Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-10-04
oar New York letter.

rALNAGE SEEING IHE t1ErHANr--A FEW WORDS
ABOUT rEAMrs-vETEEAN vAGABoNDs-A AMER
1cAN TAsrE-row IT Gtn rnocnrssrD-THAr
ASTONISHING ErrLrMtT.
NEW YORK, September 3oth, 1878.
There is nothing, thiuks Rev r. Dewitt
Talmage, the champion theological summer
sault and trareze performer of Brooklyn. like
posting ones self thoroughly on subjects up
on which one is to be called upon to speak
Especially is il indispensable, in lis cstima-
ton, for u minister Of the gospel to know the
ways Of sin from 4 10 Lizard, to follow Satan
boldly into hi visible rs wcll as his invisible
sirongholds' ia short, to tackle Old Nicl, up
on his own dunshil Full Of these great
truths the impassoncd shorter lately secur-
, ed Che cooperation of tvo non clerical friends
/ and the convoy Of policeman Cprobably as a
| guarantee TO the soothing world that his inten-
tons were honorablc) and thcrcupon made
night Of it among the most disreputable GIN
mills and dance houses of New York city. 1t
is TO be presumed that the parson "saw the
elephant" trunk, tusks and tail for he has
since expressed himself to several newspaper
reporters as being chock full Of holy horror
and burning with impotence to preach a SER
mon to young men which shall spread terror
and destruction among the cohorts of the en-
envy.
Now all this desire to do good to his flock
is highly commcudnhlc, but it seems serious
! ly questionable whether the old maxim to the
effect that the end iustifes the means can
safely be subjected to such strain as Mr.
ralmagc brings upon it. An old New Yorker
like himself can certainly learn enough about
such places for preaching purposes without
putting the indguity upon his Office Of being
seen in such company. His example is I'M
fortunately likely to have more effect upon
young men than his precopts for they will
be very apt to argue that if it is right for a
minister to visit such resorts to inform HIM
self about their doings it certainly cannot be
wrong for them to follow in his footsteps for
the same purpose. Mr.. 1almage undoubted-
~ means well, but his tendencies toward SEN
sationalism, and his craving for notoriety
sometimes involve him in violations both Of
good morals and good taste.
For ways that are dark and tricks that are
vain the heather Chinca isn't circumstance
to the average city tramp. Given good health
and an early start, and the professional beg
gar will cover more ground in Ingenious state
ment- otherwise lies in q day than the re-
lestial before mentioned could accumulate
| during an industrious week There is al
ways a refreshing change in the daily tale of
the pennless man. He greets you in your Of
fee one morning with lis arm sluug mp and a
patch of unhealthy size oa his check He had
fall from the top Of q Iinc-,tory building
while honoraby amploy.d at his legitimate
Misunderstanding lie pictures his seven
small children at home ia different stages of
all knoaI diseases. while lis wife and young
est are u.abl- to procure nourishmout
You mildly suggest a suspicion of bad wills
key in his br..th. and he Indignantly points
to the uandagc on hi, check as being the Turk
ing place Of the pung.nt olor-a medical
preparations. So meek IS his manner and so
unanswerablo his argument, that YOU divide
with him your small store Of pennies But
the next day you foelau uncomfortable small
ness creeping over you when This same man
of reckless statement. with both arms free and
with smiles upon two unclouded checks,
stands upon a corner and holds out plead
ing hand. To-day he is immovable, as a
glance at his bandagcd leg shows, and his
story includes "a motLcrl,s> home and start
ling increase in the number of juvenile de
pcudeuts. Still again, he mex, day. he is
fresh from the hospital with the same odor of
medical preparation cl.usins to very fold of
his ventilated garm,his. And 80 this protean
individual waudtrs through life complaining
of the cheap labor Of the Chinese, but too
well satisfied with his ei.emosynary existence
to LIT lis finger TO uE honest hours toll
The parl, is his bedroom and the drinking
fountain his bath and laundry. During the
summer his wants arr easily met, but when
he is driven to cover hy frost he often drifts
into court and is supplied with food and
lodging for the winter at government expense
But the ,dp, is taken oil our sympathy when
W, learn ;hat it is an open question whether
or not tn petty larceny which secured these
free lHAuri,~, was not committed for this very
end. Trply the h,athen Chine. must wake
up.
The furty-scvruth annual Inhibition Of the
American Institute is uow open and shows an
unusually lurgr proportion Of artistic work in
country the people, separated 10y months of
time from Europe. were d .udant upon
themselves for many things, aud their tastes
were comparatively simple. Is We became
rich. wealth sought AN outlet ia display. and
then came what might be called the barbaric
stage of taste. We hung popderous watch
chains to our vests, lighted up our shirt fronts
with diamonds in broad daylight and our fair
sex swept our streets with costly silks and
satus such as are not worn in other countries
save at evening in the rec ptiun room. As
for the decoration of our houses the barbaric
age showed equal invention. Ou~ drawing
rooms bla2cd with gliding, and who can rec
ollect without a siIudder. the hideops mnutel
and other ornaments called 10y courtesy OBJ
iects of art and charitahly credited with
Partisan origin, which were az once the pride
and delight Of their po,sessors. OF late years
the American took TO travelling; he went
abroad, lie saw what WA good in the old
world, and the result is another revolution in
popular taste, Our manufacturer, were quick
to ize the new opening for industry, aud
soon the classic shapes of Greece and Rome
and the airy beauty Of the Moorish art were
to be seen il the form Of our domestic sur
rouudng7. The moustrous ornaments of the
last generation have found their way to TIE
dust heap; the back-breaking chairs and so
fas are going, or gone, and last and best of
ALL even our carpets those flaming floor COW
erings, with gigantic patterns sprawling over
them. which never failed to strike terror to
the hear, of the foreign visitor are giving way
to quiet sober, and artistic substitutes. Proofs
of this aesthetic progress are pleasantly no
ticeabe at the Institute Fair, and perhaps
may be taken as additional proofs that the
passing away of our yulgary ostentatious
''shoddy' era, was, although financially pain
ful, a blessing to the country.
The shooting at Croejmoor ON Sept. -,
showed very coucusiyoly that America is like
ly to keep the supremacy she gained not lang