Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-10-11
letter from BOston.
THE BABY AND BIRD sHow--MoRNINa LECTURES
MARY ANDERsoN-BoxY-THE GOOD THINGS
IN APPLEToN's ART JOURNAL.


There are a hundred or more babies there of
every style, size and complexion, from the
purest blonde to decided brunette. White
mothers and black mothers sit side by side
exhibiting their offspring with fond maternal
pride, and l saw two roly-poly babfes Of the
contrasting color alternte bites Of n cookey,
and kissing each other between the mouthfuls
They looked, as a rule, happy and comfortable,
and weren't they dressed up wonder how
many nights the mothers had sat up making
the requisite fnery for the baby to make "its
first appearance before any audience" | saw,
too, the baby who, at nearly two months old,
weighs only sixteen ounces Such mn atom of
humanity as it is Why it isn't so large as an
average sized doll. II is hard to believe that
it can be really flesh and blood. I've heard
Paris dolls cry louder than it does The
mother, pretty faced woman, evidently a
Jewess, tends it on bluo silk pillow and re-
CARDS it with much complacency. 1t IS max
ing her famous; she knows that it is the
! special feature of the show, aud is aware that
shells an indispensable adjunct. really be-
leve all the other mothers envy her, and re-
gard their own infautile giants with a sort of
discomfort
Its hard to tell which make the most noise,
the birds or the babies between them both
it is bewidering. All, but the birds There
are some of the loveliest on exhibition that l
have ever seen. OF course the parrots attract
the most attention. don't know why it is.
but people seem to prefer the harsh tones of
these talking birds to the sweet notes of the
bulfuches and mocling birds. Probably,
however, it's because they create greater sen
sation, and make most the noise
BY the way, the Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Children. had an idea of break
ing up the baby show Mr.. Lorng Moody
threatened it pretty loudly, but he didn't do
it, because really it was quite difficult to see
what were the grounds of complaint The
children were well cared for everything was
comfortable, and many of them had better
| quarters and happier time than they had at
home. Now I'm not advocating baby shows
not bit of it. I'm as strong as ever in my
opinion that home is the best place for babies,
but do say, that fail to see what right the
Society has to interfere with it, rs the chill
dren are subjected to no i'll treatment except
the annoyance of being kissed by whoever
chooses to infict a caress upon them and are
taken the best of care of. I'm glad Mr.. Peck
| got the best of it, as he most decidedly did.
How wise wen all be before the winter is
| over That is, if talking to us will make us
wise. Morning lectures are to be quite fea-
ture, and the pretty Hawthorne rooms are en-
gagged for nearly the whole season. James T.
| Fields gives a course of Readings" inter
| spersed with critical and biographical remarks
| on the authors from whose works his selec-
| tions are taken. Mr. VIM. Everett is to have
a series of lectures on The Latin Poets"
Kate Sanborn is to talk wit and wisdom to us,
Oh various topics, and there will be interpreta-
tions of Shakespeare by various readers, who
may chance to be the fashion. Not even the
most critical person can find the least fault
with this manner of spending an hour or two
of ones mornings. And then its such an easy
way of learning there's no bother of study,
and yet you gain enough to appear quite
learned if you have only n limited period in
which to air your knowledge. 1t is quite ''the
thing" to be well informed on every topic
nowadays, and how could one find time to
dig out every thing for ones self? 1t would
be quite impossible so you see we get Prof.
This, to tell us about one thing, and Prof.
That to tell of another, and so on to the end of
the chapter, and between them all We manage
to collect quite a generous supply Of valuable
information. But these are only the morning
lectures. There will be the usual. half dozen
evening courses, each one vieing with the 9TH
ers to get the best speakers besides all the in
dependent lecturers, commencing with Col.
| Ingersoll, who leads of with literary lecture,
follows that up with more general one, and
ends with politics. The time approaches too,
when Joseph Cook will be Il magain upon his
devoted adherents and give more rehashes of
German philosophy through the columns of
the Daiiy 4dcertiSer, to those benightcd indi-
viduals who were not so fortunate as to get
them at first hand from the great orators
| own lips at fremont Temple. Don't say we've
nothing to do this winter. The present mys-
terry is where tho time is coming from.
Mary Anderson is coming She opens on
Monday at the Boston in The Hunchback."
Young Boston is on the qui eioe, 1t is look
ing up its lavender gloves, and giving unlim-
tied orders TO the florists There will be
larger business done in flowers than there has
been since Marie Williams was here. Well,
Mary Anderson is lovely girl and a charm
ing artistic, with a promise of doing much
more in future than she has yet accomplished.
don't wonder at the enthusiasm she awak-
ems l feel it myself She has an irresisti-
Bile personal charm about her and she is gen
timely unaffected and unspoiled by all the
praise which she has received She is as sim
pie as a child in her manner and enters into
every pleasure with such zest The last
time l saw her was at Mrs. Crolys (Jennie
June's) reception to Miss Genevieve Ward.
She came rather late, and as she entered ev-
erybody stopped talking to look at her. She
was clad in soft white silken draperies with
profusion of lace, and on her blonde hair was
perched a most irresistible hat with waving
white plumes and slken scarf. She was Just
picture of youth, health, beauty and genius.
Later in the evening Glanced to sit beside
her while Mr. w. S. Andrews recited in his
own ininitable way, Buck Fanshaw's funer-
al, and as l had heard it several times before,
l had sufficient opportunity to watch its ef
feet on Miss Anderson. Her eyes danced with
glee and her sweet laugh bubbled out with a
refreshing spontaniety delightful to listen 10.
1t was plain that she liked fun as well as any
girl. During her engagement she will play
"Ingomar" 'Romeo and Juliet" =" and proba-
bly, ''Meg Merrillies. -
Scribner Il Co. have at last issued Roxy"
the story by Edward Eggleston, which has
been running through the year in Scribner's
Magazine, in book form. Like Mr.. Eggles
toms other books it is a story of Western from
tier life, but it seems to me it is the strongest
and most finished of anything he has pre-
viously written. The characters in this latest
book are less sketchy than those in the other