New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-08-26
pnprL1R AMrSEME MS.

A writer in one Of the magazines little
Will. ago. after commenting upon the 'sombre'
saver, and prosac genius of our holidays"
advised philanthropists ~ take up the work of
entertaining tho people 10 found American
ue ,ttes and cheerful lyceum courses In
word 20 endow amusemenis. An endowed
theatre might be either good or n bad thing
for American dramatsts, but in any case II
could hardly add much to the hlarity OF Amer
lean audiences An endowed lecture course
might perhaut increase the sum Of national
happincss. but then it might just ~ we'll re-
sul, in the stimulation OF a variety Of American
humor of which we have already as much as the
country can well bear And even If there we're
any efiectnn means of carrying out the bcneI-
olent scheme of public pleasure fund, is
there any good reason to think that We want 1t
Gayety is n matter Of temperament rather
than opportunity Festival days in France and
Germany are merry not because any special
fatilitie. for amusement are provided, either
by Government OF by philanthropic enterprise;
but because the popular disposition is prone to
gregari0us recreations OF a somewhat demon
strutive type. Contrary to the slereotyped
complaint, We venture to say that the people
have almost as many resources Tor holiday
making here as they have abb Dad. Tho only
public provisions for their entertainment IN
European countries arc tho opening OF the
parks aud the occasional performance of
brass band. They have just the same advan-
tages here. What Amusement tho Frenchman
or the German cannot hrd IN the parks he
seeks at his own cost in rustic re.taurauts In
beer gardens. in excursions among tho fields
and on tho rivers, in cheap concerts and other
such entertainments, which are always given
in the way Of busness where the public has n
taste Tor them. They flourish, indeed, In our
own country. Nome OF us who will take tho
trouble to be amused need search far for an
opportunity.
This briggs us to the question whether the
genius oi our holidays is in fact soInbrc, Sc
we're and prosaic." Undoubtedly some of Tn,
primitiye seriousness fingers IN many New
England village and there is many preoccu-
pied man OF business who cannot throw OF on
Sunday the excessive cares of trade to which
he has de voted himself all tho week. But it is
vulgar error to take such examples as types
of American life. Whoever Studies the move
ment of q city like New-YoIk will notice that
large proportion Of its inhabitants apply them
selves 10 amusement with remarkable assid-
uity. lhcy go uOJ Only Oh Ieab-
ivals but all the summer long. The country
hotels, the suburban rsilways, tho bay aud
river steamboats, the out-of-tOwn restaurants
and picnic grounds, and of course the parks,
all swarm with them. Resorts like Coney
Island, Rockaway and Long Branch grow to
the dimensions of cities. We doubt whether
there IS any capital in the world except Paris
and it may be that Paris itself j.. not oIcep-
tion-iu which the people spend so much for
cheap pleasures as in New York. The stranger
who sails into this harbor a sumner day
SECS the neigl boring shores for many miles
covered with enormous decorated structures In
which tens of thousands of mon and women,
lea, Wing their business and household cares, are
taking their pleasure, not only on holidays,
but every day in the week. There is no sight
like this in Europe.
1t has often been said that the instinct for
taking recreation out-ofdoors belongs only to
tho foreign element lof our population that
Americans find no enjoyment In crowd, no
infection of gayety In cheerful faces, no re-
freshment in the open air unless they can
81 mellow establish an exclusive claim to 30
much of II az they choose to pay for. IL this
ever was true i Is true no longer. One of the
good things We are getting from the infusion
of foreign blood IL precisely the relish for pop