Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-12-29
GOTHAM GOSSIP.
YULETIDE IN THE GREAT ME-
TROPOLIS.


Bellies Removing Boards - Wallaek' .
Bad Luck-Boarding School Misses on
the Avenues-''Apartmen for Single
Gentlemen"
NEW YORK, Dec 27.-New York. almost al
ways restless and feverish, and never quite
dull except in midsummer, rises to the highest
pitch of excitement at the holiday season.
Broadway and other streets in which there are
shops, are thronged with people in search of
holiday presents. Every shOpkeeper takes
advantage of the passing crowd to set up a
show of some kind in his window. Various
pantomimes and puppet shows go on with
short intermissiOns, and the familiar figures OF
Punch and Judy are seen everywhere gong
through the different stages of their domestic
drama. Christmas day is observed by all
classes-by the poor as well as the rich. The
millionaire has party or reception at his own
house or dimes out with his family with some
relative or friend. The children have a
Christmas tree in the nursery and go out
to a party in the afternoon, which they
enjoy as much as their elders. The poor man
decOrates his bare rooms with green bOughs
and dimes on roast goose. But there is no class
that enjoys the holiday more than the young
mechanic, who puts on his best clothes and
makes day of it. He swaggers with his hat
on one side of his head, and imagines that he
is quite swell. He goes to ball at night,
where he dances with some plump cook or
chambermaid whom he fancies, and makes his
way home by daylight next mOrningi in an ad-
vanced stage of hilarity. The Christmas Just
passed presented the usual scenes The win
dows of houses in all quarters were decorated; !;
the rich made calls in their carriages; the
churches were thrOnged; there was fine music /:
the theatres were crowded at the afternoon
performances and at night; and nearly every
man who made his way home at an early hour
the next morning was of a musical turn of
mind. The small boy would have made a
great din, but the law wouldn't let him.
II the curtain be ever rung up on the 'Pas-
sion Play" it Will only be after the greatest
obstacles have been overcome by its indomita-
bic author. The reconstruction of a theatre
for its production was of itself big under
taking. The designing of elaborate scenery
was also enough for one man, and the train
ing of sixty speaking characters and of cho-
ruses making six hundred persons in all, was
task that most persons would shrink from
Yet Salmi Morse undertook all this. and has
persevered and has carried his preparations
for the production of his play with Unhinchng
energy. The opposition TO the play was until
last week, manly expressed in comments of
the clergy on the performance. The great
daily papers have as yet made little editorial
comment, but Howard Crosby, ID. Willis
James, William +. Dodge Eldridge Il. Gerry,
the President Of the Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Children, and others, have taken
steps to prevent the production of the play bv
legal interference, Mr., Morse was cited to
tfons were cited by those opposed
to the play, and the author was called upon To
describe the character of the performance and
to give some of the details Of its production.
When the author found that he was being
sharply questioned by lawyers he Indignantly
refused to answer until he could be repre-
sented by counsel. Another hearing of the
case will take place this week OF next Mr.
Morse and his friends are quite confident that
there is no provision in the existing laws
against the representation he proposes
to give. Aside from the clergy the
feeling is that this enthusiast should be
permitted to go ON with his show if he wants to-
The world does not know how many women
strugglewith the misfortune of having a growth
of hair on the tace-so aphysieian told me yes
teFday. Not only ill-favored women suffer
but those who have the highest social position
in society and are admired for their accom-
plishments. In exceptional cases a slight
growth of hair on the upper lip is not dishg-
urement, and indeed is regarded as a mark of
beauty. If a woman believes that il is an
adOrnment, she is rec0nciled and makes no
effort to get rid of it. This growth takes place
most frequently on the upper lip, or at the
corners of the mouth. But there are many, /
am assured, with hairy growth all over their
faces, thick enough and strong enough, if al
lowed to grow, to make a beard of
which any man might he proud. But this is
kept a secret from the world. Frequently the
sufferer from this cruel fate is so Industrious
in removing all signs of a beard from her face
that even her most intimate friends know
nothing about it. Various means are resOrted
to to accomplish this. If you could go into the
boudOir of same ladies' you could see them in
the act OF burning on Lne obnoxious hairs with
the flame of candle, or pulling them out
spitefully with pairof tweezers. Where the
beard is very rebelliOus, the poor victim re-
sorts to shaving mug and razor. 1t is danger
Gus to have recourse to this severe measure
for the beard soon becomes so strong that If
cannot be concealed, Very often face powders
which have caustic action on the skin are
used. These are highly deleterious They
not only destroy the hair down to the surface
Of the skin, but also penetrate below if n
these powders are not judiciously used they
m II n
of these eXpedients give great
pain, but what martyrdOm will
not woman undergo in her efforts to get rid
of disagreement The physician showed me
an instrument used in removing hairy growths
from the face by means of the chemical action
of electricity. The operation is simple con-
sisting OF an electrical machine and a fine
pointed needle charged with electricity, which
is conveyed through the pores of the skin to
the roots or papilla of the hair. The electricity
by chemical action destroys the roots so that
the hair cannot grow out again, as it does
when all other methods are resorted to. The
face becomes quite smooth after the most
sturdy hairs have been removed so that no
trace of them remains. The physician said
that the happiest women he had ever seen in
his life were those who had boards success
fully removed from their faces.
