Omaha daily bee., 1892-03-06
BROWNING AND BRUISER
Fred Nye Tells of the Latest Craze Created
in Chicago Society Circles
EVERY CLUB FUNCTION HAS ITS FIGHT
Masters in Music, Poetry and the Manly Art
Commingle in Entertainments-Howt the
Congressman Were Gorged-Wined
Not Wisely But Too Well.

CHICAGO, ILL.,, March 4.-TSpeclal to The
BEE.j-In social way Chicago has passed
the initiative period and fairly entered upon
the creative. The latest evidence OF this pro-
gresslve transition is found In q certain inno-
walton which has been successfully carried
out in several of tho fashionable clubs. 1t
has always been the custom for the big
social clubs to entertain once in while
formally. Every year, for instance, the Ash
land club gives a children's party and scat
tered throughout the year it has receptions,
muslcales, ETC., to which the public is In
vited according to The discriminating
courtesy of the members. The La Sale club
is very like tho Ashland. Both Of these or
ganizations are ON the West side, and on the
South side Is the Farragut Boat club which
fills a similar field. The Union League club
and the Chicago club are to all intents and
purposes strictly business, and the purely
social events to which they give birth are
few and far between.
1t was the Ashland club winch had the in
ven'iye audaclty to start the fad which is
now attracting more than little attention,
ana which found a rather prompt follower in
the Farragut Boat CLUB. The novelty may
be briefly described The club gives an en-
tertainment ostensibly artistic. 1t begins
with an orchestral overture, If you please or
with rafting solo from professional
piano player, something from Wagner or
Rossini, or any of those hazy old masters
whom so many admire and so few under
stand. Then perhaps the local vocai celeb
rty, who is a prima donna in her own imagi-
nation and in the exuberant fancy of her
friends, MARBLES a few strains from Faust or
the Barber of Seville Succeeding her, 1t
may be, is gentleman with high forehead,
a for-away look, carefully trained musical
voice and a painfully correct pronunciation,
who attempts TO translate large number OF
the stanzas OF Robert Browning.
Professional Pugs in Clubland.
Atthis juncture, when the audience is either
asleep, in nervous prostatrion or In con-
dition of classical ecstacy, the climaX-the
feature of the evening-makes its appear
ance. This feature is subdivlued into sew
eral features, most of them Irish. For IN
ment last week 1t was composed OF Prof"
Peter Shea, "rhe Illinois Cyclone,n and
"Prof." Harry Finnick, ''rhe Arkansas
KID" as principals and several other 'pro-
fessors'' whose names alone are sufficient
guarantee OF their extraction as assis tants.
Well, directly after Browning had been ex-
plotted prof" Shea pranced on the stage,
clad in lavender tights, two-ounce gloves and
a naughty air. He was quickly followed by
"Prof." Finnick. and the TWO, aided between
the rounds by their able seconds, belted
hammered and pasted each other for an hour
or so. or until one Of them was too badly
hurt to respond TO the call Of time. Although
OF the minor class, they were professional
prize fighters add the winner received a
purse contributed blythe club. If there Is
anything In the record.of contemporar club
entertainment to equal The versatility of TINS
programme Chicago Is will pay good price
TO find out what IL Is.
There is one phase Of the visit Of congress
to Chicago for the ostensible purpose Of
being hypnotized for the Worlds fair appro-