St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-03-02
Our New York Letter.


ANY OTHER NAMEn-FLAGs, DINNERS
AND CRowDs-THE MARTHA WASH
NGToN RECEPTIoN-ALExIsA AND HIS
ADMIRERS-AN AMERICAN EMPRESS
A REMARKABLE INsTANCE-THE FOR
TUNES OF A RAG PICKER-vANDER-
BILT'S WILL-THEGA MBLERs'sDAUGH-
TER.
NEW YORK, Feb. %, 1877.
To the Editor Of the Caleoonian
If the Father of his Country was
able to look down from the abOdes of
bliss on Thursday last, and take a
birds eye view of the metropolis of his
only child, he must have been gratifed
to observe the extent and heartiness
with which his birthday was celebra-
ted. But our first President left be-
hind him a reputation for considerable
shrewdness, as well as goodness, and
doubt not, therefore, that he noticed,
an ObliviOusness of himself almost as
general as the demonstrations. The
people love holiday, and so long as
Washington's birthday furnishes them
the pretext for stopping work, putting
on their best clothes and seeing pro-
cessions, so long will Washington's
name be the motto of festival; but
so far as that is concerned | guess
Julius Caesars birthday would be kept
with equal fervor if it afforded the
same opportunity for holiday enjoy
ment.
But possibly underestimate Amer
lean patriotism possibly the deepest
feelings of reverence and gratitude I'M
derlle the pleasure seeking exterior of
the multitude so l will tbeorize no
farther but will speak briefly of the
principal features of the day in New
York.
One of these certainly was the dis
play of flags on land and water. From
every flagstaff in the city, from every
public building, and from the SUBMITS
of both piers of the Brooklyn bridge
tioated the Stars and Stripes in all the
brilliancy of clOudless spring day.
From every vessel in the docks, and
from the cosmopolitan fleet scattered
over the harbOr streamed also the
same emblem, surely the most glori-
GUS banner ever devised by man. On
foreign craft the national cOlOrs of each
were, moreover, lavishly displayed.
On shore the programme of the day
was quite various. On the chimes of
Trinity and Grace churches long pro-
grammes of music were performed by
their respective ringers the audience
in each case being the tens of thou
sands who live within earshot. In the
early afternoon Union and Madison
Squares were filled to overlooking with
people interestedly watching, in the
first case military review, and in the
latter the placing in position upon its
temporary pedestal of the gigantic
hand of Bartholdi's Liberty of which
| spoke last week. At one of the lead
ing hotels a dinner was given by the
proprletOrs to veterans of 1872, of whom
about thirty were present, white head
ed old fellows, bowed and infirm with
years, the youngest being rs. at was
hard to realize" says the Tribune,
speaking of this dinner, ''that these
old men, trembling with age, placing
fully scratching their names upon the
register, had once been doughty antag-
Ohists in battle" But so it was, and
these relics of former days quavered
out many tale of their own deeds and
daring two-thirds of a century ago.
Among the guests was niece of Paul
Jones, lady of rs, sprightly, pleasant
and extremely proud of her dash-an
cestor. She had in her possession Jones'
sword and the first American ensign
ever made.
In the evening was given, right in
the solemn face of Lent, the grand ball
OF the season. If any of your readers
read my letter of one year ago this
week, they may remember the account
there given of the Martha Washington
Reception and Tea Party at the Acade-
my of Music on the last anniversary of
the day. The one this year was quite
similar in character; perhaps not quite
as profitable, pecuniarily, but no less
attractive. The same crush of elegance
and beauty, the same CLEAN of satin
and rustic of silk, the same array of
stately danes and demure damsels with
powdered hair and the costumes of past
centuries, the same wealth of Jewels
and charms, the same multiplicity of
young couples Ostensibly drinking tea
and really flirting desperately, the same
prOfusiOn of flowers flags and drapery-l
all this was there and more than ali to
feminine New York, there too was
Alexis, and with him the rest of the
noble Russians. Many and romantic
are the stories told regarding the con-
ditlon OF this young mans affections,
but whatever be the truth in the mat
ter, those affections must be very firmly |
fixed indeed, if they escaped entangle-
ment in the maze of admiring and CO.
quettish glances from the bright eyes
of Americas fairest daughters, of which
his august person was the centre
throughout the evening. No other dis
foreigner has ever touched
so deeply the aggregate feminine heart
OF the metropolis as Alexis, and
shrewdly suspect that the number of
them who could be induced to leave
country and home, and even to brave
the rigors of a Russian climate, to pre-
side over the Grand Ducal establish
ment Ill st. Petersburg, exceeds the
number who could not be so persuaded
'by large MAJORITY" Alexis, how
ever takes all this adulation with great
composure, and the prospect for an
American Empress of all the Russiasn
in case of his succession to the throne
is depressingly poor as yet.
Revival work, which is at present al
most at standstill among the regular
churches, is being vigorously pushed in
the slums. One of the most singular
of the movement occurred
one evening this week. A man arose
in "Jerry" McAuley's Mission to ask for