Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-12-30
FROM BOSTON

l.
Merry Christmas TO you, good friends
and to all the world beside. May the holiday
season be laden with all sorts of blossir,1
May Santa Claus ill all your stockings with
the things you most desire. MAY the New
Year come freighted with prosperity. and NAV
all our porridge-dishes be right side up every
time it rains-plums.
want, before go any further, TO set NV
self right with myself and with YOU in regard
TO statement made few weeks since ra-
garding Miss Sadie Martinez 1t all goes 10
show we have no right to PREJUDICE. Perbans
you will remember that 1 questioned Misc
Martinots fitness for the Lady Angela in po-
tence. Well, want to take IL all back She
has surprised me, as indeed she has the entire
public Anything more exquisite than her
performance of it have never seen. She is
as exquisitely beautiful as a Greek statue and
poses like Diana. How in the world sbe has
gotten SO entirely into the aesthetic humor. 7
don't see; but she is simply wonderful. If
Helen herself were half as beautiful as tbin
modern girl in her Greek robes of pale blue
don't wonder that Master Paris coveted his
neighbours wife and ran away with her civ.
ing old Homer the opportunity to write the
OVID and make forever classic the plains of
old Troy. As for the opera, It has not vet
palled on the public taste, and IL looks now
as though its popularity was fairly to rival its
predecessor PinGfore In the company as il
is at present-the Museum company, Imean.
OF course, as that is the Patience companv
par excelence-Miss Amy Ames is the Lady
Jane, and, as she gives it, it is one of the
best pieces of character acting 1 have ever
seen, ranking with George Wilson's Bunthorne
and certainly can give 1t no higher praise
Her makeup is simply wonderful; she dis
guises her own dark-browed prettiness. and
makes Of herself stout middle-aged woman,
with mania for aesthetic art and Bunthorne.
and yearning for the unattainable-which
in her case takes the form of husband.
"Boadicea" was the nickname bright Mrs.
Woolson gave her as she came studying down
the stage in gown of dark-blue velvet with
peacock embroidered on the front, and a
light-blue shoulder-cloak worked with the
mystic symbol of the sunflower But her
couture is the most wonderful; a very high
French twist, with three sunAowers in the
front and the funniest little side-curls. Miss
Ames was formerly member of the Museum
company but since her severe illness in Par
is, while she was abroad studying for the op
cratic stage, she has played but little. She
ought not to give it up again after her present
success, and 1 don't much believe she will
She is daughter of the late Joseph Ames
one of the finest of modern artists, and he
mother was called the most beautiful woman
in Boston. There was great deal of oppo
sition when this eldest daughter determined
to make the stage profession but, findinI
she was not to be moved, they all gave in grace
fully, and her success became a family pride
The weather grew cold just in season +
keep from US the supposedly fatal "greei
Christmas, that, according to the old Englisl
proverb, makes "fat graveyard" But hash
the warm weather been blessing to the COS
bins ?-and that, too, when coal is highe
than it has been for some years. I have ina
it on my mind for some time to speak Of
new furnace that saw at the Mechanics fair
in which was much interested. say ne'
furnace; should have said an improved fui
mace, since that is what it really is ca
speak with authority" too, for 1 have ha
one of the original furnaces in my house fc
three years, and had thought that perfection
but up pop all these improvements, and, a
they are of sanitary and economical char
acter, began to investigate for myself.
dare say those of you who are interested i
such things remember the New Golden Eagl
furnace exhibited at the Mechanics fair by c
W. Dunklee & Co. of Ill Blackstone stree
1t was in a conspicuous place, and it had a
attendant who explained all the points.
know that all women and most men are ally
on the vital question of health, and that Il
sanitary department of the family, as well
of the community, is run with great care sr
thought. can ounce of prevention" is gen
rally considered "better than pound of cure
and people are acting as though they believe
it. They are taking care of ventilation, the
are throwing open the shutters and biddir
the sunlight enter, and they are taking ca
every way to surround themselves with CO
ditions that shall promote health. This mu
be my excuse for dragging such prosaic su
iect as a furnace into my letter. The econ
my which is claimed for the one 1 have ju
mentioned is in the use Of COAL and givil
the greatest amount of heat for the fuel CO
sumed. 1t has very large radiating surfac
the whole dome being of wrought iron, wifi
absorbs heat and sends it out in greaterqua
titles than any other kind of iron. Then t
cold air is admitted uniformly to every pa
instead of coming in with great velocity