derailing
cars, knocking holes in engine tanks, etc.
On the other hand Mr. Sweeny says that he
believes in “ fighting fair,’’ and he does not
approve of injuring property or assaulting
men. The fact remains that however Mr.
Sweeny may disapprove mentally of vio-
lence he has taken no firm stand against the
rioters, who, he claims, do not belong to his
men. He encourages the strike, and then,
astonished at the consequences, disclaims
responsibility. Meanwhile a quarter of a
million dollars’ worth of property is spoiling
in the stalled cars, and terror reigns in the j
community.

■

The Spaniards applaud the hull that has
killed a man in the arena and call for a
renewal of the fight. To us they are bar-
barians. Yesterday in a New Jersey town
there was a horse race. Six jockeys were
thrown and injured severely. One was “dis-
figured fearfully,” and he was removed from
the track, delirious, so that be was put in a
straight-jacket. As in the Spanish arena,
“the accident created great excitement, but
the programme was carried out.”

It was an unhappy moment for the Demo-
crats when Mr. Washington Hessing “ talked
very freely” about the Democratic chances
of carrying Illinois this fall. “The repeal of
the present school law, which is very much
the same as the Bennett law, which was re-
pealed at the last session of the Wisconsin
Legislature, is a matter which vitally inter-
ests the Germans. That law must be re-
pealed, and it can only be done through the
instrumentality of the Democratic party.
The success of the Republicans means the
continuance of the law.” That is to say, the
success of Democracy in Illinois means the
encouragement of Germamzation, and the
propagation of Cahenslyism, which is com-
batted earnestly by the great majority of the
members of the Roman Catholic Church in
this country.

Certain English newspapers find an ele-
ment of insincerity in the celebration of the
centenary of Shelley’s birth. It is a singular
I fact, by the way, that the day of this centen-
I ary a Parliament met that \yas chosen in the
spirit that moved Shelley to lay down condi-
tions for Home Rule in his “Proposal for
I Putting Reform to the Vote Throughout the
Kingdom.” The author stood long ago in
tlvs balcony of a Dublin house and threw
copies of his pamphlet to men in the street
who “looked likely.” He sent other copies
to public houses. The sanguine boy— for he
was then but a boy— thought to revolutionize
the condition of Ireland by a visit of a week
and a free distribution of pamphlets. The
Shelley just celebrated was the poet, not the I
reformer.

The ingenious Dr. Charcot has invented a
“ vibratory medicine.” He puts a patient
suffering from shaking palsy into an arm-
;hair which by a mechanical arrangement
produces vibrations like those of a train in
motion. The symptoms disappear gradually,
and the patient sleeps. This suggested to
another physician a “ vibrating cap ” for
the relief of headache and insomnia. If
vibrations are all that are needed, electric
cars and excursion trains might be to palsy
rs like medicine to like disease. Indeed
certain diseases are said to be relieved by |
constant railway travel, as other diseases
are induced thereby; and no doubt Dr.
Charcot borrowed the hint in the construc-
tion of his machine.

A paragraph is going the rounds of the
newspapors to the effect that, according to
statistics, the Parisian, man, woman or child,
bathes only once In two years. Such compu-
tations aro made lightly, and cannot be dis-
proved. Strange results might follow from a
similar juggling with figures In a crowded
American city. At the same time it is cor-
tainly suggestive that a French writer on
porsonal beauty advises his malo readers to
have a good wash before they begin to dress.
He counsels, first, a hath ; if this is impossi-
ble, the face, neck and hands at least should
he scoured thoroughly. And to fortify his
position he quotes from classical writers of
France.

It will be noticed that tho name of Mr.
Labouehere does not appear in the list of the
members of Mr. Gladstone’s cabinet; but the
list as published this morning is not com-
plete. It is said that Mr. Labouehere wishes
chiefly the offer, that he may decline
it, as Caesar, upon a memorable
occasion, but no one can prophecy correctly
concerning the possible conduct of the
editor of Truth. In the office of that
newspaper is his most fitting place; there
can he probably work tor the greatest good
in behalf of the Premier.

It is pleasant to hear news from Ireland
that is connected neither with oppression nor
bloody revolt. The horse breeding in the
West of Ireland by a government depart-
ment has been successful. The original horse
in Donegal was a descendant of the Anda-
lusian of the wrecked vessels of the Armada.
New blood was needed, and Yorkshire hack-
neys and Arabs were introduced. These
horses were distribnted through the country,
much to tiio present and future benefit of
the farmers.

The conduct of Mr. Gilman excites sur-
prise; for he was genial in his business rela-
tions with men, and “ universally kind and
considerate of his family.” He was also re-
garded as an honorable man. But the ease
of Mr. Gilman is only one of many. Exterior
polish, gentlemanly behavior and courteous
treatment of wife and children are not neces-
sarily the accompaniments of integrity. The
rudeness that defies temptation and the
coarse sense that chokes the thought of spec-
ulation with the use of another’s money are
more to the purpose.

From Newport, as from other watering
places, comes the report that men will not
dance in the vacation. While the women
were obliged to make up sets among their
own sex, the men loitered at the club or res-
taurant. They are not, however, to be
blamed. There is work enough of this kind
in winter, and it must be then carried on
with earnestness and self-abnegation. To
demand its continuance during the days of
midsummer and early fall is unreasonable,
not even to be demanded by a capricious
leader of society.

NEW PUBLICATIONS.

THE NAULAHKA.

"The Naulahka,” published by McMillan &
Co., is a novel written l y the literary firm of
Kudyard Kipling and Walcott Balesteir. The
recant death of Mr. Balesteir called forth ex-
pressions of regret for the literary as well as the
I personal loss; Putin ins collaboration with Mr.
Kipling it is difficult to form an estimate of his
value. "The Naulahka” would not have made
him famous if he had written it alone, nor
would it now add to the reputation of Mr. Kip-
ling if he, too, had worked unaided. For the
east and the west are brought into too violent
conjunction. The melodrama is extravagant to
the point of burlesque. The Mrs. Mutrie who
controls witn a smile the destinies of railways
and lusts aftor Eastern Jewels is a fan-
tastic character of opera bouffe. The Amer-
ican uiscipie of Pundita KamaPai
wanders with ease in Indian hospitals
anil palaces, conversing freely in English with
natives who are miles away from an English
settlement. Nicholas 2,'arvin is a deus ex
machina who succeeds gin all he undertakes,
and appears at the melodramatically correct
moment. He rises sup&Biflr to the treachery and
the wiles of Queen Sltaouai, who is. with the
possible exception of the opium-drunken Maha-
rajah, the most entertaining person in the cook.
There are in the toreign episodes traces of the
strength that is akin to brutality and lhat is
peculiar to Mr. Kipiing, and the search after the
Naulahka in the Cow’s Mouth is de-
scribed in a powerful chapter of in-
genious. horrible detail. So. too. tho

night in which the gypsy Queen
woo» Xarvin remains in the memory. But
with these exceptions, in which air. Kinlmg is
on familiar ground, the story is uninteresting
even when there is a straining after effects. Nor
is tho alleged American humor introduced, tnat
compound of humanity, siirewd sense and tho
grotesaue that characterizes the genuine article
The story may beguile a summer’s day. it wili
not advance Mr. Kipling in the estimation oi
those who are not inclined to take him seri-
ously ; it will not Dreserve the name ot the now
silent partner. For, on tue oue hand, the flow
ot adventure is not spontaneous enough t.o carry
tho characters witu it. and, on the other hand
, the drawing of character is not attempted, or it
is teeble.

OTHER RECENT FICTION.

_r. John Hearct. Jr., has feathered together
short stories that he wrote first lor magazines, ,
and they aro published lor him by Harper and
Brevhers under the title " \ rharselor France.”

Mr Hear., seems wed equipped uy nature lor
the trauo ot story tellins ; nnd although he uses
liberal!' tin local color in his tales of hot
i-U'ncs although he '.lien delights in blood ana
crime a "lid adventure, he can at me same
um- snow ins power in the character-study ol
apparently com moo place inumduals, as in
"Janus. ' At present he prefers apparently the
lurnt and the tragic; he is realistic in the de-
set • ;iou ot horrid sintering and he spells out
uis oaths; but ne is a child of this generation,
and us ecu present as an additional excuse, that
tie interests tils readers. In the telling of short
stones our American writers approach the
i r , , the masters in this art; and Mr. Heard
m iv take an enviauie position among them, if
he does not persist in enjoying the burning rays
ol the barbarous sun.

ylr, Hamlin Garland in 11 A Little Norsk 1 for-
gets social and economic problems, forgets legis
lative corrupters and Western landsharks. In
ibis Simple and charming idyl he ceases his
compiamt against nie Government, man and
the universe. 1'he rearing ot the little girl by
the stalwart and tender men is told delight-
'ully and there is a flavor ol the apil until the
druggist appears- 1 hen there is an attempt at
melodrama ol a cheap and tedious description,
an attempt that suggests the despair ol the au-
thor in the proper disposal ot Ins heroine, for
heroines unl>Ra awkward children, cannot be
PU out at boarding school by perplexed parents ;
neither c*u they be dropped overboard like the
boy Xury m “ Kobinson LrusO'. .Ur. Garlanu
has w ritten stones oi greater strength than A
1 it tie Norsk, but his talent has never before
seemed soamianle or shown such tenderness,
'file little volume is published by 1>. Appleton.

Harper & Bros, are the publishers of ” Mrs.
Keats Bradford.” by Maria Louise Pool. Mrs.
P.rsdfor J, a New England woman of artistic
tastes deserts her husband because he is in love
with her; at least, no other explanation other
conduct is given. Mie settles in Boston, and an
old male acquaintance m Pans cro.ses the At-
lantic and makes unseat etna illy proposals to
her wh ch sue spurns. Her husband is bored
Bv the English ciuos. and he. too. crosses tile
Y. .mat It to see his wile. His proposals meet

wi'ti no response, so he goes out West and lives

on a ranch. Idle mother ot Mrs. bradford dies;
her si- ci marries a man that lias his home in
the ooutn lino. Mrs. Bradford then concludes
to loinber hu6baud. and. taking her pet dog. sue
meets him pef ore is is too late. Around these
fa-rertric characters revolve various types ot
New Euglaud life. From W’. B. C.arke & Co.

•• The Squire.” published by the CasselLPub
hshiug Company, is by Mrs. Parr, the author of
” Dorothy Fox.” It is a long drawn out story of
the commonplace actions ot conventional
ueople. lucre is a stern old man w hose heart
is sutteuL-.i at the proper time to the advantage
of his relatives, and a designing second w ife is
proper. V discomfited, Y onus men marry young
maulens without serious oustacles in their
wootng. aud neither limits nor virtues arrest
the c.nicism oi tue reader. It is a dull novel.

A REVIVAL IX Ill'SIMSS.

Piracy is again in favor, although instances
of the amenities of the profession are still
sporadic and remote. There has been a
fascination in the lives and the deeds of sea
outlaws from the time of the early Greeks,
when piracy was an honorable calling. A
healthy boy dreams of ingots and doubloons ;
he practices secretly the art of holding a cut-
lass with the teeth by first experimenting
with a knife; he rigs in the back yard a
plank and gloats over his childish foes. The
man is not averse to tales of bloody deeds, if
he smells salt foam with the powder ; he de-
vours eagerly such a story as “Treasure
Island.” A well-known and high-toned
newspaper of New York published in its
is'ue oi last Sunday seven columns' of enter-
taining matter concerning the adventure? of
bold pirates under the ‘‘Jolly Roger,” and
the “bloodthirsty career of the infamous Ed-
ward Low ” was told in a manner that would
excite the admiration and even envy
of a peaceful citizen ot sedentary
life. The “Lay of the Last Buccaneer,”
by the Rev. Charles Kingsley, introduced
gracefully the subject, and “A Chapter of
Highwaymen” in verse brought the end.
In the National Biography Ser ies Captain

Kidd Is represented as a geDtlcman of en-
gaging personality, who was hung alter an
unfair trial; and the story of his burying the
Bible in the sand is probably an Idle tradi-
tion, akin to the tale of Tell’* marksmanship
and the legend of Lucre/.ia Borgia's chest of
assorted poison*. But in the columns of the
New York Times there was no softening of
the detail, no process of general whitewash-
ing. The great Low ties lighted matches
between the fingers ol his captives, cuts oil
ears and slits noses, and in other ways di-
verts hltn‘elf In the presence of the reader
as when in real *ife lie scuttled New Eng-
land vessels.

It will then be agreeable news to many
that piracy, as a profession, is still studied
and with praiseworthy results, lor a time
t:ie active practice of the profession fell into
disrepute on account of the prudery of the
law. Pirates were engaged in other callings.
Some, in hope of an ultimate revival ot busi-
ness, kept their band in by trading with
authors and publishing their books. Others
formed land companies, launched insurance

balloons, or, in sheer bravado, invffdea me i
ranks of lawyers. But the admiration ex- f
cited by the recent deeds of the Roedique
brothers in the South Seas shows that popu-
lar interest demands a revival of the old-
established, legitimate business.

Roedique, the mate of the good schooner i
Dolly ,T., was a man of “splendid attain-
ments.” He spoke English, French, Ger-
man aud all the dialects of the Soutli Seas;
he had also enjoyed the advantages of con-
vict education in New Caledonia, and he was
graduated by an adroit exercise in jail break-
ing. On a cruise of the schooner, the crew
was joined in the Kingswoll group by Roe-
dique’s brother, who had been his co-mate
in exile. It occurred to these men that it
would be well to seize the ship, cargo, and
g.'iOOO iu treasure, so they plotted with the
cook, who poisoned the food of the crew.
“The Roedique brothers stood over them,
watched the death struggles of the four men,
and chuckled because there was no outcry.”
The work was still incomplete. The captain
and the supercargo were sitting in the cabin
eating their dinner, when two uninvited
guests appeared. “ Like clockwork two pis-
tols were drawn, two shots sounded like one,
and the brains of the captain and supercargo
mingled on the dinner table." The brothers
then ate a hearty meal while the cook steered.
Sharks disposed of the unpleasant reminders
of the victory. Then there was carousing in
different ports, throwing of money in the
streets, until the cook in a fit of the dumps
boarded a Spanish man-of-war— here is a
touch of romantic detail, for Spain and
piracy are still connected in the mind of
every boy of tender or hoary years— and the
brothers were captured and put in irons. On
the ship were $3000, 60 tons of copra and a
ton of pearl shell.

Thus it appears that the age of piracy is
not gone. It is true that the Roedique
brothers did not have time to hoist the black j
flag. They would have sailed under the
skull and cross-bones without doubt, had it
not been for the mistaken conduct of the
cook and Spanish arrogance. They certainly
made a brave beginning, and their names
should be added to the list in which sparkle
as dazzling gems Kidd, Low, and that terror
of the Gulf, Lafitte.

Young Adams, the embezzler, kept a diary,
and instead of noting daily a resolve to be
diligent, that he might rise and control a
business of his own, he recorded step by step
the process of his dishonest scheme. This
diary was found close to a letter in which
the boy’s sister prayed that he might be
honest. It is a singular incident in the his-
tory of crime. By what fatuity did Adams,
who in other ways showed shrewdness and
native wit, leave such evidence behind him?

Or why did not the record of his guilty plan
warn him against the fulfilment?

Recent events have shown that in criminal
cases no one can escape suspicion. The ab- j
sent-minded, the easily confused, the men
and women of imperfect memory may easily
appear as hardened criminals. The infirmi-
ties of nature are not dangerous enough, and
the psycho-physical gentry have in-
vented a machine called the plethysmo-
graph, which measures the least increase
of blood in the arteries of the arm. This, it
Is said, will furnish involuntary testimony
of the nervous state of a criminal ; or, if it
Is applied to a person under suspicion, it will
be a test of guilt or innocence. Years ago
there were similar ordeals, though of more
heroic nature ; the ordeals of fire and water.

There is fine playing recorded at the
croquet tournament at Norwich, and much
Interest expressed in the final results. A
jorrespondent writes The Journal in refer-
ence to an editorial paragraph concerning
oroquet in the issue of Friday. He claims
that the game is disparaged without reason.
“In its present scientific condition it has no
superior for skill, judgment and ‘nerve.’ ”
Players at billiards and lawn tennis may bo
inclined to dispute this statement. There
was no attempt in the paragraph

to “underrate the claims of cro-
quet.” The opinion was expressed
that games have their rise and fall,
ebb and flow. Surely the correspondent,
who is, by the Way, an officer of the Croquet
Association, would not insist that his favor-
ite amusement is as generally popular with
young men and young women as it was, say
20 years ago, or before the Introduction of
lawn tennis. Nor is the worth of a game
measured by its popularity. Chess, for in-
stance, is not as popular as poker. Lawn
tennis is just now in favor. Its nets are
seen on every lawn. It is an invigorating
game, that demands a quick eye, trained
wrist, and swift and certain judgment.

The strikers in New York State show hu-
manity at least in allowing the movement of
milk trains. It would be cruel If children
were to suffer on account of the disputes of
men. Yet this humanity is one-sided; and
the strikers look beyond their homes. For
when a workman is idle, his wife and his
children are thft first and the keenest so ff.qasf*-,

Nine-tenths of the cabmen of Paris have j
struck, and tourists and citizens walk. There |
is mnch to be said in favor of these hard-
working men. The courses are long and the
receipts are comparatively small, while the
owners of the cabs demand a fat price for
their use. There are no disorders reported ;
for it does not occur to a French driver that
when he is in dispute with his employer it is
his first duty to maim horses, break cabs and i
make himself thoroughly obnoxious to every- j
body.

