Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-01-02
Letter from New York,
IRREGULAR CORRESPONDENTS OF THE sPY.l

The holiday season, much as every one is en-
ioying it, seems to have taken the whole com
munity a little by surprise. The dreamy autumn
fingered so long, and was so free from any sug,
gestion of winter, that Christmas, with its accom-.
paniments of frost and snow might have faded
from our remembrance, had it not been for the
children, with their antcipations of Santa
Claus.
Waking suddenly to the fact that the holidays
are actually here, every one seems intent upon
making the most of them. There is the usual
al-pervading Eruption of paper parcels, the
usual aromatic smell pervading the churches.
trees sprout up full Statured in a night in the
most unlikely places, and the windows of eat
ing houses blossom with hospitable invitations,
as if the most savory dishes could be had merely
for the asking.
Everything is going on everywhere, and that
! great potentate, the public, is so beset by con-
licting claims upon his attention that it is quite
wonderful that he keeps either his temper, or a
dollar in his pouch.
The theatres are doing their utmost to out
rival each other. Private thealicals vie with
the theatres; there is no end of concerts, and
weddings seem insdanger of becoming epidemic
| To the more thoughtful came last week Emer-
son, the sage of Concord, with his wonderful lee
ture on the Purtans, while on the same eve.
ming in another hall few blocks away, gathered
at the call of Julia Ward Howe, the Boston
sibyl, the gentle advocates of peace What was
the dilemma Of the SWAIN who sighed
GLOW happy could be with either
Were tOther dear eharmer away"
compared with that of progressive New York,
lured in opposite directions by these rival lum-
naries Whatever the choice, one was sure to
lose SO much that one would have liked it "for
one night only" as the play-Dlls have it, to be
endowed with the gift of ubiquity. Compelled
to choose, your correspondent went to the peace
meeting, which, though not large in point of
numbers, was sngularly interesting. Grouped
upon the platform, which was frightened by
baskets of flowers, tine Gift of Sorosis, were men
and women whose names are the synonym of
| progress. Lucretia Mott, sanity and silver
haired; Frances d. Gage, who, after three years
isolation in sick chamber comes back
to us with the added wisdom won
| from hours of pain and silent commuuings
with the angel of death; Aaron Powell, the
standard-beare: of reform, and George W
Julian, one Of the noble knights-errant of the
! present age. There was Mr. Love- whose name
so APPLY illustrates his mission as president of
the peace society, and Mr.. Child, gentle and
benignant. Besides these veterans were many
who have more recently become prominent in
the reforms of the day. Mrs Jennie Cunning
ham Croy, the interchangeable journalist, Mary
| F. Davis devoted to the acknowledgements of wo-
man, silyer-tongued Cora Tappan, and Madame
| Demorest, the successful woman of business,
Charlotte B. Wilbur, as the representative of
| Sorosis, and Celia Burleigh in behalf of the
| Brooklyn Woman's club IN she evening APP
peared Cyrus W. Field upon the platform and
made grand argument in behalf of peace,
| showing its practieability, and that it is the
natural elimination of the spirit of the age.
In the dramatic world Miss Isabella Glyn, the
English tragedenne, is the latest sensation, As
yet she has appeared but twice in public, but
both times she was received with marked favor
Her rendering Of Antony and Cleopatra gave
better satisfaction than her Macbeth. Her audi
| ences were large and abounded with people who
are famous in the Intellectual and social worlds
of New York. All who have heard Miss Glyn
read are anxious to sechcr act, as then her great
powers and dramatic culture would find freer
scope.
We are at last promised brei season of Ital-
ian opera, which will begin Wednesday evening"
Jan. 4th. The new prima donna, Madame Rose
Csillag, who comes to us recommended from the
principal opera hClses of Europe; SignOr Carlo
lie Franc, the popular tenor of last winter; Sig
| nor Susini and Slgnor Reyna, form the galaxy
which will shine through this brief operate
season. II Trogdtore is announced for the first
night. This opero is, l think, repeated in New
| York oftener than any other one, and yet its
! popularity never decreases but seems to be ever
on the increase.
We are hoping, though almost beyond hope,
\ for an opportunity to hear Mile. Nilsson in
| opera before her return to Europe. The short
| scenes from Hamlet which she sang at her con-
| certs do not satisfy us, but only make us long
| TO hear the entire opera. One gets but faint
| perception OF her marvellous powers when hear.
ing and seeing her in concerts only. By the
way, it is curious to observe the different inn
| pressionS which Nilsson makes upon her New
| York audiences and those which have greeted
her in other towns and cities of the land. Here
our critics accuse her of atfectation, preten-
sion, and other kindred sins, while east and
west she is praised for her nnturalness and sim
plcity. 1t may seem dsloyal to intimate that
it!s even possible for our New York critics to be
at fault; but in this instance / must concur in
the Judgment of the eastern and western cities.
Nilsson has no more atfectation than Jenny Lind
had, and she had just none at all.
We have just had a notable murder trial be.
fore his honor, technically so called Judge
Cardozo. Its most noteworthy feature consist
ed in its brevity; and its breyity is explained by
the fact that the alleged murderer was not only
not member of the Tammany ring, but was a
black man, and probably did not vote the demo.
cratic ticket. His arraigment, trial. convic-
ton and sentence occupied less than a day. and
the only humorous feature about the matter
was the pious talk which Cardozo mixed with
his sentence of the prisoner OF course the
man will be hung; very likely he deserves to be:
but if he were lrish and follower of Tamma.
ny, he would have been a week before the court
and then either acquitted, or convicted of man.
slaughter, with the certainty of pardon before
the next general election. Justice, in New
| lOTh, Is moi SO DINO but SnG can distinguish be-
| tween black and white.
The Independent Of last week gave us a full
hedged astonshment by announcing the retire
ment of its editor-in-chief, Mr.. Theodore Titon
This week it duplicates our amazement by chron
telling the exodus of its officeeditor, Mr.. Oliver
johnson. No intimation is given as to who's,
turn will come next. Mr.. Bowen, the publisher
takes the place of editOr-in-chief and Rev. DR.
Eggleston will occupy Mr.. Johnson's vacated
chair, and thus find himself the most importan
man in the editorial corps Oliver johnson wal
equal to his responsibilities, and they were great
If what the Independent loses in the loss of hi
services can be made up by Mr.. Eggleston, theI
Mr.. Eggleston is a very remarkable man.
LIGONIER.
Hon. John b. Alley makes the following 'per
sonal explanation: "My attention has beel
called to charges against director in the Uniol
Pacific railroad company, published in tn
! money articles of several of the New York ant
? Boston papers; and IN the paper first publish
: ing the article it is more than intimated that