The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-12-25


The fashionable world is just now getting up the
scenery, properties and for It's annual satur
MALTA which begins with the Christmas holidays and ends
with the beginning Of Lent There must always be
new rage every year. and tho rage this year
bined IN opera music private charitable concerts anna
teur theatrical representations and immense Russian sable
capes =! unheRrd OF prices As remarked the other
day the rage for opera music Is Of the most
gerous Of fashionable diseases In It's diagnosis IL Ia
unlike hydrophobia, and similar to thadiseasen the
fact that the victim may carry seeds months
before the symptoms make their appearance TO the
initiated eye and Tho patient has an aversion TO
general sociesy-she speaks with mysterious
ters 10 unknown tongues-makes long Journeys to out
OF the way music shops-has confidential interviews
with the prorretors thersof-carres homo suspcousIy
thick pamphlets, with the Paris imprint-dstarbs the
household at urseemy hours unearthy shreks and
noises, vocal and nsrumentatalks wildly about shakes
soeggi, diminuendo rouades, stafs signatures, and
other occult technical terms Night and day 10 heard
the laboring Of the grand piano, the bowling Of
the ncpien. rtma donna-the eospeao of the enraged
professor-the muttered - or pdter familias-the
mild maternal appeal-the suppressed grow OF Young
New York, as he stuns his fingers In his ear and
HES to his club, where the fellows know what 10 what
and don't annoy themselves with any nonsense about
ART 90 that the clos ro9e Of the proper temperature
The second stage Of the disease breaks out In the form
OF sore musicale to about i've hundred particular friends
-four hundred for the chicken salad and the balance
amateurs, who congratulate the pma donna upon her
splendid Abilities then go away say that the idea Of
that young person imagining that she sing is unpre
cedentedly absurd. The final stage an appearance In
public generally for charitable purposes when true
charity would seem to dictate the proprety sparing
some six or seven hundred unofendng people from such
IN infection The case 10 desperate but by carefully
removing all the objects which produced the madness
the patient may work through It. A grand coup has
been made by giving the victim severe course Of street
organ music but that Is only to be used in extreme
cases, and 10 always dangerous.
The rage for private theatrical representations II.
bleaux and chsradss is harmless and amusing RAGE
We lately attended Of these representations st
fashionable boarding house In Fourteenth street. The
ladies had charming little boudoy theatre gave capt.
h performances, and aterward 4 soirte darnant.. In
England petite comedies frequently written expressly
for private representation, ard OF the very nrst
drsnssts have employed their pens for the exclusive
entertainment Of their friesds. We are glad that the
fashionable world here has sensible an idea az the
getting NJ Of private theaica There are hundreds OF
comedies sniied TO The drawing room-the performance
Of which not only rcsuts in the entertainment Of actors
and audience for the time being, but Ia
valuable school OF manners, graceful bearing,
and correct pronunciation or the language
three OF the chief points in the character Of tho
roughbred man woman. so we have nothing TO saw
sgainst the rage for private ihcstricals.
Az 10 the for urs the ladies' excuse their extrsya
CANT mania for returning 70 fret principles and arraying
themselves in the skins Of wild beasts by saying that
St Of sables lasts lifetime Mathematical ladies' ara
unpopular 10 society they forget costs a hun
dred year In interest or the money invested 10 wear
ssbles that In twenty years the viii have
the frat cost The urred ladies' however improve the
appearance OF Broadway cold day, the ex-
pene, that perhaps the exclusive affair OF the gentle
men who fOsi The bills The nsoia for exiravagauce In
dress extends TO the men, ard has It's beneficial side In
snording employ rnen, high wages, to hundreds OF
cunning artisans and expert worswomen As the price
Of the material is advanced It's beauty must be en-
hsnced-s II beauty Is enhanced the workmanship
mrss be equally inpreyed-the best workmcn have
the best prices, and good prices make good worxmcn
Ths week INC fashionable wsrld-ln FACT the entire
world Of New York-ls sounding tho OF preparation
for tho holidays The grca, fancy bazasrs In Broadway
AMI elsewhere tbrongcd from morning m night with
al classes Of buyers, from the stout apprentice who
vests his little savings in the rst pledge Of youthful
eccn TO the csrage people whose purchases figured
up In thousand In hundreds or happy homes the
Christmas evergreen ypnes the freshness and beauty
the far fingers that wreath H. The Carnival has
menced Money poured on, IKE water. No one stops
10 count the cost. Tlte Ia joe!