New-York tribune., 1879-12-10
PoLlTIcs-THE HOLMES BREAKFAST

4
--wOMFS ~ Tux FLECuONs AND on THE
SCHOOL ROARDs-rHE ARCHBISHOP on TIE
SCHOOL oUrs.ION-rHE HOLMES BREAKFAST
IrRoM AZ OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE raInuSEl
BOsT0N, Dec Collections were held last Tues
day in thirteen Of nineteen cities. Most OF
them turned on merely local personal issues, and
had little significance for people living outside the
State Party lines were. however, closely drawn
in Fall River. Butler carried the crv last month
by 1888 plurality; now the Republicans carry it
by 500 majority on the largest vote ever polled
there. Gloucester also had sharp party
contest; the Democratic -Greenhack combination
carried the city last year by 296; Butler
carried it in November bv 2s3; now the Republicans
carry il b. 3O6. Butler carried Lawrence last year
by us. and this year by Sl1 plurality; now the
Republicans carry It by 335. defeating for Mayor
the late Congressman TarbOx. who was one of But
ier's principal Democratic supporters. The contest
I'm Fitchburg involved the temperance question. and
the license party carried the day by PSI majority.
The defeated candidate for Mayor OF Cambridge Is
brother Of tie late George l.. Fox, the comedian
and panton.mist. who died there IN such sad fash
ION a wear or two ago. The Mayor-eect Of Newton
Is Colonel r. ". Pulsifer. of the pr,pretors of
The Boston Herald whose standing Il attested 10y the
fact that IN a total vote Of about 500 only 10 bal
lots were cast against him.
The fact tiat NJ least fow women voted in each
of these thirteen cities for members Of School
Boards-vctcd for the first time under legislative
act of last Spring-gave the elections m interest
and an Importance they would not otherwise have
had In Cambridge, where 217 were
registered as voters two out of hve members
chosen on the school Committee women, and
third woman would probably have been elected
but for the complications growing ont Of Father
Scuys course the better class Of citizens generally
deeming il wise to reelect Catholic priest who
strongly supports the public school system. In
SOmerville the citizens caucuses twO Of the four
wards attended by women, who assisted in
making the school Board nominations; women dis
tributed bail t. IN one ward on election day. and
were MOI anywhere disturbed in the exercise of
their righi-; tDe one woman nominated for place
ou the sch'l Committee defeated by about a
dozen vo,es. Ia Chelsea women acted as ballot
distributors ~ he polls of ward two of the
four new members on the School Board are women
1t Is stated that every ono Of the 1OJ
registered women appeared and voted. The 50
women who registered IN Newton accorded
one Of the four School Committee; their attendance
IT the polls i said TO nave kept many of the usual
ward-rOom oungers away. Fall River elected
members of the school Committee. Of whom
were given 20 tie IS women voters. Lawrence reg
istered only - women. and nominated no one of
them on the school Board. but their votes saved
OF the Republican nominees from defeat. do not
learn thit any women were nominated in the other
cities viz: Nsw-Bsdford, Taunton, Gloucester
Haverhill. Fchburg. Springfield and HolyOke.
Thus It appeared that fiye cities and 8
men were elected to the supervision of schools.
Six citles hold their elections next week What the
women do and get in those cities viii report in an
other letter.
The word Of caution that wrote recently about
believing reports 10 the discreGit of Archbishop
iiliams. and the Information Rave that be would
probably speak authortatively on this public and
pasOchIal school question. were hardly printed be-
fore The Pilot newspaper sent out its official report
of what the archbishop said the late meeting OF
Catholic priests. There appears to have been moth
ing specially important significant in his
remarks for everybody knew that the authorities
of the Catholic Church generally favor the estsb-
hshment of parochial schools wherever it can be
done witnout imposing too heavy financial bur-
den on the people. When they demand a division |
of the school money raised by taxation-the re VIII
be time 20 contest this Issue after it IS raised
Without alludng indirect to that turbulent
and guarrelsOme fellow, the Archbishop managed |
10 administer a pretty severe rebuke TO Father
Seuy and II Is plain enough now tO everybody
that the effort TO sustain his school and justify
himself this priest has OF late done good deal of
what the world calls downright lying.
The story of the Holmes breakfast has been told
Us fully as il be by the hating pens Of those
who neither poets nor autocrats, But when all
has been said that be sand, the best Of what !
should be said ls left unsald. Considered from
whatever point you will the affair was really a
genuine success. Doubtless Mr. HOughtOn and Mr. !
OsgOOd had their snare Of trouble aud anxiety on
aecOuut of unlnvited people who thought they had
been greatly wrODged. but nothing ot this appeared
after the hosts came IN contact with those whom |
they el-c. ed g. be their guests and II deserves
record that. tar could be seen or
was made known, the afternoon at the
hotel passed on without jar "A hitch 20 mar any
ones pleasure. The cool Judgment Of outsiders
agrees VITA that of those who listened 20 its read
ing IN declaring that the poem of DR.. Holmes Is one
OF hIs very tie finished IL with tone If voice
and show OF feeling that would have surprised
The DQiig Adrcrser OF the next morning gave seven
o. ITS long ANA closely columns To report OF the
OccaS.Ou; general wac tine Interest ia the matter
that tine regular and large extra editions were bon
sold out al an early hour. Beyond the letters OF !
decinBtIOn and regret that actually published
there were a score more gOod that they might |
properly On5h nave been gwen out. And may |
tel you confidence that many OF the notes Of ac-
ceptance were amazingly bright aud clever. When |
MF. HouglfOn gets al tnesc notes and letters ar
ranged aud bound. TANK what charming and valu- |
abb book OF autographs be VIII have.
Probably majority OF the persons present al the |
breakfast would have confessed To a reasonable |
curiosity % Hiss >prague. the autnoreSs of IAN
Earnest Iiller winch 10 beyond all question the |
most successful story published in Boston this
son. she sat eight on zen plates from Mr.. HOugh- !
ton and Dr. Holmes between Mr OsgOOd and X |
Governor Rice. aud Throughout the day bore her |
sell Win most wlns0me mOdesty. One OF the peas
ant incidents OF the OCCASION was tlaf whlie she |
and they thu. sat AZ table her publishers received
an order l0l 900 copies Of her novel from far-Oh |
chicago. lhe story Of the genesis of this book of |
It's origin anh 0eFeOpmeDt, one OF mnch interest
whlcn may perhaps tell You some time One vi /
Its chapters could De furnished 1 believe by Mr |
John Burroughs, the pOet-natnralIst. Now and then |
something very good in literature ls dashed OF |
Dut that H. not the lesson of sucn success as Mis-