New-York tribune., 1879-12-24
BOSTON TOPICS.
ossIp OF THE STATE AND CITY.


IrR POLITIcIANs-FAIRs AND THE CHRISTMAS
TRADE.
IYroM An .sIoSAL coRREsPoNDENr OF THE TRIBUSE
Bosrox, Doe. Is.-When the PoSlmaster-Generai
issued his famous Order No. IL. OF the 2Oth OF sep
tember last directing postmaSters not TO forward
Matchmaker addressed TO places that are not post
Offices there was such an excitement hereaoon's as
has heea created by no other Government order
since the close of the war Men were ready enough
in many eases 10 admit that the regulation was
basel on sound priuciple bat everybody protested
AGAINST the rigid aud immediate enforcement to
which postmaSters resOrted. The subsequent in-
structions of the Department 10 forward mal-mat-
ter when it, destination is known, whether properly
directed TO post Office not, was quite eenerahy
regarded as a withdrawal of the original order bu1
an examination of the new number OF the ros'ai
GUIDE shows that i: is still in force, aud inquiry AT
our Post Ofdcc leads me TO the conclusion that IL
will not lie annulled. Instances Of complaint De-
cause of its enforcement are now very rare among
persons accustomed 10 business affairs. The mall
ing clerks say il has brought about wonderful
change-people are a great deal more careful than
they nsed to be in directing their letters. Much
matter ~ still sent to places known by some ocsi
name the official postofiice name beng something
quite different. but the practice Of forwarding nan
directed letters here and there on guess Is whoiy
stopped.
We have law pTOalDltlhs tuc V'HS''S
mechanical mercantile or manufacturing establish
mens Of children under fourteen wears OF age unless
they nave attended school for at least twenty weeks
dining the year next preceding; and the ownefs OF
superintendents Of all establishments OF tins knd
employing such children are required to keep senoo
committee certificates file showing the amount Oh
their school attendance within the past year This
in substance. has been law since the spring OF
1876. That il lar gely violated In some sectiohs
1T sl..f hnnn v
thing about the matter. The assumption that mill
owners are invariably the prime agents IN Its VIOLA
tion Is quite wide of the mark very many cases
have come hight in which poor people falsIhed about
the ages of their children order to get the money
they might cara and some oi the charity oihcl"i-
of the State have felt that In numerous instances
the law worked great hardship. Consequently
Their, has been a good deal of disposition 10 over
look it, ncn-cnforcement. But for some cause the
Governor and his chief detective have lately con-
eluded 10 mi il into execution aud notices of judg
menf AGAINST mill authorities are now quite com
mon IN our newspapers. OF COURSE all wao hold
that the education Of children the first OF necessi-
ties favor the rigid enforcement of the statute;
while those who look upOa the pauPer.zatlon OF
families rs among the greatest OF wrongs, ure dis
posed 60 question the wisdom Uf the course now pui
sued.
The present school authorities Of Boston had very
little 10 do with the farewell reception given the
other day 10 Mr. Luther ". Mason. who leaves the
city before the end of the month an an engagement
of i've years for service under The japanese Govern
ment. Yet for dozen years hc one of the prin-
eipal teachers in our public Schools and 10 man
ever did more than he 20 give these schools cer-
tain unique prominence Dir. Mason Is an en-
thusiast on the subject of music with faculty for
teaching that really amounts % genius. Way back
IN 1865 he began work as instructor OF music III the
schools continuing this career until the iaie re-
organization of our system of supervision, pracu-
cally retiring then because the new management
wished 20 try new plans. But the fact remains that
the high reputation Of Boston school children In the
department of music is primarily due to Mr. Mason.
Three OF four years ago ne became quite intimate
with some OF the young gentlemen from Japan, VINO
were studying here aud in Cambridge. and through
one Of them he has been offered opportunity 70
introduce modern music as branch Of study INTO
the schools of that country Now about fifty years
of age he still has the fire Of yonth. and will do
great work in his line If life and health are spared
and Official favor Is not withdrawn.
Some of the Butler politicians OF the late election
manage 10 keep tine public nmInd of their existence.
"Bllr Simmons is nominay at the head of one of
the numerous mining companies and due an
nounccment is made that he has gone 10 Arizona 10
look after their property. Ex-senator Palmer and
others published address 10 the people during
the recent city campaign, noteworthy on the one
hand for its open contempt Of truth aud the other
because at least third Of the names thereto appended
were used without authority. Major McCaffelTy
has been delivering a lecture in which lie tried 20
make il appear that he was defeated a candidate
for reelection TO the Legislature because he Irish
by descent and Catholic IN religion. the fact being
that outside his own Worcester disric his defeat
generally regretted by those who know him. because,
though oerfertlv useless as a legislator he Is re-
markahlv uuIoue and entertaining character. And
the Bar Association. through eX-Attorney-ieneral
Train ha. INST moved that Lawyer WAY, one al the
lending BlIar senatorial candidates ia thlS citN, Dc
disbarTra from practice iu III the courts Of the Com
wealth for reasons which he OF course, asserts
are iot well founaed.
is nov holding fair in Boston The religious tar
is that If the Catholics fOr the bencht OF the t~the-
dtal ticy are building ut tne South End II has
been open several weeks, aud Goes not close untn
after Christina the managers Succeecied IN getting
together an Immense quantity Oh aitloes' sonie 9i
which both b eautIiul aud valuable Tue attcic-
apce has been very great, and n handsome sum 81
rnoaey will be- realized The charitable far IS that
opened Monday last in Music itall icr the nele,
fit of the North End Mission the cables are hiled
with articles Of the usual sort, large proportion
selected with reference to tne CHRISTMAS raae
and the Mission managers VIII get comfortable
addition 90 their bank account. lhe sentimental
fair s hat held In the Old SOnth Meetu2-hOuse Tor
the benefit of tie Preservation Fund II closes with
tins week. and the ladies who carry NJ on nope
to realize twelve or fifteen thousand dollars from
like ALI our other publishers, Messrs. Estes &
Ianriat have been busy of late with matrers per
tanning to the holiday season. But they have
priutea and bound, and early next month VIII pub
hsb the first volume of their History OF Middiesex
County. Mass, 4" by Samuel Adams Drake. th9 we'll
known enthusiast IN antiquarian heius. ne WORK
is royal octave in sze with 500 pages IN the vol
uIne now ready. brakes share IN this Is about
200 pages the History of the County proper, while
histories OF twentythree towns iu the county. done
by other hands under his supervision till the
manning 300 PAGES The longest OF these town DIS