Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-04-21
FREEHAND NOTES.
AN ErGLrsHMAH on AMERICAN MOD
ERN SOCIETY.
Also as Seen by American TyeIYarious
Musical Events-social Meandertngs
-Lectures-Engaged-Etc.
SAN Francisco, April Is, 1883.


SAN Francisco, April Is, 1883.
remember receiving letter once from
an amiabie cynic, all about modern society
in America. The writer quoted the travel
ing Englishman's remark, Society
Didn't see any, you know. Saw lot of
boys and girls dancing" and added, "The
Eaglishman failed to grasp the purpose and
significance of American society, which are
simply those of a valentine" 1t sounded
oracular enough, but long did I ponder
upon the possible purpose and significance
of valentine before the true solution of
the enigma dawned upon my mental heri.
zon. A valentine exists to carry declara-
ton of love, or at least Of favorable selec.
ton. American society, ditto, according
to the cynic yet it is not cynical, nor even
Objectionable, except as it crowds brilliant
men and women who have the misfor.
I tune to be married into an unconsidered
mass of onlookers at the gambolings of
their descendants, when they are. really
best fitted to lead and govern, by virtue of
their experience.
THE AMERICAN DAUGHTER NEEDS SUP
PRESSING
As badly as ever international novel
writer has tried to point it out. Life is
not such an unmitigated woe that those
who give it must spend their days in ex-
piatory sacrifcial slavery to those who
have received it; or if it is, the burden is
universal and the poor parents need con-
soling too. The peculiarities of the aver
age American household have never been
set forth in stories or on the stage with full
Justice and insight; perhaps only Thack-
cray could do it, l am reminded OF the
fascinating women who are lost to society
through the excessive prominence of their
dancing boys and girls, by conversation
I had the honor to hear, during the course
of which an elderly lady gave the most in
| teresting "reminiscences of her life, moved
thereto BY the account of the sale by pub
lie vendue of the Yates homestead, or
Brinckerhoff estate, as it was called, in
Chittenango, Madison county, New York.
The lady had often visited at the
through the local fame of Judge Yates,
and had seen the famous lafayette carriage,
! built for the Marquis of Lafayette at Bal.
| through the States in 1924, when he re.
visited America upon the invitation of
President Monroe. The carriage was sold
when the Marquis returned to France, and
SO came into the possession of Judge
Yates. 1t was tall, it was heavy, it was
yellow, with stand for the position at
! the back. Great was the awe of the chill
dren who were permitted to look at it in
those early days the old lady was recall
ing. She had many tales of the quaint
treasures of the old house, the clocks, the
porcelain; the wonderful, smooth old Ma
deira, costlier than portable gold the
| beautiful, stately Dutch hospitality that
characterized the house, where all was per.
meated by that fine, impalpable SAVIOR that
for want of better word we call aristoe.
racy.
THE ARISToCRACY OF PLAYING
Is surely Mr.. Zsch's. Last Wednesday he
played part of toccata and fugue by
Bach, arranged for the piano by Taussig.
1t was massive and full and strong, as
Bach's music always is, less conscious than
Milton, and more at peace with the world
than Beethoven, and Mr.. Zeoh has manly.
intellectual Interpretation for all the music
of this most marvellous master. On Fri.
day evening Henry Heyman gave concert
for the benefit of his pupil, young Lands.
berger, who wishes to go abroad to study.
Little Mrs. Carmichael Carr was constantly
at the piano, and other pupils beside
Landsberger appeared with violins and
cellos galore. 1t was a pretty concert.
Little Landsberger, when his master told
him to tune his violin, promptly handed
it to Mr.. Heyman himself, but
with a desolated self.possession
that long-suffering man screwed the
strings to the proper tension, and even did
as much for young Hochstadter, who
played the other violin in concertante
for two solo violins, by Mozart, arranged
by David. An adorable little person was
Edgar Strauss, a pupil of Julius Hinrichs.
Goltermann's "Adagio" and "Taran.
tale for solo. He was about Is, and,
after taking the audience quite into his
confidence, with a broad smile, he fell
upon his instrument, with an air of saying,
"See me do it. know I can I've done
it before tonight" and demonstrated his
ability, caressing much music out of the
big strings with his trained little paw, a
slight conscientious apprehensiveness un.
derlying his bravado, while he played as if
he knew that he must do his best, for the
cello wouldn't help him bit.
MISS PAULINE oLMsTEAD
Was the vocalist Of the evening-her first
appearance in this city, the programme
said. She had rich, full, low, mezzo
voice, almost descending to the dignity of
contralto, and her only fault of execution
was in using the covered quality too often
and too continuously. 1t gave her voice a
yelled sound which is not part of it. She
is pretty woman, and wore white dress.
Ben Clark took Harry Gillig's place on the
programme, the latter being suddenly
called away from the city, and in conse.
quence there was slight vagueness or wa
vering uncertainty at one place in the duet
from " Don Pasquale." Mrs. Carr did all
that fond accompsnist could, and the
gale was successfully weathered. wrete
you description of Fred. Yates picture
that had been in the Paris salon-the three
| boys teasluS CaSSu uiousc III uaEAs w d.
L. Barnes has bought the picture, and the
completed portrait of DR.. Stebbins by the
same artist, will be seen at the coming art
exhibition. There is apparently special
inspiration worked out in the yellow back
ground against which DIR. Stebbins delights
an observing world. Isit phoenix effect !?
has been asked regarding it, or is the Doc.
tor trampling on the flames of the Here.
after? Robert Hinckley, the Boston artist,
is looking up details for large picture
which be expects to finish in year or two,
the subject being rather odd-to COM
memorate Morton's discovery of ether.
BE is in search of portraits and names of
those who were present in the gallery
where the discovery was first successfully
used. That weird person, Elihu Vedder,
designs to paint in his Roman studio the
head of Samson, which made the frontis.
piece of Harper's Christmas.