, 1876-12-03
Grand Display Of Winter FASH
ions on Broadway and the
Avenues.
New Styles Of Imported Goods.--
A Nobby Hat--.'Tis All
Chenille.
Fashionable Follies at Paris---!A
Millionaire's Wife in Trouble
~--Dazzling Toilettes.
ETCETERA.
HIxTS And T4EISGS-QFE.

anyway, with certain Eastern literary critics
Society has enough Of real faults and foibles O
its own without being burs1encd with q visionary
sin, The grieyous charge that has been repeat
ed]y laid at the door OF American social life i:
that it fails to furnish available materials fol
great works of fiction, being in that respect
rust}y inferior to the social conditions in En-
elaud or on the Continent, where little Lords
and Countesses prance about in gilded glory
Genius may be lying around in loose profusion
and enough Of it to fill all the cracks and Gran.
MES In literature; but alas! it has not the where
Hithal ia the shape Of titular nobility to create
characters and form plots Of thrilling interest
to enchain the hearts OF the reading public
Isn't it about time for somebody to take uu
the cudgel OF common sense Ia behalf OF society
and fctiona It is impossible in the brief limits
Of this article to discuss the subject. It is only
intended here to cast out hint or two, and, to
slightly modify the old verse,
hints hint,
Although there's nothing int.
For instance, it might be limited that the best
Considerations in all literature are drawn
from tie lower ranks Of life. It is unnecessary
to call up the host Of orphans, apprentices,
foundlings, paw nbrokcrs, thieves, and low vii
lains generally. who figure in the populous nov
els Of Dickens. George Eliot's best work is
'The Mil Oh the Floss.'' Fielding, who fur
nished Dickens with his first inspiration,
shounded in seTving-mcn, ignorant country
men. and still moro ignorant parsons. Eugene
Sue and Hugo opened the sewers OF Par1slan
depravity to the world. The interest il nearly
eyery one OF the stories in the Decameron de-
pends upon siInpleton or knave. Ccrvantes
created Sancho fanza. The influence OF meta
physics is shown In German literature bY pre-
senting peasant to tue reader III the guisc Of q
philosopher Or a dreamer: while the best OF the
Russian tales depict the rude lifeof the serfs
in the wilderness Of tho steppes.
It NAV be admitted that for certain kind of
fiction English high society presents the best
materials. It is scarcely necessary to explain
that all1sion is made to the cheap blood-and-
thunder stories that adorn the weeklics and that
a1t sowed broadcast over the two continents in
pamphlet shape and at the price Of sixpencc. But
this is not the class Of writing that is in favor
With the educated classes. It may also be ad-
miued that, though deficient in ancestral socic-
t., America is well supplied with as excellent q
quality aud az vide variety OF low life as can
be found Ia anr country. The larger cities con-
tain quite as much Of corrupt politics, of scen~
htc crime, and OF hopeless degradation as exist
even IN St. Giles and sFhitefriars.
Is not the real reason for the lDteriority OF
American fiction to be sought for in the theory
that literature is thing tnat is subject to the
nsno-ot,a " nat ~ " ;r,,r,4.a ,,,o,, tha
iabnas p!ous - auu ~. tbs.. -
r,oo: y. e1ee ae.sse, anI 1;,a so0 a,, a,,e
lng-machine, constantly receiving additions OF
new patents and labor-saying devices, and con-
eeaoena's oseteFlns III ues1stl auo eAeeu'aon
That was pretty and comical strcetrscene
that took place outside McVicker's Theatre
afair LADY whose naticnce and temper were sore
II tried furint, its nroeress. MANY times it hap
pens that there are contretcmps behind the
scenes and in rom of the curtain.
bnt :, o1 ;.,,,t at.a. tho+ VIII .bo,a ~ "t ara
4s 4Touccaoie occurrences OUTSIDE OF tAe
inesplan temple altogether, and yet in connec-
uon with it. q TIC Flying DutchHan was to
pany, and all society was in spasns OF excite
ment over it,--at least there was an unusual III
terest il that opera Carriages began arriving
Ii front Of the theatre as early as hal1-past
O'Clock, and, though discharging their cargoes
IS hastily as was anyways consistent with social
d!snity, there speedily occurred jam. The line
Of vehicles extended west to Dearborn street,
ano east around the corner OF State street, and
hearty half way to the Palmer House. Then Ell
sued Babel Of jargon, participated in by the
"eoachgs" and hack-driyers, and such felicity
Of epithets has seldom been elected at so short
!, notice, and at SO slight a provocatiou.
70 add to the confusion, the street-cars became
blocked, aud the car-lrivers came into the gen
erM conversation with some very able language
ef their own. All the time the SNOW was de-