The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-03-11
CLARA BELLIES SUNDAY TALK
Sorrowful Experience of a Man Who
Attended a Literary Club Meeting.
Lent-Fashions in Mourning-Mrs. Hicks
Lord, the Famous Female Monte Cristo.

1cut-EhSul0HSi III MOuTHIHg-MFS. fflckS-
Lord, the Famous Female Monte Cristo.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal
NEW YORK, March l0.-It sometimes takes
| stranger TO see New York in its true light To
most of the features of city life are COM
monplace and pass them without noting. I
am reminded of this by the experience of
young now here visit, who received an
invitation to attend one of the monthly general
meetings of well-known club-an organization
that has great prestige for its literary tone.
Once time its membership was exclusively
literary and artistic, but when the club fell upon
evil days and the Bohemians failed to pay their
dues and debts accumulated, certain wealthy
fellows who yearned to be thought literary were
admitted to membership. Since then the COM
mercial element has somewhat dominated its
affairs. but there is still a good flavor
of brain work about the list Of men,
bers. My young friend was naturally
delighted at his opportunity to see how writer's
and painters and other or less noted men
wo1ld appear in real life, and his antcipations
were reused for time of mental Inspiration
By 10 o'clock in the evening the rooms were full
of members and a sprinkling of guests The
young noted that there was no whisper of
book talk, not word about writing of any kind;
but there was little about art, melted by the
exhibition of several exceedingly fine paintings.
After time a bountiful spread with much good
liquors exposed and eaten, the chatterng
on business and commonplaces continuing.
Then came the entertainment, and the young
man thought. '.as last"
The first entertainer was a Frenchy looking
man with wretched voice, who sung a very
bad satire opera Everybody has heard such
efforts-suggestions of familiar airs rendered
now in a squeaking falsetto and now in a croak-
ing bass. Then rscited Will Carleton
poem that everybody knew by heart from so
often hearing it. Next well-known tenor sung
song IN really good style, and the enjoyment
was. doubtless genuine, for he enthusiastic
ally encored. A species of entertainment fol-
lowed that has been made popular by little
Josef Hoffman. A man took possession of the
piano and improvised pieces on themes given at
random by members of the audience. It was
wild and exciting exhibition of a composers pow
ers and the young man, who had been growing
more and more disappointed. was disgusted. He
was sufficiently versed in music to know that the
faculty of improvisine is no indication of genius,
and that it is form OF entsrtainm IN ent that only
genius can make interesting. But the climax
to come. An elderly gentleman was called
upon to recite He began in a confident exag-
eerAted manner piece that depended for its
slender interest upon ACCOMMODATION of
puns made up from the titles of plays and
operas. 1t is ancient stump speech long
since discarded Q musty chestnut by the min
strel show artists. When, unctuousy delivered,
II Is tolerable. In this case the delivery was
anything but adequate, and when the reciter
had got about wo-thirds through the tan
gle and all were in great hopes that the
agony would be over. the gentleman
stopped, looked blank instant, and then ex-
claimed '.Ah! got that wrong!' He began
ar fha hauf ~
itssie to patient suffering. On he went, grow
ing more and more unsteady as he proceeded
and when he reached the point where he had
failed he stumbled again, and said Really,
gentlemen, you'll have to excuse me- but it is so
long time since l recited this piecei I'll get it
right this time!" and horrible to relate. he began
at the beginning, and wandering aimlessly and
painfully along, finally wound I'D amid a rattle
of perfunctory applause. The young mans cup
of sorrow was full and he left the club with a
sad idea as to the chosen diversions of men of
talent and brains.
What are we doing in Lent? We'll, the fash
ionabe women are making religious pretenses.
and not all of them are false. For instance I
met Mrs. Astor in the street leading boot-black
with either hand. She was talking earnestly
with them. and imagined that she was getting
infor nation about the manner of their lives I
knew that her recently deceased sister-in-law
had not long before DEATH requested her hus
band to erect in Der memory home for boot
blacks. She had already given money literally
for such an institution for newsboys and had
also devoted considerable time to that sort of
philanthropy. But the boot-blacks are not so
well provided for and / understand that the
proposed Astor home for them is to be erected
without delay Sleeping accommodations will
be provided for the little fellows and breakfasts
viii be sold TO them for nominal price The
problem with the ladies' of the Astor family is
how to give away money IN ways that will really
do good They dislike to encourage dleness or
mendicancy, and yet they extremely desir-
ons Of helping people to help themselves
Less than rod behind the good Mrs. Astor
came along the naughty jennie Worrell do
not say that Jennie has been outright wicked,
because such an assertion would require partic-
uars, but she has for twenty five years been
curiously vivaeious. Perhaps the reader has no
recollection of the Worrell sisters Long before
I ever went into theater they were exponents
of giddy burlesque, and at the time of my
first observation of them they in the
heyday of their popularity. They three.
Sophie was the most talented. and she is still
extant on the stage as the wife and co performer
of George S. knight. Irene was the profes-
sional beauty of the trio. The is keeping
boardinR-house for variety show folks. Jennie
WAS the liveest and most venturesome.
She had spells of amusing the public off the
stage, well on, and at length she formed
an attachment for Big Mike Murray, the rich
est and han6somest professional gambler now
in New York What regarded matri-
mony between them lasted for many years, but
along about 1882 it ceased, and Jennie went to
Earope with her children. Murray was figure
at the opera. the theater race-course and in the
art galleries, for bis tastes exquisite as his
vocation is bad Jennie is here pleasure
trip. She was wearing excellent clothes. and
she looked as jolly ever, though too old for
3 return to the old professional friskiness of
5urlesque.
Dame fashion is heartless tyrant in this
Paris of America. Even the grave is not sacred
from her communicating touch. A leading soci-
ETY. woman loses husband, parent or child
by death. She weeps inordinately, refusing to
be comforted and declares that life is longer |
vvnrth ErrInc nd sha rri1 srarr he