Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-04-08
SAN FRANCISCO LETTER.
SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT TIE EsrHgrIc
CRAZE.
Proposed Short Clothes Party-The
Ward Collection of Scientific
Curiosities.
SAN Francesca. April 6. 1882.

SAN FRANCISCO, April b, 1857.
There is no freak SO mad but that
strange creature, the world, will frollc
after it. Yet ight froth of true senti-
ment floats toward the top like the kaleid-
oscopic hues that precede the bursting OF
a bubble. If one could only find it Bat
it darts hither and yon, and the searcher
after fragment of the serious catches but
its futter amidst the play at feeling, the
burlesgue at belief, the travesty on ear
pestness. Oh if in all the changes and
fashions of the world one could but find
real purpose, one token Of earnestness
But it is all change for the sake of change,
folly for the sake of folly, fashion for
fashions sake alone, and not because any
one thing is better or purer than another.
Thank God, the globe lacks nothing of
purpose, but that it should be individual,
a one.man purpose, is our shame. Now
and again handful band together, and
their united earnestness becomes so strong
that the world clusters about to view, to
turn and laugh, to look again, to dance
away with just enough impression of re-
ligiou, of culture, Of real hand or brain
work, to make its apings seem like fresh
burlesque. Yet as individual, the world
worships purpose.
IT GOES ON IT'S KNEES
To the martyrs; it is rapt in an ecstasy
before heroes; it confesses and betrays its
own sins to the masters, who forthwith
win fame by showing it itself again with
pen, with brush, or with the voice and ac-
ton. To day it is the worlds humor to
play at art 10 talk of renaissance, which
is but mixed up and chaotic nothingness
to its own sense, and then to turn and
mock at its talk and its make believe en-
beavers, showing that it knows how shall
low and shifting its thought is, and how it
delights in that thought being SO. Exclud-
ing few whom l suspected of 3 real pur-
pose, | massed together the rest of those /
knew in the world, and dipping into the
mass haphazard l fished out certain
name, and hunted up the lady who bore
it. Well, she hadn't quite come to
"gowns," but she had an idea that she
ought to compromise her dresses some
how, so that they should be different
from what they had been. Whether it
should be in the cut, the color or the
trimming she didn't know, but she hoped
her dressmaker would. She wore sun
flower in her belt of afternoons, though
she thought it ugly, and preferred pink
rose or cluster of violets. She had no
idea of conventionalzng it or the lily into
design or decoration. She had painted
some storks on little banners that hung on
the wall, but she said she
THOUGHT THEY WERE HORRID,
And expressed the same opinion of a cup
and saucer done in moss roses that she had
placed on the shelf OF an etagere. She
had made number of plaques, but had
given them all away. She could not gay
she thought them very good, but they were
pretty good, too. OF course, good many
learned such work to teach it, and what
they did was real pretty, but the rest was
all about alike. II she had no particular
taste for that line of accomplishment, why
did she do it? She laughed at herself, too,
as she answered that we had to have a
change once in a while, and she amused
herself by working away as industriously
for an hour or so at time as If she had
talent. | asked her what she thought
of Oscar Wilde? ooh" she replied,
" some things he says are real sweet, but
for the most part | only get an idea of
smattering of something or other but
know it's about art, and then | come home
and do another plaque" | could see she
was making fun of herself, OF me, of 1T all
but | persisted, "And the gentleman
the apostle himself?' She said, "Well,
you know there's Mrs. Langtry, and she's
such beauty, everybody knows about her,
aud she has struck kind of pose, you
know, and will go down to history among
the other beauties on pedestal. Now,
Mr.. Wilde, you know, is a kind of a male
Mrs. Langtry, and he poses ike sun
flower on It's stalk, not at all as beauty,
but pcturesquely, elasticity, artistically,
with his face always toward
THAT 'GARIsH SUM-
The world" Somewhat bewildered,
asked &c Yet you follow him, great way
off though it may be; you read his
poetry you believe in the lily ?" she re-
Piled lightly ''Oh, yes Why net? OF
course one must follow something, and
why not one thing as well as another as
long as it lasts ?" How frivolous, after this,
seems this grand p-etense! go about the
milliner shops, aud the 'sleonine" sunflower
stares me in the face from every window,
bold, yellow and lonely, one great round
flower Haunting itself singly to the laugh
ing gaze OF the multitude. Within are
decorations of the same, with rows OF lilies
and lovely azaleas In addition, and
those who sell, and those who buy seem
affected with an odd sort of SIM
plicity and severity in appearance. lis
the same following after" Half-grown
boys at twilight roam the streets with
sickening attempts at witticism on the
craze of the day, and in their button-ho
and hats they wear FULL blown Gala lilies.
These calm white lilies, so statuesque and
so beautiful in curve have an appreciation
in Cleveland, Ohio, where all winter long
they have sold at two bits apiece. Perhaps
Cleveland, also, worships Oscar Wilde and
the beautiful. Oar demand for them this
time of the year is always great, for lilies
and Custer seem to belong to each other,
and the affairs are always laden with them.
The Ivy Social Club shortly after Easter is
to give
AN EsTHETIC PARTY,
And the gentlemen composing it have all
given an order for satin knee breaches for
the occasion. No one allowed on the floor
without the esthetic cut to the garment.
Mr.. Wilde has signifad gracious inten.
ton to be present. Query Is this carl
cature or is it a sign of respect to Mr..
Wilde? Meantime the newly. arrived
opera troupe nightly present " Patience, !"
in which John Howson, the comedian, who
is called a friend Of Mr.. Wilde's, as " Bun
thorne," gives makeup and acts a
character which is so plainly a
studied caricature upon his friend, "
and which if it weren't such
a fine advertisement for the delightfully."-
shrewd apostle might be matter of
trouble. There is no need to speak Ct the
personal appearance of Bir Wilde nor of
his lectures. since he has been fully re.