The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1884-02-21
AFTER AMERICAN DOLLARS.
The Foreign Idea OF the LOOseness
of Money in This Country Reck-
Oning without Their Host.

Thrust your hand into America, grab it
full of dollars and then pull it out. That is
the foreign idea of the plenty and looseness
of money in this country. In trying to carry it
into practice the visitor is pretty sure to
learn that we are good bargainers, never
buying anything that does not at least
promise to be worth its cost in qualification
of some sort. l have read that we are fools
because we paid high prices for views of Mrs.
Langtry, the accusation being that we let
ourselves be swinded by expecting to see a
good actress We simply bought sight Of n
notorious women and got it. In the case of
Sarah Bernhardt, we were willing to give
more. because she brought great talent in
addition to notoriety; and who can say that
we were cheated? Scores of European per-
formers sorrowfully know that we have de-
clined to purchase their entertainment
though ceverly importuned to do so. In
the present instance of Irving, our instructive
demand of value for value has kept us sensi-
BILE. New York has liked some of his roles
and disliked others, praised his merits and
condemned his dement's, bought tickets at
high rates for such performances as pleased
and left the Spectators heavy loser on the
others.
than play-acting are now being rather I'M
pleasantly instructed in this matter of get
ting American money. They are Capel, the
English Catholic priest and orator, and Hya-
cinthe, the French seceder from the Romish
church. Each has worldwide celebrity, each
needed a replenishment of his church fund,
and each concluded to come to the Yankees
for the money Neither is getting it. They
have bapu socially ia yyalroyna n this Citv
and it may be that private subscriptions will
help their entirely worthy causes, but the EN-
tertainment-buying public is not dealing with
them to "A remunerative extent. Hyacinthe
lectured last evening in Chickering hall, which
can hold 900 persons, but did contain only
800 The receipts could have no more than
covered the expenses. The metropolis cares
little for lectures, and appeals for charity on
behalf Of foreign building projects do not
touch our hearts Another fact is that our
own clergymen justly believe that there are
as yet plenty of eligible sites for new
churches on this side of the ocean.
Capel has had no backing from Cardinal
McCloAey in his mission and Hyacinthe re-
ceives no Protestant sympathy of an influ-
entail kind The failure OF the latter to
draw a crowd to his lecture was manifestly
depressing to him, and his eyes seemed to
have dread of the rows of empty seats His
gaze was carefully adjusted, so as not to ex
tend beyond the occupied front pitied him.
Nevertheless, had to laugh when third Of
the originally small audience departed in
mild panic. There had been no intimation
in the advertisements that he would speak
in French. He had not delivered six SEN
fences in that language before a horror of
hearing him for an hour without understand
ing him took possession of those who We're
ignorant of his tongue. A holder man than
the rest led movement to the door, and was
followed like sheep after bellwether