Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-02-11
LETTER FROM NEW YORK.


A DAZZLING PLACE-AN OLD STORY RE-ToLD-
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES BEST CIRCLEs-vOORHIs'
TRIALs-A PSYCHOLOGICAL sTUDY-THE BALL
SEASON, ETC.
Special Corres1 ohdence of THE EVENING STAR.
NEW YORK, February 10th. 1882.
The most fashionable bar-room in New York is
owned and run by murderer It's an odd COM
meDtary on the loudly asserted Improvement in
the general tone OF society that the OF
this murderer should be so instantaneous and
complete. often hear men say: ayes, the fact
can no longer be denied that the people of New
York are crystazing into q society which, without
being as prOhgate as the French, or as exclusive
as the English will have the best features OF both.
Money has not the sway it used to have. Jay
Gould, with all his wealth, and Vanderbilt, with
his two hundred millions, cannot get into our best
circles" 1t isn't So The belief is that the sole
requisite for social success in New York is, as 1t
always has been, money. The murderer 1 speak
Of is Edward S. Stokes, who calmly, coolly and
deliberately murdered Fiske in the Grand Central
hotel He lay in wait for the gOOd-hearted if
sharp-dealing, railroad king and shot him down
like dog He was sentenced to be hanged. had
new trial. spent four years In Sing Sing and then
went to the west and won heavily in mining
operations. A short time ago he came here and
bought the Hoffman House. He built entirely
new bar-room, which is without doubt the most
gorgeous affair OF the kind in the country and has
operators, ast-livers, men-ab0ut-town and many
citizens who stand high among the city'S men.
me place &C Is magnlicent in all its appointments
laSc1V1ous In Its pictures. One picture in par
ticqlar is rapidly making for itself an uhen,
painting called ssThe vision of Fa1st,' and
shows Faust asleep on mountain top,
with WI, score or more OF nude women circling over
his head. The vulgarty and utter recklesSnesS for
decency or decOrum displayed In the postures Of
the female figures has never before been equalled
brings to mind the third, and in many
respects the most famous, or infamous,
held. That womans career has been amazing. l
VIII never forget how she used to drive down
Broadway in The afternoons, lolling In magnifi-
cent barouche, with coachman and footman on
the box her poodle by her side, and her hands and
throat blazing in diamonds. She sat in her car
FlSke and Gould caused the never-to-be-f forgotten
Black Friday After the sentence Of Stokes she
prof1fgate women. Later she returned to New
YORK and exhibited herself in cheap variety shows
on the Bowery. and now she has drfted to Ger
tain diSreDutable dive on Long Island. OF the
three in the tragedy the woman is the wreck; the
victim is dead, and the murderer is alive and pro-
prietor OF prosperous hotel. Occasionally man
OF goOd Inquire ana stylish garments walks calmly
about the house and through the bar-rOOm. His
hair is white and his face deeply lined, but he is
young in years. Men call him ED" and shake
him warmly by the hand. Young men, or strang
ers gaze at him curiously, but lie never seems to
notice them, and strolls out with the suave ease
that he entered. "Thats Stokes, who murdered
Fiske,' is heard from every side OF the room, and
they go on drinking or playing, and their money
pours steadily into Stokes Golfers. SO much for
The Improvement in the morals OF New York.
PATIENCE
There Is some danger OF Patience becoming as
much OF an epidemic as PinGfore was three years
ago. 1t Is still presented nightly at the Standard
where it was first produced in this country; new
company IS playing 1t at Haverly's Fourteenth
ctr nv
tors; the San Francisco MinStrelS give their YER
sion, with burnt-corh caste, and the Boston Ideal
Opera Company, which came here On Monday. also
have the piece In their repertoire But there has
been nothing in the eSthetic line that Ii rs caused
so much comment as the recent presentation OF
this opera by coterie of fashionable society
people at Chckering Hall Tor charity. Two per-
formanceS were given with dazzling success. But
1t now appears that the young ladies of the CON-
pany enjoyed playing the part OF rapturous maid
ems, ana the young men going through the evOlu-
lions OF the heavy Dragons and singing their luty
songs, so much that they Will not be content until
they have given additional performances. matt
nee on some afternoon this week has been talked
OF, and one OF the leading members said the other
day that trip to Baltimore, and, perhaps, other
cities, was In contemplation In several respects
the amateur performance was better than the pro-
fessonal Unq PROFESSIONALLY the voices were sweeter
and the singing almost without fault. Some OF the
young Indies, by their height and lack of plump
ness were at dyantage. The esthetc dress.