The Essex County Prohibitionists have re-
ceived a deadly blow from an unexpected
quarter. They are the victims of the treach-
ery of Nature, long their boasted ally. For
it is announced simultaneously with the re-
port of their convention that the water supply
of Salem is failing. “The stars in their
courses fought against Sisera.”

The Atlanta Constitution agrees with Mr.
Howells in his opinio that no one can love
New York. It declares that “New York is
to be used and not loved. It is a convenience
merely.” But it is to be regretted that the
force of this admirable epigram is weakened
by the following outburst of local pride:
“Atlanta is one of the few towns in the
world that have an attractive individuality.”
There are certain things that gain by infer-
ence. An epigram carries suggestion with
it ; it should not be diluted by pursuing its
ramifications.

The statistics of homicide in the United
States were discussed lately in The Journal,
and the figures relating to drunkenness as a
cause were then the subject of comment.
Sir Edmond du Cane, who is a student
of crime, in speaking of the habitual
criminals of London, sees no relief if
drunkenness were swept away. “ If any
soeial habit more than another leads to
crime,” he says, “ it is that of betting and
gambling, which derive their attraction from
the hope of getting rich without work.” All
students of crime lagree in this, that bet-
ting is the great English vice.

An American female physician, who now
lives in England, advocates a diet which she
calls “natural food.” Her argument is sim-
ple. “Primitive man fed on fruit and
nuts, therefore let us all eat fruit and nuts.”
Primitive man, however, indulged himself
in many practices that his successors have
wisely discarded. Mrs. Densmore admits
that as we have deteriorated in certain re-
spects, flesh may be eaten in small quantity; i
but she insists on the supreme value of
nuts. This theory of diet should be taken
with a grain of salt.

A superstition is a hard thing to kill. It is
said that on certain moors of England jealous
women still mould waxen dolls, and running
pins through them, melt them slowly, so that
their human models may waste away. This
seems incredible, but Fanny D. Bergen, in
the last number of American Folk Lore,
gives an instance of a belief as insane, and
on her own personal authority. There is a
fungus called “ death-baby,” fabled to fore-
tell death in a family, and she has “ known
of intelligent people (in a town not far re-
moved from Boston) rushing out in terror and
heating down a colony of these as soon as
they appeared in the yard.”

The attention of the members of tlie Psy-
chical Society is invited to an extraordinary
scandal which is now agitating the art world
of London. It is alleged that a sculptor did
not execute the large work exhibited by him
in the xYcademy, but that lie was assisted
by a ghost. The sculptor denies
the charge, and is as skeptical
in the matter of ghosts, as are the accusers
of his merit. The members of the society
should not accept the vulgar explanation that
a “ ghost ” is an assistant who possesses the
necessary artistic education, anil they should
put all the parties concerned to a most rigid
examination.

A TRIUMPH OF LEATHER.

From the beginning the shoe has been
something more than a mere article of com-
merce. It has been an index of the taste of
the time. The antiquarian can construct a
civilization from a given shoe, as Cuvier built
the animal from the bone. The painter finds
a delight in the reproduction of a leathery
past when cavaliers were booted anil I
spurred. The history of the shoe is a maga-
zine of singular facts and superstitions, a
storehouse of the caprices of men and
women. As in other articles of dress, there
has been a rotation in fashion, from the days
when Egyptians wore sandals of leather,
palm leaves or papyrus, to the time when
Queen Mary restricted the width of the toe
to six inches; from the custom of the New
England squaw to wear “shooes of Mose
skinnes, which is the principal! leather used

to that purpose,” to the summer habit of

white shoes that accompany a gown
and adorn a piazza. The bare-foot-
ed “little man,’’ so lovingly described
I by Whittier, can point to Socrates or Cato,

I in whose footsteps he follows. The stern
Spartans were partial to red shoes. The
silken shoes of the last century were adorned
i with buckles and gold and silver stars ; and
the sabot of the French peasant, when it is
intended for house use, is curiously orna-
mented. In the olden time, in the days when
Alciabides was the talk of the Athenians as
he sauntered in the streets, shoes were named
after him, as now an actor inspires the fancy
in a cravat. There was once a famous swell
in England, long before Beau Brummel, so
long ago that he ate his dinner about 10 !
o’clock of the morning, and he gave his whole
mind to the extension of toe-points “ tp isted
like a ram’s horn.’’ For women are not alone
in their fastidiousness and love of personal
display. Even the magistrates of Rome were
particular in the appearance of their shod
feet.

But there are books without number that

deal with this subject in fantastical or serious
manner. When Popes thought it worth
while to thunder against extravagance in the
device or ornamentation of shoes, why should
not the lovers of the curious trace the evolu-
tion of the modern shoe from the thong-tied
sandal? The humblest Frenchwoman may
have a simple robe, but she is shod most
carefully. She knows the irresistible power
of this weapon ; she shares this knowledge
with her sisters of all lands. Suckling, in
England, has sung the praises of such feet;
Restif de la Bretonne has told in famous
words of the mighty influence of a well-made
little boot, and is there not a disease, or
rather a mania, for stealing women’s shoes
known to the Germans as “ Frauen sehustehl’-
monomanie,” a formidable name that mag-
nifies the guilt of the performance? Or why
should woman he compelled to wear shoes,
or boots, or slippers that war against her
taste, simply to gratify the advocate of
health ? Would the feet of antique goddesses,
if they were turned into human flesh, incite
the poet or haunt the lover? The woman of
to-day does not envy her sister of China; siie
wishes a becoming foot dress, just as 300 j
years ago Margery, the good wife of Simon !
Eyre, exclaimed with just pride: “Roger, I
( thou know’st the size of my toot; as it is
| none of the biggest, so, I thank God, it is
j handsome enough; prithee, let me have a
i pair of siloes made, cork, good Roger,
wooden heel, too.”

j Fashions change for men and women. The
j term shoot and shoe are used loosely, although
the boot proper goes above the ankle. Bluchers,
Wellingtons, high-lows are now unknown
to us. But the glory of the American shoo
remains, a fixed and settled quantity. Over
a century ago it was reported in the London
| Chronicle that shoes for women were
i made at Lynn exceeding in strength i
and beauty any that were usually
imported from London. It is true that the
American shoemaker has been fortunate in
his models, but the feet of men have been as
tenderly treated. Not without reason does
the Boot and Shoe Club of this city hold
days of jollification ; not without reason does
the newspaper of the craft exult in a long :
and illustrated supplement. Tne method of
man ufacture has changed since the days of i
honest Thomas Dekker, and “rubbing-pin,
stopper, dresser, four sorts of awls, two balls
of wax, paring knife, band and thumb
leathers, and good St. Hugh’s bones,” may
in part have now a foreign sound ; but now,
as in that illustrious “Shoemaker’s
Holiday” that pleased the Queen’s most
excellent Majesty, shoemakers are still
“ gentlemen of the gentle craft, true Trojans,
courageous cordwainers; they all kneel to
the shrine of holy Saint Hugh.”

In weight and in numbers the war fleet of
England is undoubtedly supreme: but

whether the ships are available for action is
another question. The ponderous masses of
iron and steel do not, take kindly to a heavy
sea. The number of accidents is already
large, and the experience of the Sharpshooter,
with broken engine and drifting at will, is a
reflection on the skill of English designers or
builders.

A few months ago a writer of this town
lamented in the North American Review the
decay of the popularity of Dickens. It is
possible, indeed probable, that in Boston,
where there is an ever changing fashion in
literary matters, there is little talk concern-
ing Dickens, but according to a statement of
Mr. Chapman, the publisher, the popu-
larity of the novelist is now greater than
ever. The sale of his works last year was
four times as large as that of 1860, the year
before his death. Since “The Pickwick Pa-
pers ” have been out of copyright, eleven
London publishers have brought out editions,
and Mr. Chapman has still sold of “Pick-
wick” 521,750 copies during the last twenty-
two years. Of the novels in the cheap form
“Martin Chuzzlewit ” is the most popular. |

It would appear to the superficial observer I
that the throwing of stones and rotten-eggs I
at the members of Baldwin’s Cadet hand as j
i they were engaged in giving a concert in
East Boston was the lawless conduct of a
crowd of hoodlums. The learned, however,
might attribute the riotous scene to the pow-
er of music over impressionable hearers,
i Erio, the King of Denmark, was once moved
' so mightily by the sound of music that ho
pierced several of the audience with his
lance; and tho Marquis dePontdcoulant con-
j sidered it imprudent to put a subject of
| ardent imagination in communication with
such an energetic and powerful agent. Of
aourse, In a brass band this agent is devel-
>ped to its highest potency.

The records of crime are full of instances
»f the uncertainty of circumstantial evidence
In questions of life and death. The New
Fork Sun revives pertinently the famous
case of the murder of Mrs. Jane De Forrest
Hull in New York in 1879. It will be remem-
I bered that circumstances boro heavily
| against her husband, an aged man. He was
tried in certain newspapers and convicted ;
but, fortunately for him and justice, Chastine
Cox, the negro, was found in this city with
property of the murdered woman. The
loubly afflicted husband never recovered
from the effects of grief and outraged feelings.

It is of interest to note in connection with

I he celebration at Lynn that the first tanner
vas Francis Ingalls, who started his tannery
ibout 1630. He, his brother and three other
nen were the first settlers in “Saugus.” The
Ingalls families of to-day came from this
stock, and ex-Senator Ingalls of Kansas is
said to be well pleased in that he can trace
iis parentage to such a source.

Queens are human, and it is not surprising
hat Victoria objected to the mention of Mr.
Labouchere for a Cabinet position. He has
been in the habit of publishing in Truth
paragraphs reflecting bitterly on the habits
find the mental equipment of members of the
royal family, and although his jests excited
the Radicals to ftmghter, the Queen, possibly
from a defective sense of humor, considered
the paragraphs “ disgusting trash.” So Mr.
Labouchere will now have plenty of time to
sharpen the arrows of wit and shoot them,
not only at the royal family, but at the more
successful members of his party who sit iu
Cabinet chairs.

Fryeburg appeals to Mr. Howells, it seems,
because he used its “topography and land-
scape” in “A Modern Instance,” but lest
the good people of the town might take
bffence at the thought that he had borrowed
local customs for the sake of realism, he
hastens to add that if he had derived any
part of his story from its life the novel would
have been better. But this Characteristic
Howellsism may be forgiven readily, in view
of the graceful and affectionate tribute paid
by him to James R. Osgood in his letter of
regret.

It is said that the Duke of Devonshire,
who has just been married to the Duchess of
Manchester, was madly in love with her 40
years ago, but his “habitual indolence” pre-
I vented a declaration. He weds her, after
mature consideration, when she is 60 years of
age, and thus the truth of the old saying,
“All things come to him that waits,” is
again corroborated.

London Jrainps have occupied lately the
Salvation shelters provided by General
Booth, but from complaints made publicly at
meetings in Hyde Park, they are as difficult
to please as the Princess in the fairy story.
They objected, singularly enough, to the in-
ferior quality of the towels and the soap ;
and they found fault at being
routed out in the morning by
the sound of a police whistle, “ which was
not a pleasant sound to men who had been
doing penal servitude.” General Booth
might imitate the habit of Montaigue's father,
who believed that the sleeper should return
to life in a gentle manner, and so his boy
was awakened by the sounds of soft and
sweet music that was played beneath his
window.

Mr. Eliot made yesterday at the Lynn
meeting an earnest plea for the encourage-
ment of the work of the Trustees of Public
Reservations. The place of the meeting was
propitious, and in Itself an argu-
ment for his cause. He based his

reasoning not only on sentimental grounds ;
be appealed to the business men by attribut-
ing the decay of certain once famous resorts
to the negligence or stinginess shown by the
proprietors in their care of features of
sceuery that should be kept attractive.

m nor weather the kitchen stovo wui n „

longer bo a burden. Dr. Sawlczerosky, ■

it is perhaps unnecessary to add is

Russian cooks meats by subjecting the

to a temperature of 33 degrees below

zero, and then sealing them up hermatically

) tin vesseis. Those are palatable after they

h.i\< been kept some time in these boxes and

urn r ° a n, y f0r Uble us0 - lillt there are many

thevTav T ® at C j ln,K ‘ a Kood8 ’ ovon when
the} save labor and discomfort.

^ee 1 ii , Dav ! t ■ has Klveu tlle advocates of labor
Mblc advice. The great question in Eng-
v to-day is Home Rule for Ireland, and
e hen such men as John Morley are engaged
earnestly j), tho liberation of Ireland, it
seems a pity that they should be nagged by
questions of less importance. For t]}e same
reason, the factions in the Irish delegation
seem not only vain but criminal.

THE .» LSICAl, YEAR ROOK.

The ninth volume of “The Musical Year
j Book of tho Unjtcd States,” edited by Mr.
G. H. Wilson, was published a few days ago,
and it is full of suggestion. Not that it is a
book of interest to the general reader, for it
contains nothing but the record of pro-
grammes in various cities of this country and
a few tables of statistics. This little book,
however, is useful to the student of the
growth and the present conditional music
in the United States, and to the future anti-
quarian or historian it will be invaluable.
Hie drudgery of the compiler will make pos-
sible tlie brilliancy of the essayist or the en-
during fame of the historian.

It would be unsafe to draw many conclu-
sions or arguments from the figures of one
I year. According to the carefully prepared
index, Tsehaikowsky appears to be the most
popular of foreign living composers, and
yet tlie fact is undoubtedly otherwise, for
the widespread and inherent popularity
of a composer cannot be determined
wholly by the number of his works per-
formed ; and TschaikoWsky is a composer
who appeals rather to musicians and hearers
of a peculiar and high-pitched temperament
than to the many who assist at a function of
society. But, in looking over Mr. Wilson’s
book, the reader is reminded forcibly of two
facts that may well excite comment.

A table is given of works by native and
resident American composers that were per-
formed abroad during the season of ’91-’92.
It is designed to mark tlie normal growth
abroad of music written by Americans.
“Consequently neither the concert of his own
compositions which Mr. Van der Struken
was invited to give in Antwerp, nor the series
of orchestral concerts given in German
cities under the direction of Mr. F.
X. Arens is recorded.” The works
that were played are these: A pianoforte
concerto by Mr. MacDoweil of this city, which
was performed by Theresa Carreno in Ber-
lin; an orchestral suite by the same com-
poser, which was played in t?t. Petersburg,
and “The Haunted Mill,” by Mr. Templeton
Strong, which was sung iu Leipzig. It may j
here be remarked that these gentlemen stud-
ied abroad, lived there, engaged in composi-
tion or in teaching, and pieces by them ap-
peared in tlie catalogues of foreign publish-
ers. In other words, their names are not un-
known in Germany. The makers of concert
programmes did not look toward America ex-
cept in these instances.

The other noticeable fact is tlie steady in-
crease of Cahenslyism in music, i. e., the de-
sire shown by managers and the apparent
willingness of audiences that German singers
and players should absorb the attention of
Americans to the exclusion, not only of
other foreigners, but also of musicians j
born in this country of American ]

stock or of English-speaking parents, j
This tendency of the time is not

confined to Boston, where it has already pro- 1
yoked discussion; it may be seen in nearly I
all of the towns, large or small, where music
is given in public. Tlie four chief orchestras 1
of tlie United States are made up almost
wholly of Germans; they are under \
the direction of Germans, or men of German j
parentage; German is the language spoken !
at tiie rehearsals. That this is so, is net in- I
explicable. Our musical race is young and 1
few in numbers; and orchestral players are
not made by the instruction of a year or two
at a music school. Then it is tlie fashion to
regard Germans as conductors by Divine ap-
pointment, and Germany as the only birth-
place of musical compositions worthy of
the name. But tlie American concert
stage is invaded by strolling singers
and players, both male and female. They
certainly have a right to a hearing. If, how-
ever, after they have been heard, they arc
evidently incapable, it does not seem just
that they should usurp, the place of Ameri-

ea:;> who have shown their worth in the very
towns invaded and subjected by the foreign-
er^ The singers o£ lioston know to-day
that they would receive engagements of
more importance it they were of German
birth : that they sing better than certain for-
eign rivals who have driven them from the
stage is not taken into serious consideration
by the authorities who have the matter in
charge. Nor is it likelv that Boston is the
only” American city where this species of
Calienslyisiu exists.

The weak Conduct of the Governor of Ten-
nessee, the tumult and the commotion, the
rebellion and tne bloodshed, all these are
necessary perhaps before the people of the
North and the South realise the evil of the
.y stem of convict-leases and the existence of
white and black slavery. It is not likely that
the miners rebel from motives of philan-
thropy ; but they may be the unconscious in-
strument* of* reform. This spectacle of in-
f-urreetlba <nd deliauce of the law. that is so ■
fob noxious to the true American citizen, may,
then be regarded as an evil that works for
ultimate righteousness.

The Yale men of the last thirty years will

hear with regret of the death of “Jimmy” I
Hill. He was neither a tutor nor a pro-
fessor; he neither awarded conditions nor
sat at prize debates. His influence was ex-
ercised in more subtle ways, for he minis-
tered in a kindly manner to the stomachic
w ants of the students. The short-lived gen-
erations of collegians came and went as the
leaw s of Nestor ; Mr. Hill was present at the
birth and at the death ; and be prospered, for
he was a man of amiable disposition, who
knew how to accommodate himself to the ca-
prices of imperious youth.

A correspondent of a Paris newspaper
writes as follows from Bayreuth . I must
sa" that all the French visitors are perfectly
sincere dilettanti. There is not a snob
among all these faithful ones, who are trans-
ported into the seventh heaven during the
Wagner performances, and whom you meet
afterwards buying Wagner handkerchiefs
and •Parsifal’ perfume.” It is a singular
fact that Wagner is to-day undoubtedly
judged with a more sincere and sane appreci-
ation in Palis than in any other city of Eu-
rope Nor would it be surprising if, 10 years
from now, the German disciples of
Wagner would make their pilgrim-
age to Paris to hear the music-
dramas in perfection. At both the Giand
Opcraandthe Opera Comique preparations
are now made on a grand scale for the pro-
duction of certain of Wagner’s operas. It
was always the ambition of the restless man
to be heard in Paris ; for he knew full well
the supreme artistic sense of the trench.

