The Sunday herald., 1886-12-12
special Correspondence.I

Personal, and Literary Chat.
Especial Correspondence.l
NEW YORx, December o. 1885.
My last letter. In which praised the conslderatc
conduct of the Weather Clerk In giving us Of the
an unprecedented extension Of Indian
Summer could hardly have reached you before Old
Borcas was upon us to dispute my words, and when
my communication was printed last Sunday the city
was clad In snow both deep and beautiful. The
change was all the severer because unexpected,
and found the city unprcpared for II. Thoreisnoth
ing more melancholy than great city whose life
and activity arc suddenly snow-bound, particularly
II II happens to he on Sunday, and especially u
Sunday when the authorities arc cndeavorng TO
enforce lot of antlquated Blue Laws against the
carrying on OF any sort Of iraflc. Such was last
Sunday in New York, and dulcr day the inctropo-
lis has never seen since 1t attained that dignity.
Surface travel was almost entirely suspended. The
police took 1t into their heads that though the street
cars might be run, the snow-plows, which were
necessary clean the tracks, could not he usod and
this refusal to let the surface roads he made passahlc
caused more profanity on the part or the drivers,
conductors and passengers than the prayers of all
the observers OF the offended Blue Laws will ever
blot out on the books OF Eternity. Even the timid
citizens who owned selghs did not venture to drive,
lest the luxury might he condemned as such ami
the participants he condemned to nnc or imprson-
ment or both, at the option OF the coated minons of
the Blue Laws which Mr. David Dudley Field has
revived, AMI which the police enforcing with the
evident Intention OF showing their absurdity ana
making them obnoxious, to the end that there will
be an carly repeal Of them. Aside from all qucs-
tlons Of religion, the enforcement of these laws Is
lmpractcablc and impolitlc. 1t is physical impos-
sbilty to satisfy the wants Of great mass Of people
congrogaed in large city like this, II trade and
travel on the Sabbath be suppressed. There would
be actual suffering, grave dscontent, and probable
revolt, II such state OF things existed long. II
won't be suffered to exist long; and I venture to
predict that no serious attempt to enforce the fanatl
ca laws OF generations ago will he made next
Sunday.
But II the scighers did not improve their opportu.
nifty on Sunday, they out in full force on Mon
day, and have been out every day and might since
New York on runners furnishes q sight TO he en-
joyed In no other city OF the word-not even St.
Petersburg for though tho Sd,Sf (prvate sleigh
not the droSchkb) Of the Russians ia Imposing and
picturesque, there cannot be even on the News.
koi Prospek OF the Cars capital such numbers and
varieties anu such costly selghs as may be seen on
Fifth avenue anu In Central Park any day In winter
when the snow is packed and hard az 1t Is now. |
should not fear 10 be disputed IL should assert that
there are ten times rs many sleighs of all kinds
owned in New York there are in any other city OF
the world 1t Ia largely because q vast number OF
exceedingly cheap cutters are manufactured here.
Then the extremes OF wealth and poverty here are
not 80 marked as abroad, and the luxury of seghng
is not monopozed by the wealthy. 1t seemed to
me, looking Mt the double procession Of seighs nng
In and out OF the Fifth-avenue entrance to Central
plrk on MOnuay aftnrnOOn. thAt n nj N
and that no two were sold for the same money
There were cutters which could be bought for $50
drawn by horses worth little more, and sankis with
teams OF four horses that could not have cost furs
and lap robes Included, less than $40 900. Seghs 10
sell for s2 800 are lnfrequeniy manufactured here
The mlionaires who keep expensive yachts for
summer use also maintain slelghs relatively of
equal magnlGcence and expense for winter sports
The love OF needless and often insulting display
in other matters IL nudclously kept up In this re-
gard by many of our short.siRhted moneyed men ,
who fail TO remember that In the history of social
revolutions OF all ages the of rich rulers
has been hardly less cause of dissatisfaction and
revolt than their tyranny. stood at the entrance
OF Central Park to watch and admire and enjoy, az
did hundreds OF others, this English procession OF
happy pleasure.seekcrs, but was far more inter.
