Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1883-02-14
For the Republican
GOTHAM GOSSIP.
NEW YORK, Feb. 9th, 1883.

NEW YORK, Feb. 9th, 1883.
To-morrow the Lenten season begins,
and for the matter everybody [ suppose is
pleased that season of rest for the
weary pleasure seeker and ball goer has
set in. A suitable finale to the Carnival
season was the grand fancy dress ball Of
the Liederkranz Society, at the Academy
of Music on Monday evening. 1t was
! the thirtieth annual ball of this famous
society, and | am free to say that 1t was
the only marked bali of the season worth
seeing. The costumes were novel in de
sign, rich in material, and magnificent in
makeup. There were diamonds by the
basketful, | might say, and the open
| ing pageant was a masterpiece. The
churches this year propose to attract peo
! pie to penance and meditation by very
elaborate musical programmes. In one
leading Episcopal church, which prides
itself on its chancel choir, a number of
old manuscript works of Bach and other
composers of sacred music are to be
brought out. st. Stephens Roman Catho-
olic Church will produce different
Miserere every Sunday evening, and IN
fact every church will have some special
attraction. Up to three or four years
ago the theatres used to be very sub
dued during Lent. True they all kept
open, but the plays were familiar cole
| timers" and the attendance used to be
very poor. Now perhaps more care is
taken to provide dramatic pabulum dur
ing the Lenten season than for any others
term, and as a result the theatres dO q
better business these forty days than per
haps during the preceding four months,
| There is not manager at present who
! does not look forward to a better bank
account.
met leading picture dealer the other
| day, on Broadway and dnring a long walk
had an extended talk with him on art
| and artists ''Ihis is the season OF the
! year," saiG he, "when art sales begin,
| but SO far they have been pitifully bad.
| [ attended a sale the other evening by one
of our. best Eauctioneers, who generally
succeeds in gathering the best class
/ of buyers about him. Well his sale that
evening was veritable'slaughter Com
positions which ought to have brought
three or four hundred dollars went for
from twenty to fifty dollars scarcely as
much as the frames were worth. One lit
tie gem by wei! known artist, female
head full of beauty, conception, fneness
Of drawing and charm of col0ring, was
picked up by lucky fellow for Il b. do,-
! lars. The artist could have disposed Of
! it few weeks ago for one hundred dol
! lars at private sale, but he thought it was
! -o5th two hundred dollars and hence
| sent it 10 the auction sale Now the
frame on that canvas cost thirty-tive dol
! lars, SO you may imagine what the poor
! fellow Of an artist lost on his work"
The Public School question which has
been agitating the city for months, has
at last assumed shape which is anything
but pleasing to large number of teach
! ers employed. The Commissioners of Edu
! cation have decided to cut off the sIDecial
| teachers; the instructions in French, Ger
man, Music, Drawing etc., and to reduce
! the salaries of the regular teachers. Then
occurred a remarkable thing. The regu-
! lar teachers had a meeting and decided
/ TO petition the Board to retain the special
! teachers, and further reduce their own
! salaries so as to make up the requisite
| fund. Sympathy is generally extended
to sufferers, but practical sympathy like
| this is indeed rare in these days
One scarcely has an idea Ct the num-
Der of boys and girls, young men and
young women, who are being sent to
trade schools instead of to colleges. This
shows that healthy common sense is grow
ing among parents. We have too many
clerks and book keepers, too many aspirz
ants for h0nOrs in the professions, and too
1, cl- IL, / IL
er branches of handiwork The Metro
poltan Museum Trade School has re-
gently been considerably enlarged
lady now teaches the day class for wom
en-, for artistic decoration Of leather, silk,
satin and glass. To this is added a course
of drawing and the use of color in pre-
pairing designs for industrial ornamental
! ton. The founder OF the New York
! Trade Schools who was formerly con-
nected with the management of the Me
tropolitan Museum of Art. proposes as
soon as practical to open additional classes
for practical instruction in tile laying and
artistic stone cutting and another we'll
known art worker, proposes TO give full
and thorough instruction in working in
brass and other metals. Nor are the less
artistic trades neglected. Several large
furniture houses, carriage factories, car
and other machine shops take up young
men and give them practical and thorough
instruction. AS this is bound to grow
there will soon be no necessity of import
leg skilled workmen from France and
Germany for our fine work, and we will
have an American industry of our own
which is above the necessity of being
protected.