Here is a curious instance of voice failure.
A.n Atlantic City saloon keeper was sen-
tenced to imprisonment for violation of the
■xcise law. He is now speechless, aud not
vocalise he is svllcn or conscience-stricken,
ant, if the doctors may be believed, because
m has had nothing to drink but coffee and
a ater. In othefl words, his vocal chords will
aot operate unless they are wet with whisky,
which lie was in the habit of taking freely to
remove “that husky f eeling.”

The irritability provoked in a man by an
in'-onsiderabfe delay in his transit from the
ocean to his office is a triumph of the inani-
mate and a reflection on the good
sense of humanity. Time is not lost
bv such mental ami physical inaction. The
apparent w aste of ten minutes does not im-
i air seriously the machinery of business,
and the world still revolves steadily. These
minutes might be employed profitably
in vacuous contemplation, just as

the London Telegraph assures the

reader that the time spent in being shaved
b} a barber is a wholesome rest to the mind
and the body, provided, of course, that the
barber is not a lineal descendant of the gos-
sip in the Arabi an Nights.

The older men and women of this local
veneration will lament the improvements on
(he Isle, of Shoals. Electric lights and
miraculous railways will not appeal to therm
Indeed, they were never reconciled to the
substitution of a steamboat for the
old-fashioned vessel. The ancient rough-
net, of the surroundings, the very’
lack «f certain things that now
are regarded as indispensable, were dear to
t.,em ami occasional discomfort was thought
eminently healthy. The past individuality

f th' place must necessarily be mourned by
the conservative, although the plans of the
syndicate will, when they are carried out, uu-
cv.btedly make the islands more attractive
1 1 the great majority.

The village of Grindelwald, which was
almost wholly destroyed yesterday by fire, is
known to thousands of Americans, vvbo were
not as much interested in the manufacture of
klrschu asser and in the herding of eatt e,
the industries of the place, as in the upper
and lower glaciers and the superb view of
Alpine summits. Switzerland has suffoied
strangely -this summer through lake and
mountain disasters, and the destruction of
Grindelwald will be a hard blow to the indus-
trious men and women of the valley.

Men that are inclined to smile at the pomps
of churchly office may read with profit of the
conduct of the Bishop of Guildford. His leg
was broken in the accident at a horse show
in Buxton; yet he exerted his authority m
the relief of others who, as he thought, were
injured more severely. The Bishop so dear
to the men of Bunch and Life may be pom-
pous and a little cynical, but in times of dan-
ger and distress lie comforts even by Ins au-
thoritv. The Bight Rev. George Henry Sum-
ner, brave, as lie was in the scene of con-
fusion, is one of many illustrious names In

*u.. rt f flio B»hnrrli liniVBl'SJli*

An evening contemporary finds “relief to
the vulgarity of the announcement that
Nancy Hanks has out-trotted all the trotters
of the land” in the fact that the mare’ is
owned now by a Boston man who is not re-
sponsible for her name.” It is llard t0 see
where “vulgarity” enters into the announce-
ment of the great achievement of the male.
The original Nancy Hanks was a brave and
good woman and the mother of a President.
Her memory is revived by the speed a good |
and brave mare. A good woman is the
noblest of all creatures, and next
to her, in the estimation of thousands, is a
good horse. If the namesake of the West-
ern woman were condemned to the dreary
circle of a brickyard or controlled in her
motions by the bell of a liorso car, then
would there be the vulgarity that approaches
ignominy ; but to be thus honored in the
history of trotting is a glory that is not en-
hanced even by Boston ownership.

The death of Hugh Mosher, who is said to
have been the model for the painter of A au-
kee Doodle,” calls attention to the, picture.
The critic may say that it is crude, and lie
may pick out at Ins leisure technical faults,
but the spirit, the idea, carries irresistible
conviction. The saucy defiance of the tune
here assumes heroic form. The jingle of
nonsense verses is turned into the sonoious
lines of epic grandeur.

(U>_

SUMMER IVTIMACT.

The summer boarding house -is each year
the scene of a comedy, a comedy in the
larger sense of the word, for If farce enters
tragedy is not therefore absent. The tragedy
is not red; it is green; and yet hidden jeal-
ousy, envy, backbiting, kill by slow degrees.
If the temporary dwellers on the farm or by
the sea live together by previous agreement,
as students at college are “packed” for a
secret society, the daily routine of amuse-
ment may go till the end of summer, un-
disturbed by slight jars or open and pro-
longed dissensions. But the average board-
ing house is like a barber’s chair, which re-
ceives impartially all that seem able to pay
for the accommodation. Men and women of
widely different temperaments and opinions
are thrown into close and enforced proximity.
They see each other at all hours, seasonable
and unseasonable. In disagreeable weather
they are obliged to huddle together like sheep
against the warring elements. They are
obliged to undergo the severe test of eating
in common.

Propinquity is a powerful aid to marriage;

it also greases the way to strife. The men
at these boarding houses often take an early
train for the city, and they are no more seen
until after the heat and the burden of the
day. They, as a rule, get along together
comfortably; for man is naturally a gregari-
ous animal. The women see each other con-
tinually. They come from various parts of
the country; they have local views concern-
ing deportment and dress ; they have in-
dividual opinions concerning the rearing of
children. There are sudden and violent
friendships founded on the mention of a
common friend, or the secret consciousness
of personal or social superiority. These
friendships stand the test of a month or
two months, and the parting com-
pels mutual and loud protestations

of intense interest in the future lives of the
separated. Two women may, for instance,
be townsfolk and strangers. The approach
to intimacy is then more gradual; references
are interchanged In a well-bred manner, and,
after a reasonable time, they wonder why
they never met before. They discuss to-
other their neighbors and their husbands;

they deplore the existence of the servant t
problem ; they lay plans for the winter ; they i
agree to go to the same gymnasium ; one j
urges the advantages of Turkish baGis, and
the other, in gratitude, recommends a favor-
ite medicine.

This intimacy is a thing of summer. After
the return to the city there are chance meet-
ings in street or in shop, and vows of imme-
diate calls are registered. Perhaps there is
an interchange, but the women are not the
same and the intimacy sinks quickly to ac-
quaintance. The discovery is made that the
laugh that was jolly on the piazza is
coarse in the parlor; or lurid wall
paper exposes a lack of taste; or
it leaks out that one has singular relatives in ]
a cheap quarter of the city and that the other 1
one never reads Browning. Each woman de-
clares to herself that she has been taught a
lesson. She resents the confidences that were
exchanged. She feels a sense of personal in-
jury. The discarded friend is a reflection on
her jugdment. If her name is mentioned the
remark is made, “ Oh, yes; I lived in a house
with her last summer,” and there is a smile
more terrible than any epigram or sneer.
And yet each woman -the next summer,
though in a different place, plays in the
same comedy.

The intimacy was never sincere. Com-
panionship was sought as a relief from bore-
dom. To keep this companionship alive con-
cessions were made ; there was an abandon-
ment of opinion ; there was unreasonable ad.
miration.

Or there Is an explosion during the tem-
porary exile. An ill-timed criticism of the
manners of a spoiled child, a disagreement
in which a question of propriety is the bone
of strife, or undue attention to the business
of another, serves as a lighted match. The
husbands are made to take sides ; a mistaken
idea of chivalry chokes common sense.
There is commotion. There is a sudden de-
parture or a gloomy stay. Fortunately, such
scenes are rare. But the violent intimacy
and the consequential decay of interest and
faith are social phenomena that may be
observed each season. The sight of a woman
thus hunting friendship saddens the student
of sociology. A friend is not caught in a
lucky moment with a scood net.

-

Mr. Whistler, the painter, takes a peculiar
pleasure in his expatriation, and sneers con-
tinually at all that pertains to America. His
latest affectation, it seems, is to appear ig-
norant of our form- of Government, and His
epigram was compounded of the two distin-
guishing characteristics of his wit, Insolence
and self conceit. However, when a man of
genuine fancy works constantly in the manu-
facture of sharp sayings, he cannot fail to be
occasionally amusing. In a letter to Ley-
land, who invented the title “Nocturne” for
Mr. Whistler’s picture, the artist wrote:
“ You have no idea what an irritation the
name ‘Nocturne’ proves to the critics and
consequent pleasure to me.”

The police of Swampscott drive about look-
ng for unmuzzled dogs, that they may shoot
them. They do not hunt them in the streets
alone, they pursue them within the yards of
their owners. It is true that in Swampscott
and its neighborhood the public is still more
or less excited over the recent deaths that
are said to be duo to bites from rabid dogs,
and the authorities have posted warnings to
all owners. But dogs cannot read, and in
spite of all precautions a family pet
may take an airing without a muzzle, and
run, waging his tail to the embrace
of the killer of his kind. It seems
is though a little more discrimination might
lie shown on the part of the officials ; and
there are authorities on dogs who claim that
a muzzle is 'the very thing to goad an ordi-
narily sensible dog to frenzy.

There are now 3538 journals and magazines
printed in Germany. The freedom of tho
press has grown in proportion with the num-
ber of newspapers. It is a singular instance
if the revenges brought by the whirligig of
;ime that Prince Bismarck has been instru-
nental in taking off themnzzle which he was
n former years so ready in applying to an in-l
Jependent editor. He now sees the advan-j
ages of a newspaper not menaced constantly
with suppression by Imperial authority.

The Loudon Standard, which is generally
iignitied to the point of solemnity, waxes
hysterical in the contemplation of our labor
troubles. It refers, for instance, "to the
Ignorant and dishonest plague of political
jackals who have led Americans into the
letid inarsho of protection.” Such illogical
conclusions and turgid rhetoric are worthy
of the, famous editor of the Eatonswill
Gazette. Mr. O’Donnell and other high-
priced laborers are described as men “ whose
sarnings are filched,” and it is their “hunger
.hat “develops the spirit, of the ravenous
voif.” But how many workingmen in simi-
a^positlons in England receive the wages
^ald at Homestead or at Buffalo ?

Tho innocent poor of New York suffer

already from tho strikes at Buffalo, lho

retail butchers have advanced their prices,

•tnd veal, mutton and lamb are dear. The
price of eggs has also gone up. W* ••**>
take a seltish pleasure In the fact that the
Grand, Trunk and National Dispatch lines
are free aud clear, and there is at present
little prospect of a scarcity of provisions. If
there should be trouble on the Grand Trunk
line we should probably be obliged to eat
hogs or New England oxen and cows, and
there are hardly enough of tho latter to go

'round. .

The Bible is to some excellent writers a
commonplace book. By quotation from it
others seek to give dignity to a platitude of
their own device or to strengthen a weak po-
sition. Prof. Jewett, in the preface to the
last edition ai his translation of Plato, re-
marks sensibly concerning this habit: Hav-

ing a greater force and beauty than other
language, and a religious association, it dis-
turbs the even flow of the style. When
adopted it should have a certain freshness
and a suitable ' entourage. It is strange to
observe that the most effective use of Scrip-
ture phraseology arises out of the applica-
tion of it in a sense not intended by the
author.’’

Lovers of Japanese art, and they are found
among the painters and critics of all lands,
will learn with regret that in the matter of
' -mbossed wall paper the Japanese have
■ thrown off individuality ami now borrow
Venetian, Dutch, French and old English
designs. Papers now used in London thus
supply the want of pictures. But in wall
decoration their water color workmen design
panels :of original art.

It may be a surprise to many when they
learn that the eggs of Missouri hens are
brought to Boston and sold here.

The modern methods of packing and
transportation preserve them in com-
parative freshness. In Berlin the citi-
zen and the traveler are often obliged
to eat Italian eggs; and the desire
for an egg of absolute freshness is to the
average Berliner an acquired taste.

Capt. Andrews, who has been spoken on
his way to Huelva, is undoubtedly a reckless
mariner in his attempt to reach the Spanish
port in his frail craft, that he may partici-
pate in the Columbian festivities. And yet
Columbus, when he set sail for unknown
lands, was regarded by the people of his day
as foolhardy beyond measure, nor was the
ship on which he embarked a sure defiance
to the wind and the wave.

Mr. T. P. Smith, in a letter published in
The Journal of to-day, makes an excellent
point in the presentation of his wish for a
clear place in Water street. Not only is it
true that open places are precautions against
the spread of fires and aids to health, it is
also certain that money is wasted often in
architectural display by the disregard
for opportunities of sight. Mr. Smith cites
the instance of the Post Office Building,
which cannot be seen from Washington .
street. An excellent example of the advan-
tages of location is the exposure of the new
Public Library. Our foreign neighbors are
wiser in this respeet. They pay as much at-
tention to the site as to the building itself.
We place our buildings apparently at ran-
dom, forgetting that they are permanent
things that will reflect later <5h our taste, or
we affect to disdain “sentimentality” in
architecture.

2 2 .

IXCOMI'I.nTE kooks.

The index is a spur to spontaneity in these
days, when so many are engaged iu'the trade
of literature. The modern writer is a man of
scrap books, slip envelopes, which are in-
dexed carefully. If he is a novelist of (be I
realistic school he can turn at a moment's i
notice to the necessary documents; accounts i
of disaster by tire and flood; reports of re- i
Markable criminal and hospital eases ; in a I
word, all that pertains to exposed humanity. I
Charles Roadc made such collections before
the Brothers Goneourt and Zola wrote from
their pigeon holes. The modern critic of the
i centre and the concert hall keeps a record
of the men and the women on the stage; he
indexes his own articles that lie may not
contradict himself from year to year; for it
is a singular fact that self-contradiction is re-
garded by the multitude ns mental weakness
or corruption; as though a man should not
in WfULtilttlopiuenL discard former theories

'in which ho once rejoiced, or live in a s^pffler'

atmosphere as he escapes gradually rmn
tile mastery of the arrognnee of passionate
youth. Tho essayist examines the thoughts
of the ancients before lie serves warmed-over
epigrams and the opinions of others dis-
guised by a sauce of piquant individuality.
His sentence that flows smoothly and is quoted ^
is often tho result of patient research and
multifarious reading, an illustrious example
of ability to convert and condense. These
men all delight in tho reading of indexes,
which are indispensable tools of trade.

And yet how careless or lazy in this respect
| are the makers of books. Of what advantage
are works pertaining to science, histories,
memoirs, travels without a copious and cor-
rect index? When books were compara-
tively scarce, the reader was better able to
trust his memory ; and yet in those days in-
dexes were generally more complete than
now. Fantastical writers pointed out to tho
attention their whims aud caprices. Even
novelists made a catalogue of reference to
plot, incidents and reflections, as liichardson !
did in "The History of Sir Charles Graridi-
son.”

It is not necessary to dwell on the impor-
tance of an index to any work of a serious
nature. But it may be claimed justly that
all books of fantasy and imagination should
be made thus Co serve the convenience of the
reader. Theophile Gautier once said that lie
had given up the reading of books and
adopted the habit of committing the tables
of contents to memory. Time was thus
saved ; he was spared many weary hours ; he
was able to shine in conversation and excite
the envy of men who had frittered away
weeks and months in the vain endeavor to
become intimate with an author. In other
words the generalizations of the writer are
often better expressed by an index than by
the tongue of the reader. It .is hardly possi-
ble tiiat anyone to-day reads of the adven-
tures of that sublime pri.”, Sir Charles
Grandison; but a few minutes spent in
glancing over the index of his actions and
opinions would give a shrewd imposter the
reputation of marvelous learning.

The Germans arc masters in this work,
and they shine in their dull drudgery- Yet
it is doubtful whether in the history of Ger-
man literature there is such a triumph of
index making as the last volume of the Hill
edition of Boswell’s Johnson. The French
have been pre-eminently shiftless in this
matter. Take, for instance, the life of
Adolphe Nourrit. by Quioherat, a work in
three heavy volumes, and a mine of informa-
tion concerning the French opera during most
interesting years; but the mine must be
worked by the reader, unaided by the au-
thor. who stopped with the word finis. Lately
the French have shown signs of reformatio^
in this grave fault. An imperfect index is,
perhaps, still more objectionable; an index
that refers simply to proper names aud gives
no elite to the thought of the author, or
passes over the quaint details that we a
solace in weary flours and notes only'com-
nion places. Such an index enrages the
reader of the three-volume edition os Bur-
ton’s Anatomy of Melancholy.

Each year the cottagers are later in the re-
turn to town. The woods and the sea have a
peculiar fascination in the late as well as the
sarly autumn, and it Is no wonder that
men and women leave them with regret.
Exercise in the bracing mornings and cool
evenings of the fall is not a rude and violent
exertion. The dress of nature is

gorgeous to the eye. The comfort of a wood
fire encourages conversation or aids in
pleasing meditation. The horizons of life
and nature are extended. And so the
fashionable season of amusement is de-
ferred yearly a week or two, For the
theatre of the town seems tame
in comparison with the great show of Nature,
and the conventionalities of the winter bring
regret for freedom in the open.

If, appears from the report of Prof. Dudley
A. Sargent that the sight of Mr. John L.
Sullivan, the celebrated play-actor, is in
Usotf a liberal education. It also appears
that no man has been so cruelly misunder-
stood. He hns been taxed in the past with i
laziness, but Prof. Sargent claims that “the '
economical way lie has of doing ordinary I
things and the apparently sluggish and indo-
lent manner he assumes when not in active
exercise” are the characteristics of men of
power who “conserve their energy for
great physical or mental efforts.” Mr.
Bullivan is also a “valuable lesson
lor the American people,” and the “ women
of the land can learn from this man’s physi-
cal development ” how potent “ is the influ-
ence of the mother ” in transmitting not only
“the refined and delicate parts of her organ-
ism, hut also the brawn and sinew that con-
quers botli opponents and environments and
sustains the race.” It is interesting to note
in this connection that after a ten-mile walk
Mr. Sullivan attended church yesterday, and
was in such excellent condition that "he put
a $50 note on the plate.” Alas poor Corbett !

