Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1883-01-05
NEW YORK GOSSIP.
Expensive Church Decorations -EnOr.
nous Prices Paid for Trashy Work
4 Usurer Punished

New YORK, December 20, 1882.
Natural flowers this winter were
very expensive, and thus the floral
decoration Of the churches became very
expensive. know of one fashionable
church uptown whose florists bill
reached the very respectable sum of
$4,000. AS late as two years ago
Christmas decorations consisted of ev-
ergreens, holly or young pines and
frs. Now they form simply the back
ground for the florists art. The effect
of course is very beautiful. Carping
critics will Of course denounce such
''extravagance," claim as did their
predecessors in Christ's days, that it
would have been better to give the
money to the poor. But, be it re-
membered, that the various public and
private charities have this year been
remembered with more than usual lib
crafty. The ladies of the floral mis-
sion particularly distinguished them
selves by their activity: and the
amount Of wearing apparel, articles of
food, flowers, toys, sweets and knick
knacks, for the sick and convalcscem
which they got together, was simply
marvellous.
The Christmas issues Of the sport
ing papers were the last of the holi-
day numbers to appear. The Spirit
of the Times is wonderfully COM
plete number. The frontispiecc is
drawn by DuMaurier, the famous
caricaturist of London Punch. The
letter-press contains stories and papers
written specially for this number by
Wilkie Collins, Joseph Hatten, Lady
Violet Greenville, Henry Irving,
Dion Boucicault, etc, together with a
charming poem by George r. Sims,
the author of the Lights o. London.
Wilkie Collins story is downright rot.
In fact should think the owners of the
Spirit had had enough of him. Last
year they paid him a stiff sum for
story they copyrighted. Much to
their chagrin Collins gave the same
story to Belyrayia or some other Lon
don magazine, from which all the
American papers copied and credited
it.
This was hardly fair proceeding.
| understand this year Collins was
paid $500 for this story. 1t is safe to
say that the editor Of the trashiest
story paper would not have paid S.
for it. In fact there is altogether too
much attention and too much money
paid for "name," by the proprictors
of periodicals whenever they wish to
get up special number. For in
stance, the London Illustrated News
paid Milais, the artist, $4,000 for the
picture of Cinderella, copies Of which
they gave away as a supplement to
their Christmas number, and yet the
work is the slovenliest production
which has ever come from the easel of
that idely advertised artist. All such
orders given to authors and artists.
when the direction is simply to write
or paint 'something,' are sure either
to produce cripples out of forgotten
drawers which could not previously be
placed or the veriest original trash.
The well known diamond dealer.
Lynch, had to pay heavily for a viola
ton of the law, which, as | under
stand, people in his line of business
have been practicing for a long time.
Not being regular, licensed pawn
brokers, they have been in the habit
of buying diamonds, jewelry, wearing
apparel, etc, from people in momen-
tary need of money, giving the right
Of purchasing the articles back at the
end of thirty days at an advance of
ten per cent. Now this, in the eyes
of the law, is a very clear case of
usury, hut very few people know this,
and it is only now and then that the
initiated care to expose themselves in
public by bringing suit to recover
damages. One lady, however, did it
some days ago. She ''sold" shawl