Morning journal and courier., 1886-03-09

absence of even the smallest step of improve msnt of the violin, viola, violonosllo, or vio- lono. The clavic ords, haTpsichords elavi- cymbaums, spinets, gravicecembali col piano forte, were all mere tomtoms compared with the modern piano, while the fddles big and little, of the same date are the mod els which our manufacturers can only en- deavor to approximately initiate. Helmholz has very profoundly worked ont some of the leading problems of musical acoustics. but he has not succeeded in demonstrating the mathematics of the queer of the fiddle Innumerable attempts have been made to i'm prove upon the model of Stradivarius, but all have pitifully failed. Every curve of his models, their thickness, their bulge of back and belly and even the queer, ,unaccountable shaped openings must be initiated with ab- jeet servility in order to produce fine ln- strument. Some even assert that the amber varnish is essential. Is it that the makers of Cremona attained absolute perfection, and that no further improvement is posslblei Or dos our modern makers fail from the want of knowledge of the acoustic prinoi- pies on which the efficiency of instruments makers any theory, or did they work 'by rule of thumb, ]" or, more probably, did they, by patient and persevering study of a number of failures, arrive at practical truth by practical exhaustion of errorl
 NOW AND THEN.
 MT. Cleveland in Washington Quite
 Different From MT. Cleveland in
 Buffalo.
 tFrom the Baltimore Amercan.l
 A good many of the Presidents old friends have been surprised by the manner in which he has adapted himself to the social usages of the national capital. He wears the dress suit prescribed by the code with almost as
  he shakes hands with the thousands with the air of one who enjoys the exercise. MT. Cleveland joins in the gayeties of the White House with an apparent relish, and professes to enjoy Washington life. To his personal friends, however, he occasionally opens his heart, and then admits that the good old days in Buffalo, when he had no thought of office seekers and no fear of Republican Senate, were much better suited to his taste than the glitter and glare, false friendship and sycophancv of the throngs which crowd the executive parlors. In Buffalo Mir. Clepe- land never thought of donning swallow tail, and he seldom wore his gloves. He visited the ball room occasionally, but the ball room of the Buffalo politician differs materi- ally from the parlors in Washington, where the German favors are distributed.
 I asked a gentleman to-day, who knew MT. Cleveland well for many years at Buffalo, what was his principal amusement when he lived there. He replied:
 |" 'Penocle, with occasional game at forty six Frounce,' or 'pedro.' These games are favorites with the German IA Americans at Buffalo, and nearly every saloon is provided with small cubby holes, in which are placed double decker tables-one fo1 the beer glass es and the other for the cards. MT. Cleve- lands favorite resort, when engaged in a quiet game with his friends, was Louis Goetzs establishment, on Pearl street, two blocks from the City Hall. He would sit there for hours, laughing and joking with his friends, and enjoying himself far better than he has ever done since. Four of them would be sitting around of these little tables, night after night. Occasionally you would hear one of them call out 'Penocle' but generally the only sound heard-when they were not telling stories would be as the bottom of the beer glasses struck the top of the table, which was the signal to 'fl 'em up again
 'EWhy did Mr. Cleveland never do any thing for his friend, Dan Lockwood!'
 ''You ask me 8 question which no Buffalo Democrat can answer. MT. Cleveland has 1g- nored Dan entirely. Since the week of in auguration Lockwood has not been ill Washington, I am informed He came here then and found his old friend changed tbat he scarcely recognized the man who had made him politically. Dan expected to be offered some place commensurate with his services. l doubt It he would have taken the best place in the diplomatic service, but tue tender of a mission would have been ap- preciated. He was not only ignored in the search for diplomats, but was not even con- suited with reference to any of Mir. Cleve- lands appointments. Naturally the Buffalo Democracy object to this cool treatment of their leader. MT. Cleveland, it must be re- membered, has not, in any instance, remem- bered his old cronies and friends in conduct ing his present office. He burns the bridges behind him."