The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-06-01

and the close of the week is attended by de-
cided firmness, with some advance. The
speculation of the gold clique exhibits no new
phase, and opinion is still divided as to the
ultimate purpose of the parties who have SO
adroitIy and persistently absorbed, as is be-
lieved, upwards of twenty millions of dollars.
Money is easy, and United States bonds are
strong, with an active demand from abroad.
1t is predicted that we shall witness during
the Summer, and at time when it Is least OK
pected, sudden crisis in the market, as the
result of combinations now in progress but
the movements of the leading operators are SO
cloaked in secrecy that it is next to impossible
to tell when or where the stroke will fall
Smoking Cars on City Railroads.
The smoker, according to his enemy, is an
obtrusive, domineering, poisonous demon,
who should be fought and trampled on OF all
hazards and as early and often as possible.
The devil-fsh of Victor Hugo, if he could only
raise cloud with tobacco smoke instead of
sepia, would approach the anti-tobacconist's
ideal of the smoker The anti-smol1er has q
strong point always in reserve. He esteems
himself q representative Of chivalry greater
than Bayard, and when he writes to the
papers feels himself more. eloquent than
Edmund Burke declaring that the age of
chivalry had gone. This will indicate that he
undertakes to be the champion Of the ladies'
In this mood the smoker is to him fiery
dragon, holding down lovely Andromeda on
the rock and putting noxious fumes from
mouth and nostrils into the fair captive's face
The anti-smoker becomes a true Perseus
and, quill in hand, rushes an secours
Although we write now solely upon the
great Smoking Car" question: we may say
that the Central Park Garden has been
the scene of the anti-smoker knight
Grants latest attack on the tuners. Of the
smoker-snob this dragon picture may be
true; but your genuine, refined smoker
is no more an obtrusive being than is
an owl by daylight. He does not want to
smoke when the fragrant weed must be offered
as holocaust, amid badgerings, threats and
irritations. His pipe is calumet of peace.
He can only enjoy his cigar in serenity or to
become serene. So far from thrusting him
self assertively upon the front platform of
street car and raising a storm of upbraiding
from grabbed non-smokers within, he would
sooner shrink into the most modest corner and
puff unpretentiously rs an old maid s coffss-pot
before the fire. But he wants to smoke as he
travels. In the Winter time, when windows
and doors were kept zealously closed, he could
be seen with the resignation of martyr
freezing beside the driver, SO he could smoke
AS the fine weather opened he could be seen
mounting the front platform with a smile and
enjoying his cigar, until one fine day, be-
tween Spring and Summer, the driver slapped
him on the shoulder and said gruf1y, s'No
smoking" The moment of suppressed rage
which passed until the fire went out and had
''strewn repentant ashes on its head had to
be lived through but the smoker smiled no
more until windows and doors were closed
again and he could smoke and freeze at his
sweet will.
With that rare instinct for which they are
famous the railroad managers saw how large
class grew gloomy when the heavens were
bright, and compromise was the result.
Open cars, with the rear seats sacred to
smokers, were placed on most of the Brooklyn
lines and on one or two in New FORK. The
smokers humbly rejoiced thereat But the
mighty Third avenue line, in niggardly way,
set its face against the smokers during the Sum-
mer months until the present year, when their
hearts were touched by the gloomy brows of
those who rode and could not smoke, and by
the number of those who walked down to
Second avenue and paid their fares on the
open cars. The Third avenue resolved on a
concession, but determined, after the manner
in which some people give. charity, that the
smokers should feel Inundated on accepting
their bounty. They possessed number
of shaky vehicles, built so many years
ago that the date is lost. Frowsy, pent-
up, dingy, numbering things on wheels,
they were. coat of glaring paint laid on
without was thought sufficient to fit them for
use. The populous cushions, the narrow plat
forms. the greasy straps and the rafting win
dows were left as they were. The company is
should not harrow the feelings of the gentle
smoker by compelling him to travel in crazy
and filthy machine which for century or SO
the insect race has called its own That is
bad enough; but the triumphant yell of the
anti-smoker as he sees his enemy submissively
enter travelling chronological menagere for
smoke must make it worse than journey in
prison van. We feel acutely for the beings
who cannot bear the odor of tobacco smoke:
but we ''implore the passing tribute of sigh
tor the men who are condemned to smoke on
the present smoking cars" of the Third Ave-
nue. Railroad. Rumor has it that the company,
being economically inclined, adopted the idea of
giving the ancient vehicles to the smokers that
the cushions might be cheaply disinfected.
But the smoking car of the future, what