The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-05-05
MAY-DAY In NEW YORK.
Features and Fancies of the Close of
a Brilliant Season.
Booths Theater-Edward Jump-Puck and
Its Editors O'Donovan Rossa-The
Bridge-Social and Literary.
correspondence of the indianapolis Journal.

correspondence of the Indianapolis Journal
New YORK, May 3.-With the domestic
revolution OF May-day comes a change DER
the spirit of socety's dream. The round of
post-Lent gayeties ceases. Dinners, recep-
tions weddings grow so few and far between
as to seem like-well, like winning tickets
in lottery. The season is over. There
will be few weeks of transition time, during
which society will rest itself and prepare for
the summer season at the beach, the noun
tains, or the springs. On the whole, the
social season now closing has been q brilliant
one. Never before, perhaps, was so much
money spent on dress and decorations and
dinners. Nor ever before, since New York
was village in which everyone knew every
one else was there time when society was
80 sociable, and the barriers of clique were
SO broken down and disregarded. To this
end three things led First, Kitty Ker-
nochan's runaway wedding with Herbert
Pell, which gave Wall-street man Knck-
erbocker bride. Second, the Vanderbilt
ball, which caused the aristocraoy of birth to
recognize as its peer the aristocrcy of wealth.
Third, the Nineteenth Century Club, which
has united persons of all social factions upon
enc intellectual platform. The season has
closed brilliantly, as was fitting with the
dinner to DIR. Holmes, the dinner to Salvini
and Dutch Kermess at Delmonico's.
The musical and dramatic season is also
blessing now, and it too has been brilliant
and is closing brilliantly. We have had al
most surfeit of fine acting by such artists
as Mary Anderson, Clara Morris, Maggie
Mitchell, Kate Fersythe, Marie Prescott Lolita
Crabtree, John Mccullough, Lawrence Bar
Fett LesterWallack, Dion Bouccault, Charles
Wyndham, Joe Jefferson, Frank Mayo, and
many others, not to mention Mrs Langtry
and Freddie Gebhart. In musical matters
Mapleson has given better operas than usual
with Patti, Albani, Soslchi, Raveli and
Galassi. NilIson and her company have given
superb concerts Theodore Thomas's orcbes-
ira and choruses have fairly outdone them
selves. The Symphony Society has given the
finest oratorio and chorus singing New York
bias ever heard, and the many miscellaneous
concerts have been of admirable character
generally.
Despite numerous failures, the theatrical
season has been an unusually prosperous one.
As rule, sensational melodramas have
paid best, The "Romany Rye" peculiarly
trashy play, was given thirty-two weeks, on
average receipts of $500 a week, and the
managers cleared in all more than $75 900.
The Lights O. London" also trashy piece,
has paid net profit of 100000. In the higher
class of plays, Miss Anderson has been most
successful, her clear gains for the season
being fully $4,000 John Mccullough and
Mime. Modjeska have also had very sue
cessful season.
FATE OF GREAT PLAYHOUSE.
The last curtain has fallen on the last
scene of the last performance, and Booths
Theater, as a theater is forever closed. That
this should happen is little singular. There
are now being erected in this city three large
theaters, and four more are planned. Booths
Theater is the largest, finest, and in all re-
speets the best playhouse in the city, and is
admirably located, and it could be bought
for far less than it would cost to put up a
new one nearly as large and fine Yet it is
to be torn to pieces and turned into stores
while new theaters are built
Too much has already been written of the
for me to dwell long on the theme. 1t is
enough to say that Edwin Booth built it at
immense cost, sparing no pains or expense to
makeit an ideally perfect theater. He ar
ranged it himself, and put on tine best of
plays and players, 1t was then not only the
best theater in the city, but it was really the
pnly frst-class one. But never for week did
II pay expenses, and in a few years Booth had
70 give it up, bankrupt, having lost more
Than million dollars on the enterprise.
and at the same time the managers of
uBlack Crook" were fairly coming wealth,
Since then it has been in many hands, but
has seldom paid, excepting when Henry
Abbey brought Bernhardt out there. And
now, after fourteen years of
STRUGGLING against fate the huge
Frantic temple Of art adjoining
york's first streets, is abandoned, and will
become busting mart of trade. If it is all
thrown into one store, as is proposed, it will
make the largest store (for dry goods in
America excepting only the one that was
Dnce A. 7. Stewards Messrs. Fish and
Ward, who have bought the property, paid
b507 800 for it, and expect to spend enough
IN alterations, etc., to swell the figure to
100000.
SOME COMIC ARTISTS.
! The news of poor Ed. Jumps suicide in
Chicago caused much real grief in this city,
where he had many friends. Calling at
Frank Lesies establishment, the other day,
l found many old employees who knew the
dead caricaturist well, when, six or seven
years ago. he was the ablest artist in that
bfiice. They all had kind tributes to pay to
his memory, and not one would believe the
published report that he had ruined himself
and come to his tragic end by drink. When
he was engaged there, they said, he was
strictly sober, and on his visits to this city
since the last of which was less than two
months ago. he showed no sipns of having