National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-01-02

we expect TO endure at the season, industry
is suffering from n long continued stagna-
ton, the government revenues are falling
short Of the estimates, thousands OF work.
ingmen are out of employment, and the
numerous sources OF public aud private
charity seem unequal to the demands made
upon them. The political truce which was
promised for the holiday season has not
been kept, and we are still In the midst OF
the interminablo Tonquin discussion. The
presidential election, announced for the be-
ginning Of this month, is delayed, and It
looks now as though the year would end
before this question is settled. Our poll
tlclans appear to care very little about tho
misery that is all about them, and spend
their time In wrangling over the colonial
policy and in trying to find a scapegoat for
the unlucky Tonquin disasters Col. Her
binger, who ordered the retreat from Lang
Song, has returned home, aud we shall soon
hear what he has to say about the charge
of drunkenness that has openly been made
against him by his superior officer. Gen.
Briere de Isle.
The general stagnation Is affecting the
theaters, and managers are trying TO stop
an old abuse which takes thousands out OF
their pockets every year.
This abuse is the free-tlckct system.
When ] sec the number Of dead-heads that
90 TO the theater every night wonder how
the managers can pay their expenses. IL Is
not only the newspaper men who feel en-
titled to- go to the theater without paying
they form only small part OF the dead
heads-but the clerks i'm the administration,
the friends Of authors, and a numberless
host OF individuals who would find II diff
cult TO say on what grounds they ask for
free tickets swell this grand army Of dead
heads. IL appears that the enormous in
crease In free tickets can be traced back
only to the close Of the war, when the man
ager OF the Gymnase, to fill up the empty
seats, began to paper the house. His Gus
and now going to the theater without pay
ing has become system with great many
ypeTsons. Since the first performance OF
s'Theodoran the manager Of the Porte Saint
Martin has alone received 10000 requests
for free tickets. II is usually when piece
has meet with cool reception that these
dead-heads flock to the theater,
and It is curious TO see what reasons they
invoke. Sardou tells the story of a man
who called upon him for ticket TO see
i'Fedoran When asked what were his
claims, he said that he was delegate to
Louis Blanc's funeral. Only yesterday
Adolphe Belot received among 200 re-
quests LOT IlCkelb lOT Tue HTbb
of "Saphon one which asked him for the
left stage box, as the demander's mother
in-law, who was to accompany him, was
hard OF hearing I'm the right ear. When
authors give out tickets for their pieces
that do not ill the house they afterwards see
thesame crowd Of beggars returning for
admission TO those plays wuich have sue
cess. Then, as they are unable to be so
generous, they find those whom they have
Obliged turned into enemies, who cry:
HYou were glad enough 10 have us when
your piece didn't draw II is not only the
free-tIcket system that is injurious TO the
theater. In the present hard times the
prices OF places arc too high. An orchestra
seat costs from 81. so to 50, and q great
many persons who like to go to the theater
are unable to pay this sum. The result is
that they spend their evenings at the cafe
concert, where for 40 cents they get good
seat and have an indifferent drink thrown
in.
A fayorite expression here Isl GAS solid
as the Pont Neuf,n and, considering that
the famous bridge is three centuries old,
the expression was not incorrect. Yester-
day, however, the strong currents Of the
Seine so weakened the piers that the road
day and sidewalks began TO sink in. Traffic
was Immediately suspended and measures
taken to tighten the structure Of all its
weight. II will probably be necessary TO
reconstruct part Of the bridge. Although
the Pont Neuf was built In the reign of
Henri III II has always been called the new
bridge, for II seemed TO be as young and
strong as ever. For long while this
bridge was the center of Partisan life, and
an old proverb says that you could always
meet there q white horse, courtesan,
and monk. II was the rendezvous
OF the eharlatans, the thieves, ana al
sorts of dangerous classes, and after
nightfall II was not always safe to
cross the bridge alone. Previous to
1715 the bridge was lined with barracks
when there were theatrical performances.
Brioche, the inventor OF the puppet show,
exhibited his marionettes there. The Pont
Neuf has not only played prominent role
In Partisan life, II has also been the scene OF
political events as well. In 1889 the people
obliged all the aristocrats who passed by IN
their carriages to alight and salute the
statue of Henri ". This statue was over
turned In 1903 and melted into cannon. On
its sight an enlistment barrack for voluh'
teers was erected, and afterwards an alarm
gun was placed there. The present statue
was erected in 1878, When Louis XVIII
returned TO Paris In 1914 he passed over the
Pont Neuf on his way to Notre Dame. The
bridge has been several times repaired, no
tably in 1s4s, when over two millions were
spent on IL.
Did II ever occur to you when looking al
a fashion plate of mems dress who 1t Il
that establishes these fashonsp Each year
we are obliged to wear larger or smaller
trousers, shorter or longer frock coats
lose-htting or loosely flowing oyercoats
wide or narrow collars; In short, there ar,
always more or less notifications which, Il
we wish to be in fashion, obliges us to con
suit the tailor. A French paper has just
revealed to the world how all these changes
In mems dress are made law, and why IL II
that all tina tailOrg are nprppl IIDOn the new
styles. In Paris all the leading tailors be
long to a society which has for It's object the
relief Of its members who are Ill or unfor
tunate. This society has members moi
only In France, but In all the capitals ofthl
world where the European style OF dress Il
worn. Its resources come from the sale Of
its fashion plate to It's members. Here II
how this plate is made; Each year the so
ciety names committee of eleven
members, which prepares pro
visionai sketches. When the president
of the committee has collected a. dozen
Gssgils representing the different parts Q
sthe masculine dress, he submits the result
NOf his researches to his colleagues. The,
discuss the proposed models and sugges
.changes, II need be; these changes are i'm
mediately made by designer who is pres
ent at the discussion, and then the modified
models are put TO vote, adopted, and tn
engraving Is made and sent out over tn
world. Inc LONDON trfofs enterlnto com
petition with the Partisan tailors, for Their
are many Frenchmcn who think It Is tn
correct thing to be dressed q pAnglaise
fFor a long time the English cloths, by th
originality OF the designs, superiority o
make and cheapness, have done much harm
to French fabrics, but latterly the Frenol
inanuincturers have been making strong Of
forts TO Gust their competitors from th
market, and have In part succeeded.
While some rich amateurs have just pre-
scented TO the Louvre "Chrlst In tn
Tomb by Criyelli, the Due d'Aumalo ha
bought for the bagatello Of $l25,0O0 th
celebrated composition by Raphael repre-
isenting the "Three Graces.n Raphael prot
ably pninted THIS tAbleau In 1908 when h