The thoughtful will acknowledge readily

tho bravery shown by Mr. Wl.ltcluw Held In
visiting the home of his boyhood. There are
no more unsparing critics of n public man of
distinction than 1 lie men and women who
played with him in youth. Tim .Senator is to
them plain “ Bill,” and tho Judge is tho boy '
that once broke through the ice anil was j
pulled out in time. No honors won m after I
years can blind such eyes to youthful faults
or acts of meanness. That Mr. Held was so
heartily welcomed by his old friends of both
parties is the highest tribute to his diameter;
and when he said "It will be the proudest
laurel I shall ever hope to win if at the end
of my career it may still bo said that I have
| never forfeited that regard,” the words were
not merely the conventional flourish of, the !
practiced rhetorician.

The Pall Mall Gazette says that the chief
Issues of our Presidential contest are Free
Trade, Civil Service Reform and t lie Labor
War at Homestead. Not a word about the*
•'Force bill,” which seems now to our " inde-
pendent ” newspapers of such overweening
importance ; and no allusion to Brother
Dana’s Campaign of Education.

Readers of Mr. Bonner's remarkable story
in the last Scribner will be interested to
learn that in Marion, S. a young negress
died from “conviction” at a pro’racted
meeting at a Baptist Church. .She had been
shouting and screaming about an hour, when
she gasped and went into what was supposed
to be a trance. She had ruptured a blood
vessel and was dead.

The story of the Kansas farmers who
turned outlaws and held up a train in such
an accomplished and professional manner as
to win the admiration of the Sheriff is an
example of the possibilities of diversified
labor. No explanation is given, however, of
the sudden abandonment of their peaceful
falling; but here is material for a novelist of
the modern political-social school, as Mr.
Hamlin Garland.

It is to be regretted that in spite of all the
improvements in marine architecture, the
condition of the stokers is not bettered.
Speed is gained by force-draught, and the
stoker suffers accordingly. A writer in a late
number of the Pall Mall Gazette made a trip
from London to Plymouth as an amateur in
this work, and his description of the life be-
low should be read by all interested in
humanity. He concludes his article by call-
ing upon designers and engineers to devise
some means by which the temperature may
be reduced ; the handling of the fuel be done
by some mechanical contrivance both in the
stoke-hole and bunkers, and generally to
better the existing conditions under which j
marine firemen work. “They may be rough
ami uncouth, but they are at least human !
beings.”

The British public may be made up of ,
Philistines, but in spite of its many failings I
it has an honest sense of decency. Its treat- '
ment of a notorious music-hall singer the I
other night was severe, but deserved; and I
the same feeling (hat once hooted Edmund
Kean from a London stage moved the audi-
ence of last week to rebuke a brazen woman.

Is it true that tile race of play-actors is as
irritable and censorious as that of poets or
musicians? It would appear so from Mr.
Frohmuu’s action. He lias Issued an order
to i he effect that actors will not bo admitted
after this to his theatres on first nights, free i
of charge, as has been the custom. He gives !
as a reason that they have abused their priv- i
iiege ; by indulging in unnecessarily severe
criticism of his per.ormances. This, if his j
fleiiei is well founded, is another instance of j
tlie human propensity to be dissatisfied with I
botli the favor and the giver of it. The
habitual dead-head is the most severe of
critics, and, singularly enough, if he is not i
amused by a performance he often feels a
sense of personal injury.

According to Dr. Warner, tho greatest
amount of defectiveness in the development
of London children does not occur among
the poor. “In the wealthier districts of
London 12$ percent, showed deficiency, while
j in the poor districts only 7 per cent, showed
defects.” Prof. Probe! attributes this to the
fact that "Poor children went about bare-
footed, and thus their health was strength-
ened. Particularly, they had business to do I
for their parents. They played at their ease,
while the children of the richer classes were (
driven about in little carriages, and were ;
obliged for hours to be quiet.” This would
appear to be a venemous attack on the per-
ambulido'-

e;v.is who have shown their worth in the very
towns invaded and subjected by the foreign-
er'. The singers o£ Boston know to-day
that they would receive engagements of
more importance if they were of German
birth : that they sing better than eertaiu for-
eign rivals who have driven them from the
stage is not taken into serious consideration
by the authorities who have the matter in
charge. Nor is it like!' that Boston is the
only American city where this species of
Cahenslyisiu exists.

The weak conduct of the Governor of Ten-
nessee, the tumult and the commotion, the
rebellion and tne bloodshed, all these are
iHces-ary perhaps before the people of the
North and the South realize the evil of the
ivsiem of convict-leases and the existetice of
white and black slavery. It is not likely that
the miners rebel from motives of philan-
thropy: hut the', may be the unconscious in-
strument* of, reform. This spectacle of iu-
snrreetJe. >nd defiance of the law. that is so •
r. onoxious to the true American citizen, may,
'then, be regarded as an evil that works for
ultimate right eousness.

The Yale men of the last thirty years will
hear with regret of the death of Jimmy
Hill. He was neither a tutor nor a pro-
fessor: he neither awarded conditions nor
sat a: prize debates. His influence was ex-
ercised in more subtle ways, for he minis-
tered in a kindly manner to the stomachic
v ants of the students. The short-lived gen-
eraiions of collegians came and went as the
leave s of N’estor ; Hr. Hill was present at the
birth and at the death ; and he prospered, for
he was a man of amiable disposition, who
knew how to accommodate himself to the ca-
prices of imperio us youth.

\ correspondent of a Paris newspaper
writes as follows from Bayreuth: “I must

say that all the French visitors are perfectly
sincere dilettanti. There is not a snob
among all these faithful ones, who arc trans-
ported into the seventh heaven during the
Wagner performances, and whom you meet
afterwards buying 1\ agner handkerchiefs
and ‘Parsifal’ perfume.” It is a singular
fact that Wagner is to-day undoubtedly
judged with a more sincere and sane appreci- .
at ion in Paris than in any other city of Eu-
rope. Nor would it be surprising if, 10 years
from now, the German disciples of
Wagner would make their pilgrim-
age to Faris to hear the musie-
e ram as in perfection. At both the Grand
Opera and the Opera Comique preparations
» re now made on a grand scale for the pro-
duction of certain of Wagner’s operas. It
w as always the ambition of the restless man
to be heard in Paris ; for he knew full well
the supreme artistic sense of the french.

Here is a curious instance of voice failure.

An Atlantic City saloon keeper was sen-
'enced to imprisonment lor violation of the
>xcise law. He is now speechless, and not
oecause lie is sallcn or conscience-stricken,
out if the doctqrs may he believed, because
be has had nothing to drink but coffee and
water. In otheq words, his vocal chords will
aot operate unless they are wet with whisky,
which lie wa= in the habit of taking freely to
remove ’’that husky feeling.

The irritability provoked in a man by an
inconsiderable' delay in his transit from the
r,ee., ;1 to liis office is a triumph of the inani-
mate and a reflection on the good
M-nse of humanity. Time is not lost
by -urli mental and physical inaction. The
apparent waste of ten minutes does not im-
pair seriously the machinery of business,
and the world stiil revolves steadily. These
minutes might be employed profitably
in vacuous contemplation, just as

the London Telegraph assures the

reader that the time spent in being shaved
bj a barber is a wholesome rest to the mind
ni.d the body, provided, of course, that the
harbor is not a lineal descendant of the gos-
sip in the Arabian Nights.

The older men and women of this local
•eneration will lament the improvements on
the M.- of Shoals. Electric lights and
miraculous railway-, will not appeal to them.
Indeed, they were never reconciled to the
substitution of a steamboat for the
old -f ash io oed vessel. The ancient rough-
ness of the surroundings, the very
Jack of certain things that now
are regarded as indispensable, were dear to
t, oii' and occasional discomfort was thought
eminently healthy. The past individuality
,f the place must necessarily be mourned by
the conservative, although the plans of the
. J ndieate ’ ill. when they are carried out, un-
ooo htedly make the islands more attractive
Ij the great majority.

The village of Grindelvvald, which was
almost wholly destroyed yesterday by fire, is
known to thousands of Americans, who wore
not as much interested in the manufacture of
klrsch w asset and in the herding of catt e,
the industries of the place, as in the upper
and lower glaciers anil the superb v tew o
Alpine summits. Switzerland has suffered
strangely ' this summer through lake anil
mountain disasters, and the destruction of
Grindelvvald will be a bard blow to the indus-
trious men and women of the valley.

Men that are Inclined to smile at the pomps
of churchly office may read with profit of le
conduct of the Bishop of Guildford. His leg
was broken in the accident at a horse show
in Buxton; yet he exerted bis authority m
the relief of others who, as he thought, were
Injured more severely. The Bishop so dear
to the men of Punch and Life may be pom-
pous and a little cynical, but in times of dan-
ger and distress lie comforts even by his au-
thority. The Bight Bev. George Henry Sum-
ner, brave as lie was in the scene of con-
fusion, is one of many illustrious names in
the history of the church universal .

An evening contemporary finds “relief to
tho vulgarity of the announcement that
Nancy Hanks lias out-trotted all the trotters
of the land” in the fact that the mare’ is
owned now by a Boston man who is not re-
sponsible for her name.” It is hard to see
where "vulgarity” enters into the announce-
ment of the great achievement of the mare.

The original Nancy Hanks was a brave and
good woman and the mother of a President.

Her memory is revived by the speed ol a good |
nnd brave mare. A good woman is the
noblest of all creatures, and next
to her, in the estimation of thousands, is a
good horse. If the namesake of the West-
ern woman were condemned to the dreary
circle of a brickyard or controlled in her
motions by the bell of a horse car, then
would there be the vulgarity that approaches
ignominy ; but to be thus honored in the
history of trotting is a glory that is not en-
hanced even by B oston ownership. |

The deatli of Hugh Mosher, who is said to ,
have been the model for the painter of “Yan-
kee Doodle,” calls attention to the picture.
The critic may say that it is crude, and lie
may pick out at Ins leisure technical faults,
but the spirit, the idea, carries irresistible
conviction. Tlie saucy defiance of the tune
hero assumes heroic form. The jingle of
nonsense verses is turned into the sonorous
lines of epic grandeur. ^

SUMMER IXTIMACT.

The summer boarding house -is each year
the scene of a comedy, a comedy in the
larger sense of the word, for If farce enters
tragedy is not therefore absent. The tragedy
is not red ; it is green ; and yet hidden jeal-
ousy, envy, backbiting, kill by slow degrees.
If the temporary dwellers on tho farm or by
the sea live together by previous agreement,
as students at college are “ packed ” for a
secret society, the daily routine of amuse-
ment may go till the end of summer, un-
disturbed by slight jars or open and pro-
longed dissensions. But the average board-
ing house is like a barber’s chair, which re-
ceives impartially all that seem able to pay
for the accommodation. Men and women of
widely different temperaments and opinions
are thrown into close and enforced proximity.
They see each other at all hours, seasonable
and unseasonable. In disagreeable weather
they are obliged to huddle together like sheep
against the warring elements. They are
obliged to undergo the severe test of eating
in commoD.

Propinquity is a powerful aid to marriage;

it also greases the way to strife. The men
at these boarding houses often take an early
train for the city, anil they are no more seen
j until after the heat and the burden of the
day. They, as a rule, get along together
comfortably; for man is naturally a gregari-
ous animal. The women see each other con-
tinually. They come from various parts of
the country; they have local views concern-
ing deportment and dress; they have in-
dividual opinions concerning tho rearing of
children. There are sudden and violent
friendships founded on the mention of a
common friend, or the secret consciousness
of personal or social superiority. These
friendships stand the test of a month or
two months, and the parting com-
pels mutual and loud protestations

of intense interest in the future lives of the
separated. Two women may, for Instance,
he townsfolk and strangers. The approach
to Intimacy is then more gradual; references
are interchanged in a well-bred manner, and,
after a reasonable time, they wonder why
they never met before. They discuss to-
other their neighbors and their husbands;

they deplore the existence of the servant
problem ; they lay plans for the winter ; they
agree to go to the same gymnasium ; one
urges the advantages of Turkish baths, and
the other, in gratitude, recommends a favor-
ite medicine.

This intimacy is athing of summer. After
the return to the city there are chance meet-
ings in street or in shop, and vows of imme-
diate calls are registered. Perhaps there is
an interchange, but the women are not the
same and the intimacy sinks quickly to ac-
quaintance. The discovery is made that the
laugh that was jolly on the piazza is
coarse in the parlor; or lurid wall
paper exposes a lack of taste ; or
it leaks out that one has singular relatives in
a cheap quarter of the city and that the other
one never reads Browning. Each woman de-
clares to herself that she has been taught a
lesson. She resents the confidences that were
exchanged. She feels a sense of personal in-
jury. The discarded friend is a reflection on
her jugdment. If her name is mentioned the
remark is made, “ Oh, yes; I lived in a house
with her last summer,” and there is a smile
more terrible than any epigram or sneer.
And yet each woman the next summer,
though in a different place, plays in the
same comedy.

The intimacy was never sincere. Com-
panionship was sought as a relief from bore-
dom. To keep this companionship alive con-
cessions were made ; there was an abandon-
ment of opinion ; there was unreasonable ad.
miration.

Or there Is an explosion during the tem-
porary exile. An ill-timed criticism of the
manners of a spoiled child, a disagreement
in which a question of propriety is the bone
of strife, or undue attention to the business
of another, serves as a lighted match. The
husbands are made to take sides; a mistaken
idea of chivalry chokes common sense.
There is commotion. There is a sudden de-
parture or a gloomy stay. Fortunately, such
scenes are rare. But the violent intimacy
and the consequential decay of interest and
faith are social phenomena that may be
observed each season. The sight of a woman
thus hunting friendship saddens the student
of sociology. A friend is not caught in a
j lucky moment with a scoot) net.

Mr. Whistler, the painter, takes a peculiar
pleasure in Ills expatriation, and sneers con-
tinually at all that pertains to America. Ilis ,
latest affectation, it seems, is to appear ig- I
norantof our form- of Government, and his
epigram was compounded of the two distin-
guishing characteristics of his wit, Insolence
And self conceit. However, when a man of
genuine fancy works constantly in the manu-
facture of sharp sayings, he cannot fail to be
occasionally amusing. In a letter to Ley-
land, who invented the title “Nocturne” for
Mr. Whistler’s picture, tlie artist wrote:
“ You have no idea what an irritation tlie
name ‘Nocturne ’ proves to the critics and
consequent pleasure to me.”

The police of Swampseott drive about look-
ing for unmuzzled dogs, that they may shoot
•hem. They do not hunt them in the streets
slone, they pursue them within the yards of
their owners. It is true that in Swampseott
and its neighborhood the public is stiil more
or less excited over the recent deaths that
are said to be due to bites from rabid dogs,
and tlie authorities have posted warnings to
all owners. But dogs cannot read, and in
spite of all precautions a family pet
may take an airing without a muzzle, and
run, waging his tail to the embrace
of the killer of his kind. It seems
as though a little more discrimination might
he shown on tlie part of the officials; and
there are authorities on dogs who claim that
a muzzle is "tlie very tiring to goad an ordi-
narily sensible dog to frenzy.

There are now 3538 journals and magazines
printed in Germany. The freedom of the
press has grown in proportion with the num-
ber of newspapers. It is a singular instance
jf tlie revenges brought by the whirligig of
;ime that Prince Bismarck has been instru-
ncntal In taking off tlie muzzle which he was
n former years so ready in applying to an in-!
lepemlent editor. He now sees the advan-j
ages of a newspaper not menaced constantly
with suppression by Imperial authority.

The London Standard, which is generally
Signified to tlie point of solemnity, waxes
hysterical in the contemplation of our labor
troubles. It refers, for instance, “to the
ignorant and dishonest plague of political
jackals wlio have led Americans into the
fetid marslie- of protection.” Such illogical
conclusions and turgid rhetoric are worthy
of the famous editor of the Eatonswill
Gazette. Mr. O’Donnell and other high-
priced laborers are described as men whose
warnings are filched,” and it is their “hungei
.hat “develops the spirit of the ravenous
volf.” But how many workingmen in siun-
ar-positions in England receive the wages
,ald at Homestead or at Buffalo''*

The innocent poor of New York suffer

already from the strikes at Buffalo, I he

retail butchers have advanced their prices,
ind veal, mutton and lamb are dear. The
price of eggs has also gone up. We ma>
take a selfish pleasure In the fact that the
Grand Trunk and National Dispatch lines
are free and clear, and there is at present
little prospect of a scarcity of provisions, if
there should be trouble on the Grand Trunk
line we should probably be obliged to eat
hogs or New England oxen and cows, and
there ’are hardly enough of the latter to go

'round.

The Bible is to some excellent writers a
commonplace book. By quotation from it
others seek to give dignity to a platitude of
their own device or to strengthen a weak po-
sition. Prof. Jowett, in the preface to the
last edition of his translation of Plato, re-
marks sensibly concerning this habit: “Hav-
ing a greater force and beauty than other
language, and a religions association, it dis-
turbs the even flow of the style. When
adopted it should have a certain freshness
and a suitable ‘entourage.’ It is strange to
observe that the most effective use of Scrip-
ture phraseology arises out of the applica-
tion of it in a sense not intended by the

author.’’

