Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1892-08-05
BOSTON LETTER.
Rambling Themes Current at the
Metropolis.
Animated Advertising Mediums-Torrid
Weather-Oscar Wilde and His New
PIay-IIl Luck of the Vanderbilt Family
The Opposition of Mars-Notes and
Gossip.
Queer Advertising Methods.

and back telling Of wonderful cures Of corns
and warts, and adorned with feet Of the
most hideOus construction which the fertile
Imagination Of the painter could supply, is
almost a thing of the past. Anglomana,
from which few are exempt, has seized upon
this occupation, aud instead of the
sandwich man we now have
an animated advertiser of the true
English type. lie is clad in long canvss
or oiI-skih coat, upon which is lettercd in
gorgeous colors the cut rates Of the ticket
scaIper, the wonderful powers OF mcsdames
card readers and fortune telers, or the many
and comfortable characteristics Of a 81 shoe.
To say that this is an improvement on the
time-honored cross-cyed sandwich man, Is a
distinction too fine for me to make; but it's
English, you know, and comes direct from
LunOn, where some enterpri>iug genius has
GO men employed in the work, on the front
OF whose caps this announcement is dis
played: Space to let on 60 men
The London manager of this enterprise
employs fat men only, on account Of the
larger space they afford; but here in Boston
most Of the specimens observed are rather
attenuated. As the ancient spinster is said
to have remarked when she Kissed the COW,
"there is do accounting for tastes, " the same
holds good in regard to advertising. In my
humble opinion this style Of advertising is
of no practical value whatever to those en-
pOying it, as it is repulsiye to people Of
sense. Not one in ten thousand who read
these placards could be induced to patronizc
the places they represent as they look
upon this sort of thing, imagine,
very much in the same way that
do, l. G., that the man who wears the ad'
yertisiny ulster is about a. high type OF
manhood as the one who employs him
When business or professional man steps
outside of the realm OF the legitimate news
paper to advertise, he generally makes big
mistake. Advertising is a science which
few understand, but those who do are al
ways successful in business, and they don't
owe their prosperity to any medium but the
newspaper. 1t is not to he supposed that
every one can advertise on the great scale
used by the millionaire merchants, but the
small advertiser would benefit greatly BY OBJ
serving their methods and the mediums they
employ.
The Heated Term.
Af:er suffering with the intense heat and
humidity of the past week or So we are pre-
pared to meet as messenger of good the
cold east wind which we so much dcprccatc
in winter, fall and spring. 1t has cooled the
atmosphere to almost icy chillncss and nor
only lessened the desire to step out of the
flesh and sit In our bones, but the mortality
record, which would have been appalling
had the heat continued few days longer,
has leen happily reduced by its presence.
The deaths from sunstroke here in Boston
have been fewer than most large cities
which leads me to reflect that, although the
death rate may be somewhat larger than in
other places from pulmonary troubles. the
general health of the city will average better
than those centres which boast of compara
tive immunity from lung troubles.
Oscar Wilde Coming.
have it on good authority that Oscar
Wilde the apostle OF the sunllower and
lily, is coming to this country with q new
play, which will be produced in one OF the
theatres here the coming season, for the
first time on any stage" 1t is said that
Oscar is not the wild aesthetic enthusiast
that he used to be, and that he has settled
down to be real mutton-fed Englishmau.
Whether this will turn out to be one OF Mr..
K. NJ. Fields attractions that he secured
abroad, | am unable to say; but would not
be surprised if it was. Wherever the play
is produced, my advice to the manager Is,
don't allow Oscar TO come before the cur.
tain with a cigarette in his mouth to con-
graduate the audience on being able to
appreciate his genius. There may be Har
ward students in the front row, and they
might make 1t unpleasant for the play
wright.
Ill Luck Of the Vandcrbilts.
The recent sinking OF the palatial yacht
Alva in Vineyard Sound recalls to the mind
Off New York writer the i'll luck which has
recently pursued the Nanderbilts like a
Nemesis. He says that hardly had the ex-
element of the reported death of Mr.. w.
w
death OF both W. X. and f. w. Vanderbilt
was circulated at the New York clubs.
Happily this rumor did not get into print,
for by the time authentic news had reached
the city of the sinking of the yacht Alva II
was also known that all on board the ill-fated
! yacht had been taken to Boston on board the
Dimock the steamer that collide with the
| Ava. In spite OF the fact that the Ava
was q floating palace, costing Sl,00O,OO0
and 10000 per month for running ex.
penses, II has had much III luck. When
Dne considers that one OF It's sailors hat
smallpox and the yacht had to be fumi
gated, and for n long time could not be used
that earlier in the summer II ran down
row boat, drowning three people, and that
At the present writing it lies in almost fly,
tathOms of water, the owner aud his guest
barely escaping with their lives, it Is enough
to make even those not usually supe, stitiou
pause and wonder The yacht was chris
tened for Mrs. w. X. Vanderbilt, who wa
Miss Alya Smith before her marriage. Thi
same branch of the Vanderbilt family hav
Just gone through the sad experience of thei
chIldrcn's govcrncss becoming suddenly In
sane. They a'so haye a good.szed quarrC
OH hand with young John Jacob Astor rt
garding the boundary line OF their Newpor
estates. The yacht party had been down I
Bar Hardor that MIR. w. X, Vanderbilt an