Sacramento daily record-union., 1889-09-08
SMALL FRY At SARATOGA.
BORROWING LUsTER FROM RUSSIAN
ROYALTY.
The Season Drawing to Close and Our
Correspondent VIII Return to
the Metropolis.
Special Correspondence of the SUNDAY UNION !

Especial Correspondence of the SUNDAY UNION. !
SARATOGA, n. Y, Sept. ., 1889.
The philosopher at Saratoga may medi-
tate much on the doings of small-potato
artists. Each season about half dozen
of them come on, and their miniature
puffngs remind one of the frog that would
emulate the OK. Musicians, who in New
York could not draw bakers dozen are
heralded by the local press as wonders,
and circulate around from one hotel to an
other in quite an astonishing way.
l remember once, in lone country vii
lage, attending, together with other board
ers, travelling menagerie of which the
stock consisted of a NANCY liouess, about
the size of respectable dog, two or three
parrots, wretched fox and two monkeys.
We went home nightly pleased and
regretted not the twenty-five cents. Peo-
pie here in like manner, with time on
their hands, frequent bathrooms in the day-
time or gather in hotel parlors at night,
and are. entertained by entertainments
which please because they afford that de-
slderatum of human nature, something
to do" So far, so good. The small-potato
artists gather in the dollars that the rich
can spend, and the rich have their ennui
broken in upon.
The ludicrous part of the business is the
airs of consequence the former assume, and
chiefly the eXtravaganzas of the local
press. One may see at glance that it is
Saratoga's interest to cry up Saratogas
dolngs, and the English language is ex-
hausted in the way of adiectives. There
Is a rattling hailStorm of such words as
superb" exquisite" grand" "sonor-
ous," " resounding," mellow" delicious"
delightful" artistic" truly artistic"
most unlocked for" surprising" Gre
echoing," "rich," "soft," fine" great"
celebrated" "well-known," "fayorite,"
., popular, " always popular" and heaven
knows what. Then comes
THE COMPANY OF CORRESPONDENTS
Who must have something to write about.
What better topic than the above doings
They are as much material TO the profess
slonal Scrlbbler as "pies and sich " to the
perpleXed housekeeper. The small-potato
Try see themselves mirrored in Saratoga
letters; they buy bundles of papers, dis
tribute them among their friends, imagine
themselves famous and when winter comes
sink down to their accustomed choirs or
schools. Yet, so many press notices, so
many scholars, perhaps 1t is business.
Who can suppose that anything but
" business brought the Princess Engalit-
chef to Saratoga? And here let me dis
claim the smallest intention of slurring at
her highness. She is doubtless a refined
and high minded lady; she certainly shows
great independence of spirit in coming
over to a democratic country and hob
nobbing with everybody, that she may
earn living by her readings on Russian
life. They in themselves are interesting
and repay attendance but it does seem
the acme Of Stiffness to suppose that court
ing the favor of Americans can be any
thing but dose to one educated in the
hauteur of European aristocracy, and the
transparency of the thing passes belief,
when Saratoga journal, on occasion of a
short absence, spoke of her separation
from loved ones in terms intended to be
sentimental This, of course, is a part of
the hifalutin business, but so excessively
thin that l wonder if anyone is deceived
by it.