Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1882-04-11
nier remarked: my best picture is in
Germany. in the hands of nv enemies

Germany, In the hands of my enemies
1 have offered all am worth to get
again, but they will not sell it to me.
Mr., Vanderbilt, feeling sorry for tn
dear old artist, without letting hin
know it, got all the particulars from
him, and left the room. Summonin,
his Secretary, Avery, to his side, b
told him to telegraph Immediately t.
every gallery in Germany, and to max
sure aud buy the picture for him, n
matter at what cost. In week tn
picture was in Paris, so potent a wan'
does this our modern Prospero WELD
Then, asking Meissonier to breakfast. ;
picture was seen on an easel, covered
with a cloth. The painter supposed i
was the portrait of Mr.. Vanderbilt
which he had just sent home. "Well
Monsieur said Mr.. Vanderbilt
pleasantly, "my friends do not thinl
that picture like me. I must al
you to change it little "Not lik
| you mon anil" exclaimed MessOnier
disgusted 4; "ah ! it is your living i'm
age" Well. now. raise the cloth, ant
see if it is at all like mel" Meissonie
went to the easel. and very angrily tor
away the drapery. There stood in al
its beauty his loved and lost picture
Information" He could not believ,
his eyes. "Ah! mon ami Oh, ms
femme, mes enfants-mais, je suis heu'
reux ~ said the excited man He dane
ed, he sang, and he shed tears Mr.. Van.
derbilt kindly offered him his picture
mo-" said the grateful Meissonier
take it TO- your noble America, the frienC
of freedom and the friend of France. ,
"Do not love my opulent friend, the
Vanderbilt!" old Messonier says, as nt
tells this story.
| Miss Anna Dickinson appeared here
last week as Hamlet. and her perform.
ances We're largely attended. She haf
been very severely criticised, indeed
by our daily press, who were very OBJ
stinate indeed in not seeing her good as
well as her weak points. Or course, il
was quite novel to see woman play
| Hamlet, and consequently great crowds
fl0cked to see her. She is q little wo.
man, and has a most charming, be-
witching smile. Her language, OF
course, was the language of the famous
Prince of Denmark, but the voice, the
elOcutiOn. the form, the substance, ev-
erything in fact was Anna Dickinson.
In witnessing performance of the
same character by Booth, you uncon-
sciously lose sight of the fact that Booth
Is playing, and for the time being you
rec not the actor, but the "melaucholy
Dane" himself With Anna Dickin-
son it is not 80. You never think OF
Hamlet, but always of Miss Dickinson,
the successful lecturer, repeating Ham
let's lines. But the cause of Miss Dick
inson's inability to impersonate this
difficult role. is no fault of hers. Ma
ture is to blame. Nature made Miss
Dickinson little more than the aver
age woman-more as regards will, brain
power, self reliance, ard individuality
but not quite man, that Is to say, a
man bold enough and able enough to
essay the role of Shakespeare's great
creation.
General and Mrs. Grant, you know,
have been residing here all winter.
Many and magnificent have the dinners
been given in their honor. 1t ia whis~
pered in society that the General is de-
termined that he will write no more
autographs on the dinner cards of his
hosts, very childish and foolish de-
termination, I think. But then the
poor man has been pestered almost to
death by people running after him ask
ing him for his autograph, and request
ing this and the other favor. Even this
man of iron will must lose patience
sometime, suppose, and, after all, it is
but human.
Governor Samuel j. Tilden is build
ing himself a new and magnificent res
idence on Gramercy Park. One room
alone, I believe, is to cost not less than
$50 00O This will rival Mr.. Wander
bilt's house. The rooms are to 1e fur
nished in different shades, and as there
will be upward of thirty rooms in the
house wi hen completed, great variety
of colofs will have to be employed in
the decoration. His library is to be
hung in tones Of yellow, red and green,
and the ceiling is to be painted by Gel
ebrated artist. Mr.. Tllden is at present
tiful Hudson, but when he is in town,
noon taking stroll through Fifth Av-
enue. His health has been peor.for the
last year, and he has accepted but few
of the many Invitations that have been
showered upon him, but be is now, ]
believe, recovering.
General Beauregard and Miss Lee, 8
daughter of General Lee, both distin,
guisbed Southerners, have been visiting
prominent society people here during
the past week, and have been rendered
several dinners, musicales, etc.. which
were largely attended ana very enioya-
BILE, but quiet, in consequence of this
being Passion Week. Both of them
have been exceedingly admired.
Easter Week promises to be very gay
indeed. Any number of notable and
brilliant weddings will occur, the last
Ball of the IF. G. D. c." will take
place at Delmonico's, and innumerahle
private nalis. reeeptians and teas will
be held. The exodus of fashionable
people to Europe this Spring is even
larger than last season. On Wednes-
day alone three hundred saloon passen.
gers sailed, and the week following
Easter as many more will follow.
| Bob IngersOll has been lecturing here
this week, and ] am sorry to say that
large and enthusiastic crowds have
gathered to hear him. Why isit? The
mans oratOry Is something wonderful,
know, and there is magnetism about
him which cannot be denied, but it seems
to me that it certainly should require
more than this to make good Christian
chnrch-g -g2ipg people stay away from
the House Of God oh Sunday evening
and go to hear him. I think the worlC
at large has of late begun to think lit
tie better of him, but now since he has
announced his lecture, "What shall W.
do to be saved ?" for the evenings O.
Palm and Easter Sunday respectively
when the whole Christian world is fol
lowing with reverence the footsteps O
Our Redeemer. even bis most ARDEN
ADMIRERS are beginning to lose faith il
him.
The weather here is beautiful, al,
though it Is still cold, and not vestigt
of springs "ethereal mildness" can b
seen. However, with Easter Wall conn,
a,s nsaa asesaHHsassss; assss; ssna warmth warm. M ahg glad
A PRISONERS JOKE The Sheriff Of
Dallas county, Iowa. wears shabby
clothes, and is insignificant in appear
ance He had occasion to take portly
welI-dressed prisoner to the peniten.
tiary. The convict. when they cam,
into the Warden's office, coelly Ienafk
ed, Here's man fol- you,n and 'handet
over the Sheriff to be locked up. Th,
trick was not successful !; yet the Sheriff
had to submit to detention until hi
identity could be established.