Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-03-01
NEW YORK NOTES.
Echoes Of the Week From the Great
Metropolis.

| Metropolis.
WORLDS FAIR AND THE CONTENTS OF THE
Aston wILL-wHY ARTISTS ARE IGNORED BIZ
NEW YORK JoURNALs-cHURcH ACTIVITY.
| Special Correspondence of THE EVENING STAR
| NEW YORK, February o.
The week has been notable for two great
surprises. The first, Of course, was the failure
OF the city to capture the worlds fair after it
bad complacently agreed on second thought to
take it. Never was great city put in a more
humiliating position and it is undeniable that
| Plat and his political yoke-fellows are in
very awkward plight. Republics proverbially
have short memories, but the present fasco
will undoubtedly be used to the damage
OF the republicans in New York in 81
The second great surprise and disappointment
OF the week was the Aston will By universal
consent the spirit of this document is very
mean. The richest man in America, perhaps,
certainly one of the very richest, dies and his
total recognition of the public's partnership
in his fortune amounts only to one-half of
one per cent Of his possessions At first
thought it might see m that 500 900 in public
charities was a tolera6y respectable bite out
OF any fortune, but il we consider the colossal
possessions Of the deceased the sum set apart
DeueV OlencC becomes ridiculous.
| 1t corresponds to legacies aggregating $1,000
out Of fortune of 81, 500 900. or to 500 out of
| a snug little fortune of $4,000. In other
words it is scarcely more than throwing a
dime to beSgar. 1t must be considered,
| too, that almost all this money goes to the
support of family heirlooms-S4 5O, 900 is
applied to the further development of tho
Aston library which is not a cent more than its
| needs require. Ano thor 800, 900 is give to the
| cancer hospital in accordance, no doubt, with
fba MD OF tha Late ATrp Au<r
specially interested in this cause. Then, by
supreme effort, the giant millionaire pulled
himself together and donated 5000 to the
Metropolitan museum of art-about the price
OF some one good picture. st. Lukes hospital
got Sl00 900 plum, and that is all. One of
the most surprising omissions is the absence of
| any legacy to the cathedral fund, matter in
which MIR. Astor was supposed to be deeply
Interested. BY the side of this stingy wealth
the testamentary inclinations of such close
listed man as Stewart become philanthropic.
The Vanderbilt will was great dsappoint-
ment, but the Astor will has broken the
| record.
WHAT WILL HE DO WITH IT?
The question now is what will William Wal
dorf Aston do with his almost unparalleled for
tune? He is in the prime of life and he is
man of more ambition and breadth of scope
than any other member of the family He has
shown considerable aptitude for both diplo-
like to succeed in politics. With such nclna-
tions a man worth nearly or quite S2C0, 600, 900
could, if he chose, obtain great distinction
But he would have to set about his work on a
better plan than that he adopted when he ran
for Congress against Flower, when he went
about scattering $40 gold pieces in low bar
rooms and dancing with the Bowery girls.
That campaign made him laughing stock;
but he Ii Older now.
TEN NIGHTS IN A CYCLUs.
The Wagner "cyclus' has begun at the Met
ropolitan opera house and will furn ish the town
with its central items of musical interest for the
coming fortnight. The series of ten perform
ances opened on Wednesday night with rather
an indifferent rendering of Wagner's earliest
work, "Rienzi-" There is altogether too much
tune" In this work to make it acceptable to
the true Wagnerian and it was given only to
make the series complete. Tonight the COM
pany give the Flying Dutchman" as number
two in the cyclus and next week is de voted to
''Tannhauser," "Lohengrin" and '.Die Meis-
tersinger." Then comes the real unmitigated
article In the shape of Tristan und Isolde"
and the four operas of the "Nibelungen Leid."
by the time the fatal ravens fit across the
stage at the close of the "Gotterdammerung"
the most rapacious Wagneran appetite shout d
be appeased. The season needs the help of
the cyclus to go off brilliantly. The manage
ment has had very bad luck all winter. The
grip in general and Herr Vogls illness in par
from these causes the novelties, )" both of
singers and operas, have not caused such
popular Juror as the management hoped. The
box holders are down for another heavy assess
ment, but they used to this little tax on
aristocracy by this time.
NEWS BENEATH METROPOLITAN JOURNALISM
After the lapse of several weeks the New
York newspapers have heard that George
Inness broke bone in his right wrist recently
10 Ioaa ol,,al, 10
the knack of painting with his left hand I
was discussing this item of news a week or two
ago with the managing editor of one of the
great daIlies." He said he had told sub
ordinate to look the matter up and get ood
report by some competent man. He then dis
missed the subject from his mind Several
days later he had occasion to recur to the TOPIC
but was told that reporter had covered" the
story and that there nothing much to it
And SO the matter rested In other words
perhaps the greatest living landscape painter
of America met with an accident that disabled
him in the midst of press OF lmpor tant work.
to cope with which the great artist set about
acquiring the mechanical skill of his profess
sion afresh, and not a word was said about it in
any of the great dailies." Could like item
about Meissonier have gone unreported for
weeks IN Paris paper or similar one about
Sir Frederick Leighton or Alma Tadema been
ignored by the London press?
Still it can be said, on behalf of the ne VS.
papers, that the artists of New York are not
identified with the life and times OF the world
about them. They are not interesting person.
alities; they are not great or even picturesque
citizens. The time was when the great artist
was the great man, when kings picked up his
brushes and when he the cause of wars
between nations when he was himself a gen.
eral, a diplomat and the arbiter of culture and
fashion. Such a personality, for example, as
| that OF Leonardo da Vinci makes a very differ
ent stamp of man from the leading artist now
| adays, especially in this country Once let
American artists reconcile their mighty souls
| to American life of the year $780, once let
them go to Congress or organize great social
| reforms or compel the four hundred to make
| their studios focus of metropolitan society
and there will be no trouble about their get
ting their names and work into the newspapers
Let them even give noble message to the
world through the vehicle of their art and
preach sermons in pigments that will thrill the
community and the, will be no longer ignored.
But SO long as they content themselves with
doing ''bits" of Patchogue and meeting their
race in pretty little studio teas the newspapers,
as the clearing house of the nations news will
inevitably pass them over as Of slight conse-
quence
THE CHURCH MILITANT.
The artists might learn u lesson in life at the
feet OF the preachers in our day. Once the
clOister was as far from the madding crowd as
the studio, but now the leading religious spirits
show a most aggressive zeal. During the week
two OF the strongest men in the church-Philip
Brooks and Mr.. Moody-have been conducting
I ~ ,H,xl