Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-03-06
MANHATTANISMS.
A DRAMATIC SPECTACLE THE RESULT
OF EVOLUTION.
How Lent and Love Lead to Marriage
A Practical Journalist Grows
Rich - Varieties.
New York, February 10, 1880.

New YORK, February 10, 1850.
AS this is the Lenten season, society, in
its restricted sense, is presumed to be re-
penting of its sins in Brussels laces and
Burgundy wines. We all know something
of the lace and wine, and of the sins also,
but none of us can feel very sure about the
repentance. Fashionable repentance is not,
as rule, very serious. 1t involves very
little sacrifice of convenience or comforts,
being usually mere matter of form, and,
indeed of very pleasant form. They who
abstain from public festivities at this time
often make up for it by private entertain
ments. They go to church oftener than
common they decline invitations to par
ties; they refuse to dance the German
but they are apt to have very good time
at home. | am acquainted with number
of young women, vigorous observers, as
they say of Lent, who enjoy the season
very much. They do not go out in the
modish way ; they drive to church take
sober airing in the park, attired in black
silk shop very little, but see their friends,
really meaning friends, whenever they call
The consequence is that the young men
they particularly like, and who particularly
like them, are with them great deal.
The girls so arrange it, as may be sup
posed, that their admirers shall not inter-
fere with one another, and by the time Easter
comes round one of them at least is likely
to have been caught, and only waiting to be
DRAWN TO THE COMMUNAL LAND.
You probably know that any number of
weddings are almost always celebrated
after Lent. They are the direct result of
forty days social seclusion, so that the girls
may be alone with their lovers These
probably repent of their sins so very charm
ingly, when Charles or Henry is with
them-a certain number of signs, fondlings
and caresses are, of course, necessary to
complete contrition-that they become ir-
resistible. The principle of all liberal re-
ligion is love, and love is very easily ex-
cited between two young persons of differ
ent sex, when they are sitting close to-
gether, with the gas turned down, talking
sentiment and predisposed to spooneyness.
We won't try to imagine what they do and
say-in fact, we need not exercise our
imagination on this point-we know how
it is ourselves-but, taking all things into
consideration, we do not wonder-do we p
that Hymen claims his victims during the
month of May, justly called the month of
love. Yes, this is the period for wooing
and winning among many of our fashion
able Christians. When | see young man
slipping out of handsome house n the
modish quarter, and leave pecu ar half
smothered sound preceding his departure,
about or after midnight, see his fate fore
shadowed; 1 know that his days of celibacy
are numbered. A divine instinct reveals
that it was she who let him out-there is
only one she for him in all the world
after much endeavor to bury her pretty
head in his waistcoat; that she has crept
stealthily up stairs to her own chamber,
and gone to bed thinking of him, and fall
ing off to
DREAM OF KISSES AND BLISSES,
OF bridesmaids and orange blossoms, and of
the glorious happiness which is ever COM
ing but never comes. There are, of course,
great many Episcopalians who regard
Lent very devoutly, who are strictly pious,
and who try to be better and do better
during this season. But thele are many
again who cannot conceive of religion apart
from fashion, because they are so given
over to fashion. Most of these are women
religion sits very easily on men-and
the manner in which they blend theology
and conventionality naturally subjects
them to considerable satire. Their nomi-
nal retirement from gayety has its effect
upon society, for quite a number of them
are rich, occupy prominent positions, and
keep Lent because it is, in their Judgment,
the proper thing to do. They may not
fast much they may not pray very fer
vently; they may substitute plain claret
for old Burgundy, and bouillon for turtle
soup; but they feel better physically and
mentally after the prescribed forty days,
because they have had an opportunity
meanwhile to make up for late hours, much
dressing and undressing, and any amount
of dissipation. This for the matrons. The
young women do not gain great deal from
Lent, for | hear that, while love-making
may be very pleasant, it is always severe
strain on the nerves and sometimes on the
gowns.
THE FAMOUS SPECTACULAR BALLET,
The Black Crook" seems perpetual. 1t
is always playing somewhere in the coun-
try, and the time may come when the sun
shall never set-properly sit-on its per-
Torrance 1t has been revived this season
at its old home, Niblo's Garden, where
Jarrett and Palmer originated and pro-
duced itin the autumn of 1866, and whence
it spread all over the continent. The
Crook was never written or arranged
it grew it was the result Of evolution,
as much so as man, city or planet.
The two manager, being out OF business,
casually met in Broadway, and finding that
decided to go into theatrical partnership,
and bring out some kind of novelty-they
did not know exactly what. They there
fore leased Niblo's; Palmer went abroad
picked up one thing in London, another in
Paris, another in Vienna and still another
in Berlin. After getting certain showey
scenes, magic effects and fine ballet, he
returned here, intent upon some plan to
string them all together so as to be pre-
sentable. Just then, Charles nj. Barras
emerged from the interior with the Ms. of
what he termed medieval pictorial drama,
and offered it TO the manager, confident, of
course, that it would prove an unbounded
success. Ordinarily, they would not have
looked at it; but having so much scenic
and saltatory material. they thought that
they might fit it to the piece, or rather fit
the piece to it by liberal excision. After
examining the ''Crook pages, they set
resolutely to work, cutting and patching
and when they had done, very little Of the