Middletown transcript., 1881-03-18
fCoMMUNICATED.1
An Evening with Irving Lyceum.

tCoMMUNICATED.l
An Evening with Irving Lyceum.
Mr.. EDITOR win your readers care
to hear what woman has to say about
the new Literary Society from impress
ions received upon her first attendance
last Monday night ? As we housewives
would say, they Of the Lyceum set a
good table,. Indeed, from this banquet
Of the muses., none need go hungry away,
for what with travel sketch, essay, hu-
NOR, critique and varied learning, it
were hard to find a board more lavishly
garnished. And you masculine lovers
Of conviviality who think no fire, no
snap and sparkle can be born of aught
but noisy champagne, visit this decor
Gus and sprightly scene and behold the
genuine article fun, wit, and good sense
quite equal, if not superior, to the best
alcoholic brand manufactured and
nothing stronger than water employed.
May I append the bill of fare to Whet
the appetites Of those who missed the
feast and incite such, perhaps, to avail
themselves in future Of opportunities 50
pleasing. First, then, Miss Lilly Rob-
erts led us delightful ramble up the
Hudson quite from busy Gotham to
historic Saltwater !; now wandering
with us among the classic scenes that
have enriched its banks with words
and deeds immortal, then bearing US In
fancy on its fair bosom to view,
through the mellowing haze of distance,
the wonderful beauty of Palisade and
storm-cloud, of sloping vistas of rock
and green and shade, that not less than
its storied associations link its name
with the rivers of other lands old in
story and famed in fable. DR.. k,
though professionally a homeopath,
was good enough to give us an allo-
pathic dose of the Letters of Junius,
illustrated with some wit not unworthy
their author. The medical gentleman
when moving tender of thanks to
Miss Jennie Wright for her courteous
loan of an organ, made some touching
remarks upon the power of music ITO
soothe the savage breast" &C., which ap-
peared to excite rather than to ''soothe, "
owing, perhaps, to the unavoidable
scarcity of savage breasts" ." Miss l..
Downs, in presenting her thesis upon
the Merchant Of Venice, looked herself
another Portia, and with wig and robe
might have seemed. in every truth
another Daniel come to judgment. p"
Mr.. Hambly gave an excellent reading
from Major Jack Downing, the pseu-
donym Of Seba Smith, an early Ameri-
can poet and humorist of the Irving
school, a quaint picture of meeting
house" in the retired village of Brook
haven a full century ago. The gentle
man is plainly enough no tyro as his
quiet manner betokened, with its no
table absence Of those mannerisms that
mark the raw reader striving vainly
after effect. Next came helady who, two
weeks ago, (if report be true) so badly
demolished the geography of Alaska
and demonstrated its purchase such
bad bargain that Seward risen from his
grave would not have given counter
felt Confederate S. bill for it. She
electrified the society with a speech
upon "The Seven Sleepers,'' dressing
up the old tradition in style that made
her audience roar loud enough to have
awakened those same sleepers, then
closing her piquant effort, paid her
compliments to the sterner sex in a
manner that made the writer for once
thank her lucky stars she was born a
woman. The entire affair might be
termed brilliant and no unmeaning eu-
logy be contained in the epithet.
Come, perplexed housekeeper, come
with me to the Lyceum, and laugh
away the wrinkles you have gotten the
week gone, OF fetch here your frowns
and fast forming lines of care, your sighs
and wash-day blues and all other things
lugubrious, and find, as 1 have, the
magic panacea to scatter them.
JERSEY GIRL.