The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-02-12


oAowing it. Songs, oaths, yells and imprecations
are 30 mixed into one demoniac ola podyida, that
one Is fain to think himself among q crew OF incur
able ~lunattcs.
Turning aside from this for q moment, look at
that neat little cutter drawn by 0 flyer, and engaged
In q desperate race with o lively double team. The
excitement of the riders is shared by the horses.
They seem to tread the ambient air, and one could
imagine their shaggy names to be wings, SO swiftly
do they 90. That is real ~trotting. For q while the
pair has the best Of the bargain; but the little cut
ter Is lot 80 easily beaten, although q stern chase is
along chase always. The SINGLE team is now Tapped
with the pair, the driver of which lets out o link,
and spurs away O hundred yards in advance-all
this time the horses have been kept down;
but the race has commenced in earnest.
Inc driver OF the horse requests him earnestly to
"get along"-asks him sarcasticaIy If he was bought
sr q ioafer-swears at him worse than any army
ever did In Flanders, or any where else, while the
lady ~ who divides her attention between her segar
and the whip, touches the almost exhausted animal
with q "bit of the string" Things in the other
vehicle are more quiet, though in none the less en-.
ergettc state. The distance between them is less.
ened-Dow one blanket would cover the single horse
and the OF horse Of the pair. The lady gives
the single horse another touch Of the whip
the driver exhausts his vocabulary Of oaths Ia one
final " cuss, " and makes a great effort to lift his
cutter by the pair; now they are neck and neck
. great stage sleigh is coming down-the driver
won't turn out-the racers won't pull up-the stage
sleigh Ia remorseless-on second more and the cut
Der would be out of danger-now it is too late; our
Friend with the single horse is crushed like q fly be-
tween two elephants.
The big sleigbs pass on. Where ia the cutter ?
There Is a small piece of q shaft, o bell, a bit Of q
sgsce, o segar stump, and a bottle Of Lubin, in
the middle Of the road-that's all that's visible
OF the glory of the late dashing turnout. The lady
is seated in q snow drift, calling'for " Charles;" but
that individual does not appear.
Half an hour after awards, an Ifisbman and q
shovel are instrumental in bringing to light q par
OF thin legs sticking up in q snow bank in an ad.
joining Geld. Further Developments prove these
legs to be the property of the missing Charles.
The remainder Of his body is discovered in due
time. But alas FOR the cutter! it has gone where all
last things must 60 sooner or latter.
The hotels or taverns on the road are very in
teresApg places in s~leighing times. It is very
remarkable to see the delegations from the
INHERENT strata Of society meet End miDgle in
s6en q democratic way. The first stopping
place is g~enefaliy Burnbam's, which is cond-
dered one of the best houses on the road. Here you
may zee as many as a hundred sleighs at once, of
al soits-stsge sleighs, cutters, double sleighs, four
in-haI DIS, mule teams, private and public convey
ancee, all jumbled together. Inside the house the
company is still more mixed. You will find the
stove surrounded, if you go into the bar room, and
every seat occupied in the parlor. The consump-
tion Of whiskey is alarming-four men do nothing
else but assimilate fluids and sugar together, in order
70 produce that delicious compound Qor those who
hike it,, q " hot whskey skin,' regiments Of tum-
bers are prepared Tor this purpose, and although
the barkeepers are iexterous, they are still unable
10 supply the demand. People seem TO think that
when they go out ~sleighing they should pour down
as much Of this hot staff as they can get. 1t lisa
mistaken idea, and it gives headaches and catarrhs
FOR the next day.
The mixture OF society at these hotels Is 9 delicate
topic. We are getting more end more French every
day, and If the old Puritans or Knickerbockers
could be permitted to take q look at their descend
ants, they would De shocked beyond measure.
Women in mems clothes-women drinking like
enen'o'war's men, and swearing like troopers,
women with Gil sorts of characters, and
women without any characters at all-these
outlaws now endeavor to forget their shame by the
most strenuous efforts OF gsyety. People who keep
public houses cannot shut their doors against any
body, and they are not responsible for the presence
Of these individuals. Decent people, Of course,
shut their eyes and cars, but they capuot keep on.
the effect, and contamination to the young must,
and often does, ensue.
The state Of public morals in q ~sleighing excite
ment is bad. Young women are warned against
insinuating fellows and bot whiskey punches; but
the caution is often given too late. In the public
sleighs all sorts Of people are mixed up together,
and 80 much license is allowed that tue moral sense
of people who are net overscrupulous often times
receives o very severe shock.
II Is very singular how fond ladies' are Of sleighing;
women who are SO delicate that they cannot bsar
the slightest visit Of the winter wind under any
other circumstances, become hardy Amazols about
these days. They are just delicate enough not to be
able to walk two blocks, but they are not too deli
cate to ride twenty miles in the face OF a cutting
north wind. But this is one of those peculiar social
contradictions which cannot be accounted for.
There Is q great deal Of fun, no doubt, produced by
Q fast horse, good sleighing, plenty of buffalo
robes, and a pretty woman. Our Long Island
friends find it so, and the rush to "John rs"
and other popular places on the road, has bsen
enormous lately. They have introduced q new
feature q. sone OF the Long Island taverns. They
give o continuous bsii. The mnsic Is kept going all
the time. Parties ~slight-take a dance Or tvo-get
sam-jump into the sleigh, aud nave q d. cGpo OF
The o composition at the next tavern. This IL
rpe II the most brilliant ideas II the nineteenth cen
fury. ~Sleishing Is go d on the leland, and The people
enjoy Il, OF course.
The city ~sleighing is confined chiefly 70 Broadway.
II don't amount TO much in the Bowery. QUIET
people prefer TO ride in the cars, rather tnsD
70 have their toes trodden upon, their hats
smashed, their ribs punched, their eyes pained, and
their ears shocked by the promiscuous society of
tha cxaat oleioba proad "a fr;ontf,ily raclia,.