The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1888-05-31
Letter from Boston.
SIGNS OF SUMMER AT THE Club: MUSIC
HALL PROMENADE CONCERTS. ATTRACTIONS
AT THE THEATRES. FIRST LEAGUE GAME
AT THE BASE BALL GROUNDS.

/ HloWS,F says tnat
''May is pious fraud of the almanac,
CHASTITY parody of real spring.
and certainly the weather that has persistently
fingered around Boston in this month of al
legged sun and flowers, bears out the truth OF
these lines. The wise man has not appeared OIL
the street without his overcoat and his own, or
somebody's umbrella has stayed by him closer
than a brother. The Common and Public
Garden have been almost deserted till within a
few days. owing to the unsympathetic atmos-
phere. but now the evenings are getting mild,
and the young people are beginning to congre-
gate and monopolze the benches in the old
familiar way. Everything is of deep luxuri-
Gus green in this public TRUSTING place of Bos-
ton. and to the down town lover and his lass
will remain IL thing of beauty and JOY till
next fall.
But the dearest forStaste of approaching sum-
mer to the gddy, social palate of the Hub, has
been found in the Music Hall promenade con-
ccrtS, which were inaugurated last Wednesday
evening with an orchestral flourish of fifty in
struments and delighted throng of agreeable
people. The finely trained orchestra is under
the able management of Mr.. Franz kneisel,
the talented musician, and is acknowledged to
be far better than the one of last summer at
thi, place.
! The front of the stage is lined with perfect
| grecnerv of plants and flowers; tall palms and
plants are distributed at various points around
the floor of the hail. and the balcony sides are
ta>tefully fc>tooned with generous amount of
running vines. The whole effect is altogether
charming. In the center of the room rises Il
massive vase of bright and fragrant flowers,
and around this. at every table far or near, are
many men and women. some slipping punch,
and some contenting themselves with beer or
mineral water. while cigar and cigarette smoke
fill the air.
| To get good view of this festive scene one
should mount to the balconies land he will be
obliged to 90 there any way, unless he has en-
@a@cd a seat below in advance) and then look
down on the swarm of good natured. WELL
bred and fa>hionaby dressed Bostonians, for
it is distinctly respectable crowd that sits and
enjoys the music, keeps the walters running.
and pays the fiddler. 1t usually costs some
! thing TO hear the music from the floor. The
talk is never individually loud, but the COM
bined voices of the multitude come floating up
to the balconies like the insstent hum and buzz
OF huge saw or planning mill although drowned
now and then by generous applause for the
orchestra. a Maine man. (who would, quite
naturally, have no temptation to visit the floor
if visiting Boston. can pass Il pleasant evening
at these promenade concerts for a quarter, the
price of admission. \ seat among the worldly
vii! cost him Il quarter extra. while prices for
refreshments will make him think that there
is a tariff for Music Hall only. lie may wonder
where the promenade comes in, but there is no
| promenadin@ except to seats. The walters
who pervade the air and all the available space.
do the walking.
There are other evening attractions here
now beside that of Music Hall. chief among
which are Palmer's company in Jim, the
Peninan." at the Park. and Mansfield in a
round of characters at the Museum. They
draw good houses, the Park, especially, being
crowded at each performance. But the theat-
rcal event of the past week was the Actors
| Fund Benefit at the Boston on Thursday after
noon. 10 which an immense crowd turned out.
|
formahce began at O'Clock, with Agnes Booth
and }. +. Whiting in Bronson Towards "Old
Love Letters" Mrs. Booth gave a delicious
bit of comedy as the widow of thirty-fye, and
| despite some of the famous names which fol-
lowed, did the most satisfying work of the af-
| ternoon. The talented and ambitious daughter
of General Banks came next with thrill
| i,,yI
OLowre'>.' She met with flatterng recep-
ton and was called upon TO bow her thanks a
number of times. Then the curtain went up
Oh the third act Of "Othello." and the audience
| became enthusiastic at the sight of Edwin
| Booth as Fago, and Lawrence Barrett as
othello. on the stage. Booth has grown per-
ceptably old in the past few years and he can
no longer look the ideal youthful Hamlet, but
he still remains the greatest English speaking
| actor. lryiny'> admirers to the contrary
notwithstanding. 1t was a novelty to see Bar
rett AZ the jealous Moor and he was rather
weighted down with the demands of the part
but he had flashes of real power that brought
! him good deal of applause. His black NOUS
tache. hoop-earrinSs and glistening teeth, which
We're too frequently on show, gave him at
times Il touch of buresque. There is only one
othelo, and salvin is his interpreter. Nat
Goodwin told some stories, and +. II. Sothern
! followed in the second act of 1.-The Highest
| Bidder" which closes Il prosperous run at the
| Hollis st. tonight. Young Salvini, dear to the
heart of the female theatre goer, then gave
1.-The Charge of the Light Brigade in some
what labored manner, and with a foreign ac-
| cent. His voice is fine and much like that of
his father, the Salvini. The entertainment was
closed successfully by the "Bostonians'' in
"Mignon." and the Actors Fund was richer
| by s., 636
There was a great audience but it shrank
INTO pitiful proportion when compared with
the mighty tide of humanity that swept into
the South base bal! grounds the next afternoon
to witness the first league game of the season
OH the home diamond. Thirteen thousand con-
ident light hearted lIubites rolled in to see the
Boston> just demoraizc the PhiadeIphas.
Then they rolled back. but not not the light
| hearted. With all of Boston, and part of
Massachusetts, headed by Gov. Ames and
stall. Mayor O'Brien and John l.. Sullivan,
and other great men, TO cheer them on to VIC
tory, the home team mserabIy failed to hit the
balls that Mr.. Casey kindly threw in their di-
rection, and the weakest of all was Mike Kei-
| ley. The $4,000 wonder didn't see first base
for the game. and Boston dropped its head. or
tail, iii sorrow. The little Quaker held the
Boston nine in the hollow Of his hand till the
| seventh inning, when Dick Johnston covered
himself with glory by whacking the ball to
left field for three bases, and Brown took pity
Oh him and sent him in with a single. these
being two of the three safe punches that Bos-
ton got at the charmed "sphere." "sphere. is
Bo>tonese for ball. Clarkson, the business end
OF the 100000 battery, couldn't guide the trick
! ey leather as he wished, but there were few
hys and only four runs knocked off him.
| There were many voices saving that the score
would be different to-day, and it is. The
Quakers only come out ahead, it seems, to-day
Saturday. and the score, the cruel score, is /
Kelley IKE 81 ssR's Ney aian4 M;k
base INT tor the ten innings which had to be
played. He thought that Casey was hard
enough, Ot a greater than Casey was found in
Bufhngton. Madden pitched wonderful game
for the home club, but BOston's star is sinking
beyond the western heavens. Mp.
Card from J. 0. johnson ESQ.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE JOURNAL: In nm article
published in the Journal a few weeks ago. INV
name was mentioned a possible candidate for
thc Office of sheriff. Thanking my friends for
tnelr kindly feeling toward me, desire to SAY that