Lovers of Japanese art, and they are found
among the painters and critics of all lands,
will learn with regret that in the matter of
•mbossed wall paper the Japanese have
ihrown off individuality and now borrow
Venetian, Dutch, French and old English
designs. Papers now used in London thus
supply the want of pictures. But in wall
decoration their water color workmen design
panels. of original art.

It may be a surprise to many when they
learn that the eggs of Missouri hens are
brought to Boston and sold here.

The modern methods of packing and
transportation preserve them in com-
parative freshness. In Berlin the citi-
zen and the traveler are often obliged
to eat Italian eggs; and the desire
for an egg of absolute freshness is to the
average Berliner an acquired taste.

Capt. Andrews, who has been spoken on
his way to Huelva, is undoubtedly a reckless
mariner in his attempt to reach the Spanish
port in his frail craft, that he may partici-
pate in the Columbian festivities. And yet
Columbus, when he set sail for unknown
lands, was regarded by the people of his day
as foolhardy beyond measure, nor was the
ship on which he embarked a sure defiance
to the wind and the wave.

Mr. T. P. Smith, in a letter published in
The Journal of to-day, makes an excellent
point in the presentation of his wish for a
clear place in Water street. Not only is it
true that open places are precautions against
the spread of fires and aids to health, it is
also certain that money is wasted often in j
architectural display by the disregard
for opportunities of sight. Mr. Smith cites
the instance of the Post Office Building,
which cannot be seen from Washington |
street. An excellent example of the advan-
tages of location is the exposure of the new
Public Library. Our foreign neighbors are
wiser in this respect. They pay as much at-
tention to the site as to the building itself.
W T e place our buildings apparently at ran-
dom, forgetting that they are permanent
things that will reflect later §h our taste, or
we affect to disdain “sentimentality” in
architecture.

2 i

1X0031 IM.r.Ti: KOOKS.

The index is a spur to spontaneity in these
days, when so many are engaged in the trade
of literature. The modern writer is a man of
scrap books, slip envelopes, which are in-
dexed carefully. If he is a novelist of the I
realistic school he can turn at a moment's !
notice to the necessary documents; accounts i
of disaster by tire and flood; reports of re- I
nprkable criminal and hospital cases; in a I
word, ail that pertains to exposed humanitv. f
Charles Readc made such collections before
the Brothers Gonconrt and Znia wrote from
their pigeon holes. The modern critic of the
theatre and the concert hall keeps a record
of the men and the women on the stage; he
indexes his own articles that he may not
contradict himself. from year to year; for it
is a singular fact that self-contradiction is re-
garded by the multitude as mental weakness
or corruption; as though a man should hot,

•n ,U]cuk]Klopiuciir» discard former theories

'in which ho once rejoiced, or live In a serPiior

-atmosphere as he escapes gradually .com
the mastery of the arrogance of passionate
youth. The essayist examines the thoughts
of the ancients before he serves warmed-over
epigrams and the opinions of others dis-
guised by a sauce of piquant individuality.
His sentence that flows smoothly and is quoted (
is often t ho result of patient research and
multifarious reading, an illustrious example
of ability to convert and condense. These
men all delight in tho reading of indexes
which nre indispensable tools of trade.

And jet how careless nr lazy in this respect
are the makers of books. Of what advantage
are works pertaining to science, histories,
memoirs, travels without a copious and cor.
reet index? When books were compara-
tively scarce, the reader was better able to
trust his memory ; and yet in those days in-
dexes were generally more complete than
now. Fantastical writers pointed out to tho
attention their whims and caprices. Even
novelists made a catalogue of reference to
plot, incidents and reflections, as Richardson
did in " The History of Sir Charles Grandi-
son.”

It is not necessary to dwell on the impor-
tance of an ihdex to any work of a serious
nature. But it may be claimed justly that
all books of fantasy and imagination should
be made thus to serve the convenience of the
reader. Theophile Gautier once said that lie
had given up the reading of books and
adopterl the habit of committing the tables
of contents to memory. Time was thus I
saved ; he was spared many weary hours; lie
was able to shine in conversation and excite
the envy of men who had frittered away
weeks and months in the vain endeavor to
become intimate with an author. In other
words the generalizations of the w riter are
often better expressed by an index than by
the tongue of the reader. It .Is hardly possi-
ble that anyone to-dav reads of the adven-
tures of that sublime prig, Sir Charles
Grandison; but a few minutes spent in
• glancing over tiie. index of his actions and
opinions would give, a shrewd imposter the
reputation of marvelous learning.

The Germans arc masters in this work,
and they shine in their dull drudgery. Vet
it is doubtful whether in the history of Ger-
man literature there is such a triumph of
index making as the last volume of the Hill
edition of Boswell’s Johnson. The French
have been pre-eminently shiftless in this
matter. Take, for instance, the life of
Adolphe Nourrit. by Quicherat, a work in
three heavy volumes, and a mine of informa-
tion concerning the French opera during most
interesting years; but the mine must be
worked by the reader, unaided by the au-
thor. who stopped with tho word finis. Lately
the French have shown srgns of reformation
iu this grave fault. An imperfect index is,
perhaps, still more objectionable ; an index
that refers simply to proper names and gives
no clue to the thou,. lit of the author, or
passes over the quaint details that we a
solace in weary hours and notes only'coni-
mon places. Such an index enrages the
reader of the three-t oleine edition of Bur- ,
ton’s Anatomy of Melancholy.

Each year the cottagers are later in the re-
turn to town. The woods and the sea have a
peculiar fascination in the late as well as the
early autumn, and it is no wonder that
men and women leave them with regret.
Exercise in the bracing mornings and cool
evenings of the fall is not a rude and violent
exertion. The dress of nature is
gorgeous to the eye. The comfort of a wood
five encourages conversation or aids in
pleasing meditation. The horizons of life
and nature are extended. And so the
fashionable season of amusement is de-
ferred yearly a week or two, For the
theatre of the town seems tame
in comparison with the great show of Nature,
and the. conventionalities of the winter bring
regret for freedom in the open.

It appears from the report of Prof. Dudley
A. Sargent that the sight of Mr. John L.
Sullivan, the celebrated play-actor, is in
Itself a liberal education. It also appears
that no man has been so cruelly misunder-
stood. He has been taxed in the past with ,
laziness, but Prof. Sargent claims that “the !
economical way he has of doing ordinary I
things and the apparently sluggish and indo-
lent manner ho assumes when not in active
exercise” are the characteristics of men of
power who “conserve their energy for i
great physical or mental efforts.’’ Mr. j
.Sullivan is also a “valuable lesson
for the American people," and the “ women
of the land can learn from this man’s physi-
cal development’’ how potent “ is the influ-
ence of the mother ’’ in transmitting not only
“the refined and dclie.ate parts of tier organ-
ism, but also the brawn and sinew that con-
quers botli opponents and environments and
sustains the race.” It is interesting to note
in this connection that after a ten-mile walk
Mr. Sullivan attended church yesterday, and
was m such excellent condition that “ he put
a 850 note on the plate.” Alas poor Corbett !

The thoughtful will acknowledge readily
the bravery shown by Mr. Whludaw Reid In
visiting the home Of his boyhood. There are
no more unsparing critics of a public man of
distinction than the men and women who
played with him in youth. The Senator is to
them plain “Bill,” and tho Judge is the boy '
that once broke through tho ice and was !
pulled out in time. No honors won in after
years can blind such eyes to youthful faults
or acts of meanness. That Mr. Reid was so
heartily welcomed by his old friends of both
parties is the highest tribute to his chniattor ■
aud when he said “It will be the proudest
laurel I shall ever hope to win if at the end
of my career it may still ha said that I have
j never forfeited that regard,” the words were
not merely tho conventional llourish of the
practiced rhetorician.

The Pall Mail Gazette says that the chief
Issues of our Presidential contest are Free
Trade, Civil Service Reform and the Labor
War at Homestead. Not a word about the'
“Force bill,” which seems now to our “ inde-
pendent ” newspapers of such overweening
importance; and no allusion to Brother
Dana’s Campaign of Education.

Readers of Mr. Banner's remarkable story
in tlie last Scribner will be interested to
leain that in Marion, *S. C., a j'oung negress
died from “conviction” at a prn'racted
meeting at a Baptist Church. She had been
shouting and screaming about an hour, when
she gasped and went into what was supposed
to be a trance. She had ruptured a blood
vessel and was dead.

The story of the Kansas farmers who
turned outlaws and held up a train in such
an accomplished and professional manner as
to win the admiration of the Sheriff is an
example of the possibilities of diversified
labor. No explanation is given, however, of
the sudden abandonment of their peaceful
calling ; but here is material for a novelist of
the modern political-social school, as Mr.
Hamlin Garland.

It is to he regretted that in spite of all the
improvements in marine architecture, the
condition of the stokers is not bettered.
Speed is gained by force-draught, and the
stoker suffers accordingly. A writer in a late
number of the Pall Mail Gazette made a trip
from London to Plymouth as an amateur in
this work, and his description of the life be-
low should be read by all interested in
humanity. He concludes his article bj r call-
ing upon designers and engineers to devise
some means by which the temperature may
be reduced ; the handling of the fuel be done
by some mechanical contrivance both in the
stoke-hole and bunkers, and generally to
better the existing conditions under which ,
marine firemen work. “They may be rough j
and uncouth, but they are 'at least human
beings.”

The British public may be made up of
Philistines, but in spite of its many failings
it lias an honest sense of decency. Its treat-
ment of a notorious music-hall singer the
other night was severe but deserved; and
the same feeling that once hooted Edmund
Kean from a London stage moved the audi-
ence of last week to rebuke a brazen woman.

Is ;t true that the race of play-actors is as
irritable and censorious as that of poets or
musicians? It would appear so from Mr.
Frohman’s action. He lias Issued an order
to the effect that actors will not be admitted
after this to his theatres on first nights, free j
of charge, as lias been the custom. He gives ;
as a reason that they have abused their priv-
ileges by indulging in unnecessarily severe j
criticism of his performances. This, if his j
belief is well founded, is another instance of
tiie human propensity to be dissatisfied with I
both the favor and the giver of it. The
habitual dead-head is the most severe of
critics, and, singularly enough, it he is not j
amused by a performance he often feels a
sense of personal injury.

According to Dr. Warner, the greatest
amount of defectiveness in the development
ot London children does not occur among
i the poor. “In the wealthier districts of
Loudon 12 § percent, showed deficiency, while
in the poor districts only 7 per cent, showed j
defects.” Prof. Frobel attributes this to the
fact that “Poor children went about bare-
footed, and thus their health was strength-
ened. Particularly, they had business to do
for their parents. They played at their ease,
while the children of tiie richer classes were ‘
driven about in little carriages, aud were ;
obliged for hours to be quiet.” This would
appear to be, a venemous attack on the per-
ambulatm-

IVEStlOK «

22

A yr kstiox or TiPri\u.

The ceremony of uiarrlaco in these days of
ex none civilization is an expensive pleasure,
s - M\at some call t ue pleasure doubtful and
the civilization ohromo. Not only docs tho
bridegroom at the initiatory ceremony give
hostages to fortune; he and the bride, direct-
ly or through the members of the respective
families are taxed in many ways. The eler-
cvman, of course, is first of all so be consid-
ered iu the process of feeing. If the vved-
dhv* ceremony is in church, the oiganKt is
i. aid for smoothing the way to the altar.

There are gifts provided for the ushers, or
tlu- maidens that watch the bride with tears
or onvv. But why go through the catalogue .

The custom of feeing is influenced in a meas-
ure by local or more often by imported and
prevailing habit.

We look toward England for rules and
regulations concerning the proper deuort-

1 meat at weddings and funerals. There have j
been instances of spontaneity and ingenuity
in the actions of Americans on such occa- i
sions, but they have been regarded justly as j
eccentricities not to be praised, not to be ^

imitated. And bouse or church weddings at a

still preferred by the majority to solemn
rites performed in balloon or diving bell. At
the same time there is no fixed rule concern-
ing the proper amount of money that should
be invested in the gift to an usher. There
are Western gentlemen who act liberally.

The Jishers are given the freedom of a
briber shop. Neckties, or "articles of neclc
wear," and gloves are sent to them in ample
time. Not infrequently are jeweled pins or
sleeve buttons distributed. But in the more
prudent East the usher is often in suspense
that sometimes leads to disappointment.

It was thought by men of research that

these things were ordered better in 1- ranee,

for business at the church is conducted there
on a cash basis. And yet a sad incident that
happened lately at the Madeleine shows that
the belief was without foundation. There
i was a wedding of great ceremony; but the
| ushers were not satisfied with the tip given

I them by the bridegroom. Perhaps the latter
lost his head; perhaps he was naturally
stingy : we have no means of accounting for

his action. The ushers did not demand an
explanation, they did not present their cards.
One of them forced his way to the carnage
iu which the bride and the bridegroom were
about to drive away, and held out his hanc ,
demanding noisily a larger sum. Two mem-
bers of the police force fell upon him and
dragged him back; the other ushers came to
the rescue, and there was a free fight in Iront
of the sacred portal. It is not recorded
whether the usher succeeded in Ins claim.
The newspapers of Paris discuss the matter
at length. One of them suggests that the
onlv solution of the problem 13 to pay the
ushers adequately and abandon voluntary
fees altogether. “ But," adds the writer, a -
though there is not a Parisian who does not
! share our view, there Is no one who is brave
! enough to set an example or act up to his
I convictions. Since this is so, the front of
the Madeleine will remain the scene of these
j free fights after wedding ceremonies.’’

The practical nature of this Parisian sug-
gestion should appeal to all Americans who
contemplate matrimony. The question ,

, might be discussed easily and fitly in t ie ,
columns of some of our Sunday newspapers
! that devote so much attention to the doings I
i and the sayings of "our best people. If
judgment were thus pronounced, it would he ,
I listened to with respect by the upper-middle,

I the middle, the lower-middle and even the
1 low er classes, although the prolctaire would
probably show deplorable Indifference. Or a
new book on etiquette might devote a chapter
! to the subject. This would be an agrecah e
relief to the undue prominence given to table
manners and the symbolical meaning of cor-
„ .r-tiirned visiting cards. Whatever amount
may be agreed upon, it should lie paid in
indorsed by minors should be

prohi

a* w<

t, and all checks should be regarded
ess unless the? are certified.

Lynn is to have a new railway station, and
the offer of the Boston and Maine Railroad is
considered as “ a magnificent exhibition of
that company’s liberality and willingness to
meet tbe demands of travel and the present
and future progress ” of the city. This sta-
tion is needed w ithout doubt, and no one

gn

man

an

Lyun the future building. Would it
■ell for the same company to consider
, meut the needs of Boston? The
station is sadly inadequate; the de-
»f travel there are great; and the
of the road, numbered by thousands,
nvcnienced daily.

The Black Monday of Boston hoys and
girls coincs on a Wednesday, for tho public j
schools will re-open September 7. There are :
parents that will hail the announcement
with delight; parents that are nervous, easily
disturbed by the pranks of healthy animal
spirits. Yet it is a serious question whether
the opening should not be at a later date.

’The first days of September are generally
trying to the temper and the health, particu-
larly if there Is a return from country roads
and air to city streets. N’ov is knowledge ac-
quired unwillingly under such conditions ot
great advantage to the student.

There is mourning at the seaside from the
New Jersey to the Massachusetts coast. The
waves of August arc treacherous, and under
a clear sky breakers may he sent from a
storm without that endanger the life of a
swimmer. Too great earo can not bo exer-
cised, particularly by women and. children,
who are easily deceived by the kindly sun
and the apparently friendly iuvitatiou of the
water.

A Western gentleman, who is now stop-
ping in Swampscott, writes The Journal a
note that is full of indignation at the barbar-
ity shown by Massachusetts men and women
in the docking of the tails of their horses.

“ You have a law in this State against dock- j
ing horses, and yet to a Western man it is I
absolutely shocking to see the number of
those noble and helpless animals deprived of
their tails. It is simply a shame and an out-
rage." This indignation is just. There is a
law, and under it there was a conviction
here a short time ago. There are women
in this city who have protested
together in newspapers against the practice.
And yet flic inhuman habit prevails. The
custom was imported from England, ns our
correspondent suggests, but even there it lias
been sternly rebuked by such an authority i
on tlie horse as Mayhew. Many of our |
women think that a docked tail lends dis- j
'.inction to their appearance, in the road, and J
in their opinion they are confirmed by lazy j
grooms. Nor does the fact that the opera- J
tion is cruel and the after discomfort great in
sticky weather when flies abound seem to j
convince them of the ferocity of their vanity.

Housekeepers should lie on their guard
against a Western concern that sends out
circulars purporting to give instructions for
preserving fruit by the “California cold pro-
cess.” A correspondent of the New Y'ork
Tribune has exposed the deceit. The details
of the process, it seems, must be secured from
the company, aud this is made possible by a
payment of 88- Professor Hilgard declares
that the preservative portion of the com-
pound is salicylic acid, which preserves the
color of the fruit, but is poisonous.

Governor McKinley excites the pity of
many because he wears a black frock coat
when journeying, and it is said that states-
men are obliged to consult conventionality
and disregard personal comfort. This infer-
ence is not well drawn from the Governor’s
example. The late Hannibal Hamlin wore
habitually the coolest of all summer
costumes. It was a favorite habit of Matt
Carpenter to speak from the stump in white
flannel trousers and a velveteen shooting
jacket, without a vest, and witli a cravat of
exuberant proportions and florid complexion.
And there lias been a great deal of earnest
work done by Western statesmen in their
shirt sleeves— the famous coat of arms that
President Lincoln claimed.

