The New York herald., 1872-09-18
GRAND RECEPTION BY The AaCADlAN CLUB
The Wit, Talent and Beauty Of the Metropo.
lis Paying Homage to Art.
A SCENE In UNION SQUARE AT MIDNIGHT.
The Sercnade Of the Ninth Regiment Band-.-
The Addresses of Distinguished Speakers
The Toilets and Cluster
of Brilliant Artists.

last evening by q reception to Miss Clara Louise
Kellogg, and little need he said in praise OF the
! wisdom and good taste that prompted the
| compliment. The youngest of New York art
clubs could not indeed, have 'delighted to
honor" more fitting guest. Miss Kellogg
has just returned TO us. with the laurels Of
ond successful European campaign fresh and green
upon her brow and her countrymen, who have de-
voted themselves to the cultivation OF arts akin In
spirit and aim TO those in which she has name
and fame, may well add their voice to the general
chorus OF enthusiastic admiration. What more
appropriate than for brotherhood OF
wits and scholars philosophers and artists. actors
and musicians, who have just clasped hands In one
of the most intimate OF all bonds-the bond OF
| common club-to welcome with eager haste the
| queen OF American song And the gathering which
| the spell of the occasion drew together was
significant and happy omen OF the coming future,
| when New York shall have attained its natural
| position the centre to which the genius and In
| tellect and cultured industry OF the world must
gravitate In obedience to the inevitable law which
| compels them to dow wherever they meet the read
| lest sympathy and keenest appreciation The most
that our city has OF everything that makes up the
! highest form OF civilization met together in the
parlors Of Arcadia to shake hands with the great
American artist and bask in her smiles of gratided
| pleasure. Wherever a glance was thrown the
|
lace, and names that have grown to
be current expressions of fashion and intellect and
genius were banded about with bewildering fire.
| quency. In short II was OF the most brilliant
| and pleasant reunions that New York has ever
| seen.
| The rooms OF the club were adorned with appro-
| pirate decorations to Sc we as a frame for this
gttering thgong Ct visitors. The walls bright
! with the freshest productions of New York
studios and lestoons and baskets and
! "pyramids' of fragrant flowers caught
| tie eye wherever 1t turned. Conspicuous
| among the pictures a couple OF admirable
portraits Of the fair prima donna in whose honor
| the J6te was given. one Of these was pastel
picture by Quincy and the deicacy of the colorng
| and the exquisite fidelity OF the likeness made
! it centre OF admiration. Another hung by
| the side OF the main staircase and, fes-
tooned with cvergYeens, reminded the guest, the
moment he entered, OF the duty upon which he was
engaged, OF the image to which, for the night, he,
| In common with the club OF wlych he wN either
| member guest, owed homage. Tho general
| effect OF the room was, indeed, almost intOXi-
eating. The dresses of the ladies, the tints and
perfumes OF the flowers, the warm coors OF the
| paintings, combined with the strains OF the music
| from the background and the animated murmur OF
| conversation and laughter that on every side
| greeted the ear, all made up a tout ensemble that
was ndescripably fascinating and pleasing.
| 1t was about halfpast ten when Miss Kellogg ar
| rived and trpped up the steps Of the club house,
| beneath the awning that had been erected for the
| protection OF the guests She was met at the en-
| trance by couple of committeeman, with rosettes
of authority, gay with golden tassels dangling
from their buttonholes, and with smiles Of
welcome they ushered her up stairs. She gave one
gratiied glance at the brilliant thrOng that had
already gathered in the parlOrs and then hastened
| to dOf her cloak and bonnet. In another five min
utes she was escorted into the paror by the Vice
President of the club and was, of course,
greeted with enthusiastic cheers OF welcome
and admiration. Everybody hurried to the
! front and eagerly listened to the brief words Of
| hearty welcome that were addressed to her. Then
| followed q more formal speech by Mr.. A. s. Sui
| livan who in a happy vein alluded to the
request recently preferred by certain strong
| minded ladies to be made full members or
the Arcadian and expressed the regret he felt that
under eXisti, conditions of society such app.i-
cation should have TO be denied He stated further
the admiration felt by all members OF the club Tor
the queen OF American song, and concluded, amid
| loud cheers OF ratifcatory approval, by rendering
| the heartest welcome to the fair recip-
lent Of the hOnors OF tie evening A
| pause ensucd after which the Rev. DR.. rockingham
delivered few neat remarks upon the catholic
|
between the worship of the beautiful and
the worship of the one only God. Yet
| another speech was made by Mr. Chaun-
cey M. Depew, the point OF which was that
| whereas in the past we had devoted ourselves with
excessive diligence to the pursuit OF material
prosperity, we had now many OF US made our for
tunes and with leisure at our disposal
to cultivate the amenities Of cviliza
tion, were doing our best to make
America the home of the arts. But while all the
speeches were good and appropriate and had their
| effect upon the audience and received their due
need of applause, it must be confessed that they
were not the principal charm OF the evening.
After the speaking the guests circulated among
| each other and thawed with the sdUofr Uirle OF
intelligent beings into the liveliest form OF So
cial intercourse. Miss Kellogg was beseged
with train of artistic admirers and per-
sonal friends, and about her there was
constant buzz of jest and compliment and
laughter, which made the air almost as musical as
IL would have have been made by the pure, sweet
notes OF her voice. Such OF the visitors
as were unable to reach the common
cynosure Of every eye-and there were some who
vainly struggled all the evening to get close enough
to exchange a salutation with her-made them
selves happy with small talk and gossip OF the bet
| ter sort. Indeed, could al the bright things that
were said be chroncled very pleasant volume
would be contributed to current literature. But
the all-important business of supper-one grand
event, after all, OF every great festivity-became
the order of the hour, and the tile OF knives and
forks and the popping of champagne corks added
their material sounds to the more spiritual and
aesthetic harmonies OF the evening. After this, OF
course the success of the gathering, which had been
assured from the stIrt, became even more tri-
umphant and decisive. Brilliant men sparked
In their brightest vein, and the ladies were
radiant beneath fire OF compliment and rallery
such as they had only heard In dreams
or encountered In French novels. Every thing was
at its gayest and best when the guests were
moncd rom the recesses OF the supper room to the
balconies in the front by the strains OF the Ninth
Regiment Band. This happened at about quarter
before twelve O'Clock, and the In front Of the
club house was strihingy animated and pleasin Z
All the evening crowds OF people had hcen patiently
waiting beneath the clear American sky In autCi-