cut low III the neck, loose, and without sleeves, is
becoming to well rounded figure, and makes
pretty woman irresistIbly fascinating. But a
woman without these natural charms should be-
ware OF eSthetic gown. This Is one of the
morals Oh the amateur performance. Nevertheless
1t was memorable production, and these who
VIII yet get an opportunity to see 1T may count
themselves fortunate.
oDETTE.
The principal dramatic event of the week was
the first performance OF Sardous new drama OF
Odete, the plot OF which has already bee given.
AS Was expected, the house was crowded and
much interest and enthusiasm was manifested by
the audience from first tn last The critics all agree
that the play is sktful piece of work. and that
1t is destined 10 claim public attention for some
time to come. This fact aside it is amusing to SEE
how they cross each other-One calling thing par
excellent and another cOndemniug it as altOgethe-
bad, and third differing from both In the degree
OF praise or blame. One writer devoted himself
almost entirely to satirical discussion of the
theme OF the drllna-"a itcinating Snner-a glor-
lOuS and melting crcature-a beautiful animal who
goes straight to the devil" This critic, after de-
ploring the fact that SarOu, with his brilliant and
highly trained intellect, Should treat such a sub
ject says that the piece IS tersely and trencanty
written with his usual skill and more than his
usual feeling. AS for the lesson it is 1.-THE beati
tnde Of glorious feminine wckedness. The first
act IS pronounced spirited to an extreme degree
accunuite as lne play proceeds Another writer
begins hy raising the cry Of plagiarism Gieue, he
says, Is very like Mario ArShard's novel and play
OF La Hdi"mtnd, and Is in short, nothing NOR;
than a remodeiling OF that work Then he says the
problem to be solved has the merit OF good
Idea, and has hardly been viewed before from "A
serious dramatic standpoint. Going on he finds
justification for Mr. SardOu in the fact that the
play is thoroughly interesting, adding that what
ever interests the public has {. certain value be-
yond criticism He finds SardOus strength in his
ability 70 make so much out OF & lttle-to arouse
so much interest out Of what is in itlel futile and
vague But the effect OF this praise OF the authors,
artistic skill is spoiled by the declaration that q
S,ibtTet ton might be IN de OF the whole OF t,r
third act, and, indeed, OF the first two acts ana
that nearly ali OF the characters We're not related
to the vital action OF the drama. A third crit,
puts hi opinion laconicaly, saying that ii OGefte
is not edylng 1t is at least entertaining. The
drama Is well constructed he says, and is pictur-
eSGuc and IOfCib,e in trea tmGnt However, II the
attendance since Monday night and the reception
OF each performance by the audience may form Il
basis OF caIcu.u ton, Mr. Daily Will score a success
this time Without Il doubt.
THE BEST CIRCLES
The "beSt circles are in q most unuSu I'll uDrOar
just now over the revelations OF a very bland and
audacious gentleman, signing himself "Andrew j.
Rowe, No. 1875 Broadway" who has made public
the antecedentS OF the wcilknOwn BreyOOrt FAM
lily. The BrevOortS In New York are-the Bre-
vOortS. No one is permitted to question their So
c1al standing and they trace their descend ants for
centuries back till they reach royal blood. They
are exclusive and are worshiped by many or the
younger families because or their alleged blue
blood. 1t therefore caused u connection when the
bland Mr. Rowe rushed into print with letter in