Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-01-30
letter from Boston.
THE ATLANTIC AND MR.. HowE1.Ls NEW STORY
A FEAT or ABSORPTION, WITH QUESTION |
OF WISE EcoNoMY-wEDNEsDA MORNING |
LECTURES.


BosroN, Jan. -, 1880
The ATLANTIC looks as fresh and bright rs
though il had not passed through terrible
fiery ordeal since the January number was
sent out on its travels. 1t was fortunate
thing that Mr.. Howells had all the manu-
scripts at his own house in Cambridge so
that nothing was lost except some letters of
regret for the Holmes breakfast which were
in the publishers possession. am growing
mu oh interested in Mr.. Howells story, THE
Undiscovered Country" which is story Of
spiritualistic phenomena, and the so-called
mediums" 1t is daring hand that will at
tempt such q task and, / must say, | don't
know any one except Mr.. Howells, unless, Of
course, il be Dr. Holmes, who could be
trusted TO NEEDLE with it. 1t is so easy to
make the subject offensive, and so hard to
treat it with delicacy. Mr.. Howells must
have made a close study Of the mediums.
The mental and moral oGtusencss Of Mrs.
Leroy is so well drawn, and every one who
reads can see the leer with which she admits
to those whom she supposes to be in sym
pathy with her trickery, that she gave the
hDlllNh uiA tut htlp my "hhetN " hNA ihhNN-
REALIZATION seances, or, as she pronounced it,
see -auntses." OF course she does not un-
derstand the despair and dismay of the ones
who had been real believers, and had never
doubted her sincerity or her honesty the de-
luded followers Of this mysterious doctrine.
All interest, however, centre in Egeria, the
daughter of the physician who, enthusiastic
in his belief, makes his child, over whom he
has mesmeric power, the Investigating in
Auence." One pities the girl all the more
that she loves her father and wants to help
him, while she hates the thraldom in which
she is held. The story bids fair to be the
strong cst that Mr. Howels has yet written
One of the most astonishing feats of alb
sorption ever heard of was performed last
week by the house of Jordan Il Marsh,
when it took the entire establishment of
Spalding & Wales, itself large concern,
into its own so completely that the identity
is entirely lost. Not only did the former
firm purchase the entire stock in both whole
sale and retail departments but they took
their manufactures, and all the people en-
ployed by them. The public had no ntima-
ton that such a transfer was proposed, and
the first warning they had was when the Sun
day papers announced the sale, and publish.
ed n card from the Winter street firm request
ing their customers to transfer their patron
age, ms they had done the business, to the
large Washington street house. Mr.. Spald-
ing, the senior member of the firm went with
the establishment, as did all the clerks. book
keepers cashiers workmen and cash BOYS
Not one person lost employment by this
change. 1t was one of the most gigantic
business transactions ever made by a private
firm, and there are very few such where large
corporations are concerned 1t was amusing
to see the people who had read neither the
Sunday nor the Monday morning papers
coming down Winter street on the Monday
after the sale. The first look was one Of Gu
riosity at the curtained windows, which deep
ened into astonishment as they read the
placard in front of the door, and the meaning
of it fairly dawned upon them they were lit
orally taken by surprise. 1t took the greater
part Of the week to remove the goods and get
them into place in the other store, and the
Spalding Wales force were kept busy night
and day every day and all day vans were
loading at one store and unloading at the 9th
err, ana in the meantime all the women in city
and suburbs were waiting for the bargains
which were promised them as soon as the
transfer should be made. On Monday of
this week the sale commenced and wish
you could have seen the rush. 1t was utter
ly unprecedented. The immense store, Of
whose size you can gain some idea when
tell you that it covers six and one-half acres
of ground and is five stories in height, was
crowded in every department several times
it looked as though not another person could
get in, aud it seemed equally impossible for
any one who was in to get out, so dense was
the throng; but nearly every one could get
near the counters. The same state Of affairs
has been kept up all the week, and the ques-
ton heard everywhere, in parlors horse-cars,
Oh the street or at the theatre. wherever two
persons meet, is Have you been to Jordan
~ Marsh'st' and the answer invariably is
Yes" OF course there are wonderful bar
gains offered, probably such as have never
been offered before in the Boston history of
dry goods. As passed through the depart
ment devoted to the sale of ladies' under
clothing one of the first days of the sale
wondered that women, especially the busy
women, who complain that they have SO lit
tie leisure, should make their own under
clothing when can they buy it so pretty and so
well made for so small a sum as is asked for
it, Why, il doesn't pay to buy the cloth,
the trimmings and the thread, let alone the
value of ones time. It's much cheaper to 90
and buy the garments outright-it is better
economy in every way. Think Of the added
time that can be given to the neglected mag
Rzine article or book, or to some social duty
long unfulflled. l never was so impressed
with the common sense of this reasoning, al.
though l have often employed 1t, as l was
when l looked at the prices attached to the
different articles that day and thought how
much more costly were the garments made
by women who could i'll afford the time.
There is an old saying that a penny saved
is penny earned" and people are very fond
of quoting il but it becomes a question
when tie penny really is saved whether it
is when one refrains from spending it, or
whom it is expended wisely There's ques-
ton of domestic economy which leave my
readers to settle for themselves, adding mere
ly that my own mind is firmly made up on
the subject, The same remarks will apply
to the ladies costume department Think
of a silk dress of good, but not elegant quail
ity well made, stylish although plain, for
eighteen dollars; or flannel walking dress
in the modsh colors, trimmed prettily with
plaid, for eight dollars. Does it pay to make
dresses when they can be bought ready made
for such prices Since the consolidation the
names on the Jordan & Marsh pay rolls num-
Der trihe over two thousand Mustn't it be
some work to look after community like
that?
Mr.. James T. Fields Wednesday morning
lectures on English literature are one of the