Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-01-05
SAN FRANCISCO LETTER.
CHRISTMAS DoINGs AT TIE BAY,
AND HOLIDAY MATTERS.
Artists Sale Of Pictures-Descriptio OF
Pieces-New Years Entertainment
Personal Eotes-Btc.
san Francisco. January ., 1854.

DAN rRANCISCO, january - 1904
A very good comedian, with the undis-
tinguishing stage name Brown, was at
tached to one of the many opera bouffe
troupes that have gladdened the city from
time to time, and in 6" La Belle Helene,
he being cast for the part of Calchas, the
priest, was wont to sit on hassock by the
couch of the reclining Queen-Soldene-
and sing, or rather intone, a remarkable
ditty, presumably of his own composition,
which consisted only of the enumeration of !
his possessions, in this form 1.-The first
week of Christmas my wife she gave to me,
two turtle doves and branch Of the juni.
per tree" The second and third, and,
when the audience demanded it, even the
fourth week of Christmas made verse,
the list of gifts augmented by gold ring, |
matinee tickets and other desirable things,
but always wound up with the same eerie,
rusty cav on the branch of the juniper |
tree. The conversation of people at the |
holidays is very much like that song-an
enumeration of presents and list of invi- |
tations added. One OF the
RARE CHRISTMAS GIFTS
Was an Emerson calendar, gotten up like |
the Longfellow calendar of last year. The
second cleaning from an author of course
is never quite so good as the first; so the |
new Emerson calendars were preferable to |
the second installment of Longfellow, ard |
but two of the Emerson calendars came to |
the city. Mrs. Judge Sanderson, VINO is |
al ways at hand to look out for pretty |
things, bought one of them. The splendid |
charity, the Boys and Girls Aid-the |
Lemonade. as the frivolous call it-received |
not only 50, 600 from from one friend, but |
$3.50 from another, and Mrs. Deane sent it |
500 worth of toys 80 there was great re-
joicing and glorious tree. The s., 900 is |
to be invested to form nucleus for !
building fund, the accommodations not
being by any means adequate to the work
performed. In my visit to it | was sur
prised to learn that it was in very truth an
aid, and not boarding house or an insti.
tuition in any sense Poor children are
gathered in there, are taught and fed and
lodged, but it is all considered entirely
temporsry-a shift until home is found
on farm or in an inland town for the boy
or girl Strangely enough, the Superin.
tendent finds very little troub e in placing
the children and although it swels the
correspondence to an enormous size, he
writes both to the children and their
friends, and keeps himself fully informed
OF their progress Just after Christmas the
artists had their first annual auction sale,
custom of
CLEARING THEIR STUDIOS
Which they mean to observe hereafter.
The prices were encouragingly high, but
then some of the pictures were pretty.
A small piece by Hill, called Study Near
San Mateo," was a beautiful bit, full of
Drowned and broken reeds, and effective
treatment. Some humming- birds hutter-
ing about an arbutilon blossom, painted
by Arthur c. Nahl, were skillful and
brilliant, and Henri Chevalier's "Althea
in full bloom, explained by the words
"The Rose of Sharon" in the catalogue,
made great deal of fun. On the Satur-
day after Christmas the Bohemian Club
gave its holiday links. The rooms were
prettily trimmed with garlands of ever.
green and holly, the programmes were
printed on brown paper in old English,
and the prettiest feature was what was
called "Ye Raisinge of ye Owl" who was
described as "a Most Seemlie Bride, and
so he proved when he was unveiled by the
high priest and acolytes. The sculptor,
Marian Wells, had made a plaster owl
nearly four feet high, with one eye halt
shut and the other wide open, the head
drawn comfortably down among the fea!h-
ers, one claw
CLUTCHING A HUGE SKULL,
And the OF her raised as if in exhortation.
1t was really most cleverly devised thing,
the effect OF the feathers being admirable,
and the resemblance Of the wiuking side of
the head to an eminent and caustic journalist
most funny to behold. The unveiling was
greeted with applause, and a sacriticial fire
having been built before the owl the AGO. |
lytes cast into it, chanting, some frailty,
fad or popularity of the assembled Bo- !
hemians. Everybody is agreed that New |
Years calling is fast fading out as Gus |
tom, but New Years parties flourish and |
abound. There were no less than four on |
New Years night, two of the prettiest be-
ing at Mrs. John McMullin's and at Mrs. |
julius Refs, whose daughter is skilled in |
playing on the harp, among Eer other &C |
conn lshments, and is said to be very |
beautiful when seated at the instrument. |
Mrs. Haggin and Mrs. Jarboe entertained |
New Years evening by invitation also. |
Mrs. William Banding and Miss Bessie |
Kittle have missed the holiday good times |
through illness, but are reported GONZALES |
cent. Miss Wright, of New York city, a |
cousin OF Mrs. Carter Pomeroy, is visiting |
in the city and is seen at all the festivities. |
The theaters are doing well and promising |
even better Louis Harrison and John
GJurlay are doing an enormous business |
in the farce, "SsIpped by the Light of the |
Moon, which title certainly has little to !
do with the play itself, which. however, is
richly funny, It's
MARvELOUSLY HEALTHY TO LAUGH,
And a play warranted to make one laugh, |
as this is, will bill house every night, as
this does. The two men are quick, timber, |
agile as monkeys, and with the indescrib-
able mrth-provOking quality which many |
actors making Just the same remarks might |
be without. At the California the Mex |
lean opera troupe is giving " Ernani," and |
giving it pretty we'll. 1t Ia opera at popu-
lar prices, and there are no PATHS Gersters !
nor Lucas in the troupe, but it is pleasant !
to see and hear the celebrated operas, even |
If the singing lacks volume, and the acting |
fire. They have quite good tenor in |
Signor BaidauzA, and man who can act |
despite the fact that he is nearly
As BROAD As He Is LONG,
And not very long He has fearful cold |
and struggles against it maDtully, All the |
foreign population is very sympathetic, |
The house is crowded and the applause
liberal, The prima donna seems young |
and inexperienced, and sings with almost
a young lady's voice, and the chorus, too,
seems afraid TO hear itself. "Norma Is
to be put on, which a former Central /
American troupe gave with great deal Of
success. We have Miss Jeffrcys Lewis
with US il old plays and wonderful new
dresses. PHHW SHIRLEY.