The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-06-11
NJ II wy o n Tx 7 8 M q.
From Our 0lSn CorrespondenL
NEW YORK, June IL, 1870.
NH. I,,hf


celebration commences on Monday. This has
been very busy week at the building variously
known as the Empire Skating Rink and the
American Institute, at the corner of Sixty-ffth
street and Third avenue The stage is almost
finished. 1t $50 feetwide and 65 deep, and will
accommodate 1000 persons. the stage rises
gradually from the centre towards the sides,
in sixteen rows of seats. Each row accommo-
dates 120 persons. The orchestra occupies the
centre. In the rear of the orchestra nine rows
of seats arise, of the same capacity as that of
the others. The organ is to be at the back of
the stage, facing the middle, and forming the
centre-piece From either side statues of
Beethoven and Mozart and busts of Handel,
Haydn, and Mendelssohn, Weber and Meyerbeer,
contemplate the scene. The escutcheons of the
several States decorate the walls. Plain orna
ments only are aimed at. 1t is claimed that the
over-nrnamentation of the Boston Judi
lee in the way of flags and
banners only impeded the sound The audi
torium is almost completely provided with
sofas and forms. The gallery flooring is nearly
finished and in itself, is as capacous as the
floor of Steinway Hall. The rink is illuminated
by sixteen calcium lights, sunlight in the
dome, and rows of jets in all the multitudinous
arches. The stage has been made extremely
strong, the auditorium rests on the ground.
Two large doors of exit are on each side of the
building, those of entrance upon Third ave-
nue.. The Handel and Haydn Society of Boston
contributes five hundred voices Besides this
there will be societies from Springfield, Mass.
Newark, Waterbury, Bridgeport New Haven,
and Hartford. The entire number of instru-
mentalists will amount to five hundred-of ac-
compansts, 200. Fifty anvils and two batteries
of artillery will swell the chorus. The anvils
are to be manned by company from one of our
most prominent city regiments. The artillery
will be touched off by electricity and fired in a
vacant lot east of the rink, the cartridges
being fired into an epbankment raised for the
purpose so as to prevent all accidents. The
first performance is to be given on Monday
evening. Madame Parepa singing the Star
spangled Banner. The enterprise may yet
prove a success. The vocal Vesuvius has alb
sorbed quite enough money already to make it
one. Mr.. Leonard Grover worked hard enough
over Tammany but that was child's play COM
pared with these efforts of cyclopean song.
A Broadway Episode.
At a certain point along Broadway in front of
one of those little stands where summer drinks
and postal accommodations are to be bought,
| and where the buried pedestrian finds himself
asking for cool, sparkling postage-stamps, and
soda-water with internal-revenue cream, sits
| sghtless beggar holding shoe-lace for sale in
one hand and placard bearing the words 81
am blind" in the other. Early in the morning
and late at night he may be seen there gathering
q few pennies in, due to the charity he invites
rather than the shoe-lacers he displays. The
man is old and infrm. His cheeks are hol-
lowed, his arms tremble, his face is pitiabe,
his garments are ragged He is one of those
sights which make the consderate sometimes
1uha lie yuba
human charity is worth much. Yesterday after
noon an event, partly pleasing and partly pain
| full happened to this blind man. He was seated
at his post as usual, bat, what was not usual was
| surrounded by several people. The cause was
| soon apparent. Close to the old man. on one
| side, stood o Misunderstanding young man, in
/ whose stunted form and distorted features all
| the hideous passions seemed to vie in express
! ing themselves He looked like brute with q
| human skin and in human clothes. His eye
brows formed one line from temple to temple,
and across the nose. The chin and lower lip
| protruded. The features were inlamed, and
the eye cleaned like melted lead.
He was talking in low tone
and rapidly to the blind man, but evidently no
gentle words, and in no gentle tone. By no
change in his features did the old man intimate
that he heard or felt the ruffans words except
| lnaL nlS upIuIu6u COuuIcuduCc Sccultu luNOlun-
tarily to grow more supplicating. All of the
Observers with one exception, were mature and
vigorous men. That one exception was slim
youth of sixteen or seventeen, very blonde,
very handsome, very delicate and diSting,te
looking, dressed quietly and in perfect taste,
and presenting the inimitable tout ensemble of the
perfect gentlemen. The quiet but determined
blue eyes of this refined boy were riyeted alter
nately upon the face of the old man and that OF
the ruffan. Suddenly the tableau changed
The ruffian, with the back of his hand dealt the
old man blow in the mouth which drew the
blood. The next instant one hand of the youth
was twisted in the villains neck-tie until the
face of the wearer grew red-black, and the other
dealt him singing blow between the eyes. Il
was beautiful sight, over in mo-
ment for the people closed around
Valentine and Orson, and succeeded il
separating them Just as a policeman hove il
sight The stage that was in, and the tempo
rary blocking in of which had enabled me to Sc
far observe the spectacle was driven on, but my
last glimpse assured me that the ruffian haC
been given in charge, and that the noble child
had followed up the good work he had 81
chivarously commenced. Incidents like thi
do not take place every day, and when they d.
they commend themselves very sweetly, becaus
they prove that a good heart and brave intui
tons are not quite dead in the boyish breast o
Young Gotham. ALI BARA.
nf fc anil,