National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-06-15
AN EVENING SCENE.

TIE SATURDAY EVENING MUSIC AT
THE PRESIDENTS GROUNDS.
Spring has rolled rapidly away and summer is
here in all the full glow Of its rich luxuriance.
The city, with its broad streets and shady parks,
presents scene Of freshness and beauty, while
Without and far beyond the verdant hills and
meadows green stretch away to the horizon in one
unbroken prospect of pleasant shade and sun.
slime. It is the prime and vigor OF the year, and
all OF nature seems bright and 1ourishIng. We
are city of ten thousand parks, and at the close
Of each sultry and oppressive day twice ten thou
sand people wander forth into the shady hooks
and corners of these bslmy and delightful spots
for rest and refreshing quiet. Among the most
popular and attractive OF these evening resorts
beneath the Shades Of tall and stately tries in the
REAR OF THE EXECUTIVE xANs1oS.
Last Saturday here three thousand people met
for divers purposes they say, TO listen to the mu
sic 1.-THE United States Marine band. It was
large and rostless crowd, made up Of beauty and
uglness, of virtue and vice. OF health and disease
hndail the other shapes and forms Of which hu-
man flesh Is heir. At five o'clock, and long before
the appointed hour at which
THE MARINE BAND,
clothed in their gay attire, were expected on the
the iron gates Of this beautiful spot, and spread
itself in bands and squads over the broad extent
Of ground, broad expanse Of knolls and dells.
.,
fragrant flowers Of rarest hues, which rolled
gently away towards the banks Of the calm Po-
tomac, broken here and there by fence,
and pond, and monumental tower. Here nature
had donned her brightest green and bloomed
with o radiance lit up and polished by the golden
rays Of the slow descending sun, which seemed to
hesitate, as IL with jealous care, TO watch the
scene and throw one lingering ray upon the
pleasant spot before 1t shaded 1t with twilight
gloon, Fhs fountains on either side, with fash
ing-<pray, built rainbows broad and beautiful
amused the young and brought forth sage re,
marks concerning the science Of blended hues
from venerable old men, who stood nearby and
leaned upon their canes, or stretched themselves
with ease upon the tempting soft green sward;
and here upon this happy scene, beneath these
shades, and on these gently-rolling mounds, had
gathered
THREE THOUSAND PEOPLE
In one confused and restless and ever changing
crowd. What vast and almost lmitless study
OF the traits and characteristics Of the human
race do We find here spread out to public gaze
An tnexhaustable laboratorysof eceentriclties
whose SHELVES are lsdened we'll with all the ele.
ments which go to make up. the wealth, the
beauty, the uglness, the faults the vice. the woe,
magnetic power which draws them to this spotY
The Marine band lie good. The Marine band is
excellent. us strains OF pleasant music delight
the ear and Dewitch the restless feet. But this is
not
THE GENUINE SOURCE OF ATTRACTION.
Then where can thesmagnet BET It's nothing
more than an all-absorbing curiosity to see and
be seen; and this II why we went with all the
and hips sTs sroa lSs sgS
by the band, which was conferred by q pole-a
patriotic staf-attached to which, and at It's top,
TALLY clothed with the limp folds Of the nations
dag. Three thousand people-not such o crowd
rs you would see It church, or in lecture room,
race or tribe-but all, high or low Intelligent and
debased rich and poor, miserable in countenapce,
beautiful in features, gaueily plumaged and
city-ali were there mixing and mingling in one
common crowd.
AT SIX O'CLOCK PRECISELY
.hirty-tvo pairs Of red coatsleeves raised stimuli
the air and thirty-two silver-mounted
flashed brightly In the sunlight, and
anne q sharp, here's blast which died away in
harmonious strains, and as they were gently |
wafted over the grounds, sweeping onward 70 the |
beyond the Treasury and down the bread Avenue,
; passage was quickly formed tlIcling about the
who circled about the staff, And .
slowly passed around, while crowd moved back |
md placed itself In line on either side-a crowd
principally made up OF men who seemed inclined |
scene. On they sweep with meas
area ueaa' Las -
PANORAMIC PICTURE.
There come three girls, each fresh and pretty in
he face and dressed in white, with ribbon sashes
about the waists and natural flowers neatly |
lodged about the hats and hair. ThSy blush ut |
some presumptuous youth, who winks flrt or
strokes the feathers down upon his lips and then
pass BY. Come following on and al |
girls who toll all night to earn the miserable pit
.ance which keeps them through the day. There |
s no life or sparkle in the eye, and looking down,
hey pass along with nervous tread. The next
n line 10
BAND OF ORPHAN GIRLS
comfortably clad In plain straw hats and calico |
iresses, around the waists of which are fastened
md falling in graceful ties ribbons, each Of the
hue that corresponds with the trimmings on the |
hats. They laugh and talk and, beating time
with their little feet. they glide along, and now
N their places pass three demi-mondhs-vice fol- |
olack6ess OF darkness in the wake Of pure light.
The dress they wear, their glance and stare, and
svery move marks the character Of these beings. |
the vulgar whisper Of some coarse |
man viii create Q smile, and then in turn they
nutter something well compared and shuf1e on. |
Here comes fat, old, gray-haired man, with .
looking 10 the right nor the left but down and on,
seeming to fear the glances Of nifty pairs OF eyes
IN either side, which
GAZE AND STARE
and stare and gaze until they tire, and then jain
IS hnished the procession slaekens, partial and
silence reigns, aud then freeh burst
Of music in the notes OF human voices sweep over
The multitude in one confused and busy hum.
A few minutes pass away, and then again thir- |
ty-two brightly FURNISHED instruments come sud.
denly in contact with thirty-tWo well-puckered
mouths, and thirty-two strong lungs expand and
then exhaust, which fills the park with one re-
ceding sound, and this softens away to music so
sweet and string that several hundred feet are
set in lively motion and once more the
suRGIxG SEA OF VICE AND VIRTUE,
wealth and poverty, augmented by hundred
more new forms and faces, passes on in the SAME
old way. And thus the eyer-vsrying scene oon-
tinues, now Increased and now diminished; at one
time moving fast, at another slowly; Laughing,
talking gossiping, keeping time with tha music,
always active and uneasy until the national NJ
are played, and these disperse the crowd: When
"Y ankee Doodle" fierce and shriI is pipeq, IN
agitsted hustle seIzes al, land one uhsJefenste
rush is made for the iron gates: And thfohgh
these iron gates they pour out into the broad and
busy Avenue. Down this they sweep 10 SQUADS
and bands, q throng Of people hurfytne on, two
restless and Impatient STREAMS flowing In opposite
directions. Two hours moro and we are n the
third watch of the night, and find this crowd dis
persed and the great city buried in 9 quiet and
sleep, gathering strength and vigor
for the morrow. r Il
DISTRICT AFFAIRS.
The House Committee on the District held
meeting on Saturday for the purpose Of consider
ing the bill authorizing change in the location