Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1885-12-02
Letter from Indianapolis, Indiana.
TFor the SPECTATOR. I

q qulet.Deauty is upon us. The fashion birds O
= passage and invalids have returned to city
homes, and will talk and dream all through
the coming Winter of pleasure experienced
and health regained. To those of us wit
! have been less or more fortunate in the lacl
j OF means or desire to rusticate, the Summe
has passed rapidly and pleasantly. w
had not the worry of exchanging
the comforts of home for the discomforts O
travel, and we could rest easily un
der the canopy of our own vine and fl g
tree. Indianapolis people are, as genera
thing, quite domestic and practical; tht
, wealthiest of them say: sit is folly to leavt
these wide-shadad streets and commodious
homes in exchange for boarding house o.
hotel comfort just to have it to say we were
away during the Summer. This Afternoon
as took the street car for the northern
part of the city, my destination, distance
of two miles the ride was delightful one
so varied in objects of interest, so many
homes were being fitted for Winter, the
Parks seeming to cling with tenacity to the
green, the red, and the gold, knowing that
their beauty would soon be buried beneath
the snow. The 1vy-cov1rea churches were
losii:g their foliage, and standing in somure
strength were the walls of brick and hewn
stone, and the swallows, who are ever teach.
ing us a lesson of trust, were preparing to
winter elsewhere. Once in "a while we came
upon natural grove in the midst of city
life, then glimpse of the commons, the
smoke curling and kissing from the facto-
ries, giving activity to the scene-still the
music of the car-bell, with it's tinkle, tinkle,
tinkle, kept up its rhythm.
Many things of interest have transpired
since last wrote you, but time is fitting
and curious and sad things mingle in such
fearful quick juxtaposition here, that one
stammers sometimes in the haste to describe
them. The town has been rather dead, or
very dull, in the way Of business for the last
season. Local trade is looking up now and
the stores are putting on their thanksgiving
array. The store windows here are very
pretty; they often attract the attention of
visitors from larger places. For instance,
in the windows below stairs, dimensions 12
by 90 feet of plate glass, there is arrayed in
graceful drapery elegant attire of ladies'
thousands of dollars in pushes furs, shawls,
velvets, silks, in all the beautiful designs
and colors of the season. The ludicrous is
often mingled with the expressions of ad-
miration by the passer-by, and all one has
to do to get an item is to be patient long
enough in one place and you will be sure to
get it. Sometime ago Mr.. Ayeres the pro-
prietor of this-one of the largest dry goods
stores in the city-had on exhibition a shawl
once worn by Empress Eugene, but now
| owned by an artistic in Boston, for which he
paid 200 francs. 1t was one of the most
exquisite articles of needle handiwork ever
exhibited iu this city; it was very large,
filling one whole window, the design was
| beautifully blended landscape with rustic
bridges, shepherd scenes, brooks, groves,
summer-houses with groups of gaily dressed
| peOple-a weight for even an Empress to
bear upon her graceful shoulders new
ertheless, something a connoisseur would
prize. Whilst admiring it two well-dressed
ladies stopped at the window. One asked !:
whats that thing spread out there ?''
"Hush, said the other, sit was Empress
| Eugenie's."
First lady.-''Empress Ugeny-did she
put it here for sale '''
| Second lady.-''H-u-s-h %
First lady.-sDoes she live here ?''
Second lady.-''No!' (curtly).
First lady.-"Well, l declare, 1
wouldn't give cents for that thing, much
less four dollars.''
And she passed on, doubtless stopping a
few doors East at the window of the 'sfive-
cent store" and admired the spittoons for
| a dime.
toy establishments in the West. Mr.. N.Y.
efs, the proprietor, came to America from
Germany and located in this place; he was
employed at wages as some sort of an at
tache at one OF the principal hotels. By
saving and close attention to business he
uow has one of the most beautiful and cost
ly collections Of articles of fancy and useful
wares, both at retail and wholesale, of any
house In the West. He has his own wares
manufactured in Germany and shipped
here. His windows attract every one.
| A few doors further East is the carpet
store OF A. Gall. In his windows the ladies
display their fancy work. Sometime ago
he kindly gave in part of his first floor a
| weeks exhibition of fancy work, with the
privilege of lady visitors voting their pref
erences, and premiums were offered. The
collection was from all parts of the State,
and the articles were the production of
hands and brains of young girls and women
from IA to 80. 1t was wonderful display
both in utility and beauty. Later, at our
State Fair, the women of Indiana seemed
to eclipse the men in their department.
they had such commingling of the useful,
substantial, and ornamental. The women
here seem to be so alive, so ahead in so
many ways of those in, older States, and one
need not think they lack culture or educa-
tion-I speak of the genuine women-but
they have the gift of educating in many
ways; one reason is they have more time
for Improvement; they soiU haze the conve-
niencas toldo with, and to give the men the
credit due them they do all they can to
tighten the burdens OF the housewife, so
the one pot-and- kettle style is the excep-
ton, not the rule. This thing of woman's
rights, too, is growing thing of the past,
not in practical every day way, for they are
brave enough to assert their rights, and the
men are generous enough to grant this, either
by desire or dint of seducation. A woman
can be her own judge as to replenishing@
sheets and pillow-sIips, and does not have
to hold consultation with her lege lord
as to the number of inches less or more. If
any do, this too is the exception, not the
rule. This order of things makes more in
dependent population, and the minds of the
heads of families can naturally turn to high
er things.
I have digressed somewhat. We will
pass on to the picture-store of H. Leiber,
German, of fine culture in his calling, which
is seen in the collection studding his walls,
filling the cases, and resting upon easels-
We adjust our glasses as we see fine col
lection OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
graphs, IA by 30, from the masters at Mu.
Mich and elsewhere. We lift this one, and
at once are transferred to ancient Pompeii
on a moonlight night, with all the luxury
and beauty of the time surrounding U.S.
We lift another, we are on the plains sur
rounding Munich; a lovely face beside
tree in the foreground in the shy modesty
Of maidenhood, "Love me, love me not"
in the Nightingale song. This one is
lovely head of Psyche. These, with the
Christ in the Temple, the beautiful sad
faced boy, just beginning his life-work for
us, stands there astonishing those who had
dived deep in the lore OF scripture; how
pleased and amazed they are as they look
one at another. Or, art! art! wonderful in
its designs, wonderful in its conception,
wonderful and inspiring in the lesson it
teaches.us. Art here seems to be taking
firm foothold.
There are no immensely wealthy people
here-the homes have been formed in many
instances by hard labor, and the people are
being educated to the higher beauties which