St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-06-22

A newspaper rumOr attributes the re-
lection of Tweed's confession, after so
much hesitation, to the fact that it cuts
too broad swath that its publication
would hit number of active politicians
too powerful to be safely injured. For
the sake of common decency it is to be
hoped that this rumor is false, as it
probably is. We are likely to know
more about the matter before long, as
Tweed's counsel intimates that the con-
fession is to be given to the press.
On Monday last Tammany received
Governor Robinson with great eclat,
and on Tuesday evening the Manhattan
Club entertained this gentleman, to-
gether with ex-GovernOrs Tilden and
Hendricks, at what was the great Dem
ocratic affair of the season. ''Big bugs
we're there as plenty as in lOcust-haunted
Jersey. City, county, state, and ma
tional officials fairly tumbled over each
other in their plentitude, and hObnob-
bed with numerous representatives of
the local bench, bar, press and counting
room. The occasion was Ostensibly a
complimentary farewell reception to
Gov. Hendricks, who was to leave for
Europe on the following day; but in
reality it was intended to be political
meeting of great significance. Mr.. Til
denis speech of that evening has already
gone over the country, and has been
Interpreted to pOrtend all sorts of dire
full events. One thing is certainly evil
dent, both from this speech and from
the similar one with which Mr.. Hen
bricks followed; and that is, that the
Democratic candidates of 1876 are not
at all disinclined to be the Democratic
candidates of 1880.
The brief period of rainy GOODNESS has
passed over, and hot sun is warming
the torpid swarm of summer spOrtsmen
to the liveliest activity. Horse-racing
is still in vigorous progress the yacht
fleet, cleaned, reprinted and furnished
up for fresh pleasures and fresh con-
quests, daily skim the bay the base
ballists have united their bats and laid
in their summer supply of arnica; and
the croquet players, joining in the smile
of the clearing heavens, rush eagerly
upon the velvet lawn to raise Jumps
upon their own feet and the heads of
their antagonists, in the heat of their
noble contest. dissatisfied, even, with
the variety of sports which either by
origin or long use may fairly be called
American, our pleasure seekers, ami
mated by the spirit which caused the
importation of Polo one or two seasons
ago, have this year brought out the
English ''tennis," and archery. Both
these are Ostensibly practised by the
Ladies' Outdoor Club, a fashionable
and strictly feminine association which
combines minimum of athletic eX-
ercise, with a maximum of good eating,
handsome dressing and gossip.
OF the theatres Days and Wallack's
are still open, but fail to present as
strong attractions as Gimore's Garden
or the Aquarium, both of which, being
airy and adapted to promenade, are
well attended by all classes of people.
| The great void in our amusement world
| this season is the unwOnted silence of
our magnificent Thomas Orchestra and
the absence of those Central Park Gar
den concerts which in former years have
been the redeeming feature of life in the
Metropolis during the hot weather.
am most happy to state, however, that
this is likely to be the last season that we
shall have to endure without Thomas
for the plan to which | have previously
referred, for erecting a suitable structure
to be the permanent home of this in
comparable organization, has progressed
so far that the project has become a
fixed fact. The subscription books of
the company having the work in charge
are rapidly filling up at the office of
Steinway & Sons, to whose liberality
and active interest the success of this
noble work will be due in no small
measure.
The influence of the Steinway firm,
with its wealth, its public spirit and its
wide reputation, upon the progress and
culture of music in this country will
bear a high estimate. They have not
only done more for their peculiar art
than any other house, but to every de-
serving enterprise they give such hearty
and substantial support as in many
cases has assured an otherwise unat-
tainable success. To the absolute su-
periOrity of their instruments they have
just received the testimony of that queen
of pianists, Nine. Essipotf, all of whose
New York concerts were given in Stein
way Hall, and who used the Steinway
pianos at her every performance in
America. Her tribute to this superiOri-
ty is careful and discriminating, but is
as hearty as that of Rubinstein and
List. List, by the way, ought by
this time to have a profound respect for
the musical mechanics of America.
Some time ago he Glanced to see in the
warerooms of the Hanover Germany
agent for the Mason & Hamlin Organ
Company, a cabinet organ which so far
surpassed anything he had ever seen
| that he Immediately paye orders thrOuUb
his agent for similar instrument to be
built in particular manner which he
described. This unsolicited order from
the acknowledged king of the musical
world was naturally felt to be some
thing of an honor, when other makers
would have given their ears for the
privilege of presenting him with one of
their instruments. Great pains and
care were therefore taken with the
List Organ, which turned out to be, by
the acknowledgment of the makers, the
finest they had ever produced, and which
has elected from the maestro a letter of
wondering admiration. The improve
ments made during their study upon
this instrument prove so unexpectedly
great that they are to be permanently
introduced into their manufacture, and
the List Organ will hereafter occupy a
regular place in their catalogue.
RADIX.
Washington Letter.