Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-05-03
THE WEEK IN NEW YORK.
Matters That Have Made Stir in
Gotham.

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PoRTERs AND THE TARIFF
Correspondence Of THE EVENING SraR.
NEW York, May 2
There's pretty kettle of fish ste wing in New
York town. The pot is more than boiling; it's
bubbling over First, there is Mayor Grants
case. a very sensational item, indeed, and one
that bids fair to get worse instead o: better.
Our natty young mayor badly needs vindica-
ton, and his pert and fresh letter to the
legislature is not calculated to bring
about such result Then we are
in a terrible stew over rapid transit,
which seems a mite nearer than usual.
and the tariff. which has aroused all the
gigantic importing interest to a spasm of
energy, and the menagerie. and the daily life
and-death struggle on the Brooklyn Bridge.
and labor parades. and the Kemmler compli-
cations, and dozen other worriments the
effect of all of which combined in one STU
pendous aggregation-to quote from the
omnlpresent Barnum posters-is to give rather
cyclonic tone to metropolitan life At least
We are not dull.
To speak word on one of these items-the
importers meeting at the Metropolitan Hotel
! on Wednesday. don't know how many millions
were represented, but the foreign hosiery Sec
ton alone and 1t was not the most prominent
was quoted at six hundred millions There
has seldom been such enthusiasm at trade
gathering since the silversmiths of Ephesus
held their mass meeting to protest against the
attack upon their local business interests by
the apostle Ii Congress thinks the i'm
porters OF New York are small fry
as we'll as thieves it may have a
chance shortly to revise that opinion. The i'm
porters are pursuing very shrewd policy.
Instead OF making speeches at Washington
they are spending most of their campaign
funds IN education" of the consumer Hun
dreds of thousands of circulars are penetrating
into every nook and corner of the land show
ing by the deadly parallels of statistics Just:
how the increase in the duties will affect the
retail price of goods. All the machinery of
trade is used to spread these views through the
country.
AN ARRANGEk OF FAIRS.
1t has usually been taken for granted that if
women had any field that was peculiarly and
exclusively their own it was the fair. Men
have seldom been connected with these enter
Prlses except IN the capacity of victims. But
there Is one intrepid man in New York who re-
verses all precedent and boldly comes forth as
professional arranger and manager of all
sorts of fairs and similar entertainments
This Is Mr.. de Frece, whose name has become
widely known as the originator of so many
brilliant and successful performances of that
nature Ills resources seem to be inexhaustible
ana each affair that he manages has unique and
original features, skillfully arranged to pioue
curiosity and draw crowds His latest success
Is the Edison exhibit in the beautiful new
Lenox Lyceum III aid OF the Woman's EX-
change. The exhibit was meant 20 be only one
feature OF the entertainment, but very little
attention comparatively is paid to the collcc-
tlon OF paintings, tapestries. embroideries etc
winch represent women's work, although they
are very beautiful and are contrasted effect
lively with small collection of the work dis
played when the exchange first opened But
the beauties Of the hall, with its rich light
coloring, the great central column of thous-
ands OF electric lights, the garlands of tiny
nights mingled with asparagus vines. the talking
dolls, the monographs and the many other
electric curlos. and the ever-changing variety
OF entertaining performances keep the specta-
tor busy and are little suggestive of the be-
wllderlng delights of Barnum's five rings when
1t Is equally impossible 20 see what is going on
IN them all and to decide which ones to forego
WOMEN AND HYGIENE.
The women of New York have long DOS
sessed their souls in enforced patience under
the intiiction of dust and mud which have ruined
their clothes and their furniture. not to men
ton their tempers, ana have been of incalculable
injury from hygienic point of view But some
OF them are beginning to feel that they have
borne long enough and that IT is only what
can be cured that must be endured. The
Ladies Health Protective Association are work
ing zealously to bring about better con dition
OF affairs and have for some time accomplished
a good many improvements in "a quiet way. On
wednesday night they tackled the subject more
audaclously at a mass meeting in Chickering
Hall, where politicians. preachers and business
men OF ability made addresses and the ladies
mad at least the comfort of having the matter
thoroughly talked over and feeling the salts
faction of having freed their minds Most of
the gentlemen made enthusiastic but SLIGHTLY
vague remarks, and some of them in their zeal
went SO far beyond the confines Of probability
att sfsn tho+ h. LII,
better Informed. became little uneasy When
one orator gave the Bible as the authority for
the maxim that cleanliness is next to godiiness
some OF the association mentally decided that
next Time the women would endeayor to do
their own talking.
THE MEMORIAL ARCH.
An interesting scene in a quiet way was the
breaking ground for the Washington memorial
arch on Wednesday. That day was chosen as
1t was the anniversary of the beginning of the
centennial celebration. when the idea of erect
ing the arch originated. The spot where the
ground was broken is a little to the east of the
mann drive through Washington Square a short
distance below the place Oh 9Th avenue where
the temporary arch stood. There were no ex-
erclses or speech making and no general notice
OF the occasion had been given. but several
hundred persons. ATTRACTED bv the prcnara-
tons, had assembled and some weil-known
laces were visible watching the workmen
pry out the big stones. Among them were Nj.
William L. Dodge, Mr.. II. ". Glider, Hiss
Glider, the Misses Meade of Washington. Eu-
gene Kelly. Richard VI. Hunt Francis /. Mil
let, Architect Stanford White. who designed
the arch, ana Contractor David H. KIM ir
who Is to build it. They all Joined heartily In
the three cheers for the arch proposed BY Mr.
, Gllder, when Henry .. Marquand. president
OF the association, scooped out the first spade
full OF DIRT. 1t is expected that the fouada-
tons wliI be ready and the corner stone
land on Decoration day. The foundations
wall consist OF two cubes of concrete 10 feet
thick and % By 80 feet in size. which will be
able 10 bear pressure of nearly two tons to
the square foot. and it is only necessary to dig
down about ten feet to strike bed rock. The
arch fund Is now S7G6l1 and everything looks
as II New York really was going to finish up
one cfeultaDle monument. 1t would be difficult
10 nnd N the world a street OF residences thai.
Tor soma maSnlficence surpassed the Fifth ave-
nue.. and the splendid arch will make a fitting
entrance TO the almost unbrohen elegance of
this superb boulevard.
MOVING DAY.
The New Workers who attempted to get about
! il the surface cars ON Thursday found their
proSressseriously impeded by the procession
OF enormous and slowly moving furniture vans
which had taken possession of the tracks The
lnnumerable caravan that moves OF the LIST of
May Is not quite so lnnumerable as il used to
be now that the ''fatter' forms SO large a part
OF the population. Landlords and real estate
agents have awakened to the fact that il was
emlnently convenient FOR the fat renter to give
up his apartment on the LIST OF May. store his
goods and HE him with his family to some sub
urban retreat, where he readily adapted him.
self to the transformation into u .'commuter. ~
SO as the convenience of the tenant il the Ias.