Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-11-29
letter from Boston.

ences to a tremendous an unprecedented
pitch of enthusiasm. Fancy a Boston audi
ence-counted by all professionals as the
coldest in the country-rising to It's feet and
shouting its applause; yet that's what hap
pened at the first Wilhelm concert This
week we have had Remenyi, and tonight
Ole Bull makes his first appearance this sea-
son. l suppose it must pay TO import so
many artists, else managers wouldn't under
take it, 1t can't be dead loss, else repeated
burning of managerial fingers would teach
them to dread new experiments. It's surpris-
ing the number of musical combinations
there are in the field this season, both import
ed and home talent. One wonders very much
how in the world they can all make living,
until the discovery is made how few Of them
are paying expenses If people keep on 60
ing into public life on such slight pretexts as
many of them do there will be nobody left
for audiences by and by Every day new
aspirant for dramatic, musical or platform
honors is heralded, and sometimes you hear
of all in day. Geniuses are cropping out in
every direction until Que is fairly dazzled by
the array. 1t would be impossible to COM
pute how many times in a season We are in
vited to assist at the debut of one of these
prodigies.
All this has nothing to do with Whelmj,
Remenyi, nor Ole Bull, but speaking of these
artists, led up to this overworked subject Of
combinations. provincial manager told
me the other day, that he averaged daily half
a dozen letters, offering parties to him at any
terms he would make for them. l suppose
the hard times and the consequent lack OF
employment have put many people before the
public who have never before dreamed of
such q career There's a company of dwarfs
assisted by giant, giving an opera called
Jack, the Giant Killer" at Horticultural
Hall. The far-famed admiral Dot is the
Jack" of the opera and pretty Jenny Quig-
| ley is his sweetheart. It's funny affair, and
is sufficiently original to prove an attraction
| The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
| Children became quite exercised over this Tn
tertainment and were exceedingly suspicious
lest they were being sold with the rest Of the
community, and that tho dwarfs were not
dwarfs at all, but were children advertised
as such so as to be able to give their enter
tainment unmolested by these guardians of
childhood. But the lynx-eyed society was
not to be caught mapping and the officers in
terviewed both manager and performers, un-
| til they were quite sure that they were not
being hoodwinked, when they expressed their
willingness that the performance should go
on. Now don't think me for minute want
ing in reverence to this society, nor unmnd-
| full of the real good they have accomplished,
| but it did seem so absurd for them to inter
fere with a company which has been so wide
! ly heralded as this has
At the Latin school dinner last week, Mr..
Merrill, principal of the school, spoke against
the present system of education, following
very closely Superintendent Eliots criticism
in hisreport. He said that toomuch was requir-
ed of the pupils that they had too many
branches Of study to be able todo justice to any
one In short he said what very many un-
prejudiced persons have said, that the public
school system as now carried on is system
of cram and not of education. l don't know
what the effect of these criticisms will be, COM
ing as they do from men so high in authority.
| know that parents have objected to the ad-
ded burden of new studies and fresh duties,
but they had no choice but to submit TO re-
quirements or forcgo the privilege of having
their children remain in the schools; now il
has become so palpable q defect and fault,
that it is being made IL matter of discussion
by the teachers and members of the school
board, it is possible that in some way the
fault will be remedied. Superintendent Eliot
and Mr. Merrill are decidedly on the right
track, and they may feel assured of the sym
pathy of the more thoughtful parents.
Among the on dts of society is one whicl
engages the genial Col. T. W. Higgnson tC
Miss Thacher, a well known magazine writer
and a thoroughly charming woman. Col
Higginson has but recently returned from
Europe, where he has been for some months
On Monday morning he regaled the Chestnu
street club with some of the "reminiscences an'
impressions Of his recent trip. Since ever!
body of any literary pretension who makes tn
tour feels compelled to write "A book about 1t
we stay-at-homes know pretty well what ther
is TO be seen and heard over there, so tina
there is little that is new, and we get to loo
upon books of travel with suspicion, and IT
gard the returned tourist who proposes t
''tell us all about it" as very much of bore
But Col Higginson was rare exception. II
. sees with keen eyes and tells of what he sec
with such grace and sparkle and gets dow
below the mere surface of things, so that
really has something new to tell MS on tn
almost threadbare subject 1t was a charm
. ing morning, that Monday at Mrs. SARGENT
where, in spite of the gray skies and the nj
solute down-pour large number OF tn
"electr were gathered 10 hear Col. Higgir
sons paper. The discussion was more tina
usually bright; do you know I've almo
+. come 10 believe, judging wholly from my e'
perience with the club, that an cast WIN
t sharpens the wits. At any event the conye
e sations are almost always brighter on n du
= day. ..
1.-THE Exiles'' is proving as popular as WI
expected. Mrs Barry has made n reyel
tion of the character of Nadego; 1t stan'
now as the prominent character of the pla,
There is no need for the management OF Il
Boston to go awaylfor leading lady The
have one of their own who Is up TO all
quirements.
The publishers are already commencing
issue books for the holidays. Houghton
I Ospood have published the lovely edition
Mother Goose, with the illustrations by Alfri
Kappes, which mentioned few weeks az
as in preparation. 1t is very handson
:. volume. bound in grey with medallion
the face of the cover, representing the aneie
dame being carried through the air by tea
Of her favorite fowl. The paper is heavy, L
:. type large and clear, and l think every rhyr
attributed to Mother Goose is included.
will be an artistic delight to the elders as w
as a never ending source of entertainment
It the little ones. Oliver Wendell Holmes poel
'orhe School Boy" which was read at {
centennial celebration of Phillips Acaden
in Andover, has also been put in book form
''' this firm. 1t is profusely illustrated and