Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-05-16
Letter from Boston.
The Handel and Haydn Festival-Nili-
tary ReuniOns-Theatres-T Hum
phrey Library Sale.
IrRoM OUR REGULAR CORRESPONDENCE
BosToN, May IA, 1871.

|
literary. The second triennial festival of the
Handel and Haydn society has given daily
pleasure to the thousands who have listened TO
the music; and the two singers, new to this
country Madame Rudersdorff and Mr.. Cum
mings, have excited enthusiastic admiration
| Madame Rudersdorff is a Russian lady, past
middle age tall, large and stately, with gracious
dignity of manner, united with animation
Her voice is said to be marvellously rich, sweet
and powerful; indeed one hears cordial praise
of her in every way. The military reunions
began on Wednesday, with the conven-
ton of the Grand Army of the Re-
public, and a reception in Faneuil Hall;
and for three days there were various gather
ings, public and private, of different organiza-
tons of soldiers. The Globe theatre, on Friday
morning, presented brilliant scene. Tri-col-
ored festoons ornamented with crossed swords,
hung in heavy folds around the galleries. On
the stage the scenery was arranged to represent
a forest, with open vistas; dozen United States
flags foated, or would have hoated had there
been breath of air, from the trees; muskets
arranged like organ-pipes, lighted the back
ground; and two shining cannons were conspic-
uous in 'front.' Every inch Of room in the theatre
was filled by members of the "society Of the
army of the Potomac" and their invited guests
At the front of the stage, on either
side of the orator, were officers of distinction.
There was Gen. Hooker, whose presence lex
cited the widest enthusiasm, and who was
forced by the persistent calls for speech, to
rise and say few words. He is still far from
well, and he leaned on Gen. Meade and Gen
Mcdowell when he rose from his chair and
walked to the desk. Beside him sat Gen. Sheri-
dan; then Mcdowell Logan, and Peasanton.
On the other side of the orator were Gems.
Meade and Burnside. The Grafton was hlstori-
cal, and was quietly read, but Gen. Fairchild's
empty sleeve was all the eloquence he needed
As Bret Harte failed to appear to read his own
poem, Mr.. J. 7. Fields read it, prefacing it with
the following graceful lines of his own:
If the poet whose absence to-day we deplore,
Had struck but one note for his countrys disgrace,
If his Tyre had betrayed you, ye heroes Of war,
could not and would not stand here in his place.
But his soul was responsive to all that was grand
And his loyal young spirit leaped up in a flame;
And he fought with the pen for his dear struggling
land
As you with your swords, sons of glory and fame
And so, for my friend, / will take up his song,
And give it voice, though alas not its own.
To him the quaint verse and the genius belong;
To me but the accents of friendship Alone
Then, the regular exercises being over, the
audience Insisted upon calling up the men
whom it wished to see. One after the other they
rose, and acknowledged by a few words, or
merely by a bow, the applause that greeted
them. 1t was a very exciting scene, and called
up memories that filled every heart and many
eyes. Gen. Slocum made short and very no
Bile speech in favor of universal and permanent
peace, and called upon his comrades as men
who knew the brutality and horrors Of war, to
give all their influence to the establishment of
friendly relations amongst nations. One no
ticeabe thing was the absence of uniforms al
most every officer was in citizens dress, and
very few wore any badge that marked military
rank or honor All the gatherings have been
occasions of happy renewal of old associations
and in this respect the week has been a good
time.
The prize drill of the English high school
battalion should be classed with military pro-
ceedings 1t took place at the Boston theater
on Thursday afternoon, and several of the dis
tinguished officers then in the city were present
All the theatrical entertainments have been
uncommonly good Night after night, at the
Boston theater, great audiences offer to Joseph
Jefferson's Rip Van Wrinkle the tribute of tears
laughter and applause. Mr.. L. L. Davenport
with good company, has been playing well at
the Globe. His Sir Giles Overreach, in Massin-
gers New Way to Pay Old Debts" is piece
of magnificent acting. The play itself is very
unpleasant; nothing but a powerful and ad-
mirable rendering of the principal character
makes it endurable The last scene is horrible;
but Dayenporfs acting compels the spectator to
watch him till the very last breath; there is
dead silence in the theater; no hustle of prepar-
alton for departure, until the curtain falls and
then great sigh of relief tells how intent the
listening has been, Mr. Montgomery, an Eng
fish tragedian, is playing at the Boston Museum,
with different programme nearly every day.
Richard the Third, Lady of Lyons, Still Waters
Run Deep, and Merchant of Venice, have been
the weeks entertainment. Every new Shylock
seems slower and more unnatural than the last
one; no mortal, Jew or Gentle, usurer or spend
thrift, fend or fop, ever could have been SO
hSulOuo III bp6CNu dh lIc bldSe OH1lOCh J6SblCh
was excusable for running away with Lorenzo,
Tor her father must have been an uncomfortable
| bore.
The sale of the Humphrey library, which be-
| gan on Tuesday morning and continued through
the week, filled the auction room daily with
book dealers, book collectors, and a score of
| people who follow the fortunes of rare books
through sale after sale, marking the price of
the book, and the name of the buyer. In this
way many book becomes a thread on which
are strung romances and tragedies enough to
supply plots for hundred novels. Boston
book auctions are noted for the prompt atten-
dance of the buyers, and the interest shown by
non-buyers. A large part of the Humphrey IL
brary was collected ten or twelve years ago;
about II 900 volumes were now offered for sale,
and two.thirds of them were of real value. The
collection was miscellaneous, with no single de-
partment complete, but it was rich in books on
the history Of engraving and painting, aud in
specimens of engraving from the earliest wood
cuts TO the finest work Of the artist. So many
persons are interested in the prices ofbooks that
made record of few. The original octave
edition OF Audubon's Birds of America, in seven
volumes sold for S192.5O; the large paper COPY
OF Bancrofrs history in eight volumes, only fifty
copies OF which were printed, and which has
sold for 500, brought only $4,000. A literal re-
print OF the Bay Psalm Book" privately print.
ed, was sold for $1,000. The collection of
Bibles excited very little competition, and the
most beautiful one in seven volumes, with en-.
cravings by Bartolozzi, Sharp, Fittler and
Heath, handsomely bound in blue morocco.
brought only $3.50; DIR Bigelow's American
Medical Botany sold for S27.0O; ''Houbraken's
Heads of nInstrious Persons, &c." for only
IS 80; and the original edition of Boydelps hun.
dred Shakespeare prints for $4,000. So far the
bidding had been rapid but without excitement
| few faces lighted up when Mr.. Leonard offered