Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-12-12

about fortnight and when given here the
performers will be entirely at home in it, and
prepared to give us their very best version Of
an opera which cannot fail to please every
taste
NOW FOR THE HOLIDAYS.
The stores are fast putting on u holiday
appearance and although not all the Christ
mas goods are yet IN place, visitors need no
assurance that there will not be a lack Of va
riety TO select from. At Cheney a ClHpp's,
which has come to be acknowledged Us a sort
Of headquarters for novelty and variety in
holiday articles, the display increases every
day, aud it is already time TO admouisl in
tending purchasers that they should buy early
30 as to uvoid the inevitable rush Just before
Christmas Van Doom d Son show al Gle
guut variety Of goods IN all departments,
specially attractive feature being their novel
ties III Japanese wares, both il lacquer and
in pottery. They also have some fine speci-
mems Of English maiolica In silver plated
ware their stock was never more complete. In
lamp goods Of all kinds including chandeliers
and student lamps, purchasers will find every
thing that they may desire.-As is always the
case, Ranger * thompson window il one Of
the notable objects Of the Christmas display
Elegant gold watches and chains are a lead
ing feature OF their trade, but visitors will
nevertheless ind in their store articles suited
/ to the length OF purses Of all sorts Novelties
IN silver ware are specially, and especially IL
napkin rings our friends will find some goods
/ which It viii trouble them TO distinguish from
the solid plate artcle.-At Hawley's the list
+ of notions Is practically endless, and very
small sum o! money viii buy very attract
/ i've and acceptable present IL dress and
standard good- Mr. Havlry- stock IL suited
/ to the s,usol, aud lit hy,-ceui counter will
as last year, be- u leading attraction.
MATTER or DOLLARS AND CENTS FOR THE
TovN.
Some long needed repairs are nov in
progress upon or about the town hall stage
the most important OF which are the con
structiou Of four commodious dressing rooms.
two at either side Of the stage A change
las also been made IN the footiights which
will give them, hereafter, their proper effect.
What further improvements ~ the hall tine
town fathers intend We are not informed
but 1t must be evident to every person who
has the comfort Of the public, and the best
pecuniary interest Of IN, town at heart, that
the work should not stop short Of O thorough
renovation Of tine whole interior The stage
scenery has now been in use ! 3 years and
mas become old, worn, and dilRpidated 1t
should either be retouched. aud properly re-
paired. or simple and inexpensive but clean
and attractive new scenery put il It's place
ILe ceiling Of the hall has become very diugy
and black. and tins should either have it,
original decoration renewed or " hat would
probably be- cheaper and better. both the cell
ing and walls should be painted IL sorue neu-
tral and agreeabi, tint and especially should
that horrible sky blue pink" band about the
coruice be wiped out at the earliest possbl,
moment Further than this, the cracks and
worn places IL tn floor should be filed up
so that It will be possible to keep the floor IL
decent condition thu gallery should b,
cleaned and thoroughly renovated, and the
hall having thus been put in clean and prop
er order, q should Be Kept 49, We should not
like to see any e1trayagaut sum Of money
laid out IL these necessary repairs and reno
vations, but il is only matter Of ordinary
prudence that a reasonable sum should be SO
---ssa. t-s.-.---.s 'ucs.Alul4t ca q IvW nun
bred dollars III this direction would yield 4
handsome return to the taxpayers III increas
ei receipts for the Use Of the hall A. Il mat
ter Of dol! ars and cents the town cannot af-
ford to-Laye it, public hall continue il the
condition IL which it has been for the past
five year. It viii steadily and rapidly grow
worse, with corresponding pecuuiary loss
unless properly attended 10
THE CITIZENS CoUEsE-DE DRAPEB's OPENING
LEcTURE
An audience which nearly or quite filed
every available seat IL the new Crosby hall
gathered on Thursday evening Of hast week
to hear the opening lecture IN thu citizens
course which was given 10y DR.. Joseph Ora
per Superintendent Of the Vermont Asylum
for the Insane In opening his subject
which was the Drf, Deposits Of CiyiizA-
ton the doctor referred 10 thu important
contributions which the study Of Geology has
made to the sum Of human knowledge and
especially 20 til, interesting and suggestive
relic OF past life older by far than any
written chronicle which are found il the
most superficial strata Of the earth-the
drift deposit Of the glacial period. From
this he passed 10 glance at the study Of civ
ilized man briefly contrasting the civilizl-
ton OF to-day with that Of ages past Of which
our only knowledge j, gathered from doubt
ful traditions or from ruins which are splen-
did even il their decay-and concluding that,
IL all essential qualities our present civiliza-
tiou is the grnndest and most generally diff
fused which the world has ever seen. In this
civilization, however, there are, as there al
ways have been, drift products and it was
tn Il consideration of these several defacing
features that the subject matter of the lee
ture was directed In the course Of human
progress, many elements inimical 10 i; have
been borne along with it, and such elements,
like the drift of the glacial period lie above
rather than below the solid strata, They float
upon the surface Of society and show them
selves as the chronic burdens upon our social
life-the drift deposits OF our civilization,
which the doctor classified under the three
several headings of &C rtain varieties Of pau
perism, certain phases of crime, and certain
forms Of insanity.
Our space does not permit Us TO follow out
the line OF thought developed II the consider
alton Of these several disturbing but ineyita-
bic accompaniment of our civilization The
tramp was acknowledged as an unwelcome
guest who has come to stay, under one form
OF mendicancy or another, and whose biogra-
ply cannot be written from the life Of any
single individual, but must be traced through
q long line of defective ancestry, and consti-
] ina In al
classes the line Of heredity was also clearly
traced and startling examples given of the
apparently irresistible impulse 10 repeat a
crime after long imprisonment, and in the
face of the hardest experience In consider