The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-02-09
OPENING THE BALL.
Governor Tilden Leads Out Mr.. Bryant
for the First Democratic "Set."
A L B ANY ABLAZE
Threeecore in Politics to Four
score in Poesy.
MINERVA AND THE MUSES..
Politics Placed on a Higher
p Plane--Quail on Toast.
A SILVER HAIR FESTIVAL.
Platonic Apotheosis Of the
Bard Of "Thanatopsis."
ARCADIA COMING AGAIN.
Beauty and Manliness at the He'll
CONAN FOunt.
Politics Placed on a Higher
Plane--Quail on Toast.
A SILVER HAIR FESTIVAL.
Platonic Apotheosis Of the
Bard of "Thanatopsis."
Beauty and Manliness at the He'll
CONAN FOunt.
WHAT DOES 1T MEAN ?

WHAT DOES 1T MEAN ?
The reception BY Governor Tilden and his sister,
MRS. Pelton, in honor Of William Cullen Bryant
was given last night, and was o great success.
Albany seemed ior little while to forget its
character as the remote. unfriendly, melan.
.holy slow home Of dull Dutch civil
cation. and. the lamps shone on fair
women and brave men as brilliantly as they might
Aave done in capitals more esteemed Tor gayety
and social splendor. From eight O'Clock till the
midnight hour the large parlors ana rooms, halls
ana stairways or the Governors mansion were
thron3ed with distinguished guests Music arose
with the usual swell and the dainty preparations Of
superior cuisine aroused many varied sensations.
DISTINGUISHED GATHERING.
Altogether Albany has not had occasion so
satisfactory This long time. Many OF those
present were persons from distant points
ana the poet has peculiar reason to take
pride In the honor thus done him by
the Governor and his guests. Hundreds
Of the invited sent regrets, but the attendance
was sufficiently general and varied to make the
gathering representative Of nearly oil the better
Elements Of American life. Beauty never tails at
my gathering in an American city, and, next to
me great metropolis itself, Albany may
boast Of the charms or Its daughters
Who on this occasion came to assert the sympathy
Of their sex with the elder favorite Of
che Muses.. Law, commerce. education, but
Above all, politics, came to honor rho
bard. One class OF invited guests was con.
Ipicuous by It's absence ana to this ovation to an
0itor, few editors came. Perhaps the editors
IKE many others. did not come because they did
lot exactly comprehend the purport OF the coca.
ton; they did not know what It meant
WHAT IT MANUFACTURERS.
Speculative people were greatly bothered to
make out exactly what this event might mean
Il 10 strange with what persistent impertinence
men will attribute motives In cases OF this sort
People wanting In the ordinary graces OF human.
lty ind 1t dnlcult to comprehend 80 plain fact
b tnat two gentlemen OF the old school should
lake pleasure in meeting one another, ana not DO
% selfish as to keep 1t to themselves, but gene.
rous enough to call In some gentlemen Of the new
school, to exhibit to them the instructive spec.
tacle that thrifty virtue grows old and wise and
e.cn and honorable. whatever happens; whether
pne adheres to the same party through many ad.
verses or goes readily over to the other out
Of sympathy with the public ana its opinions.
dissatisfied with 50 simple solution the ingeni.
ous made mystery OF the case, implied motives
and constructed theories
latest arrival OF the venerable poet at the bourne
Of his earlier political fancies-democracy. This
10 not the bourne from which no traveller returns
but none will probably return between this and
the next Presidential election. On the contrary,
many arrivals are looked for, and the tide OF po-
li.ical rapid transit Is that way. Therefore, said
these theorists, 1t was thought well to get up de-
monstration OF welcome to one OF the highly dis.
nnguished OF the early arrivals to encourage
Dtners as the landlord OF hotel In a once famous
watering place might celebrate returning custom
II much.wandering public should come to him
again after years OF neglect. In this view our
bland and genial old Governor was to welcome one
Of the trainers or public opinion with a pigeon
melody -
Sing song Of success
A bottle iuil OF rye,
All the party platforms
And wren the rye l. opened
me company shall sm,!e
secured by striking ilc."
ROUsING RIP VAN wINKLE.
Another theory was that His Excellcncy wouo
make joyous noise on tmbrels and harps and
rumpets and other quasi obsolete instruments TO
HaEen with familiar music the much slumbering
Rip Van Wrinkle oil this Dutch town; to stir Albany
society to remembrance oftne good old days when
, brilliant society inhabited these now dull sheds
Of houses. His Exceency Is philosopher
ana knows as well as any man that the
difference between democracy and Its op.
ponents Is not tain difference OF po.
tttcal theories but that when democracy's
governing power ls in the hands OF the great
conservative body Of the people whose home is In
Ihe Middle States, and that when the opponents
81 democracy's governing power Is In the hands OF
eisionaries or rogues, the semlunatic drea mers
ana pedlers or New England or the political
Jeremy bidders oil the crude prairie communities.
For many years past the greater part OF the fun
hos been In Massachusetts. AID the Governors
there have danced TIL the gnupowder ran out OF
tie heels oil their boots. All the rest has been In
those sections OF country whose capitals are
Omaha and Dnutn. But with the revival OF hon.
esty and the reign OF sopered democracy the
social wilderness OF our lIttc capital shall bios.
som like rose, and another age may even forget
It's Schuylers and Coldeus, and Van Rensselaers
aud stuyvesauts. and the innumerable family OF
the Vans
POLITICS AND LITERATURE.
There was also q theory that the bland old Gov.
vernon, with his cultivated appreciation OF litera-
ture, had q dim fancy that the political and the
literary powers would move the world with more
eject n they pulled together Gibbon was
famous csusecttnq link between literature and
the police, and why not give Bryant an equally
distinguished relation TO the salient points re.
spectlvsy OF literature and politics. IT Is clear
that hitherto literature has been In great degree
on the other Hda. Certainly all the more snowy
literary elements have hal their heads turnol
that way and have written sentimental nonsense
In support Oh republicanism: and Tilaon believes
that literature IL worth ita salt In the interest OF
the democracy We are monstrously glad to
hear IL.
SoNsENsE ABOUT THE PRESIDENCY.
But the most taking theory has been that Gov.