estcd In what heard than what saw. There were
ceeded, however, by the number who enjoyed the
sight without any consciousness of wrong or depri
walton to themselves. But there were muttcrngs OF
discomfort, not loud, but deep and bitter. And tho
most thoughtless OF the crowd by their exclama-
tions OF delight and laughter emphasized these NUT
terlngs OF the discontented. saw a man who made
his entire fortune In stocks under old Cornelius
Vanderbts hints drive by with 1000 team, and
| one man near me who recognized him, as did,
| sworc In an undertone, "Damn him, his stable cost
SI0,OOO The tlloughtlcss OF the crowdcrled, 'Ah!'
and called each others attention to the more costly
equpages, but notwith envy or bitterness: yet lei
some edcmocratic-ooklngv vehicle passed their laugh
ter and applause showed that they, too sypat
with the poor rather than the rich In this unusual en-
| Joyment. This undercurrent of discomfort amonI
| the poor of Rev York is stronger now than hav,
| ever known II, aud it manlfests itself much more
frequently now than formerly, and In reference to
greater variety of subjects think that those newl,
made rich by speculation are held In greater contemp
than formerly, and that there is great deal less
genuine respect for old families, even those deserv
Ing OF the highest esteem, than existed ten years
ago. 1t Is not wholly due to the preaching of social
ism: 1t Is partly due to the obnoxious display II
business by the monOpolists and In society by the
| wealthy.
Mr.. Manton Marble, the new president OF the Man
| haitian Club, has recently returned to New YORK
from long rest at Lausanne, Switzerland, after h
arduous study of the silver question at the request OF
| President Cleveland. fancy 1t was Secretary
Manning who really suggested the nomination O
Mr. Marble to this important mission, AMI am tol,
| that Mr.. Manning urged on the President the ap
poinment OF Mr.. Marble to the Secretaryship of III,
| Treasury In his own place. Mr. Manning woult
have retired II the appointment OF Mr.. Marble as hi
| IN hAn nlnn Hall ,,.ss
been Influenced by the late Mr.. Tilden to promis
| the succession, In the event OF Mr.. Mannng's dls
ability, to prominent Pennsylvania Congressman
who was inlmlcal to Mr.. Manning, AMI the latte
resumed his duties rather than see this prog-anm
carried out. The Congressman thus dIsappoiutc
entered, very late, the canvas for reelection, an
| won by reduced majority. Some Indirect con
frmation OF this story IN found In the fact, by n
means to be rldIcnled, that Mr.. Marble wrote
large part OF Mr.. Mannings recent report as Secre
| tary of the Treasury. There are few men In thi
country who have made as thorough study of II
finances as Mr.. Marble has. and / believe / ca
select passages of Mr.. Mannng's report which ar
from his pen.
The dssenslons In tho American Opera Compan
have long been known here, and the dissolution
which Is concealed In the change of the name to tn
National Opera Company, has long been antc
| P"'e"' A h'"ho "sohsiuoun hct vi lIuVThCtlCuDlt
were never combined In the management of q moi
absurd scheme. Theodore Thomas Is iheorl
who has been successful only In the managemeI
of summer garden in which light ana populi
music only was played. He never could attain n
position OF Dr. Damrosch as u refined and tho
oughly scientific musician, and was really ney,
anything more than band leader. Mr.. Loci
knew nothing from experience OF management, an
yet attempted to run rival TO Edmond @. Stanton.
the Metropolitan Opera House, who had forgoi,C
: more OF practical management, and OF music. to-
than Loche had ever known. Frank II. Thurb,
and his wife, who really backed the enterprise vii
money, are recognized here as harmless cranks
the one OF philosophical turn, the other OF
social nature one likea TO appear In the papers
discussions upon every topic which arises, from Il
purity OF oleomargarine To theosophy, while n
other started the American Ballet as one means |
which to dance her way into society. The ecce
tric characters who ngure In this American Ope
scheme are such AS can only be found in gre
cosmopolitan city.
The assassination here q few days alo OF an @!
Italian bandit and an American pndronP, combin,
In the person of an cighty-year-old Italian, emph
sizes what had TO say n few weeks ago about Il