Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1876-08-14
LETTER FROM NEW YORR.
NEW YORK, August l, 1876.
Special COTrespOzdence.

hlmselI 10 an lnVestlgatlon or the cost
of living in New York at the present
time in comparison with that of few
years since and has presented the result
of his labors in two columns of the
Tribune As to the details of his report
it need only be said that they are cOpi-
Gus, careful and probably correct; but
the writer's conclusions, which may be
briefly given. are interesting. He finds
that the New Yorker can now eat and
drink, and be clothed and housed about
20 per cent. cheaper than he paid for
corresponding commodities in 1878; and
| presume the per centage of decline in
the price of absolute necessities through
out the country has not been very differ
ent. But our statistician fails to see
that our people generally have reaped
any proportianate advantage from this
fall, and concludes therefrom that Amer
leans generally, and dwellers in the city
in particular, are improvident and ex-
travagantly inclined. He finds by ac-
tual inquiry that people who in previous
years bought eighty cent tea and six
dollar -four and found them satisfactory,
now scorn to purchase the same article
at its reduced price and save the differ
ence, but insist on paying the old figures
for better article.
In the same paper is found an inter-
esting comparison of our past and pres
ent facilities for education in private
institutions, only in this case the con-
trast is Centennial one, reaching back
to l776, when, as we are told, this city
and Philadelphia had each just two
schools, where the youth of the period
were threshed into knowlede of the
polite accomplishments-such as dane
ing, fencing, French and the like. Now
such schools are thousand for one and
in all grades from the kindergarten to
the classical college offer thorough in
structiOn on every subject and to every
age. The most significant feature of
this contrast is that relating to the con-
dition of female education. In the
records of '76 we see nothing to show
that much attention was paid to the
subject beyond instructing them how to
courtesy and how to walk gracefully
through minuet. Now, this city alone
has more young ladies' seminaries than
the whole United Colonies could have
bOasted in those days-and these are of
a high character which our forefathers
never dreamed Of A fine specimen of
these modern establishments, and the
most prominent one in New York, is
Mrs. Benedict's school for young ladies,
on Forty Second street, near Fifth Ave-
nue., one of the oldest and most perfectly
appointed in the country. Its location
on Murray Hill, the centre of the city S
wealth and refinement, is peculiarly
happy, its success is great, and record
irreprOachable. By a system, the result
of thirty years experience in the work,
it offers thorough education to pupils
of all ages and is warmly endorsed by
our leading clergymen. The coming
academic year of this school commence:
on the 2Sth of September.
At Wallack's ''The Mighty Dollar
still retains its grasp and at the 5tf
Avenue "Pique" is only forced off BY
the approach of Sotherh's engagement
as Lord Dundreary. Early in Angus
Booths will reopen under Jarrett 6
Palmer, with what these gentlemen pro
pose to make their greatest managerial
achievement thus far, namely, the pro
duction of the spectacle "Sardanapalus'
on a scale never before witnessed il
America And when these gentlemen
! make so unqualified promise as that
we shall certainly see something startling
PHILADELPHIA, August /.
For lovers of the horrible the creates
attraction of the Exposition lies at tn
south end of the Main Building. Here
. in the Peruvian department, is displaye
a collection that would make the mum
r mics of the Pyramids or of the Roma
converts turn in their tombs if the
, ,, could but know of it. The Egyptia
mummies are commonly supposed to tax
. us back into the antiquity of man fu
t ther than any other existing relics, br
| am told that these samples of the tribt
of the Incas from the Peruvian mound
! dispute this claim to pre-eminence
G age, many of them being shown to ha'
fOurished. IN less dilapidated cond
is ton, nearly forty Centennials ago. Si'
e by side with these unparalleled veteral
5 who have hobnobbed with Adam al
4 Eve. for aught l know. lie in state, Z
n merous mortal remains of the Aurae
mans, a set of comparatively frisl
y, youths of only some fifteen hundr
summers. | can't say, however, that
see very much to choose between the
N in the way of personal attractions. 4
le of them seem to have lost good deal
ID flesh since they started for the hap
as hunting grounds. Indeed, most of th'
have lost everything but their hea'
= which are arranged around On shell
Al