Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-02-16
SAN FRANCISCO LETTER.
sNew-sToRM AND WINTER FUN AT
THE METROPOLIS.
Interesting Items Of News Happily Told
The Abbott opera-charles Warren
-sericulture-Etc.

1t Is unpleasantly and untroplcally and
unwelcomely cold. This freezing that we
have been called upon to endure for the
past three or four years is certainly an in
novation, and thoroughly unpopular one.
It was rather picturesque on last Wednes-
day night, though, on some OF the resi-.
dence streets that run north and south. 1t
showed hard about ii o'clock, when the
theaters were giving up their audiences,
and when people began to turn into the
auieter streets. The snow-cloud had ex-
hausted Itself, and the moon rode clear and
glorious, apparently exulting over the
whitened look of the city. Then it seemed
as if all the doors up and down the street
opened, that in each house there were
three or four young ladies upon whom four
or five young men had been calling, and
that sort of brain wave had inspired
them all to make their adieux at the same
instant, as with opera bouffe uniformity
they all stood in laughing groups on the
thresholds and said as one man and as one
girl, Why, it's been showing " And
then the fun began. The young people ran
about like sportive deer, the boys slid and
scuffied and snowballed each other, the
girls screamed and laughed and exclaimed,
and called on great many people by name,
futtering about and filling the scene with
movement and wavering outline of shadow.
The snowballing of the dummy drivers on
the cable cars was carried on the next day
as well, with the uninviting slush that the
sun was fast resolving into mere mud.
THE ABBOTT OPERA.
The opera holds its own as topic of
talk, and people continue to go in full
dress, although it is English opera Miss
Abbott is praiseworthy in this, that she
has really phenomenal repertoire, and
gives US the full benefit of it. For two
weeks she has put on different opera
every evening" and has sung at Saturday
afternoon performance besides. Other So
called greater troupes have restricted us to
Trovatore, Faust" and Aida" and
have sung but three times week. The
verdict is that Miss Abbott herself is
nothing very great, but her troupe is ex-
cellent.
CHARLES WARREN STODDARD
Is in town. l met him one evening, after
hearing endless stories of his drawl, his dry
humor and odd appearance None of his
| friends seem TO take him seriously. l was
inclined to take him very seriously. The
success of his writings has given him
settled, confident air or cast, intellectually
speaking in marked contrast with the
mentality of the writer or thinker yet I'M
crowned. He is mature man, Just at the
| hight of his power, whatever the measure
and limitations of that power may be. In
conversation he is brilliant and versatile
easily bored, as his wide experience is likely
| to make him, but hitting off any subject
he alights to consider, most happily, in a
word or a phrase.
| EMILY FAITHFUL
Has left the city for Fresno and Los An
geles, where she is looking after the inter
ests of the emigration society which she
represents. Her lecture on "Woman
was very well attended. The real name
of the lecture is The Changed Position of
| Women in the Nineteenth Century" which
Miss Faithful holds to be that women are
now expected to work for their support in
cases of emergency, and that therefore it
would be advisable to teach them as we'll
as their brothers some craft or accomplish
ment which they could turn to practical &C.
count in case of necessity.
sERIcULTURE.
The ladies of the Silk Culture Associa-
ton have determined to memorabilia Con-
gress about the silk industry in California,
and TO aak for an appropriation for expert
mental elk stations, where a tract of land
can be devoted to mulberry trees, the feed
ing and breeding of fine varieties of silk
worms and the treatment and reeling of
cocoons. The clever aud plucky Mrs
Laura De Force Gordon is helping in draw
ing up the memorial for Congress, and
among many bright and earnest workers are
Mrs. H. B. Williams, DIR. G. A. Buck
bee, the President of the State Board
of SILK Culture, who wrote the
excellent and widely-rsad paper on seri-
culture in the New Year RECORD UNION,
and Mr.. and Mrs. Theodore Hittell. The
latter is little short of genius. Her en-
thusiasm and research are boundless. She
pursues silk-culture as science, and gives
the two societies the benefit Of her study
in admirably. papers, full of thought
and matter. DIR. Buckbee is possessed of
a quiet, playful humor that is sometimes
very diverting. A bustling old lady who
serves on a great many committees, and
serves extremely well, but not without
much grumbling and groaning, exclaimed
volubly against her appointment to some
new duty. She really could not; she was
heing worked to death she had written
sixty-six letters day for sixty-six consec-
utive days, making 4, $50 letters in all, la.
dies and gentlemen 1.-THE State will never
know of your unparalleled exertions in the
cause, Mrs. So-and-so," said the little
doctor, with a twinkle in his eye, "but
you'll have crown of silk in another and
| better world" PHILIP SHIRLEY.