Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-20
NEW YORK WEEKLY GOSSIP.
Interesting Bits Of News From the Orea
Metropolitan City.

Metropolitan City.
| THE EXODUS OF AMERICAN roRrroxrss TO SPEND
cHRIsraAs At THE ANCESTRAL HHARTH-Hov
10 PREVENT CHILDREN FROM BECOMING cRu6-
| NAIs-rHK FAYERwEAfHER WILL CONTEST.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star
! NEW York, December IS.
A PLEASANT LIGHT is thrown on Ameri-
1Acan labor just at this cheerful season by
the statistics of the steamship companies. They
are all chuck full Of passengers on their east
ward trips. The Teutonic, for instance, last
week carried ], 4Ss passengers, being the largest
number ever taken out from this side. These
figures are surprising because We associate
crowded steamer lists with the midsummer
tourist season, but they are explained by the
fact that before the holidays thousands upon
thousands of the laboring classes 60 back to the
old home to join their kin who stay around
the ancestral hearth. These swarms of
happy and prosperous laborers are an object
lesson of triumphant democracy that goes very
far to refute the jeremiads of which our social
philosophers rather fond. Certainly in
no other country would these pilgrimages be
possible on the same scale. Down to the salt
water they come from every part Of the Union.
he recently carried six car loads Of them in one
train, and then off they so back to the old
homestead on grand picnic of month or six
weeks, and no doubt in most cases with a fat
pocket book of money to show for their year.
toll in the new world. Many of these pilgrims
are thrifty Scandinavians, but all ma
lions are represented. And again.
where it is not convenient for the
breadwirner in America to take the
time and the cash for an ocean trim he often
has comfortable surplus to send home. as
| witness the item in the newspapers day two
since. which told of millions that were being
sent to Europe in Christmas money orders.
| WILD CATS IN THE PARK.
Not of course, the gel uine felis catus. who
leaps spectacularly from rec to tree and springs
upon the heads Of the un vary traveller He is
| In the park too. but safel = Gagged in the me-
nagerle But there are besides quite a tribe Of
Bedouln cats OF the ordinary domestic species.
whose hand Is against every man and who
prowl about sequestered corners of the
park seeking what they they may devour. The
tamest Preside tabby is at best only a
thinly veneered tiger compelled by it's limita-
tons OF size and strength to suppress its blood
thirsty instincts. But these curious animals
that lnhabit the park have thrown aside the
lrksome trammels of civilization and have
cheerfullv resigned the comforts of the warm
hreslde, the soft rug and the effeminate saucer
OF milk for the more exciting pleasures of the
chase and free life in the open. Their fare in
the winter must be rather precarious. for they
look thin and gaunt, but in the summer they
wax fat and prosperous on diet of birds or
| whatever they can pick up. and are apparently
rapidly going back to their native barbarism.
THE DIscouRAaING YOUNG TOUGH.
1t would seem the part Of wisdom for every
| city for simple self protection to pay large
sums for the aid and support Of all kinds of
| klndergartens and missions that have for their
object the instruction of children and the Civ
ing of them a fair start in life 1t is pitiably
| monotonous to read over and over again the
same sad story OF young criminals. Here are
| two Just arrested for a series of bold and sue
cessful robberies of flats, carefully planned and
skilfully executed. One Of the robbers is nine
teen and the other is just out from seven
| years term in the states prison. where he was
| sent at the age of eighteen. What a story this
| tells OF crime. almost innate of BOYS born and
| bred in an atmosphere of vice and turning to
burglary as naturally as to anv ordinary
means of livelihood There are undoubtedly
natures in whom these tendencies are
difficult if not impossible to overcome.
but there are few little children who
| cannot be taught that the straight path
is the easiest and best and who cannot be
persuaded to take it if they are only possessed
OF any craft by which they can earn their daily
| bread. The only answer to the great problem
of what to do with the criminal classes would
seem to be educate the children not merely
in reading, writing and arithmetic. but in pa
tient habit Of daily work for daily bread
IN PLYMOUTH CHURcH's ORGAN LOFT
| During the week revisited the glimpses Of
the moon, as it were, by wandering into Ply
mouth Church and hearing its great organ
tested in solitude and very deeply in the
| cleaning. 1t is enough to make one with any
historical sentiment feel rather queer to stand
in the organ loft where John hunder for so
many years evoked the great voice of the in
| strument, and to look down on the platform
where unquestionably the greatest pulpit
| orator OF our generation commanded the ad-
| mi vofr <Nf 40 mn
church looks as bare and ugly as ever, and
| somehow it seems to have shrunk in size The
| great organ, though thirty years Of age. is as
| rich and grand in it's tones as ever. At one
time the finest organ in the United States, it
| still ranks among the very best. As to Plymouth
Church itself, after an anxious interresnum. it
| seems to be again renewing its pristine
strength. DR.. Abbott has taken firm hold Of
the reins and is fast bringing the church into
| united and aggressive mood. A very charac-
teristic episode was that of last Sunday when
the forger Smith. who was recently sentenced
| to state prison and who wrote letter of con-
| triton and confession to the church, was on
that account kept on the church roll in spite of
his crime. 1t was an audacious act, worthy of
Beechers boldest days, but 1t struck the COM
munity as a very creditable and honest piece of
| Christian logic. and has done much to bring
the church again to the front as unique and
| brilliant corporation with the courage of its
eccentricities.
THE FAYERWEATHER WILL CONTEST.
Congratulations over the Fayerweather will
were decidedly premature. The news came
under the head of too good to be true. At
least there is to be a contest, and we all know
unfortunately what happens when will in
vOlving several millions once gets into the
courts. At the same time, although there is
general regret that litigation has begun people
feel much sympathy with the widow. There is
some curious mystery about this case The
trustees may be the salt of the earth. but if so
they are placed in false position and should
take immediate steps to set themselves right
before the public. As the case now stands.
these three men, no one of whom has any spe-
cial claim by nature or service on the testator
generosity, will get about 81 200. 0O0 for their
work in settling mp the estate, the various
| colleges named in the will will divide
| about 50, 600 OO0 and the widow will get SIS 600
Il year and the house she lives in. which house,
by the way, she will have to give up because
unable to run it on the allowance she obtains
Certainly this does not look either fair or de-
cent and hardly sane, for there is no charge
that there was any lack of affection between
the late departed and his relic. If il shall ap-
pear that the trustees are to get a cool million
apiece as residuary legatees while the widow
is reduced to genteel poverty there will be gen.
eral rejoicing if the will is broken. The col
leges are placed in a very awkward position and
there is good deal Of interest felt in what
they propose to do. Very possibly the whole
thing may be amicably fixed up on a reasona-
bic basis. But what N striking eyamrle this Ia