Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-01-06
LIFE IN TIE METROPOLIS.
STRANGE CHANGES IN NEW
YEARS DAY CUSTOMS.

Calls Out OF Date and Full Dress I'm
Northumberland win Booth at Home
The Life of Gen. Greene's Aged
Daughter-Two Operas Too Much for
New York at One Time.
Correspondence Of the Aorairg Eeacs.
NEW YORK. Jan. Sit is fortunate for
the gilded youth of the metropolis that
making New Years visits is no longer
fashionable, for Tuesday was what the
English would call nasty day, and the
side streets, filled with snow too soft for
sleighng, were almost impossible to We
hicles. Those who called in spite of the
custom being no longer in vogue had.
therefore, nearly as bad time as the So
000 men who marched in the Evacuation
Day procession. How obIiviOus the cali
ers were of fashion was shown by their
costumes. Early in the day young men
could be seen everywhere on the less
fashionable streets wearing white cravats
and swallow-taIl coats. AS it is even a
greater social heresY to wear dress Goa
in the day time than to wear frock coat
in the evening these young men doubly
proved their ignorance of fashionable
usage.
How English we are growingl Ten or
twelve years ago it was considered per-
fectly proper for men to wear all New
Years day the costume now, in accord
ance with English usage, confined to the
evening. New Years calls We're consid-
cred formal affairs, and, as the women who
received them wore full dress, the men
followed suit, as they still do in Germany
and elsewhere on the Continent when u
full dress occasion occurs IN the day time.
Then, too, everybody called on New
| Years day.
The florists did the calling for the very
wealthy as well as fashionable on Tues
day, and the mail carriers and telegraph
messengers for the less wealthy, but
equally fashionable. The first named car
rird baskets of flowers, accompanied by
the cards of the senders, while the latter
carried cards only. Long before evening
the drawing rooms Of popular young wO-
men resembled u horticultural show.
Although he neither called nor was cat
home" on Tuesday. Edwin Booth receives
with his daughter ut her Wednesdays
reception. He is very glad to be host
when he can invite his guestS-a privi-
lege he does not always have-as is
shown by his remarks at Il recent recep-
ton. His country house near Newport is
beseged in the summer time by unin-
FiNN0 NAolIu4h D. WIZ ~ GbOub luG DlClIibG5
as II they were "A place of public resort,
and gaze upon the owner as if he were a
curiosity on exhibition.
A neighbOr of MIR. Booths. who is 8
daughter of Gen. Greene, of Revolution
AIRY memory, suffers equally with him
from this impairment intrusion. AS can
easily be believed she has passed her
Tooth birthday, having been born in the
year the war for independence closed.
ShR retains 6AUFAa all
her senses and faculties, except
that of sight, which IS be-
coming feeble. Her memory is marvel
Gus under the circumstances. She re-
members Washington, Jefferson, the elder
as we'll as the younger President of the
name Of Adams, and the other great men
of the early days of the republic. Ma
pOleon's wars and the war OF 1872 are tn
ter as tile late civil war is to the present
generation. The old gentlewOman is good
tempered. but, with Mr.. Booth, she OBJ
jects To strangers filling her house and
rocking at her as il she were wild ami
NAL.
THE DAYS OF THE ACADEMY OF MUSIC
are evidently numbered. The experience
of Col. MdplesOn, it not that OF Mr. Ab-
hey, has proved that New York cannot
support two opera trOupes. ii there is to
he but one company ut II time, of course
the new opera house will be the arena of
the singers. AS the home of opera, there
tore, the Academy'S occupation is gone.
That the Academy is no longer TO be the
ball room of the metropolis is also already
a f0regOne conclusion. All the big
balls, beginning with the charity
this evening, which have heretofore
been given in the Academy, are given this
season at the Metropolitan Opera House.
The Academy was offered to the managers
of the charity ball rent tree. They were
only asked to pay for the gas and meet the
expenses attendant upon flooring over the
parquet and throwing open the building.
Fney refused the offer, preteTring to pay
S2.0t0 or whereabouts, for the MetrOpOli-
tan Opera House rather than have the
Academy for next to nothing. What was
worse, they added insult 10 injury by Das-
ing their refusal on the ground that the
Academy was too dirty to dance in.
The wisdom Of their course is already
manifest. understand that more tickets
have been sold for tO-night's ball than for
any charity ball for the last six or eight
years. People to whom the ball has long
been an old story, aud who have not at
tended it for nearly Il decade, now an
nOunce their intention OF dancing at the
first bali at the Metropolitan Opera House
Occasional entertainments, either dTa-
matte, musical or social, may hel eater
be given in the Academy, but next winter
will see its doors open but seldom, and
after standing idle and tenantless for per-
hsps q season or two longer, the building
Will be torn down to give place to hotel
or business block. The recent fate of
Booths theatre foretells that of the
Academy. Like the Academy, Booths
theatre was built on too large a scale for
theatrical representation, and it was ac-
cOrdingly put an emu to, while simultane-
ously with its destruction a theatre on
the same street (Fwenty-third) was CON-
pieted, and another began. In the same
way, the Academy, when once the opera
has permanently abandoned it, being too
large for hiStriOnic entertainments, will
be pulled down, while new theatre, that
of the Kiraliy Brothers, is about to be
built within a quarter of a mile-in Fourth
avenue, between Seventeenth and Eigh-
teeuth streets.
THE REPUBLICANS, OVERLOOKING THE
HIGH CRIMES
and mlsdemeanOrs of which the grand old
party is time and again proved guilty OF
in the national capital, continually COM
plains of Democratic misgovernment IN
this city. How cOrruptly they would
govern New York if they were in the ma
iOrity is shown by their management Of
tho Health Dep lrtment, which is entirely
in their control. Gen. Shaler became
| Health Commissioner only on the promise
vi patronage anu ONCE I'd the Aldermen
who appointed him. these prom SEES were
made on the suppositiOn that, as Presi-
dent OF the Health Department, he would
have the appointing power. On taking
office be found that he had no more pOwer
to appoint and remove than any one of
his colleagues. He at first was unable to
fulfill any of his promises, but he has
since persuaded his two Republican
colleagues one OF whom is Steve French
| OF proxy fame, the intimate friend
of Presld, MT Arthur, who as President of
the Police Board is ex-officio Health
Commissioner, To aid and abet him in his
designs. The three virtu0us Republican
Commissioners have accordingly created q
number Of sinecures which are to be- filled
By workers for the party. Several han e
already been filled. For example. Major
Buiiard now gets $3.0G0 year for doing
work now done hy a Police Sergeant, and
the Sergeant retains his place. The gal
liant Major Will therefore have nothing to
do but to draw bis salary. Dr. Moreau
Morris gets the same salary for
-or.f-