The Hawaiian gazette., 1879-04-23
LETTER FROM NEW YORK.
[gpseial cerrs.pendsnes q tas aa.s,.s.1

Especial Correspondence Of the Gdzette
NEW YoRK, Feb. 2s, 1879.
The fashion of wearing snowy ewelry in the streets
is that is peculiarly dear to the Of Ane-
rica. In other country in the world will you see
women walking 10 the street so tedzened with lock-
ets and chains and breaches. and so forth. On the
hands, in the ears, in the hair, in fact at every
imaginable point where an ornament can be fastened
to attract attention, there will the average
Americsn be suret place it. It is useless TO
say to the American woman that her taste is vulgar
aud to tell her that her European sisters generally
have the good sense to keep the display Of their
valuable jewelry for the house. What does she
for her European sisters their old fashioned
tions of good taste. Is she not free and indepen-
dent American. and can she not wear whatever she
likes? Of course and she does The other day a
woman had diamond earring twisted from her
by thief in broad daylight, and in the most fire.
quented part of Fifth Avenue. Perhaps fear of per-
sOna violence may do what fear of ridcule has failed
to accomplish, that is, those ladies who in
the habit of parading the streets with ball room
jewelry their persons, to adopt the sensible
plan of leaving it at home.
The Broadway stages have felt the competition of
reduced the fare five cents instead of ten as here
tofOre. and by that means they may exc out their
existence little unger. But q horse railroad is
talked of, to pass through the lower part of Broad
way, and If this idea becomes an accomplished fact
the knell of the Broadway stages will have been
rung aud the gaudiiy painted numbering vehicles
with their broken-kneed and broken -winded teams
which now pursue their devious way through the
crowded streets to the terror of tmd pedestrians,
will disappear unregretted with the obscurity of the
past. nd Ef Ts.
The anti-Chinese bill is creating considerable
citemsns and much adverse criticism. We hear o
great deal about this being free country,-about
the folly and wickedness of giving way to dema-
ogues,-about the bill being chiefly the result of
Irish agitation about the sancty of treaties and
about many other things besides. Prima fdcie, the
case appears to justify all this criticism but there
at least two sides to almost every question, and
it is only natural that those who feel the competition
of the Chinese most should cry out oudest against it,
The Chinese are more numerous in California than
elsewhere in the United States aud they compete
principally with people who live by manual labor.
| Those people then are naturally the first ones to
| oppose Chinese immigration. Should the competi-
tOn extend to the class comprising the clerks sales
men, etc. for instance, then the cry 1.-The Chinese
must CO." would be taken up by that class, and
shouted as Justify it is by the laborers 1t is
simply matter of whose eorns the shoe pinches.
| The might however be adjusted in manner
more beftting the dignity of great nation than by
| repudiating part Of solemn cuntract such as the
| Burlingame treaty. The principle that country
bas perfect right to decide for itself to who shall
enter it. ia perfectly just. II is the manner in which
that principle has been acted upon in the present
| instance, that deserves censure
New York has been dancing and masquerading
and reveling in gaiety generally for the past few
weeks. We have had the Charity Bal-the Lieder-
krantz Ball-the Arion Ball and goodness knows how
many other less noteworthy occasions of festivity.
| The LiederkrantZ and AriOn societies go in for
amusement pure and simple, without pretending to
any motive higher than that of the love of
joyment. They kick up their heels and give full, free
their love of fun without the least attempt to
make people believe that they are doing it for the
benefit of poor suffering humanity. The term
Z" Charity Ball" seems inconsistent. Why, if people
Inclined to be charitable, is ball needed Why
spend many thousands of dollars in order that the
| poor may receive few hundred? ? That many peO-
pie are thus induced to contribute indirectly who
| would never give anything in any other way. Well
there is comfort in that perhaps it is better to
masquerade in the garb of charity if you pay the
poor the privilege, than not help them at ALL Never
theess the masqueraders must expect but little credit
for their charity and it is safe to say that gene
rally it is little that they get
We have been experiencing the most surprising
weather lately Sudden changes have been the ordeI
of many days,-disregardng entirely the prophecies
of the meteorological staff and driving :. Old Prob
abilities" almost mad, One day the streets are
buried in snow, which the next days thaw turns
into mud colored rivers the thaw is then suddenly
arrested by +" cold waye," which leaves the streets
! in better condition for skating than for walking
Within the last tweutyfour hours have had cold
morning, a really hot afternoon, rainy evening,
and a snow storm during the night. From the tor
rid to the frigd in the course of few hours
Verify, the constitution must be iron-bound which
can stand such vicissitudes. 1t makes sigh for
some less tickle cline; and now as I look at my
thermometer in which the mercury is trying to hide
itself down in the bulb if ashamed of its late
tic conduct, envy you who enjoy the Incompatible
climate of your sea-girt paradise; a country whose
language has no need of such word as " weather, u
| and where thermometer must almost be q .useles:
| encumbrance. j. j. +.