The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1871-12-14
NEW YORK.
The VelvetdOm OF New York at the
Grand Ball-COl. Jim Fisk and the
Naval Officers Strange yicissi.
sudes-Thc Sainted Turkey-Amuse-
ments-The Mace-C0bUrn Contest
Japanese Princes and Fejec ISL
anGers.

ments-The Mace-Coburn Contest
Japanese Princes and Fcjee ISL
anGers.
From Our Special Correspondent.
NEW YORK, Dec Q, 1871.
The ball given liz honor of the Grand
Duke Alexis was undoubtedly the finest
affair Of the kind in many years. If it
had drawbacks they must be ascribed to
that charming characteristic of your senu-
inc New Yorker to make money somehow
but to make it; and to that other social
peculiararity which permits conglomera-
ton of the elite and the riff-raff, especially
if riff-raH has on its raste breast pins and
good clothes. The tickets Of admission
were nominally SO, but the perennial
Committee man quietly added another
magic circle to the figure, pocketcd the
ninety dollars of profit a1 his reward of
merit, and so exacted tribute from those
among Noodledom & Poodledom who,
since the arrival of the Duke, have been
standing, metaphorically, OH their social
heads, in their mad desire to smell the at
mosphere of royalty. Yet the ball itself
was magnificent display; a charming jam
and jumbe of bright eyes, handsome
faces, pretty speeches and rich toilettes
Fully four thousand persons were present
who, between dress, diamonds and political
titles, represented the curious patchwork
of d" Our Best Society" OF course there
were some odds and ends to the Mosaic,
which will not bear microscopic examina-
ton, but then, you know, one gets tangled
among these so often nowadays, that
they must be regarded as part of the
''make up" of all strictly fashionable come.
dies, and not be scrutinized with those
virtuous winks which, in well regulated
circles, sometimes disturbs the whole side
of a woman's face.
Appropos Of the New York ball. another
was given to the Grand Duke by the Naval
officers at Brooklyn, and so very select and
autocratic it was, that marines were sta
toned to stop the street cars containing
the common people from passing through
the scented air of the vicinity, while the
police were especially cnjoincd to prevent
the entrance Of Col. James Fisk, should
that famous parsonage put III an appear
ance. 10 his brother Colunels of the New
York regiments invitations were freely is
sued, bat be it said in their honor that
every one OF them resented the Slight in
tended for their associate, by pcrsis.ently
staying away.
Now, ''Jim Fisk as he is called, may
have his foiblcs-anI heaven knows that
his personal affairs have been ventilated by
he JcmInscs Of the press down to the
very crcaking IF his boots-he may have
operated boldly in Wall street; run the
Erie Railway to suit himself, or done Il
scor. of ourStianahln arr- COMPROMISING III
the strong individuality of the man; but
all these have their offsets, and when the
ledger of our lives is opened, | fancy there
will be found standing to his credit a bal
ance of greater good than evil. As he
was passing the Grand Stand Of the Com
mittee and its families, at the head Of his
fine regiment, on the day of the Reception
Parade, the few parvenus gathered there
had the bad taste to vent their spleen at
him in the presence of the Duke-a curl
Gus exhibition of borrowed manners-but
elsewhere along the entire route, from the
throngs upon the sidewalks ard the crowds
in the windows, the waving haGdkerchiefs
of the ladies and the cheers of the men,
testified that the people of New York had
not forgotten the man who, in twelve
hours after the destruction Of Chicago, was
dispatching lightning trains to that city
freightcd with the means of relief, ano
himself driving from door to door to recciv,
the contributions from the public They
had not forgotten the enterprise that ha'
given to the metropolis the two most elc
CANT steamships in the world; that ha'
re-organizcd and created ''crack regi
mcnt OF volunteer sollicry with band o
one hundred and fifty musicians; that ha
built an opera house; and in short done
thousand good things which lend sue
| brightness to a mans character that hi
faults are seen only in the shadow. Th
: Naval gentlemen admitted to their ba
5 a great many individuals worse than Jamc
: Fisk, and the true manhood Of New Iorl
to-day, has no sympathy with tie snobbsl
!. ness which made flesh of one and fish
. the other.
In wandering around New York, OF
occasionally sees strange characters who
lustrate III a melancholy manner the "ul
i and downs the vibratory vieissitudes
city life. Taking an avenue car the 9th
y evening finished a cigar on the front pla
Y form. There was an expression on t
n face of the driver as the titful flashes of {
u Gas lamps rested on it, SO sad, so intel
= gent. so full of a manhood far above tn
4 which is ordinarily written on the physio
IN nomy of his class, that | felt impelled
., become for the nonce a sort of lnterroG
ton point. He met my advances kind
and after a little while told me, witt
e voice full of gentle tones, the story of
Il life. Years ago he was clerk In lar
A establishment down town, and as a CO
at merciai traveller, visited most of the pro
- ineut cities IN the United States. Even
an ally be Became partner, made mon'
ty and was prosperous in the relations of br
Is ness. \ wife and thre. daughters W
bee the jewels Of his nome, and they lived j
style becoming their means. The firm ,
overtaken by the panic of 1857, and,una
. to stem the current, went down. Priv
wi property was absorbed in the payment
ter debts, and few months found him pei