Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-09-05
NEW YORK LETTER.
ycsrr,spondsnss Of the Riehmond DlspAtchl

WV k$s&<s 80 - 49,
NEw YoRK. September 4, 1886.
There has been an earnest endeavol
Of late to produce comic opera in New
York. The intention wAs more brillian
than The execution. Acting upon th'
inexplicAble theory that the public Ar'
yearning for mstricsl tomfoolery, 81
tSs managers have gone in search o
musical dramas. In fact, dram'
without music Is Of no more sccoan
than an actress without wardrobe.
The latest endeavor bore the name o
q Josephine Sold by Her Sisters" L
Vas done by the McCaull Company q
Wsllack's on Monday night. Mr.. Nc.
Caull, ought to tell you, steers As wide
a. possible from the native thing. III
stakes " the foreign article, 70 use tho
Slang Of the stage. He has one or two
clever people In his company, and hs
whites German operas to their shape
and talents. BY the time he gets
through with them they are local bur.
lssques.
The advertisements that be furnishes
are sometimes funny in spots they are
seldom any thing else. And, that being
the case, 1t is never worth while u
spend much time in writing about them
A BURLEsQyE.
+" Josephine Sold by Her Sisters y
differs from the other recent attempt in
this line by scertain sudscity OF theme.
Il Is really . burlesque on the bible
story Of Joseph and his brethren. And
the selection will show to what lengths
these comic librettists are driven 10
search of subjects. "Joseph has
long been the theme Of q spectacular
drama, but it was treated with some
degree Of reverence and was throughout
= serious play. The affair at Wallack's
Is puerile trayesty, after the Partisan
models Of fun. That it will entertain,
much less interest, rational people with
spy respect for the Bible is not for a
moment to be thought Of. 1t wasn't
written for that purpose. y was
framed like most Of the twittering
yaudeyilles to catch the shallow minds
of men about town; the demi-monde
and the youngsters, gilded and other.
wise, whose strong point is their wild
contempt for every thing but tho giddy
disdain Of the moment.
NEW PLAYERS.
Two new players were introduced to
New York by this pssquinsde. One
was Miss Louise Parker, Of whom the
public have heard great deal in pars-
graphs for moRth. She succeeded in
looking very pretty, in singing pleasant
ly ard feebly, and in not acting at oil.
Mr.. Eugene 0udin, the new baritone,
was the other newcomer. His insbll'
i,y to do anything but sing showed
how difficult it is to get musical actors
for these ventures.
Lawrence Barrett and Frederick
warde both opened the same night in
the legitimate drama, as it is still
fondly called. They both had packed
houses, to use another fond phrase,
made up Of the working. classes, who
alone paironize the legitimate in New
York.
II you want to see a deeply-in-
terested and serious audience youmust
70 TO one Of the big cheap theatres.
If you want 10 see the gay and care
less sneerers you must go to comic
opera.
THE sEDGwICK SCANDAL.
The Sedgvick scandal has been tenn
porarily buried in the excitement caused
by the earthquake. Sooner or later,
however, it is likely to reappear. Any
thing concerning Mr.. Sedgwick must
therefore prove interesting. Sedgwick
is tall and d,sf,ngue in appearance and
supercilious in demeanor. You cannot
call him handsome yet he is great
favorite with the ladies. He dresses
and acts like, aud really is, bowling
swell. lie is. member Of the tony
Union Club, and trains in it's set
with q vim, rerre, and vigor
that would put many a younger
man underground in hurry. lie
was formerly . great friend Of the
fashionable and wealthy j. Hampden
Robb, . State senator who has lately
been shunted from the main line In
politics. Sedgwick is q hale fellow
well met in society circles. He Is q
great diper-out, q Judge Of good wine,
and . reckless poker-player. He is
about forty-hye years old. He came
here from Boston fifteen years or more
ago. lie is one Of the Massachusetts,
Sedgwicks, q family which equals IN
sristccracy the Taliaferros OF Virginia,
the De Saussures Of South Carolina,
the Munchslls OF Kentucky. and the
Liyinystors Of Louisiana. Cstharin,
M. Ssdgwick, the distinguished author
ess, belonged to the same branch o.
the family. Arthur Sedgwick is a
graduate Of Harvard.
HOW HE WAS CAPTURED.
He entered the army in the last year
Of the war as = lieutenant In the Tweu'
tieth Massachusetts. When only twenty
days at the front his nearsishtedness LED
hun into knot OF Confederates, WHOM
be took for federals. They whipped hin
from tho picket-line, aud he spent tbs
yemaioder Of his term OF service il
Libby prison. At the close OF the wal
be practiced law in Boston, aud ther
dTiftea to this city. Meantime he mar
ried the daughter Of Lucias Tucker
man, q retired merchant, worth from
100000 to 100000. In New
York he affected journalistic work.
While training in the ranks Of So
ciety no locked arms with L.
L. Godkin, and joined the staff Of
the Nation, . Pharissical weekly net
paper. While Godkin was away Sedg-
wick topped the Nation into the plat.
Ter Of the Democracy, and ran 1t ID
Tilden's interest. The effect Was dis
sstrous. The paper lost its circulation
and influence, and was faally merged
into the Weekly Post. Ssdgwick fol
loved Godkin TO the Ereaing Post
he wrote mainly upon social topics
Being well educated, cultivated, ant
accomplished, he achieved fair edi
torislreputaiion. After Cleveland s cleo.
ton. boWeyer. he returned n tina nvaeiisa