Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-02-01
Of TIE EVENING STAR.

| THE PREsBfIhkx oVA8 1Hk 6ENBloH-1H1
LADIES CLUE.
Correspondents Of TIE EVENING STAR.
| NEW YORK, January 81.
In the light Of current events ii may be worth
| while to e1hume . little ancient history with
regard to the worlds fair. If we do We may
get better understanding of what Mr.. T. C.
Platt is about and in general, see more clearly
| the situation.
| When the project was first mooted so far as
| New York was concerned, it was developed BY
the natural sponsor of such enterprises, the
chamber Of commerce. But while this chamber
unused the fire burned, and suddenly its very
! respectable, but rather diatory members, were
astonished by public summons from Mayor
| Grant to meet certain other representative
| citizens at the city hall and confer on the ex-
| pediency of embarking the scheme The
call could not we'll be ignored, though not at all
to their taste, and SO at the appointed time the
chamber. through committee, was duly repre-
! secuted.
| All who attended this meeting and it was my
good fortune to be present, at once that
they were in the hands of the machine In
stantly upon the calling of the meeting to
| order by the mayor up jumped Tammany
! politician and nominated him for permanent
| chairman. One of his trusty and intimate
friends was elected permanent secretary and he
! his powers by ex-Gov. Cornell. to name the
| four standing committees and to put himself
and his friend, the secretary, on all of them.
In word the Tammany city hall machine
SIMPLY stole the fair 1t was done so neatly
! that few realized it, but the trick did not es-
| cape exposure even at the time. and it soon
| became evident to all who keep watch of events
| and look an inch below the surface that Tam
many hall had bagged the game.
| NEW YoRKs STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE IN go
AS the truth cropped out there were murmurs
now and then through the fall and early winter.
but nothing definite developed till about the
opening of Congress- At that time / had the
| temerity to announce that Mr.. T. c. Plat had
| decided to wrench the control of the fair away
| from Tammany or break it down altogether
Mr. Plat characterized the report as false and
| impertinent and subscribed $4,000 ito under
me ms denial But leave it to your readers,
IN the light of what has TRANSFERRED during the
week, to decide for themselves how we'll
| grounded the report was 1t may be
said in defense of Mr.. Platt's action that
the problem is not simple chld's play.
| 1t is not surprising that the republican man
ayers of New York state should object strenu-
ously to Tammany hall having the distribu-
| ton of S10,O00,000 patronage in New York
| city during the next presidential campaign.
The last presidential election was decided
| within ten-mile radius from the city hall
! and unless the new states in the far west
| destroy the present equilibrium of parties the
battle in '92 Will be lost and won at the same
point. So, without sympathizlng too far with
Mr.. Platts aims or methods, we can readily
| perceive that they are based on substantial
| grounds and are shaped to meet great ends
| This very consideration gives more seriousness,
| however, to the situation, because it makes
| compromise harder. Possibly all interests may
| be satisfied and the necessary legislation be
! obtained. but it looks very doubtful now. And
| even If the bill passes long and vexatious
battle will be waged over the constitutionality
| OF the law. Mr.. Carter, who by common con-
| sent is now regarded as the head of the New
! York bar, is out with an opinion that the pro-
! visions of the proposed law violate the consti-
tuition of the state. Whether they do or not
| litigation would effectively block the fair. as
the case could not be paased on by the court of
appeals till after the time set for the exposition
| to begin.
| THE GREAT DEBATE ON REVISION.
Very rarely has any religious event so stirred
| New York as the current debate in the presbv-
| terry over revision. In different way the ex-
| cltement equals that of the old revival" times
| There Is an eager interest in the proceedings
felt even by those that commonly do not con-
Germ themselves about religious matters. The
| newspapers devote much of their best space to
/ reports Of the debate and it is universal topic
| OF conversation The voting on the committees
| report, which specifies the changes to be made,
Will begin on Monday. The general opinion
| seems to be that the report Will be adopted
though by a less overwhelming majority than
that that decided in the affirmative the abstract
question OF revision. Upon the whole the de-
bate mas been conducted in a very admirable
| temper and it canrOt fail to be of great educa-
| tiOnal value. Practical results are already be-
| ginning 20 appear in the more liberal formulas
IN admitting members to the church.
| LITTLE LORD, PRINCE AND PAUPEa
| When Elsie Leslie first made her appearance
here as Little Lord Faualeroy Mrs. Burnett
was asked why she preferred her to any of the
other children who took the part, some Of them
/ apparently quite as well.
| They all act it WE'LL" said She "but no one
| else mas Elsie's charm"
| The spell still holds, it seems for the dainty
| little creature has resumed her sway and the
town is now going wild over her in the prince
and Pauper." The play is quite equal
| to the circus as an excuse for grown DeonIe
who go 'to take the children and the chill
| dren gladly flock to it. Elsie's popularity is
| not diminished by her invitation to an entire
orphan asylum to come and see her act There
are even some Sunday school teachers among
! my acquaintance who have sent their classes to
see the pretty spectacle.
| THE AUCTIoNER's HAMMER BUSY.
| The auction season has just now fairly set
| IN and there are already five notable picture
/ sales advertised. The most remarkable. of
| course is the Barlow sale, which takes place
| next Monday, but the sale on Wednesday nigh
| OF pictures by Worthington Whiteredge was
quite nOtlceaDie the rather as Whittridge is
| classed with a school that is thought by many
| to be somewhat passe. The smoothly finished
| prettlness of the Hudson River school, as illus
| trated by Klensett. Clifford Church. &c, con-
! trasts rather oddly with the impressionist STYLE
| which has had such vogue lately but it
| would seem to still have its admirers for We'd
| nesday's sale was a successful one. The attend
| ance was very large and eighty-one canyases
were bought for total OF $4,000. The lovers
of first editions and rare books have had an in
| teresting week at the Johnson book sale No
fabulous prices have been paid, one Of the
highest being 1910 for a volume of comic de-
| signs in tints drawn by Thackeray, but much
| interest is shown both in the first editions and
| In the valuable collection of English and Amer
| lean autographs.
Another auction sale held last week has at
tracted rather more attention than the most
blatant auctioneer could desire. This was the
! sale OF Washington and other antiquities from
| the old Jumel mansion, which was widely
! advertised and largely attended. Connoisseurs
bought up the antiques with gratifying avidity
and at good prices. and were not little dis
gusted to lind out afterward that they were all
| frauds of the first water. One pleasing feature
| OF this incident is that the sellers have been
compelled to refund the money paid by the in
| dignant purchasers.
THE LADIES CLUB.
One wouidthink that with the rapid success
ion of breakfasts, luncheons, teas, dinners,
operas, balls and assemblies, and with her calls
| to fill in the chinks, that the fashionable woman
OF New York would welcome an oDDOrtunitv tn