Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-12-27

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Special Correspondence Of 0te Commercial
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. &C.
The result Of the Special Election on the
adoption OF the new Constitution, although not
exciting general remark-so soon do the
most important matters lapse into neglect
remains the real topic of interest. 1t IL hard
to believe that so radical change has been made
| In the Law System Of the State. There is moth
ing to give token of it, and yet the code of the
Commonwealth has in many vital matters been
entirely changed That such peaceful solution
OF an intricate question was possible is q moat
momentous fact and speak trumpet tongued
Tor the efficacy of popular government. Per-
| haps in country but this could an election of
| the kind have been carried 80 quietly, without,
In fact. the slightest attempt to defeat law or
imperial order. 1t is altogether a marvellous
spectacle and one, which very few of these Or
deTy citizens seem to appreciate. For let it be-
remembered, this was Revolution. 1t was the sub
stitution OF one thing for something else widely
and substantially different. Furthermore al
election of the ordinary kind no matter with
what tumultuous sccompanments-canno be
be compared with it. for here we have the action
which makes all elections possible. 1t was, in
short, Fundamental.
The result may well confound party trckery,
1t may be. as We hear ii often alleged, that COM
phThtlVely IeW voters read the new Constitution
and fewer still understood it, but they at least
had the wisdom to put themselves under trust-
worthy guidance. II is no particular reproach to
a citizen that he should not have studied the
new o0ds section by section That requires
the legal brain, which is exceptional. But
everything is possible to a people that can make
or unmake Constitutions, as it does railroads or
houses Think of France and her States Gem |
eral !" how laboriously it built and toiled and |
to how little purpose Launched a Constitu-
tfDu inupe0 but only tn iuVOlVa n uati0n in in |
remediable woe! Yet hero we vote, and the |
next day almost forget! Should we be re- |
preached for being less earnest, or applauded |
for ignoring Revolution As aught but peaceful |
debAte2 And as for earnestnsss, a majority of |
l45 900 votos tells story after its own fashion,
il unaccompAned by the miseres of revolt.
Christmas was the genial success it always is.
Custom cannot wither' the brave old holiday. |
The weather was dampsh, but not altogether un-
pleasant, and the streets were filed all day.
Christmas and the 4th OF July are the only |
genuine holidays in the year with ua,-moros
the pity A special effort was made by the
churshss in musical way-a kind Of rivalry
manifesting itself between some of the larger
establishments as to which should sound its
praises in the oompletest and most expensive
manner. Very enjoyable doubtless to the music
al ear and yet, 1 cannot but think, little
painful to the finer sense. There is a
frightful amount of sham and humbug in church
music that is, considered as worship. Envy
rivalry, fashionable foOlery-everything but
devotion entere into it for the most part. That
this is 40 the newspaper reports of Yesterdays
proceedings sufficiently attest Starting out with
tho heading OF The Churches" the reporters
dismiss the preaching very summarily, but de
vote long descriptions to the solo singers, the
ohoristers, the organisis, and the orchestras
The performances are criticised as though they
were entertainments at which ali admission price
was charged This is an old and vexed question
| am aware, but although mus C il always good
the vanity OF this kind of demonstration Is not
Ngnl llsg
10 not an ounce Of religious, feeling i'll it to the
pound.
Two steps in the Centennial movement were
made this week one being the report to Coun-
cils OF the COMMITTEE appointed to visit the
Vienna Exposition aud the other, the long con-
appeal to the New York capitalists.
lhe latter IN much the most important, and on
ith results depends III good measure the fate
of the Centennial The earnest corporation of
Now York can make the Exposition what II ought |
to be lacking that the Centennial will be local
aud circumscrlbed A deputatiOu OF the Com |
mlttee OF Finance met the New York merchants
at the Chamber of Commerce in that city and laid
the whole state OF the case before them. The | ,
meeting, resolved" that New York should do its
part and it is to be hoped it will. Mr. Mexican
Of the Ledger put the case very fnrclbly, demol-
ishing the Sectional" Islander. and II Now York
means to come forward, now is the time The
people are painfully slow to move in this great
work the response must be dlsheartenlnR to |
those who were 30 eDthusiasto at the start. |
But the fault is mainly the Governments. Ii it |
hal given the sign, all the rest would have fol-
lowed; hut 1t has done nothing,-at least no.
thing practical. The report of the Vienna
Committee does not amount to much. How
should it with MIR. Alphabet Coils and Tax
Collector Hill for it's ruling splrits Its descrp'
tions of the Austrian Celebration are no better
than the letter writer's furnished months ago.
aud the deductions drawn therefrOm for our own
guidance do not tell us anything We did not
know already.
4 /
are sufficiently lively for the holidays. That is
about all that Is looked for at these times-good
cheeI-and 1t is we'll il il ro for the seeker for |
solid things would be disappointed. The clever
mimic, Emmett. is at the Walnut, and the Arch
10 doing "a Flash of Lightning" one Of its
tand-by's At the Chestnut rather stupid
called "Lldy Godlya," a travesty on
the Coventry aud 'Peepiug Tom" legend. IL
being performed, the principal part beng
enacted by Miss Winelta Montague who
is. according to the Advertisements "ths
most symmstrically- Formed Lady" III
IN the profession. That is a sweeping assertion
but il is sufficiently true to answer the purpose
Miss Montague is not only ysymmetric4y- y-tormSd |
but she makes the most of her advantages. Tho
is briefly, a most Objectionable one
not calculated to raise the credit OF the "Chest.
nut" For glelt many people the attraction Of
the immediate season is the PantOmme, and 1t
has been long since We have had 80 plentiful a
portion of this hearty old entertainment In-
cluding the ''Marionnettes" we have Pantomime
1t four places of amusement, aud they are gwen
with degree of care and excellence not seen
hero since the days OF the famous Ravels.
One never outgrows his prediction for pan
tomime that and the circus flavor survive after
he taste for high tragedy has grown dull, and
proves that after all men are but children OF an
older growth. The claim OF the pantomime ls
made doubly real whom we reflect that II ID now
pretty much wnat it has always been. Names
aud descriptions vary, but the tricks and the 40.
tion are ihe same, aud yet never grow tire
some. Perhaps it is because We know 1t so
thoroughly that We like it as well as we do,
At the American Theatre" we have ''Ihe Three
Dwarfs" with Nh. Robert Butter az Clown, "a
good representative of the character, although |
not as active as some, and disposed to be little
COARSE AT 'Carncross Il Dixey's" the SHOW is 1
called Jack and Gill; with Frazer as clown,
Cheevers as Harlequin" G.. Charles rs Col |
umbine" and Dixey as "Pantaloon," At the
Arch Street Opera House "Zanfretta" acts i
stclown' in the old Rayel pece OF "MaSulihe"
The attraction may be summarized thus,-the |
Opera House has the best clown, ffth street the /
best general caAt, and ''The American" the best
stage setting. III
Beyond all this again is the Puppet Shew,-the
'tMarionettes at Concert Hall, which have fairly
taken that part OF the town subject to juvenile
influences by storm. 1t il really 'sthe best OF
fooling when all is done." The puppets are not
the trifling personAges we are used to associate
with such enterprize but hne figures or men B!
and women, some of them three feet high, and
given on ample stage and all things according to
sport withal. They are about the best actors |
A.aE