Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-11-30

| aver, Pieasaut memories remain OF the KIND
her side OF New York. As city we celebrated
Thanksgiving in rather pagan fashion-that is,
| If we go by the old standards. Nevertheless We
put great deal OF happiness into it, and that
IL one Of the best forms Of gratitude. am
| moved by the observances Of the day to note
the magnificent proportions Of New York's
charities. We are making such fuss. for ex-
ample, with our fve-milion- dollar guaranty
fund for the worlds fair, and yet the city an
nually raises and spends more than 81, O0O. 600
for benevolent objects and makes no bother
and blows no trumpets about it.
CHARITY AND ITS FRUITS.
Take such an item in the complex benevo-
lence Of the city as the children's aid society.
According to the report submitted at the an
nual meeting, held On Tuesday. the expend-
itures for the year reached $4,000. And this
organization Is only one OF many. To cite
another, there is the Five Points home of in
dustry, which yesterday set a Thanksgiving
dinner for 1,60O. These examples might be
multiplied. And the practical fruits show In
such police statistics as that the commitments
of girls for petty offenses have fallen from
$3.50 in 1860 to 1.S64 in 1889.
1 have said that the routine charities of New
York exceed five millions year; probably they
largely exceed that amount. The other day
happened to learn of one Of our big Million
aires who politely declined to contribute to a
church building fund because he had already
reached his line in that particular for the year,
as he had contributed $500 900 for various
objects of the sort. This man is identified with
one OF the most ''grasping" of the great mono
poles, but it shows that he has a soul if his
corporation hasn't.
FOOT BALL AND CHURCH
After fluid blizzard, which fifty capped an
unprecedented month of rain, the clouds broke
away on Thanksgiving morning and gave us a
good day, whether for prayers and psalms or
for foot ball and matinees or for all combined.
The churches were crowded, but it was in the
afternoon that the real hurly-burly began.
just now we live in the reign of the foot ball
fad" No fewer than ten important matches
were held during the day, the most glorious of
all, Of course, being the titanic struggle be-
tween Yale and Princeton. One of the ideas
launched upon the world by the fair pro-
jectors was local colosseum to seat
contests. Such an amphitheater would
not be too spacious to accommodate the
crowds that rush to these foot ball matches,
Nor would suggestions of the Fiavian amphi-
theater be inappropriate. Undoubtedly the
true explanation of the immense popularity of
this sport lies in the fact of its heroic brutality
Deep in our bones and coursing in our blood is
the admiration for the strong, brave man who,
Tor some object OF glory, shows contempt OF
pain and danger 1t is this elemental heroism
d
even for those who cannot tolerate its barbara
ties. Foot ball comes about near the prize
hight as the law allows, without its vulgarity,
and hence strongly appeals to the natural man,
even after he has put on varnish of culture.
MRS. soUTHwoRTH's VENGEANCE.
There is also something that appeals strongly
to the natural man in the thorough way in
which Mrs. Southworth emptied the chambers
of her revolver into the man who had injured
her and whom she hated SO. Had she clear
case of wrong public sympathy might side pow-
erfully with her, but there is more than a sus-
picion that all the iniquity was not on the
mans shoulders. She seems to have become
possessed with as mortal and implacable
a hate as inspired old Baldassarre
George Eiiot's "ROmoa," with this difference,
that Mrs Southworth evidently has had ali
her wits about her. Lawyer Howe, of course,
will try to show that she crazy, but there
was an uncomfortable method in her madness,
and apart from her one homicidal mania, if
such it was, no one will claim that she is in
sane. The whole episode has been a terrible
one, and we are promised new sensations in
deviltry when the trial opens.
RIPE FOR A BIG FIRE.
Yesterdays fire in Boston. Joined as it is with
the almost equally alarming conflagration in
Lynn, has made the town look rather sober.
New York has been singularly fortunate in
our turn will come Had the wind been in a
different direction when the New York Centrars
elevators caught fire last spring the whole lower
part of the island might have gone by the
board. We have had several million dollar
nres lately lately but none that assumed
fagration. True we have a splendid
fire department but so has Boston, and our
business buildings. while more magnificent to
the eye than structures of the same class in
Boston, are less solidly constructed. Of course
all these new palaces are claimed to be absolutely
fire proof, but nothing seems to Withstand the
fury Of the fire iend when once that terrible
ogre is in one of his tandrums. New York
loses heavily from both fires in the shape of in
surance. Rates have been runously low any
way and the two great fires of the week may
knock out some of the weaker companies.
SAVING HIS WAY TO LIBERTY.
A most ingenious and audacious escape wa
made on Wednesday from the black maria. A
negro prisoner who was being conveyed from
court to prison produced long knife, which
he had somehow secured, and which had been
in some way notched into the likeness of a saw
and with this rude instrument he sawed
square hole through the wooden floor OF the
vehicle as it bumped along over the cobble-
stones, dropped through the aperture, and
made good his escape. This fable teaches that
there's many slip twixt the cup and the lip,
and that even after you have caught your hare
several prisoners i'll the van but the negro. who
was Of giant proportions and perfect savage,
terrorized his companions and forced them to
keep mum while he sawed the hole After he
had escaped they set ups shout and attracted
the guards attention, but it was too late.
THE EXOTIC oBELIsK.
There are renewed anxieties over the palp-
able disintegration of the obelisk. 1t will be
remembered that some years ago the stone be-
gan to flake off and the monolith was smeared
with paraf1iInc to preserve it. For time this
seemed to arrest the decay, but recently the
splitting off process has appeared again.
Grave doubts are expressed if the monolith
can stand our soveve climate and it is more
than likely that it will ultimately be housed il
some manner.
Mrs. Cleveland's Monday teas promise to be-
come one Of the striking features of the social
season. She held the first one last Monday and
will hereafter be at home every Monday after
noon. The Clevelands are evidently preparing
for brilliant society compaign. Whether this
is i'll the line of politics and '92 or whether they
simply propose to have good time and keep
in the swim is a question. HENRY r. ELLIOT.
The fight between Jack Fallon of Brooklyn
and Jack Wannop is off.
The French under secretary for the colonies
speaking at a banquet in Paris, said that all the
European nations recognized the necessity of
colonial expansion in the face of a possible
American zollverein.
The social democrats have already nominated
lO2 candidates for seats in the reichstag to be
voted for at the coming general election, and