Liberty advocate., 1840-03-26
MUsINcs BY LAwRIE Topp.

~ WIS ulHGs nl., a tliIC' UCu VI IllCkOTJ kHO
Lehgh coaD was glowing in the Franklin.--
Thinks J, how much better it is 10 pay twenty
five cents for such comfortable fire than L
pay one dollar for box ticket This idea car
ried me back to 1894, when there was only on,
playhouse in the city, and that wasa small
shabby looking article, held together by ole
nails and pine boards. 1t stood back in a ward
near number eleven, John street, where Florf
now holds her court. There Hodgkinson usec
10 act the Desilt Pay, 10 the astonishmen, o.
hundred and fifty simple men and silly wo
men; for in those days, the folks thought twice
before they spent dollar once. There was q
shed. covered with boards, from John street
leading tothe playhouse door.--There were
no hacks IN those days;and il was rare sight
indeed, when carriage Of any sort approached
its entrance, One play night fire broke Out
in the neighborhood. The people rushed out,
without waiting for checks. The fire was
quickly put out. The people returned en- mas
Sc. was curious to see what they were about,
having never seen play. j had heard that il
was . schoolior morality.--So went in with
the crowd. At he time entered, there was a
man on the stage, dressed like a Scotch plough
man, gong TO and fro, and whisling Maggie
Louther. he gave a smart crack with his
whip; then there was such clapping Of hands,
stamping Of feet, and shouting encore, till al last
the thing settled down with Il long and loud
horse-laugh started all round, 10 find out
what they we're laughing al, butcould see moth.
ing but the man and the whip. Thinks 10
myself, must either lack brains, or these peo.
PIE wits; Tor saw nothing worth laughing al,
when the uproarceased. There next apnear-
cd a fine field OF corn, with woods and waters.
and every thing as natural as life. Presently
whole lol OF singing men and dancing women
same same, running run OF oqi Of the woods they DANCED,
an hour. This, thought, was well enough,
only the IasSes wore their frocks shorter than
the fashion; and The ladies' had no shawls on
their necks, although il was winter. When
came out, thinks |, this is no school for morali.
", and noplace for young men to sit; so |
never went back AT this time (l795)I don'l
think there weresx pianoiortes in the city:
I now, suppose there may be ten thousand
The lasses were all better enlployed: then thew
. were the true yoke-lellows, always drawing
equal helping and cheering heir good men as
! they irudged along with the cares and burthens
Of life. The mother and girls made all the
clothes in the family. No merchan,-tailors
eand their five hundred dollar bills in those
days; no notes lying over In fact, for the first
sfileen years that lived in New York. never
heard oi protested nole: hence, i infer, that
the pressure inthe money markets. all owing
! 70 the increase ofplay-houscs aud pianofones;
because the solitary little playhouse at that
time, don't think, would hold over three hunt
dred people; but now We have seven or eight
play-houses: and those SO large as probably ,o
hold three thousand each. have heard that
thirty thousand dollars week won't support
the play-houses, Now, only 10 think how ma
ny butchers and bakers bilIs'might be paid with
this money! heard Of a man living in a five.
story house, who one. day, while al dinner, hadI
the bakers bill, ,amounlingio sepea Gtiy brought
up to him: he took out his pocket book his wife
looks across the table: 'See, my dear, that
you leave money enough 10 buy the tickets;r
ten dollars were wanted for. the tickets--,here
erebut fifteen in the book so the baker had
10 call again, and the play got the ten dollars.
Next morning they had nothing for their mon
ey but waking drealns Now, how manv tho,,.
sand supernumerary door-keepers and staoc.
sweepers, men singers and women.sinvers.
and iiddlers are killino limo n
EteoS- So''~ '''o' uit the men were telling
trees and hoelng corn, and all the women ma.
King cloth and knitting stockings, there wouldl,
be no high pressure in Wall street, and the bo
ker would not need 10 call again for his bill
When Washington was President, his wife
knit stockings in Philadelphia, and the mothers
and daughters in New York made all the
doughnuts and cakes between Christmas and
New Years: now, the married ladies' are toe
proud TO make doughnuts; besides, they donh
know how SO they cen send 10 Madame Pom
padour, or some other French cake maker, and 4
buy spunge cake or lady fingers, for three dol. Z
larsa pound In these days New York was
fuI OF substantial comforts; now it is full of '
splendid misery; then there were no gray-lt
headed spinsters, (uness they were very ugly d
lndeed) fora man could get ma rried for dollar, h
and begin housekeeping for twenty; and in d
washing his clothes and cooking his vicluals,
the vile saved him more. money than II took to d
support her. Now have known minister
lately to get five hundred dollars for buJkling al
couple: then wine, cake and other Ell ceteras, v
hye hundred more; wedding clothes and Jewels, Il
thousand; six or seven hundred in driving to u
The Springs, or some desert mountain, then aIv
house must be gotfor eight hundred per an
mum, and furnished at an expense Of two or. v
three thousand and wheHallis done, his pretty
wife can neither make cake nor put an apple $
IN dumping. Then acooK must be got at i,
ten dollars per month; chamhermaid, laun. d