There is evidently something the matter
with Wallack's Theatre. The manager Of the
first theatre in America la getting ready to
produce anather meiOdTama, and we shall
have upr0ariOus din, cunning device and deep
ylllalny taking place on what is reputed to be
the only stage IN this country devoted to clas-
sical drama. This can only be accounted for
by the fact that Walack has not bes.t sueeess-
full financially since he cle4led the Wallackian
prestige to his magnificent new theatre. He
opened brilliantly with old English comedy:
but few weeks later he replaced such classics
as "She Sto0ps to Conquer and sSchool
for Scandal with h2Wliitg melo-
dramas of English manufacture. When
nearly every dtner theatre in the city took mn
plays of this class, Mr.. Wallack abandoned
melodrama. People who think that there is
as much virtue in going to Walack's Theatre
as in going to church, were heartily clad of it.
1t is easy to imagine what then feelings will
be now. cannot think that Mr.. Wallack pur-
sued this course from choice. As have said.
his (alleged) temple of histrionic art is pFo-
famed for the sake of dollars. and Roshing else
For the same reason AF. Wallack goes star
ring around in second-class theatres when he
wosld much prefer, am sure, to take his ease
and to look after the affairs of his theatre.
There has also been streas of bad luck in the
engagement of has company this sea-
SON HERBERT, the leading man, who replaced
Osm0nd Tearle, has not been IN 10 the
standard and there is talk of Tearle being
called back for next year, But with all of
this misfortune there has also been some good
luck, Which good luck is the return of Gohn
Gilbert. This fine old comedian was sick for
some months, and it was thought that he would
never be well enough to play again. But he
came back to the theatre the other day full of
life and spirits much to the delight of his
friends. What Warren is to Boston Holm
Gilbert is to New York II his mart" he has has
no equal, When you See him as old Adam in
AS 40u lake IT." You never forget his por-
traltaFe OF this character any more than YOU
do that of Joe Jefierson's Grip Van Wrinkle
and his presentations of rich and querElous Old
men ei OF society are given with tele art.
The boarding school aIrls In this city are an
amusing study, Companies of them NAV be
seen any afternoon ON Fifth avenue marching
with an escort at their head. who keeps them
in line and takes care that they have little
opportunity for flirting with the young men
whom they may chance to meet Most Of
them are from out of town, and look i'll at ease
amid the noise and hustle of the city, The
new comers can always be distinguished from
those who have been in the city some months
Ihey are demure and tinid, scarcely daring
to look up, The more advanced girls have
seen enough of metropolitan life to outgrow
their timidity, and find these expeditions the
most enjoyable part of their routine life
Unlike the city girl, Who looks upon it as a
great impraprIety TO flirt on the street, they
make eyes at all the men they meet, but they
do 1t in such an innocent way that only the
most cynical can cOndemp them for it.
There is an slarI1ing fncrease in the number
of apantments houses for bachelors in this city
-alarIning enough to create constornation
houses themselves do not make a husband less,
but they indicate a growing disposition on the
part of young men in New York to cling tena-
ciously TO their bachelor life and ways. This.
/ am inclined te-believe, is not due to selfish
ness,.but to necessity; not necessity absolute,
to be sure, but so esteemed, which is very
much the same. The young man IN the me-
ance he csa, AS he grows older he gets into
eSpsnsiVe social habits, and indulges in luxu-
ries to the limit of his income. There is hut
one result which is, that he is not able 20 make