There is a ghastly controversy in the news-
papers of Paris as to whether Itavachol, who
was guillotined, pronounced the two last
syllables of “Iiepublique" after his' head was
cut off. It has even entered into the debates
of the Academy of Medicine. The idea
of the possibility of sensation or
knowledge after such an execution is by no
means new ; and certain philanthropists have
argued therefore against the guillotine. Tho
subject was discussed long ago in the elder
Dumas’ “1001 Phantoms,” and lately by
several short story tellers of the mcdical-fan-
tastieal school.

Kleptomania is supposed to be a disease of
the rich and the fashionable, but it is doubtful
whether burglary could be covered by this
term- And yet the case reported
from New Haven seems inexplicable,
viewed simply from a criminal standpoint.
A young man of good position,
ipparently outside of ordinary temptation,
breaks into houses at night and takes away
clothing and jewelry. He is not accused of
theft of money or valuable papers. lie must
have known that the clothing would have been
at once identified if lie had worn it, and he
knew that it would have brought but little at
the second-hand shop. Jt is a singular case,
for society-burglars arc rare, although bank-
burglars are often men of education and good
address.

There was a pigeon-match the other day in
New Jersey with live birds, and there was
"a large and fashionable audience." It does
not seem strange, however, that women
should encourage such wanton cruelty, for
humming birds and other birds of bright aud
attractive plumage appear again in the decor-
ation of hats. Many of these birds are
caught in the South of Prance on their ar-
rival from Africa. Wires charged with elec-
tricity offer them a friendly perch.
Cruel nets are spread in field and forest.
Last summer 15,500 of the poor creatur.es
were caught in two forests only, and it is
estimated that in France alone 1,200,000 little
birds were killed last year. All of them were
insect-eaters.

A XOBLE KEPtT.

The letters interchanged lately between
Dr. Bulow aud Verdi are an interesting con-
tribution to the curiosities of music, and they
are worthy of a place in the future volume of
Weckerlin’s series of collected scraps and
memoranda. Dr. Hans Guido \on Bulow.
the eminent jurist, wit, mimic, pianist, com-
poser, editor and director, has for some years
past been the Siiimei of the musical world.

He has been in the habit of cursing musicians
and throwing stones at them, and easting
dust at them. He would profess often vio-
lent admiration for a work or an intense
friendship fora man, in order that he might
make mischief iu a certain quarter. H ls

tastes were as capricious as were his friend-
ships. His behavior in public was such that
charitable persons charged him with insanity.

In the course of these amusements Dr.
Bulow, took occasion to speak of Verdi, the
greatest composer of opera who is now alive,
in the most insulting terms. He had not the
excuse of personal grievance, he could not
defend himself on account of a burning zeal
i for art. Verdi, an old. a modest, and a dig-
nified man, made no reply. Within a few
■ weeks Bulow apparently repented him of his
: intemperate and unjust speech, and he wrote
th^ author of “Otello ’’ a letter, in which he
regretted his words and expressed his high
appreciation of his personal and musical
character. To this Verdi replied, and the
letter is worthy of the attention of musicians
and of those who have indulged themselves
in the belief that all musicians are by nature
arrogant, vain and narrow-minded. The let-
ter is as follows:

"You have committed no fault, and neitber
repentance nor absolution cau be spoken of. If
your present opinion differs from your former
opinion, you have done well to say so, though
1 should never have complained. And then
who knows?— perhaps you were right before.
However that may be. your unexpected letter—
a letter from a musician of such importance in
the musical world— has given me great pleas-
ure, not on account of personal ambition, hut
because it, shows mo that highly-placed artists
can fudge without tho prejudice of nationality,
school or time. If Northern and Southern
artists have diverse tendencies it is well to let
them be different. They should all be attached
to tho proper characteristics of their respective
nations, as Wagner lias justly observed. Happy
you who are still the sons of Bach! And we
we also who are the sons of Palestrina— had
already a grand school which was truly our
own. Now it has become a bastard art and
shipwreck threatens; — if wc could only begin
from the beginning.”

Whatever may he the faults of the irritable
Bulow, who was wronged cruelly by his
first wife, who left him for Wagner, the man
whom he befriended in sore need, he has
been catholic in his musical taste, and he. has
proved this catholicity in the making of his
orchestral programmes. He was tbe friend
and the champion of Berlioz.; he exerted all
his influence for Wagner; he was one of the
first to realize the genius of Biz.et. It is to be
hoped that his repentance in the Verdi mat-
ter is sincere, for Verdi is too great a master
to escape the notice or provoke the flippancy
of Bulow. As for the letter of Verdi, it is
characteristic of the man. The popular suc-
cess of his early operas did not turn his head.

. intensely national, lie did not despise the
; advance made in the operatic art of France
and Germany, lie, the musical hero of Italy,
did not disdain to leafn from the works of j
foreign composers,; net that ho might iml- |
t.ate slavishly, but that ha might accentuate
' liis own individuality.' He has kept in line
with tho musical advances of each successive
year ; not from fear, as Meyerbeer, lest he
should not be before the public, hut because
he valued his art abqvq. all personal preju-
dices. The composer <tf “Aida,” “Otello”
and the “Requiem Mass” can appeal confi-
dently to the judgment of Time, even if lie
does not live to see the production of his
“ Falstaff.” lie can afford to pardon Bulow.

Persia is a remote land, and the news that
hundreds are dying there dally from cholera

excites only momentary pity. Nor does Rus-
sia, -which suffers from the plague, seem a
neighbor. But when there are over a hun-
dred fatal cases of cholera in one day in Ham-
burg, we begin to realize that the pest is only
one week distant. Vessels come from that
port to us in great numbers, and our harbor
officers cannot display to great vigilance in
exercising all known precautions. It has
been a trying summer ; the streets of our sea-
board towns are not too clean ; and the chol-
era Is no respecter of persons.

Mr. Labouchero is often amusing, and he
is always amusing when he takes himself
seriously. His statement as regards his
exclusion from Mr. Gladstone’s Cabinet
abounds in good things, as when lie regrets
that the Queen is not pleased with him. “ I
may not have seen eye to eye with Her
Majesty, but 1 always have regarded her as
strictly constitutional." Nor does he blame
Mr. Gladstone, although the “sons of the
horse-leech have been too much for him."
It would be a matter of general interest to
know Mr. Labouchere’s authority for thus
increasing the family of the leech, for it lias
hitherto been supposed that it was confined
to “two daughters.” But the editor of
Truth is irresistibly funuy when he speaks
in feeling terms of his undying devotion to
the cause of democracy and his willingness
to be sacrificed in the cause.

A San Francisco newspaper, discussing the
question of the introduction of physical cul-
ture and a grant of $10,000 for the benefit of
the public schools, claims that “very few
lady teachers could touch the points of their
toes with the finger tips without bending the
limbs, and very lew male teachers could per-
form the feat.” For this reason it objects to
light gymnastics, by a process of reasoning
that seems feminine rather than according To
Mill or Jevons.

Now that the European Continent is the
playground of the cholera, the American
tourists think naturally of England. The
island has a good repute for sanitation. It is
said that the emigration of Americans this
year lias been unusually large, and it is
natural that the London newspapers should
cail on English landlords to be
wise and moderate, that foreigners
may see the advantages of England as a sum-
mer stamping ground. The British tourist,
who complains of our hotels, should consider
these words of the Pall Mall Gazette: “There
Is no reason why an English hotel should be
miserable in its accommodation and exorbi-
tant in its charges, except that it is so little
patronized. They will be full this year. Let
them earn a good name.”

Mr. Henry E. Dixey thinks that “ the the-
atric is more of a profession than medicine,
law or painting, for it is human.” At the
same time he is despondent. The stage is
not what it was once. The reform, accord-
ing to him, must be worked by the actor-
manager. There was a time when the thea-
tre had “the entire sympathy” of the press
and the publie. “Everything was done not
with the desire alone to make money so much
as to bring the talent of each member of a
company to a perfect collective rendering of
standard works." It must not be forgotten
that it is “Adonis” Dixey who is talking;
and it excites wonder even in this tired age
to hear him lamenting the fact that “ pro-
vided the principal actor secures a part that
he does not think up to his standard he will
not hesitate to take liberties with his lines
and situations." It was this sauie Mr. Dixey
who, during his last engagement in Boston,
introduced a topical song of singular incon-
gruity in the second act of “ The Mascotto ;"
but perhaps he thought the part of Lorenzo
not “up to his standard.”

I The believers in the novel with a purpose

j —such as Mrs. Humphrey Ward— will re-
joice at the news that Mr. Frick proposes to
distribute copies of Charles Itcade’s “Put
Yourself in His Place’’ among the union
and non-union men at Homestead. But
Reade's novel is not interesting solely
on account of his views on the labor
question and the facts ihat lie wove into his
story. He had the great gift of a picturesque
style. He spoke with authority. He was
never dull in description or in dialogue. So
he made dry bones live. It must also be re-
membered that Reade In "Never too Late to
Mend” represents the cruel governor of
an English jail weeping copiously over the,
horrors of slavery as depicted in “Uncle
Tom’s Cabin.” Whatever may be the effect
of the book on the people of Homestead,
they will at least have the pleasure of a few
excited hours, and the booksellers will smile
and rub their bauds.

Tho New York Nation regrets that our
Public Library “no longer exercises that dis-
cretion which led it, by an enlightened view
of its duties and its interests, to grant to
persons actually engaged in author-
ship, tho privilege of occasionally
drawing books, although non-resi-
dents.” It seems that at present
the lonn of a book only “ for a few hours "
is refused. But it does not occur to the
Nation that a resident of this city may wish
this very book “for a few hours ’’ and at the
same time with the non-resident. Many j
users of the library have found that i
the books they needed, and thought surely I
accessible on account of rarity or special na- j
ture, were needed by some one else who had
anticipated them. The residents have tho i
first right to the public books, and there must I
be a fixed rule in the matter, although the 1
directors thus Incur the reproach of churlish-
ness.

Tlie foreign critics who sneer constantly at
Ihe “disgraceful scenes ” that are said to at-
tend our elections may view with profit yes-
terday’s performance at Derby. The Tory
candidate who is running against Sir
William Harcourt charged the latter
in public with being a wife-beater.
The mob then threatened to lynch the
accuser, and “liar” and “coward” were the
softest expressions heard. Mr. Atkinson
then explained his language as Pickwickian,
md finally retracted the charge. He then
made his escape. And yet our public men
iire accused of indulging in the most odious
public recrimination.

Rousseau would be delighted if he could
hear the news from California, which cor-
roborates liis theory concerning education.
According to the San Francisco Call,
Japanese boys who go to school with a few
books under their arm are in the habit of
stoning Chinamen who carry clothes-baskets
on their heads. But this statement may be
sprinkled plentifully with salt, for the
animus of the Call is seen clearly when its
chief comment is “The average American
would gladly be rid of both.”

How Freshmen in the men’s colleges where
iiazing is still practiced, although in a mild
form, must envy their sisters at Bryn Mawr.
The older students call on the new comers
and give them “ teas," and this “ attitude of
cordial welcome ” is italicized by the custom
of the Sophomores to give each year a play
to the Freshmen in the gymnasium. Not to
i be outdone in such social amenities, the
Freshmen in turn play to the Sophomores, :
and with the rise of the curtain baskets of
roses are scattered over the members of the
older class.

coimtrtfrto the experience of tho world.
Even iqfthos^e jlays of female independence,
the daiyjlitcr ,nedtl.s the advice of hqr llmthcr.

It is thff latter wi*o constructs tiro iwV^Txl^rtv
pairs tie broken threads. She, best of all,
know^Hlre weaknesses of men. A word
from her will encourage tiro faint-hearted; a
frown will turn, flippancy into earnestness.
There are certain things necessary to success
that uo girl of conventional training enn
suggest or bring about unaided. Even
the accomplished Miss Rebecca Sharp
regretted once or twice the absence
of maternal counsel. There is a
freemasonry among the mothers. About
to enter their daughters in the race,
they feel a lively interest In the
rivals. They find excitement in plots
and counter-plots; they undermine the
prejudices of tho mother of the youth, who
looks with suspicion ou any forward girl who
would rob her of her pride. Or go to more
foreign lands, where those negotiations are
simplified; it is the mother of the Circassian
girl who regulates the character and the
amount of the diet of her daughter, tiiat she
may be sleek and comely.

It is said that no one fears “the match-
making propensities of a father.” This is
undoubtedly true. Men are more easily de-
ceived in the worth of the proffered goods.
Ethelberta, in Thomas Hardy’s story, was
not assisted materially by her father’s
knowledge of his kind, although as butler he
had peculiar opportunities for acquiring dis-
crimination. The male parent may judge of
the worldly position of a suitor, but lie has
not the detective eye of his wife, the eye that
never sleeps.

The English girl, it seems, is now so inde-
pendent that she flys in the face of nature
and rejects the British matron. She is confi-
dent of her own charms and her own judg-
ment. She feels herself handicapped by the
presence of a mother. But how does she 1
escape, or how does she secure her private in-
vitation? Is tlie reserve force attributed to
the stout and judicious English woman
merely a thing of fiction ? Can she not insist
that where her daughter goes she accompa-
nies? Or does the daughter protest agaiDst
her mother’s wish? Let the latter be firm;
let her be unmoved by tears or prayers. Let
her remember the words of Mr. Frank Stock-
ton: “Nothing is so terrible as a parent at
^bay.”

Governor Flower has shown in the matter
of the Buffalo strikes a firmness that is com-
mendable, and in strong contrast with the
performances of his predecessor on a like
occasion. He did not hesitate to call out the
militia when its presence was necessary to
order, and the proclamation in which he
offers a reward for the arrest and the con-
viction of persons violating the provisions of
the penal code relating to steam railways
will have a salutary effect.

The death of an ex-Governor excites little
or no attention in these days of constant ro-
tation in office, and iiis private career after
withdrawal from the public is often death in
life. How many, for instance, remember the
Governorship of Myron H. Clark of New
York, who died the other day. Yet his polit-
ical career was marked in many ways. It
was due to his firmness that the legal restric-
tion to two cents a mile for railway passenger
fares was enacted. He was the only Pro-
hibitionist who ever filled tlie Executive
Chair of his State. As Chairman of a Sen-
ate committee he had, previous to his elec-
tion as Governor, secured the passage of the
Prohibitory Liquor law, which was sub-
sequently declared unconstitutional by a
majority of the Court of Appeals. He was
the last Whig nominated to a State office
in New York.

Some of the gilded youth of New York pro-
pose to run a line of post-coaches next sum-
mer between that city and Newport. It will
be under the management of Mr. J. Suffern
Tailer, “an English gentleman who has had
much experience in such matters.” This is
the same Mr. Tailer who lately made a sen-
sation in France. The line will
not be established for money making,
“but simply for pleasure." Now there
are noblemen of England who are deeply in-
terested in tho transport of the public; but
they are more practical than American citi-
zens. They buy aud control hansom-cabs,
and charge a fixed price for their services.

And there is a tradition that once when there
was a scarcity of drivers, one of the owners,
j a real Marquis, sat on the driver’s seat,
handled the ribbons, and collected the fares.

The distinction made by our Health Offi-
cers in favor of immigrants from the British
islands and Scandinavia is a compliment to
the northern nations. The Italian, who
comes from the land of beauty and of art; i
the Frenchman, who boasts of the civiliza-
tion of his country; the profound and mysti- |
cal German; the Russian, who vaunts him-
self on Tartar blood; all these are compelled j
to undergo a scrubbing in hot water and soap,
while their clothing and baggage are disin- ■
fected. ffl},e proud Spaniard joins them. ;

The northern nations alone escape.

q'he doctrine of retaliation is now applied
to art, and the action of the Custom House
officers at Detroit iu preventing a Canadian
band from fulfilling an engagement in that
city is the cause of the rejection of the offer
of “Patsy ” Gilmore by the St. George’s
Society of Hamilton. His band had before
this assisted in the winter festivals of the
town. But iu such retaliation the Canadians
are the worse sufferers. There arc plenty of
Canadian bands; there is only one Gilmore, j
The people of Hamilton will miss his good
nature, eyeglass, decorations and company of
“ world famous and artistic soloists.”

It will be remembered that Miss Anne
Reeve Aldrich, who had won enviable re-
nown as a writer of thoughtful and polished
verse, died in June of this year at the ace of
•.‘fi. Scribner’s Magazine for September
•peaks of "the beauty, promise and even
genius ’’ of her more ambitious poetry, and
prints the following poem, dictated during
lier short illness, when she was unable to
write. She died before daybreak.

DEATH AT DAYBREAK.

I shall go out when the light oomes in.

There lie my cast-off form and face:

1 shall pass Dawn on her way to earth
As 1 seek for a path through space.

lshall co out when the light comes in.

Would I might take one ray with me:

It is blackest night between the worlds.

And how is a soul to see?

We speak contemptuously of a dog’s life,
tad in the countries of Europe, where the ani-
mals draw carts, and in our own cities, where
they are muzzled, their life is not to be en-
vied. But bow many men have traveled in
ti:i» country as widely as Albany Railroad
Jack, wbo has just returned from a tour ex-
tending to the Pacific coast and down
into Mexico. It is said that iu the
last six years he has traveled over every line
in the United States. He has the advantage
over his rival, the drummer, for he is not
obliged to solicit orders. He is a delightful
companion, for he does not fret, he is not
garrulous, he does not display hoggishness in
jis claims on space, and he does not weary
;he conductor with vain questioning.

ifi

The summer season along the Massachu- ,
setts coast draws to its close. Cottagers may
remain far into September, but they that ,

| put their trust in hotels or boarding houses
! look toward the city or the mountains. The
piazzas begin to be deserted. I he waiters
redouble their attentions. The landlord's
face, now that his calculations are based on
facts, is the index to the past custom. There
are other signs of the yearly farewell to the
| shore. The expressman and the driver will
soon turn to their regular employments, and
I the inhabitants of the village will fold their
iiands in hibernation.

