The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-01-24
GOTHAM GOSSIP.
Advent of the Gay season-Ths Drama
and Oscar Wfids-A New Yorker as
He Is-Social Etiquette, etc.

Advent of the Gay season-Ths Drama
and Oscar WfIds-A New Yorker
He Is-Social Etiquette, etc.
NEw York, Jan. l9.-The gay season is
upon us. but 50 varied is the gaiety that one
can not PARTICIPANTS as to the events
This week opened with the French ball,
and, as told you in my last letter it would
be, 50 it was, a lively affair. won't say
what have heard; it would not be what 1
think proper.
Thursday night the "Old Guard" ball was
the event This is one of the few public
affairs that may be styled respectable. 1t
was grand night for the white-haired rem
nsnts OF the brave and gallant home guards
of a quarter of a century agone. II 1 have
time I'll tell you about it in another letter.
Quite stir has been created by one o.
mond Tearle, an actor and an Englishman;
also a member of Lester wallack's company.
The only thing l can say of or for him is
that he is a fair actor-above mediocre. He
arrived from England about two weeks ago;
drank too much, and insulted American
actors generally. He received a setback,
and the papers, one and sll, have been full
of the pros and cons of the affair ever since
Imagine the thrashing of such men as are
actors to-day creating the slightest notice
from our people out in Indiana. Thank
heavens they are not of US yet.
By the way. have you noticed the ten
dency of the present day drama? New
York is full of dramatisis ~, and each is
the best. Every drama that has been pre-
cd 10 60
past has contained a scandal in which fe-
male virtue is dethroned. Only few excep-
TONS
Sitting in attendance at number of these
plays, have looked around me and won
dered at the superlative ignorance or incon-
siderate impernnence in gentlemen escort
ing ladies to witness such productions. To be
as charitable as possible i try to believe
them so ignorant as not to understand the
force of the words they hear. They Nal
lory Brothers-they of the numerous
Hazel Kirk'-are actually abused by GER
tain newspapers here because they keep the
stage of the Madison Square Theater free of
indecency. May their sense and respecta-
bility reap them rich hArvest-a better
crop each year.
Speaking of theatrical matters, reminds
me that Oscar Wilde wrote play when
here, but il never saw the light of day He
W
and was a very shrewd man generally. Just
as soon as he saw he could make no more
money in America hel'hailed mast and
boarded her for 'merrie England" Good
bye, God bless you-stay there!
bly-barely-Wilde had seen enough
of the great New Yorker. If so, don't
blame him for going. I've studiously OBJ
served these people, all classes and as gov
erned by all manner of circumstances, and
they come nearer the despised "Yank," as
johnny Reb" would call him, than any
people l ever saw. Selfish, mean and
cowsrdly. often vent my venom on them,
when referred TO as an infant of the Golden
Circle" or "Hoesier," by reminding them
that they sent more soldiers to the War, did
less fighting and reaped fewer hOnors than
any State in the Union. 1 some
publican Counties OF localities of
Indiana q few may be found who are not up
to the standpoint but only in Republican
Precincts. They are as a class, 1 mean New
Workers, the greatest liars l ever came in
contact with; and, more than that, if you
accuse them of deceit or falsehood they
won't deny it. Now, a man who is cowardly
enough to lie and too mean to stick to it is
about as near nothing as he can possibly be.
And selfishl Why they'd tell the Almighty
to wait il they had to miss hot dinner TO
get to Heaven. If there's New York in
Hesven who, having the opportunity, would
| return to earth, about the first thing he
would do would be to complain that the
clouds were damp. Then he'd go into Wall
street and bull the market with sanctity,
hoping to make enough money to square the
diversion when he returned and sought his
neglected harp. Now Pm not profane in
this. I'm giving you an outline OF New
Workers. disposition and inclination.
| But to be more serious
The other day a work on Social Ell
quette" was handedme for review and COM
ment, and confess that l read all told,
about three pages of it. One word stopped
me. Speaking of the manner in which q
hostess should receive her guests the author
says: But a thoroughbred lady" etc. Oh,
wings of Mercury support u.s. A thor
oughbred" lady Eiquettel According to
this authority would be perfectly free to
tell lady that l am ''cross between the
] shamrock and blue grass" because my
father was born in place called Ireland
and my mother in Kentucky.
| There's no such thing as etiquettel
| Politeness is the sane when exercised by
the hob-shod yeoman as it is q feature Of
| culture, and for substantiation l silently
point to the old school gentleman. But
these people Their etiquette would dis.
| gust you. A gentleman can not pay civil
compliment-besides not knowing how
without fawning like dribbling idiot; nor
eau lady receive one without looking as
| though she had been to sea for a week and
hadn't recovered.
Now every gentleman admires pretty
/ face but he never insults the reverence due
his mother by staring. But the men here
never permit a lady to pass them without
| staring her out OF countenance snd comfort.
| No wonder the ladies. who would like the
exercise of walking, prefer the stage
or street cars. And how the men talk
Good Mr.. Hercules. hold my hand, please
or I'll get thrashed for slapping some fellow
in the face, or worse Well. the men seem
like Topsy, to have list growed." At leas
the have SO little respect for the sex of theiI
mothers that we were more charitable in
thinking so. And the most deplorable par
| of it is that the people / refer to are here
called gentlemen. I've time and again
been fooled in young fellows / have met
and, walking along the street, have asked
| them if thew had mothers or sisters, so dis
gusted have / become at their indecent and
vulgar references to strange ladies whom
| they had passed. A great place this. but, as
| Jim Rice would say, one of those little
kitchen utensils you scratch nutmegs on is
gr(e)aier.
What did 1 tell you in my last letter
about the abuse Mayor Edison was likely te
receive. Well, the very dsy l mailed thai
| letter the Telegram came out in an editorial
headed The City Betrayed" and with al
the other anti-rammsny papers has been
giving him hot shot ever since. Last Satur
day night the new Mayor, in a speech at the
Lotos Club dinner, given in his honor, justi
fed his course by saying that the Democracy