Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-01-06
Our Boston letter.

but just begun automatically, the longes
evenings have but just passed. Yet thu
courses of lectures, and other things tina
were instituted for the profit of the man
ayers and the edifcation of the people
have nearly run their course. AS there
are numbers of these courses, the oompe
tition in bidding for the public attendance
hastened their commencement in the same
way and for the same reason that the
monthly magazines are issued weeks be.
fore their time. Whatever mental profit
there may be in attending these lectures
they afford good evenings divertise-
ment to the majority of families i'll me-
dunn circumstances but almost always
those of Americans. No Irish and few Or
mo Germans ever attend As so much OF
| the staple matter of the newspapers,
which Everybody reads, is about the lee
turers and their affairs, public and pri-
vate, moral and immoral, celebrated and
notorious, that it may seem to some to be
a necessity to go and see these characters
whenever they appear. But while they
gain in the defnitencss of their notion OF
the individual, they lose in their interest
in what he says, and afterwards what be
writes when it is after the manner Of some
peculiar talent Who is satisfied in hear
ing wit and humorist in writing lee
ture, when what he talks is always second
rate to what he writes
So much of the season is passed that
the character of the whole may be
guessed. First came the opening of all
the theatres next the popular lectures,
OF which the greater part have already
passed; now, Christmas, come the fairs
and concerts incidental to the holidays :;
next will come the remnants Of these
courses of lectures; next, probably, an
opera of many days Then comes Lent,
a,--i-s7 ~-hi"h r,mhlin a1nuscn,onts o.a -,ot
patronized by the faithful in very pub
lie manner.
The theatres never close except for a
few weeks in midsummer, and from
bankruptcy, which may occur at any time.
There are five theatres and two minstrel
operas in operation in this city at the
present time There are thousands of
young and niddle-aged men so habitu-
ated to some kind of evening excitement,
that they spend the greater part of their
evenings at these theatres. They go so
much, and see such a variety Of plays and
actors, that they become critical and diff
cult to be pleased. Yet by rapid sue
cesssion Of new novelties and leading act
ors put upon the stage, the managers
to keep this large and fastidious
public supplied with the means Of passing
the otherwise undesirable, long, dull
evenings.
The Christmas fairs have Just closed.
the chief among them in magnitude being
that of the Young Mems Christian Asso-
citation of this city, which will net to them
about $4,000 No lotteries, or other
means of questionable morality, have been
employed to. get the visitors money.
They were not solicited over much to-
make purchases, and no extravagant
prices asked for the articles; policy that
seemed quite christian, for once. Tho
article of greatest interest being a Bible,
illustrated by the Frenchman Dore-
"Dore Bible of the market price of S125,
which was presented by some society to
the benevolent DR. Cullis of the Consump-
tives' Home he in turn turned it over to
this fair This Bible was voted away at
twenty-five cents a vote, to the pastor
that received the highest number or great
est sum of money with his name. Some
sport and extra excitement occurred on
the last evening, as the chances were mar
rowed down to four leading names of the
whole list: Mr.. Chapman, Methodist,
Fulton, Baptist, Murray and Dewitt,
Congregationalists. Mr.. Dewitt became
the possessor, at the expense, to his
friends, of $6S8. Mr.. Murray's friends
helped the Association to $640; Mr. Full
toms to $541; Mr.. Chapman's to $141,
besides a great number of scattering
votes of small amounts, making nearly
81 400, raised by that means alone.
Some years ago this association raised
quite a sum of money by means of a fair.
The amount of money on hand must be
quite large. But their ambition must
come much short of the point reached by
a corresponding association in New York.
II is their purpose to build building of
heir own aft some time not far distant
b.