Chief among these signs is the return of
certain males who still loiter for a da) to
1 normal clcthir.g. This term “normal must
i not be misunderstood. There is here no
i reference to dress reform or similar) flan-
i ncls. But men who have for a season worn

| strange disguises now resemble their fellows
and are fortunately without the distinction
that excites humorous comment. A few ex-
j amples will be directly to the point.

There is a young man known to all fre-
quenters of summer resorts. He is gener-
, all) thin, with effeminate manners and with
j a stoop. He is passionately addicted to
cigarettes. His favorite amusement is to sit
on the piazza in company with others of his
kind, ar.d as they blow the sickening smoke
that pollutes the salt air they discuss gravely
the natural and the artificial charms of female j
celebrities of the, “comic opera.” They row
not, neither do they sail. Tennis is an exer-
tion, and the exercise of quick walking is to
them rude and ' iolent. Their physical regi-
men is confined to a game of billiards, and
whmi they are thus fatigued they lean on an
adjacent bar. Vow the favorite dress of
these young men is the “sweater,” the gar-
ment of athletes. They appear in it at break-
fast; they wear it at dinner; it is possible
that in it they lie down and sleep. The In-
^ougmity of the costume of sweater, flannel
trousers with rolled up bottoms and a sport-
ing cap is a delight to the judicious. The (
sweater seems to have driven out the blazer,
just a- -hirts of silk and cotton have effaced
t ; ;e memory of flannel. But now the days of
the sv :ater are numbered. 'I lie wearer is ^
seen in t.v- well-known costume that is dear ;
to the dudedom of the tow n. i

The young man who is closely associated, .
althojgn In a subordinate capacity, with I
large “dry good* establishments,” is seen no
longer. It was his habit morning and even- j
v'^as he went to and from business, to
carry jauntily a tennis racket protected by .
its n. at covering. He was ntv'-r noticed on ■
the round. He served customers in town: |
not U within the lines of chalk. If he |

now runs down lor an evening he carries a
cane or an umbrella. So, too, llio singular
species of the male sex that played at tough-
ness has returned to civilization. He no
longer walks as though lie were a fancy man.

He has abandoned his swing, his shrug.

His hat is adjusted carefully to his
head. lie, no longer seeks to impress the
waiter or his table neighbor. Hie briar-
wood pipe that he smoked so defiantly in
public is exchanged for a mild cigar. His
manners are amiable, and it is reported that
ho says “sir” to old gentlemen.

The cap that made even a man of extreme
intellectuality look like a deck steward on an
oceau steamer has disappeared. Such caps
are never seen exposed for sale in city streets
or windows. They appear suddenly in a sea-
side village, like Jonah’s gourd. They are
worn by men both thin and stout, and of
widely differing facial construction. And,
lo, suddenly they are gone. Nor on the occa-
sion of a hotel festivity is there from station
to piazza a procession of tired beings, armed
each with a dness-suit case, their offering on
the altar of conventionality. The woman
\ who now remains does not look disdainfully
at the sack coat, even if it be of the pepper
and salt description.

These and similar familiar sights of sum-
mer are things of the past. The return to
the routine of city life is heralded by the
return to orthodox garments. It would be
interesting to know the fate of the discarded
caps and sweaters. They are not used in [
winter. Are they stored away as ammuni-
tion for the next campaign, or do they serve I
as fees to the expectant waiters and bell- I
I boys? |

The presentation of the illuminated album
y Capt. Platt, the son of the Mayor of
iloucester, England, to the Mayor of the
Mty of Fisheries, was a graceful compliment
*om the old town to its namesake. The
speech of the Englishman was short and
characteristically blunt; but theie was
hearty good will in every lime, and lie evi-
dently realized the character of the celebra-
tion.

By a singular irony the humane Gladstone
accused of cruelty in continuing the
post of Master of the Royal Buckhounds.

The duties of this office are concerned with
the sport of deer hunting with dogs, which
is. according to many, a barbarous amuse-
ment. It is needless to say that the news-
papers which bring the charge are Liberal,
for the conservatism of the Tory squires is
seen in its full bloom in tbeir limiting, and it
is not improbable that they would prefer na-
tional dismemberment to the abolition of
“ riding to hounds.” Nor have the efforts of
more enlightened persons been able to con-
vince the modern Bersekers of the cruelty of
their purs uit of the fox and th e deer.

Antiquarians have claimed that the idea
of the telephone was not unknown in Eng-
land long ago, and they base their supposi-
tion on a singular passage in Camden’s Eng-
land. But a more curious illustration
of prophecy, or a coincidence of fact and
fiction, is a passage in Voltaire’s “ Microme-
tras ” whiefi is pointed out by a correspond-
ent^ the,Ncw York Tribune. IE reads as
•follows : “ When they took leave of J upiter,

they traversed about 100,000,000 of leagues,
ind coasting along the planet Mars, which is
(veil known to be five times smaller than our
little earth, they described two moons sub-
servient to that orb, which have escaped the |
observation of all our astronomers. ”

The failure of a worthy reform in a Wis- j
;onsin summer resort is complete. Summer
?irls organized themselves into an anti-
smoke society, pledging themselves solemnly |
not to dance or talk witii any young man j
whose breath smelled of smoke. One wily :
girl stood aloof and declined the invitation.
She became in one day the belle of the vil-
lage. The summer young men thronged
around Her, and “ sometimes she had ten
sscorts at once.” As an inevitable result
ihe society disbanded. In this connection it
.s pleasant to learn that the tobacco crop in
she Connecticut and Housatonlc valleys is
one of remarkable promise, and the present
prices are the highest since the days of the

Civil War.

The city of Mexico saw last Sunday a
strange and memorable sight. The anni-
versary of the agony of Guatemozin, the last
of the Aztec Emperors, was celebrated. It
will be remembered that Cortez put lus
captive to the torture in order that he might
reveal the treasure which ho was supposed
to possess. The Emperor bore the ordeal like
a stoic. Sunday last President Diaz, at the
head of the Mexican army and in presence
of a great crow d, paid homage to the memory
of the brave man. Speeches were made in
Aztec and in Spanish, tlip languages of the
tortured and the inquisitor.

It is said that Director Leach, of the United
states Mint, is not altogether pleased with
the design for the Columbian souvenir coin
provided for by the act of Congress approp-
riating $2,500,000 for the Exposition. The i
obverse carries a head of the discoverer, de- |
signed after a portrait in Chicago; but it is j
well known that there is no authentic por- i
trait in existence. On the reverse is an ele- I
vation of the Administration Building of the
Fair. Mr. Leach can not be too particular in
his choice of a design. The coinage of a
country is, as a rule, an index to the charac-
ter and condition of its art, and although
there has been improvement here in the at-
tention paid such matters, our coinage does
not as yet equal in beauty of design that of
England o r France.

The defeated and disgusted switchmen
now quarrel among themselves. Nor do
;hey seem to stand in awe of the authority
jf their own officers. For one of the dis-
contented remonstrated/with Master Work-
man Sweeney by putting the head of the dic-
tator against a telegraph pole and then
“ punching and pounding it until he
was pulled away.” Such personal vio-
lence is, of courses to be deplored,
and the demand of the assailant
was preposterous ; but if the episode in con-
nection with the failure of the strike leads
Mr. Sweeney to consider carefully the fact
that the demands of a workman, even when
they are just, are not aided by deeds of law-
lessness, the “punching and the pounding ’’
will not have been in vain.

Mothers are apt to reprove their children
for lying flat and outstretched when they
read. Dr. Lauder Brunton, in his investiga-
tion of the secret of having ideas at will,
placed himself in various positions, and
found that his mental activity was greatest
vhen he was flat on a table. “ Then ideas
nibbled up in his mind.” The moment he
raised his head his mind became an utter
dank. If the doctor’s theory is confirmed,
nftice furniture will be revolutionized, and
?ven the practice of reclining at dinner might
be introduced with advantage to the conver-
sation. |

A BIRTHDAY OP WIT.

To express in fitting terms the lively ad-
miration and the sense of personal affection
excited by the life and the works of Oliver
Wendell Holmes would require the wit, the
fancy and the humanity of the autocrat him-
self. The citizen who is so honored by his
townsfolk, the professor who is remembered
60 gratefully by many of his calling, the
writer who delights two continents might
well dispense with eulogy at this lato day.
Yet it would seem ungracious to allow
the anniversary of his birth to go by
■without renewed acknowledgments of grati-
tude for the generous employment of the
many talents given him by nature.

While it would be an impertinence on this
occasion to criticise his work or pronounce
solemnly a judgment, the gayety of his ripe old
age may well suggest an inquiry into the
character of the wit and the humor of his
books. And, first, he is by no means a
humorist in the ancient sense of the word.
Blood he has in plenty, it is true; but choler,
phlegm and melancholy, the three other
humors of the old physicians, do not control
him. If humor be a term applied loosely as
a tag to the “ talent for kindly pleasantry
or jocularity,” then is he most humor-
ous. Or if wit be “ that which
excites agreeable surprise in the mind
from the strange assemblage of related
images presented to it,” then is he the living
definition. The humor is always restrained,
as by a sense of scientific accuracy in the
proportion, nor is it ever too exuberant.
The wit is not malignant, it is not corrosive.
The peculiar characteristic of his style is a
compounding of many simples. There is
the quick thrust of cold steel as iu Voltaire,
but no sardonic laugh follows the successful
attack. The wound is quickly healed by the
kindly or noble utterance that serves as a
medicament. It is not improbable that even
when Dr. Holmes was most in earnest and
challenged the disciples of Dr. Hahnemann,
ho felt a secret pity for his antagonists.
There is the sense of the absurdity of a
wretched play upon words that was also
characteristic of Lamb, and there is the art
of introducing the pun as though it were fit only
for mockery. There is the American shrewd
common sense that finds relief in exaggera-
tion and hyperbole and yet turns them into
ridicule. There is the true democratic spirit
that sees through the shams and the aff ecta-
tions of snobs and demagogues alike, and
acknowledges the value of substantial I

things. Abovo all I.v tho feeling of chanty
for tho imperfections and the fallings of man.

In Paris, where lie spent glad days, de-
scribed so pleasantly in Iris latest book, Ur.
i H dimes learned other things beside theories
of medicine and surgical p radices. Proba-
bly without direct application, and rather by
assimilation or absorption, he gained the
mastery of striking a blow in a few words.
The blow might be aimed at the risibility of
tho reader; it might he the instrument of a
sterner purpose; but there was no time
wasted in preparation or in execution. To
express clearly a clear thought is the privi-
I lege of the French. It is said that sturdy
Dutch blood is mingled with English blood
j ill the veins of Dr. Holmes; but the light-
ning play of his spirit is eminently Gallic.

Many of tho English-speaking people find
In tlie arguments as well as in tho epigrams
of the French a taint of insincerity. Their
suspicion is undoubtedly unjust. It may be
true that every Frenchman writes with one
eye on his manuscript and one on the out-
i side world; perhaps lie is always a
| comedian, even when he is seriously
! inclined. But the mind of Dr.

Holmes, although it finds expression in
sentences of Gallic clearness and Gallic wit,
is moved by feelings of sincerity and
humanity. He is in earnest when he in-
dulges in quips and cranks. The jesting is
never idle. He is often righteously indignant
when he is apparently careless, and shooting
his arrows tipped with irony skyward and at
random. So, too, the poet who mado such
merry rhymes sang the need of Divine con-
solation in hours of darknoss and distress,

| or, in thinking of the chambered nautilus,
enlarged his soul. It surely is not the least
of his comforting thoughts to-day when he is
! conscious of the love and admiration of troops
of friends, and realizes fully tiie accompani-
ments of honored age, that the wit and the
humor which were peculiarly his were never
employed save in innocent amusement,
j the correction of abuse, or the shaming of
men and women that they might lead fuller
lives.

The lover of Nature turned townward from
the sea this morning with regret. The sky
was leaden, and the wind was shrill ; but the
surf roared along the coast. Sjjcb weather
drives the careless summer guest to the' city ;
but he that loves the sterner moods of Ocean
does not miss the holiday dress and the undue
familiarity with the mighty element.

To-day is the anniversary of the birth of
Hannibal Hamlin. He was born in the same
year that first saw Oliver Wendell Holmes,
and there was a difference of only two days
in the date. It is well to keep in mind such
anniversaries and the memory of those who
have aided in the building up of this Repub-
lic. It is not mere sentimentalism ; it is the
proper respect paid by the patriotic of all
lands to their distinguished men.

It appears that the people of Oberammer-

K never intend to appear in the “ Passion
y ’ at Chicago. And therefore the talk
Hid the printed discussions were a waste of
words. Nay, more; they are indignant, and
they speak of the report as a “ malicious in-
vention.” This is welcome news to many
who, impressed by the solemnity of the
i JJhfSKMis festival in Bavaria, were loth to see
the mystery or Passion play produced at
Chicago amid incongruous surroundings.

I he people of Oberammergau say that it will
aot be given in their own village before 1900.
unfortunately their service of worship is, to
many idle tourists, merely a theatrical show,
to be seen as one of the sights of Europe. J

There is a new dictator in Venezuela, wi
the customary accompanying circumstanci
such as the arrest of Senators, preparatio
for battle, and “great excitement” of the i
habitants. The governments of these Sou
American republics is unfortunately not u
Uke the definition of an ideal system, i.

■ absolute despotism tempored by occasion
assassination. It was only the other day th
the Pall Mall Gazette called upon Mr. H«
bert Spencer to examine thoroughly tl
5>outh American revolution from a scienti:
standpoint. “A mere chronicling of blooc
battles, diversified by executions, gives us i
clue. Is it race, or climate, or bad instit
tions that make the inhabitants so restles
and so unpleasantly violent in their restles
ness?’’

Our newspapers are even now filled wi
prescriptions and remedies against the ch
era. As water is said to bo the easiest a;
surest source of pollution, it is well that
should be boiled, and there is danger of cc
tagion also from polluted ice. But Sir Ric
ard Quain has suggested an ingenious pi
caution in the latter instance. In a letter
to the London Times he writes as follow
My advice is to boil ice before using it
Those who have lived in London, where i<
is exhibited in restaurants almost as a rarit
art 1 approciato 41,8 moro this use of th

Mrs. Frank Leslie- Wilde announces pub-
licly that she left Mr. Wilde in Europe
because “the climate of America is too ex-
hilarating and affects him peculiary, as his
nature needs repose.” This is an instance
that might be used in support of the theory
of Buckle, that man, with his institutions, is
fashioned largely by the climate. At the
same time, there are towns In our own
country where Mr. Wilde would not find him-
self excited, if the descriptions that travelers
give of Philadelphia may be believed, or if
Dr. Holmes is correct in his opinions con-
cerning certain New England towns.

Mr. Bennett, in Ills address on “The En-
lowment Craze in Massachusetts ” before
die American Ecopotnio Association at
I Chautauqua, cited the following amusing
instance of the extravagance of tiie managers
of the endowment societies. One of the offi-
cers of tiie “Order of tiie Golden Lion”
stated before Justice Allen of tiie Supreme
Court that he was the Supreme Chaplain of
the order, and tfiat his duty was to open the
Supreme Session with prayer. This session i
was held once in two years. His Supreme '
Salary was .$7500 per annum, and therefore
his prayer cost the members just $15,000. It
is true that his qualifications for the office
were peculiar, lie had served diligently as a
clerk in a grocery store at $15 a week.

The Englishman by his growling may make
himself obnoxious to traveling companions
and foreigners, but lie. distributes his growls
impartially and they often work good results.
Just now there is discussion in tiie English
newspapers concerning tiie “mystery, pro-
crastination and compromise” in the selec-
tion of the. designs of the new coinage.

“ In matters of art our authorities,
if they are not always successful, are at least
always dilatory.” Other comments of a simi-
lar nature are made freely. And yet the
English coinage has for years commanded
the respect of foreign critics. Tiie Mint
authorities are thus encouraged by their
countrymen, who believe that eternal vigi-
lance is the price of national and public art.

The news of the destruction of the Metro-
politan Opera House in New York will be
heard with regret by all interested in tiie cul-
tivation of tiie opera. Its erection was, in a
measure, a protest against the abuses that
had crept into the management of opera
in New York and an attempt to
remove tiie reproach that was then justly
brought against the opera as a form of art.
The Metropolitan may have been the scene
of musical fanaticism a year or two ago, but
the fanaticism was eminently sincere and i
was intended to make for musical righteous-
ness; and by performances given in that
house the death blow was given to the intol-
erable “star-system” that for years had in-
jured music in this country.

juancer discusses the recent
bicycle racing in this country, and pays
especial attention to the dispatch riding.
While it admires the endurance of the riders,
it warns tire cyclist of the dangers to which
he exposes himself. “ The heart knows no
rest from full activity, and the elastic coat of
every artery in his body is in full
tension. In some instances such is the ten-
sion that tiie man literally propels himself in
what may be called blindness. His legs work
automatically, and his course is directed in a
manner very little different.” There is no
question of the value of the exercise gained
in the moderate- riding of a bicycle. But
there is no doubt that feats of long endur-
ance are apt to superinduce organic degener-
ation. These solemn words of the Lancet
are well worth heeding :

“^lan is not ail engine of iron and steel, but an orcan-
ism ot flesh and bone and blood tliat has to be renewed
■ rom day to day and from hour to hour, and his enerav
is not roughly chemical, but vittl In Its nature: he is con
stmeted lor other and nobler purposes than mere en-
lf , !le throws himself into mere engine
work he will soon become an engine so disabled thafhis
^111 fall into death before he has reached what

WOuld be the prlme perlod of vit *l

Mr. Howells, the son of the novelist, has
passed a brilliant examination for admittance
to the Ecole des Beaux Arts. This is grati-
fying to his parents and friends, and indi-
rectly to American pride. The Government
of France, in all matters relating to
»rt and science, has for years treated
foreigners most generously. It has given |
opportunities for free instruction, it has i
rewarded publicly the deserving of all nations.
Does not gratitude alone demand the aboli-
tion of duties on the paintings of French
artists ? Artists are not made or developed
by such duties. The more good pictures that
are seen in this country, the better will our
artists paint, and tho healthier will bo the

I jpnp.vM noadiiicn of e.rh ^

j The celebration of tho seventy-fifth anni-
versary of tho Asylum for tho Deaf and
I Dumb at Hartford is a sad and yet a Joyous
occasion. Gratitude is manifested by many
only by signs; and others pour out thanks-
giving in words that ai;e not heard by them. I
and nre not heard by those to whom they V ,
speak. Tiie discoveries made in tiie possible \
education of deaf-mutes, and the rescuing of j
unfortunates from tiie land of silence, are l
among the triumphs of our modern civiliza-
tion.

