The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-23
AROUND ABOUT GOTHAM.
LATEST GOSSIP ABOUT PEOPLE
WE ALL KNOW.

be Published-TheS Stewart Mansion
Likely to be Sold for a Banquet
Hall-Gen. Alger's Tour-Talmage's
New Church Another New York
Daily-A New Portrait OF Jay Gould.
CCopyrfohtl
NEW YORK, Feb. PA curious little
paragraph has been going the rounds of the
press to the effect that the widow of Gen.
Grant was TO publish volume of the dead
warriors love letters to her. There is not a
scintilla of truth in it. Mrs. Grant is pos
sessed of all the letters written her by her
husband, but she is not the woman to make
such delicate missives public. She pos
sesses abundant material for a book that
would be highly entertaining to the Ameri-
can public, and would be remunerative be-
slies-odds and ends OF papers, stories about
famous men and women who were intimate
with her husband, and bits of unwritten
history about the great rebellion. These she
may publish at later day when her health
Is fully restored.
1t seems to be the fashion just at present
to write books, or have some one else do it
for you Pauline Hail. the pert Casino
actress, has been approached by publish
ing house for volume on comic OPERA but
as the fair Pauline has no literary taleat.
she will be obliged. if she accepts the offer
20 have the work done for her by some
skilled literateur. Ward McAllister, the
great social generalissimo, is also de-
batting whether he shall write a book on
social questions or not. He has been
offered large sum for such a work.
1t is the gossip of literary circles
That Cyrus w. Field, now in the sunset
~ a oil
memoirs. Ben Butler is already engaged
on volume that is to be published in the
fall, and the widow of jefferson Davis will
have her life of the great confederate
leader ready for the publisher in a few
weeks. Ex-Minister William Waldorf
Astor, who has met with some considerable
success in literature. has a new volume
under way, and Nellie Bly's story of her
race around the world will soon be spread
before a long-suffering public. Mrs.
President Harrison has been offered a
large sum of money for a half dozen
magazine articles, and the widow of Henry
Ward Beecher has about decided to edit a
volume OF papers about her late husband.
George w. Vanderbilt, the bachelor men,
Der OF the house of Croesus, who can draw
his check for $50, 000, 900, is as anxious now
as ever to dabble in literature. A few
years ago he contemplated doing work on
some OF the daily newspapers, but he was
persuaded to give up the Idea. Since that
time he has been writing a good deal of
fiction, both long and short stories, and it is
not unlikely that he may decide to publish
volume in the fall.
Altogether, it will be seen that the craze
for writing books is now under full head
way.
A GREAT BANQUET HALL FOR NEW YORK.
Now that the Stewart will contest has
Dnnn Sntfla6 n tho saffssaofiD,, Of
If not to the public, the question that agi-
tates most people in Gotham town is, what
Will become of the great white marble palace
on Fifth avenue, that Stewart built for
residence when he was indeed the t'mer-
chant prince" Various clubs have made
propositions to purchase it, and no end
of people, who regarded it as a white
elephant and thought it could be
had for one-half its value, have ap-
preached the executors with all idea of
purchasing it; but for some reason or other
all these plans have fallen through, and now
1t seems likely that a syndlc tie with suffi-
Gent capital behind it will convert 1t into q
great restaurant, where private dinners,
banquets and dances may be given. New
York has outgrown DelmonicOis, and, in
fact, has no place to accommodate as many
people as it is often desirable to entertain
at one time. 1t is proposed to convert
o1e floor of the Stewart mansion into a
dining-room, in which 200 persons can be
served with dinner ut once, or where dane
ing party Of three times that number NAV
be accommodated comfortably. A year or
two ago the idea of serving dinner for that
many persons would have been laughed at
by any caterer in the town, but the exDer-
iment at the centennial and the New Year
ball at the Metropolitan opera house con-
WINGED them Of the practicability Of such
scheme, and ,once building sufficiently large
for the purpose can be obtained. the remain
der of the work is very easy 1t is q great
undertaking, however, to properly serve a
dinner for such a number One of the
great features of Paris last summer was a
banquet at which II, 600 persons dined at
one time The work was admirably
mapped out, and there was not a hitch
anywhere. Ii such a plan can be carried
out successfully in Paris, there is no reason
why one-fifteenth of that number should
not be properly taken care of in New York.
Of course, the plan of getting the build
ing may fall through. The negotiations
are going on with great secrecy and. il
met with half a decent offer, there is no
doubt that the Stewart executors will be
glad to dispose of the big building.
GEN. ALGER AND THE G. A. R.
1.-THE noble women who remained at
home and endured suspense, and in MANY
cases uepIlNdLlOuS, were among the heroes
of the late civil war While husbands.
brothers, and lovers were at the front, and
knew when they were in danger, the women.
bless them, felt that every day their beloved
ones We're standing in the face of death.
Heroic women bring forth a race of heroic
men, and we should be proud of our Amer
lean women"
Gen. Russell A. Alger of Michigan, COM
mander of the Grand Army of the Repub-
lie, uttered the above sentiments recently.
He was making his great tour Of inspection
of the Grand Army posts. His programme
Is to visit the headquarters of every Grand
Army department in the united States. 1t is
great undertaking, and will require
months of almost constant travel. Some
10000 or $4,000 miles will have to be tray
ersed, and many lmpromptu speeches made.
To visit grand army department and not
make speech would be like going to a
feast and having no wine or water. The
general is not fluent speaker, but he is a
good conversationalist, and that brings
him nearer to the old veteran than all the
flowers Of rhetoric gathered from the
classics. Although reputed to be worth
S12,000,000 or $l5,000000, he is
very democratic and transformations.
The most ragged and humble individual
can always get au audience with him, no
matter where. he is or what he is
doing, Bring him in and will find few
minutes to talk to him." he will say in an
swer to card or request to see him. Per-