Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-10-28
LETTER FROM NEW YORK.

I.angtFy's Arrival-Even Our Correspondent
Says She Ii Beautiful-The Opera Season
The Political Campaign - Hon. Josh Bill
linss-Fcnale Gymnasss VIM. J. Flor
eRce. Etc.
Special Correspondence Of TIE EVENING STAR.
NEW YORK, Oct. 9th.
The Bernhard boom was never SO great as
| the excitement over Langtry's arrival. Every
thing about town is indicative of the presence
Of the Jersey Lily. and she is the one subject Of
| conversation. Her pictures are for sale In all
| the shop windows in the elevated railway sta
lions, and on vendors carts In the streets Some
of the photographs are highly cOlored, and not
| In the least like the original Her beautiful
| face is now 80 we'll known that when she ven-
lures forth in the street people stare at her with
abominable persistency, and even follow her
about. She is startlingly beautiful woman,
| and deserves every word Of adulatiOn that has
been written about her. 1 had a chat with her
| yesterday morning. / stood talking with Alb
hey, the manager at the door of his office in the
Park Theater, when Mrs. Langtry arrived for
the usual morning rehearsal. was presented,
and chatted for half an hour before the janitor
announced that the stage manager was ready.
She is as charmngly frank and cordial as she is
| beautiful. and possesses q voice of singu-
| lar depth and sweetness. She talked al
most entirely Of her stage life, and said
that she hoped always to be in the profession.
| asked her what she would consider her crown
/ ing point, and she said that she would be salts
| fed if she could some day own and manage a
theater. Rather singular it struck me that the
| woman whose charms had made her famous all
over the world should be satisfied to settle
down and manage theater. One rather pic
| tured her as going on in her triumphant career
conquerng all the worlds in christendom and
| heathendom and ascending into transcenden-
talism at last amid shower OF golden light.
! However. her own forecast looks the surest.
A remarkable quality about the beautiful Eng
lishwoman is her strong common sense. She
| has already half won her way into the hearts of
| our people by her warm-hearted praise
| of people and things American. ard she
| strengthens the impression by modest and
she comes in contact. Her eloquent praise of
! our native actresses won her the good will of
| theatrical people. and her graceful compliments
| to the beauty of American woman all had their
| effect No wonder the woman is popular who
| is at once so beautiful and clever. There
can be question of her beauty. A
prominent factor of it is her superb complexion.
| Millais deserves no credit for clubbing her the
Jersey Lily. for the lily is the first thing that
| suggests itself when one meets her. l would
| like to describe this famous complexion, but |
don't know how. Can any man describe the
color OF the lily? pause for reply. A lady in
| speaking of the beauty to-day said that she was
| surprised, not at the smallness of her waist
its peculiarly attractive shape She said that
Mrs. Langtry's belt enciTcled perfect oval The
| waist Is deep. but not broad. In fact l gathered
that line running fore and aft would indicate
| considerable depth that went towards making
| her profile view graceful and well curved,
! while line running across would show charm
| ing narrOwness which in turn went far towards
3, throwing her magnificent bust and shoulders
| out into the prominence they deserve. Mrs.
Langtry would be remarked anywhere as that
with all
| feet. She will be a success. / say this without
| having seen her act. for 1 never saw her In
London; but judge from the universal desire
| to see her. When men will pay S1S and $40 for
| single chairs at single performance and $500
| Tor boxes it looks like success indeed.
| THE OPERA SEASON.
| Col. Mapeson is doing exactly as prophesed
some weeks ago. Having made the most
glorious promises and ambitious assertions he
| comes down tamely and presents opera goers
with an entertainment that falls little short of
being an outrage. l am still suffering from the
dreadful effects produced by Nine Dotti's Mafi1le
She was the beau ideal of utter incompetency.
| When she came here many years ago as the
| bosom friend of the gallant colonel she was
| known-far too well-as Mrs. Swift. She has
| reappeared with methodical cOnstancy every
| time the colonel arrived. often under another
name. but always the same fat and thoroughly
| incompetent Mrs. Swift. This year as Nine.
| DOtti she is even worse singer than before.
, lsadOre Martinez Is also an uncOmmOnly bad
| vocalist. and Ravell appears prOvOkingly weak.
Even Gallassi. admirable artist though he is,
| has somehow failed so far, and Mile. Filomena
| SaviO has fallen very far short of the cOlonels
promises. 1t is fully time for Patti to come if
the great Mapleson is to keep on his feet.
| THE POLITICAL CAMPAIGN.
The campaign continues to have that anOma-
| lous character that it has had from the begin
ming. AS diplomatic measure the republicans
adopted the names brought forward by the
citizens who were struggling for reforms Isn't
there something ludcrOus In the idea of these
| gentlemen reformers being compelled to join
hands with the wing of the republican party that
is all the time fighting to have things left as they
are? JOHNNY O'Brien, who was nominated for
county clerk, is just now clamOrng for reform
There is nobody living who can give him points
on diplomacy. But JOhnny's hurrahing is to be
cut short by President Arthur. it Is said who
intends to have him withdraw his name The
| President has some good reason for this. That
defeat is inevitable is reason enough. especially
where it is ones dear friend. Allan Campbell
Is good man and he would undoubtedly be
elected If there was division among the demo-
Gratis. AS there is union. Franklin Edison will
be elected mayor. In the state canvass there is
an utter lack of excitement The republicans
are in condition of absolute despair and only
! keep the wheels Of the machine going in order
\
aid one other are the only speakers out. The
democrats are sending out campaign dOcu-
ments but doing little else. for the reason that
it is unnecessary. They are already gloating
over the spOils.
| HON. JOSH BILLINGS.
One of the figures often seen in the corridors
OF the Fifth Avenue hotel is that of Josh Bill
ings For sometime he has been Invisible, but
yesterday he reappeared again-the same ceri-
cal, solemn looking man, but more commune
cative than usual. He looked to me more like
Edward Everett Hale, the Unitarian minister,
than ever. His long. dark locks fell upon his
round shoulders from beneath a broad-brimmed
hat and turned forward under his ears. His
beard, which is becoming quite gray, was
trimmed closely to his face. The color of his
skin resembled that Of an Indian, aud his jaws,
which are usually angular, were we'll rounded
out. He didn't remain more than a minute or
two in one place, but would stalk around with
his peculiar tony, giant stride. swinging his long
arms In conversation the philosopher talks
| 1uently, and not at all as you would naturally
expect him to. He makes you laugh frequently,
but he does not even smile himself He ia all
the time as solemn as an owl. His earnestness