The Emperor William will not listen to the
suggestion that prayer for the abatement of
tiie cholera be ordered officially throughout
Prussia ; but lie believes that tiie widest pub-
licity should be given to tiie facts in tiie case,
and he scouts the idea that any concealment
of the deatli rate will prevent panic. It will
be remembered that Palmerston onoe angered
many good people in England who asked for
a day of national humiliation in a time of
pestilence. He replied to the effect that they
should first look sharply to tiie drains and
exhaust all human precautions.

Mr. James J. Corbett declares in an open
letter to the public that be is ambitious, and
therefore he wishes fb stand up against Mr.
Sullivan. “ If I should win, I shall become
an actor.” This rasli statement will surely
array all playwrights, play-actors and lovers
of tiie drama against the ex-bank clerk from
California, for they are hardly reconciled as
yet to the appearance of Mr. Sullivan on the
dramatic stage, although he is said to bean
earnest student.

Another tragedy has been added to the
catalogue of Norman’s Woe. The reef is
made terrible to those who have never seen
it by tiie familiar lines of the ballad of Long-
fellow, just as tiie Inclieape Rock, which fur-
nished material for the verse of Southey,
excites tiie imagination of foreign readers.

It seems that the retainers of Queen Vic- |
toria do not look forward witli pleasure to 1
the Highland season at Balmoral. The gil-
lies, gamekeepers and the rest will not be
allowed daily rations of beer and whisky,
but they will receive money instead. The
new pipers must be total abstainers, and in
laying down this regulation tiie Queen shows
great good sense as well as a maternal regard
for the neighborhood. A piper in the full
possession of his senses is as terribre as an
army with banners; but the mind recoils at
the thought of a bagpipe played without dis-
cretion, and with tiie garrulousness and the
exuberance of intoxication.

Of all forms of revenge, that adopted by the
discharged cook of Mr. Hiram Sibley of
New York, is about as subtle as any we have
noted. Mr. Sibley was entertaining a party
of friends on his steam yacht Wapiti, and
when it touched at Coliingvvood, Ontario, lie
discharged one of bis cooks for some mis-
I conduct. The latter at once gave out tiie
story that tiie yacht bad foundered and the
whole party on board liad been drowned.
This, of course, w as telegraphed all over tiie
country and caused consternation among
the friends of Mr. Sibley. Fortunately Mr.
Sibley was able to contradict tho story the
next day, but it is not so clear that he cau
find a way to punish the cook. The news-
paper correspondent at Collingwood, how-
ever, would seem to have allowed himself to
be imposed upon in a very easy manner.

A woman of St. Louis has just perfected a
singular invention. She has applied for a |
patent to cover the process of making “ sweet }
potato flour.” The processes arc those of
peeling the potato and kiln-drying tiie peel
so that it will keep for any length of time as
a food for live stock ; of drying and grinding
the potato into three distinct grades of flour,
and also of slicing and drying In the form
of “Saratoga chips.” “All these forms |
will keep for years in any climate.”
Yet useful as this “ dessicated food product ”
may be, there are those who will regret the
invention. They have in tiie past viewed the
3\veet potato as a romantic variety of the pro-
saic, common, everyday article of commerce
that in the days of Queen Anne was given
only to animals and convicts. But if this
invention proves successful the glory will
depart.

The ability of the conductors and drivers
of our street cars to discuss \v;jth marked in-
telligence all problems suggested by tiie
reading of Browning has for some time ex-
cited the admiration and tiie envy of tho in-
habitants of less favored cities. A pleasing
illustration— although in lesser degree— of
the intellectuality of American democracy
is recorded by a contributor to tho Christian
Union. Mr. James Bryce, it appears, in one
of his journeys in tiiis country talked freely
with a brakeman. He mentioned his name,
and the brakeman said “Bryce? Did you
write the ‘ Holy Roman Empire ’ and ‘ The
American Commonwealth?' ” When the !
author acknowledged his deeds, the brake-
man looked at him in silence. “ Then,” sud-
denly extending a very dirty paw, ho ex-
claimed in atone of the heartiest approval,

“ Shake I "

There is a prevailing impression that a
prize fight is n fierco exhibition of brutal
strength, aided and guided by skill in the
art of sparring: that meat light for motley and
not to settle a dispute and not for tUe-gratifi-
cation of personal vengeance ; that when one
of the fighters is so battered and mauled that
he cannot come to time the man who is able
to stand receives the purse and the belt; that
such a scene is enlivened by disorder, drunk-
enness and often robbery. The brutality of
the encounter has beeu described graphically
by many, from William Ilazlitt to Rudyard
Kipling. Legislatures have declared these
gatherings Illegal, contrary to law, order and
the public morals.

But it seems that this is all a mistake. Pos-
sibly there were such fights in the dim past,
but in our own time the sport of pugilism as
it is managed at New Orleaus makes actually
for civilization. It is a New Orleans corre-
spondent of the Brooklyn Eagle who thus
throws light on our darkness. His letter
was written with reference to the approach-
ing fights In his loved city. The performances
of the week that begins September 4 will be
the “biggest series of events since the days
of the Roman Cestus.” The members of the
Olympic Club of New Orleans are devoted to
the perusal of ancient history, and they wish
in these effete times to revive the Grecian
spirit. “They propose to make New Orleans
a sort of modern Olympia. It is believed by
them that prize fighting can be made a popu-
lar athletic sport in America.’’ In their good
work they have been assisted cordially by
the State. The approaching combats will be
| given under the authority of Louisiana,
and under a special license from the Mayor
of the city. The Chief of Police will preside,
j “with fifty men or more under him, to see
' that everything is fairly, honestly and or-
[ derly conducted.” The men who are in
charge are “solid, substantial and respected
business men,” and the audience will be
made up of members of the better classes—

I “ lawyers, doctors, bankers, merchants and
men of that kind.” The sporting men, it
seems, come mainly from the barbaric East;
they wear “big diamond pins and beavers,”
but no quiet citizen of New Orleans need fear
them, for “ they are kept well in order.” In-
deed, Eastern men are welcomed, “ they are
notoriously lavish with their money,” and
they leave behind a substantial sum. “ The
hotels, bar rooms, theatres and other places
patronized by the visitors must have divided
the handsome sum of $250,000 by the Fitz-
simmons-Dempsey and Fitzsimmons-Maher
fights.”

It is true that there was an effort some
time ago to break up these friendly gather-
ings. “Some of the religious people” tried
to influence the Legislature, but the testi-
mony of “some of the best citizens of New
Orleans” was so strong in favor of the shows
that no attention was paid to the protest of
the insignificant minority. The citizens ad-
mitted cautiously that. “ a little blood was
spilt,’’ but such physical relief was regarded
as sanitary.

The building consecrated to these Grecian
scenes is an immense amphitheatre, “laid off
like an opera house— with numbered seats,
private and proscenium boxes, easy chairs
and every comfort imaginable.” “ It is con-
structed after the fashion of the old Roman
Colosseum.” But an improvement on the
ancient plan is the “barbed wire fence to
prevent any of that ring jumping which has
spoilt so many fights.” The press is first
comfortably entertained. Many of the North-
ern newspapers will send three or four re-
porters, an artist, a retired pugilist to give
points, and a stenographer and a telegra-
pher.” 'Hie attention of parents is called to
the peculiar advantages of the family circle.
Electricity is used in the lighting of the hall
and in the sounding of the gong.

There are other pointg of interest in this
letter of refutation of a vulgar error, such as
the zeal displayed by the railways, the hotel
and shop keepers in assisting in this “effort
to make the prizii ring refined and respecta-
ble, something that gentlemen can patron-
ize.” Furthermore, the Olympics are aided
in their attempt by the profound researches
of Mr. J. E. Sullivan. We quote from his
autobiography:

’•The ancient Athenians, who so prized the
profession of boxing that they would not admit
to it any hut free and re out able citizens, cov-
ered their hands with leather and metal in or-
der to make murderous blows. It is hard to see
how onr modem critics can admire them, and
yet withhold their appreciation from a native
of the ’modern Athens’ who covers his hands
with soft gloves to temper the blows.”
in their rivalry of the conduct of Mr. Zap-
pa-, a wealthy Peloponnesian, who in 185#
contributed a fund lor the re-establishment
of the Olympian gamer, the Olympics of New
Orleans have overlooked the fact that in
ancient times literary works were first pub-
licly recited, although such recitations

formed no part of the ^ festival proper. Mr.
Sullivan might be persuaded to give readings
from his book on an evening when ho was
not otherwise engaged, and Mr. Corbett
could show by a recitation whether his
dramatio ambitions were founded on natural
aptitude. The revival shop Id be complete.

It will be remembered that Mr. B. P.
Hutchinson found New Turk life intolerable
on nccount of the inferior quality of the
native pie. As he is a man of wealth, he
lost no time in opening a pie-and-bean house
where he could eat. and, at the same time,
comfort others. He is now weary of the
town; he agrees with Mr. Howells that no
one can love it, and lie proposes to return to
Boston, “the finest place in the world to live
in.” His taste for beans (which, according
to Artemus Ward, were invented here by Gil-
son), will, no doubt, be gratified; whether
he can approve of our pic is a more doubtful
question.

Lieut. Totten’s latest theory is that we are
to have an epidemic of mysterious disap-
pearances. Ashe puts it: “1 he time will

come when you wiil hear of sonic person who
is gone and no trace can be found of him.
You will not know what has become of him.
You will wonder, and the first that you know
some other person will be missing. 1 ou will
see crowds of people flocking about the
churches and asking themselves what is hap-
pening, but they cannot explain the mys-
tery.’’ Such phenomena are not altogether
unknown at present, we believe, but often a
careful study of the Canadian or South
American hotel registers lias had an illumin-
ating effect upon them.

The ehivalric conduct of Mr. Gladstone in j
accepting the sole responsibility for the nr- i
rangement of the ministry evidently touched ,
the heart of Mr. Labouchere, or at least ex- j
cited his admiration, and he compliments |
him by letter. But it is not unlikely that |
Mr. Gladstone remembers his school-boy I
days and looks upon the leader of the Radi-
cals as a Greek bearing gifts.

It is reported that an American physician
is now of service in Berlin in organizing stu-
dents of our nation into a body of nurses in
the event of epidemic cholera. So too in
Paris, in the “Terrible Year,” it was an
American surgeon, Dr. Swinburne, who in-
troduced an improved ambulance and gave
valuable rules and regulations for the disci-
pline of nurses. The practical side of the
American character furnishes amusement at
limes to our foreign friends ; but in time' of
emergency they are the first to recognize its
value.

If the report sent from New York is cor-
rect in the detail then was the appearance of
the once admired comedian, Harry lveruell,
most pitable. It is hardly creditable that an
unbalanced mind should provoke hisses; and
yet the history of the stage abounds in in-
stances of cruelty shown by audience's to
past favorites. Nor did the encouraging
cheers of friends on this occasion restore
Kernell’s mental nimbleness, although they
drowned the noise of complaint. Kernell is
the latest added to the list of play-actors who
either from overwork or irregular habits
broke down before their time. In recent
days McCulloch, Hart and Scanlan were his
immediate predecessors.

Are we as a nation threatened with the
danger that alarms France? Mr. Carroll D.
Wright sounds a warning in the Popular
Science Monthly by proclaiming a decrease
in the size of families. This decrease has
been gradual, it being in 1860 5.28,
in 1870 5.00, in 1880 5.04, and in

1800, 4.04. in the Western division, the
average size of the family has risen, as would
have been expected, on account of the settle-
ment of the West in the last few years. in
Oklahoma, for instance, the size of the fam-
ily will increase until population be-
comes fairly dense, then it will follow the
rule of older communities and decrease. For
when population is more or less urban in
character, the maximum is reached.

-?/

O I* K K a tk; IMHS I IS 11,111 F.S.

The statement that unless a home is pro-
vided speedily in New York for the men
singers and the women singers who have
been engaged by Messrs. Abbey, Sehoeffel
and Grau there will he no opera worthy of
the name in the United States this coming
season is a singular reflection on the present
I condition of that branch of musical art in
this country. The statement may or may
not be found true. The fact, however, that
it is entertained seriously by many is full of
suggestion.

Some almost rejoice in the destruction of
the Metropolitan Opera House, and see in
the fire a rebuke to the fanatical admirers of
! Wagner. This joy is born of ignorance.
The career of the house began in 1888 with
one of the most brilliant seasons of Italian

opera ever given in New York. The house I
was backed by a powerful social faction,

but Mr. Abbey lost $ 250 , 000 - This
debt he paid in full. Leopold
Damrosch approached the stockholders and
proposed to give opera in German. The price
of an orchestra chair was reduced from $5 to
$2 50. It was finally made $8. The seven
seasons of grand opera in German began
Nov 17 1884. Dr. Damrosch died, and

Messrs. Stanton, Seidl and Walter Damrosch
ruled in his stead. In 1891 the stockholders
said that they were tired of German opera,
and the house was rented to Messrs. Abbey
and Grau. The season of ’91-’92 is familiar
to all lovers of music. The stockholders had
renewed their contract with Mr. Abbey’s
firm for this season on favorable terms, and
the leading singers of Europe have already
been engaged. And now there is doubt con-
cerning the rebuilding of the opera house.
But the Metropolitan Opera House was not
intended originally and solely for the propa-
gation of the Wagnerian faith, and there was
catholicity in the repertoire announced for
the coming season.

Grand opera is an expensive luxury. It
demands in these days high-priced singers,
an orchestra of experienced musicians, superb
scenic decorations and a ballet. Whether
these demands are real is another question.
The chief opera houses of Europe are subsi-
dized, and even then the managers lose
money. Any manager who undertakes to
produce opera in this country looks fiist in
the direction of New York. He cannot rely
on the enthusiasm of Chicago or the well-
bred interest of Boston. If he attempts a
series of one-night stands the prices charged
forbid a large attendance. Now, if there is
no home for opera in New York, grand opera
cannot be given properly in the larger cities,
and the lovers of dramatic music must con-
tent themselves with the mediocre or bad
productions of a migratory company, pro-
ductions in which the scenic accessories are
often ludicrous and the orchestra is unbal-
anced and untrained.

It is proposed by some that rich men of
large towns should supply the means for pro-
viding local grand opera. It is said, for in-
stance, that here in Boston a syndicate could
regulate the matter easily. But a complete
opera house with its human and material ap-
pointments caunot rest securely on the
caprices ot the rich. It would no doubt be a
pleasure to learn that in this city there would
be an opera season of four or six weeks each
i winter, in which the Symphony Orchestra
would play no inconspicuous part ; but would
such a proposition appeal to the wealthy?
It is the fashion now to enjoy orchestral and
chamber concerts; such an opera season as
is wished by some must in its turn be the
fashion, if the pecuniary result is to be satis-
I factory to the stockholders.

The beginning must \>e more humble. The
members of the great middle class are fond
of operatic music. Their taste could be
easily gratified. There are many delightful
compositions for the stage that do not de-
mand a large theatre, a large orchestra, sing-
ers of world renown or sumptuous decora-
tions. These operas and operettas are found
in Italy, France and Germany. They should
be sung in English. The chorus could be
drawn from our local societies and choirs.
The orchestra could be made up of resident
musicians. There are singers here of un-
doubted talent and natural aptitude who
would make a respectable appearance on the
stage. The prices of admission could be so
regulated that audiences would he attracted,
not repelled. This experiment at least is
•worth the trying.

Many will be interested in learning that
Mr. Steinert, the head of the firm of Steinert
& Sons, has just made valuable additions to his
famous collection of the predecessors of the
pianoforte. He has found a spinet made by
Hans Rucker of Antwerp (1600) that is 3J
octaves in compass. The only example of
Rucker’s handiwork now in this country is in
the Metropolitan Museum of New York. Mr.
Steinert discovered and bought in Salzburg a
grand pianoforte made by J. A. Stein, which
is a facsimile of the one used by Mozart, now
in the Mozarteum, and it has Mozart’s name
in the inside. There are few collections
in the museums of the world equal to the one
of Mr. Steinert, and it is doubtful if his col-
lection is equaled by that of any private col-
lector.

The news of the death of George William
Curtis will awaken profound and universal
regret. Not only will the loss of the brilliant
and kindly essayist bo keenly felt; the
people will henceforth mourn the absence of
the man who on great occasions voiced so
doqueutly th i*-’ joy or grief. The country i
can ill afford “ spare such men of devoted
patriotism and blameless life.

The authorities were eminently thoughtful
in deferring the seizure of contraband liquor
at the Ocean House and Hotel Preston until I
the end of the season. The guests have thus
been spared serious inconvenience. In this I
;onnection it is interesting to note that the I
jwarnpscott Selectmen “ purpose rigidly |
enforcing the law.”