Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-04-26

The freshness of the homeopathic fair in
this its second week is astonishing. There
is no sign of decay or falling off, The
tables are loaded with goods, the white
things are as clean and the ruffied things as
smooth as in the first hour of the fairs exist
ence; the attendant ladies look little tired but
offer their raffles and show their wares with a
patience and sweetness that ten days ago seemed
only human, but have grown TO be almost
divine. The fair is really attractive; no other
has offered larger display of elegant, costly
and desirable articles; while taste and dainty
workmanship are found in every kind of small
and inexpensive thing for which ingenuity or
fancy could suggest use. The art album,
rattle of six hundred shares, at five dollars a
share, is handsome cabinet, lined with
velvet and fitted to hold one hundred pictures,
which are by different artists, and, of course
vary in beauty and merit, but are all
of the same size, and framed alike in paSse-
partout. A great many other pictures are Of
fered for sale singly or in small Combination
raff1es." A treasure was added yesterday to the
New Bedford table-a Chinese screen, made of
thirty-iye delicate porcelain tiles, set in hand
some black frame. Some of the tiles are very
beautiful, and $3.50 for the screen seemed
reasonable price CLONE made cake" is a sign
that attracts many buyers; and the loayes of
golden sponge and frosted fruit cake are in great
demand.
The restaurant in the lower Horticultural
hall is pretty as a spectacle, with young lady
walters in Dolly Warden costumes but as lunch
room it is as unsatisfactory as that of other
fairs. After the first day the stiff dirty cotton
covers of the tables are unpleasant, the regular
cafe prices are made cXtravagaut by the in
fnitesimal atoms of food given for them; and
amateur walters are sngularly incapable of
waiting One pretty girl, with picturesque
Dolly Warden, all puffs and rufies, bows,
streamers and furbelows, and the most coquet-
fish Of caps set on one side of her
head, entertains you by forgetting knives
forks, spoons, salt and butter; and when
as you timdly suggest water? She says
in despair at your inordnate demands edo
you really want tp You of course reply, "Oh
no" and the amateur Dolly immensely relieved
drops your check on the table and disappears
Near you, in the shadow of big, good-natured
a general likeness to your philanthropic waiter,
but quite different in the pattern of her creonne
and in the set of her iaunty cap; you hear her
sigh pathetically, as after a glance across the
roOm she looks up to a tall admiring youth,
"Oh dear | suppose | must go, Tor there's
somebody at my table," aud the eyes of the
youth grow soft with sympathy for the pretty
victim Of duty, who reluctantly leaves him; and
you feel thrill of remorse at your own hard
ness of heart, when you think of the suffering
| You may have inflicted upon your own absent
minded Dolly. Go to the restaurant by all
means; but go to look and not to eat; admission
| is free, but of course you will pay
something, make donation, perhaps,
to the fairest Of the amateur walters, who
is fascinating with her beautiful throat and her
lovely arms only half hidden by the wide sleeves
of her gay costume, and then with an easy con-
science you can enjoy the animated picture
and study Dolly Vardens to your hearts con,
tent.
Mr. Emerson gave the second of his course of
Conversations on Literature" in Mech anics
hall on Monday afternoon. The hall was filed
with an admiring, sympathetic audience; they
all went last week, and could not hear word
Mr. Emerson said but then "it was so good
just to look at him." and they would 90 early
and get the front seat next time. So everybody
went early, and long before the hour for the lee
ture front and back seats both were filled. Mr..
Emerson sits by a table; he is serene himself
and inspires serenity in his audience As the
first tones of his well known and dearly loved
voice are heard hu sh falls upon the company
gathered round him; each one leans forward to
catch if he can all the words of the speaker.
We do catch something more than half of them,
and try to be pleased and satisfied. At intervals
Mr.. Emerson falls into a soiloquy, and
is apparently unconscious of the presence of
his tantali audience; then he WILL of course,
sometimes have trouble in finding his place in
book or manuscript; and in those breaks, the
listeners take long breaths, slightly change their
positions and prepare for another ten minutes
of strained attention, which is more than fat
terry, which is almost alteration. No one after
seeing the trials, the patience, the sweetness and
the real pleasure Of the Mechanics hall au
diences can doubt the hearty admiration and
the widespread personal friendship felt for Mr..
Emerson. In the last conversation, he spoke in
terms of praise of Byron's poetry; set Shelley
aside with a few gentle but sighting words of
dismissal; and warmed the hearts Of some of
us by speaking Of the clumsiness of Words
worth's use of the English language; although
he made compensation afterwards by reading
one of Wordsworth's sonnets. Among the strilS-
ing single lines of true poetry, which Mr.. Emer-
ouptpd tfT IL a., H.
lights its base" Some of your readers may re.
member hearing this line few years ago. 1t
was then quoted, "Liie is flame whose splendor
hides its base, " and was IN a manuscript poem,
which had been seen by few persons, but which
promised much for the author | forget the
authors name, and do not know whether or not
tue poem has been published but ii was pleas
ant TO hear the line again, and to follow the
memories il awakened
DIR. Wilhelm Jordan's readings, or rlapsodies
as he calls them, have given great pleasure to
the Germans and the German-speaking Boston,
ians. DIR. Jordan was for yeats an influential
politician, statesman perhaps would be the
more just word, lin his own country, and held
high Office there. But becoming weary Of poll
tics, he received government pension and re
tired from active life TO devote himself to his
favorite literary pursuits. His great epic poem,
the "Nibelunge," is based upon the most ancient
Germanie legends, and its principal source is the
Edda. 1t is in peculiar alliteratiye blank verse,
and is spoken of by "A German student as "a
poetic restoration to an artistic whole Of the
lragmentary legends Of the Germans"
Dr. Jordan uses neither book nor memoran-