The record-union., 1894-06-30

hrst little ball of the Zinfandel tit was
California wine; French wines are Tor
Americans here; foreigners drink the
wine of the country anywhere and every
where) the host was delighted, and turned
TO await critical junctures at other tables
1t may not be as keen a pleasure to
everybody to watch somebody else eat,
even if the eating is we'll done, as | leave
reluctantly this family, with the con-
feSsion that they met one obstacle IN the
long-drawn-out little dinner. There was
something wrong, and they made that
arbor and the kitchen and the servants
hum for a few minutes. But little
mustard dressing saved the day; the apex
OF the week was not wrecked. 1t was
close call, but IL was arrange. l was very
glad, as was everybody else, except the
other diners, and they didn't know
about it.
Another table set in an arbor overlook
ing the river held the elbows (it is good
form TO put them there) of a middle-aged
couple as typical in their way as the fam
lily in theirs. They had no children, or
If they had, those children were grown
up and were not allowed to interfere with
the old peoples falling in love once more.
So this couple sat. They also were cpl
cures of course. but they were conYersa-
tionalists besides. 1t is wonderful how
objective and yet how interested French
even after ten or twenty years. French
women share their husbands lives. They
know how business Is going and they
know how much it brings III month.
They know how much may have to be
paid for the next stocking up and they help
fiX the price and the profit to be sought.
Often the wife is a partner in effect, IN
hand work as well as head work. Not
infrequently she does most of the head
work. (She usually is bigger than the
man, stronger and more capable OF ex-
ecutiVe cOntroi.) But ii he Is on top he
respects her, and If she is over him she
respects him. That's their secret, per-
haps. Anyway French true love is very
long-lived and beautiful
In the other Williamsbridge garden
mentioned, the young French people,
American born, illustrated the tendency
OF their race TO become AmericaniZed In
the second generation. The Germans, as
is well known, are adapted TO our ways
pretty thoroughly IN few years. In the
scene l have sketched the durability of
the French characteristics through the
first generation appears distinctly. But
their children in the neighboring garden
are more German than French. They
were playing silly French game, but
they spoke English without any accent,
drank German beer and danced when
they might have been eating. There
were no arbors, no small tables. and only
one or two couples. They were merry,
playful party out for a good time to-
gether. They had broader grounds and
some of the young men were playing
ball on diamond well worn in the grass.
Besides certain grace of movement in
dancing and the vlvaclousness OF their
talk there WAS little to distinguish them
from the crowd at a purely German re-
sort.
Glen Island is the most attractive of
places, popular with the Germans. 1t Is
really small group of tiny islets In
Long Island Sound. john Starin (named
in a previous letter as a Rapid Transit
Commissioner owns the property and
lives there. He mas laid out rather a
gaudy park, with a menagerle, bathing
place, boat houses, dancing and drinking
platforms, very much IN the style OF
Woodward's Gardens Ill San Francisco.
He never could have succeeded as he has
in drawing the Germans thither II he had
not chosen sight commanding mag
niticent view out over the sound, Tor, as
shall show, the Germans retain their
native love Of natural scenic beauty. 1t
was hardly expected by him that his
park would be patrOnlZed so exclusively
by Germans, else he might not have put
so much money in animals and rowing
facilities. Since they came, however, he
has brioged in another island and has
built on it foolish imitation of a ruined
castle and fully equipped German beer
garden, where imported beer and Frank
1uerters are to be had.
To get to Glen Island one must take
one OF John Starin's steamers. The ride
up the sound and back is the best and the
most beneficial part OF the outing, for 1t
insures two hours of salt sea air breath
ing. This is an attraction to the Irish,
70 l. frNr fhax tor nd
Glen Island and the mixing with the
Germans has very desirable effect on
the Irish thus drawn on. The Germans
out-number them, subdue them, and
teach them that pleasure is not Synono-
nous with hilariousness. So the Irish
ride quietly to the island, drink beer
slowly, and not in heavy quantities, and
come home peaceaDly, but benefited,
and, perhaps, somewhat surprised at
their own moderation.
On Glen Island, as everywhere the
! Germans go for pleasure alone they show
! the least compromise with American
! tastes and habits. Their adaptability is
their chief distinction among our immi-
grants. In the West, where they are
scattered among the native Americans
! and are taken up as members of society
| in all its forms, their abandonment oi
| their national habits is almost imm ediate,
except in some well-known particulars.
/ In New York they are by thousands
| forced to remain apart. On the upper
East Side, along avenues A and B and
| First and Second avenues, one finds q
Little Germany, as in Mulberry street
4 there is a Little Italy. The language is
German, corrupted by bad English and
American slang; the eating, drinking. the
mode of life, the arrangement of stores
etc, all are like those of German town
For the people from this district are
constructed the later suburban resorts
| The well-to-do brewers and other Ger
man capitalists have seized well-nigt
every commanding hill or elevation il
| the newer parts of the city. When the
! Third Avenue railway this spring substi-
tuted the cable for horse power and ex'
| tended their line far up Tenth or Amster
| dam avenue lot of little beer-halls were
/ built at and beyond the terminus. They
are so situated and constructed as to COM
mand the really beautiful view over the
valley of the Harlem River and SpuyteI
Duyvil Creek. The Germans will go fal
| for such view and they crowd out on th'
Third Avenue road every holiday in theil
| good clothes. and, so far as | could see
! they devoted more time and interest *
the scenery than they did to the beer.
AS TO beer-drinking among them, i
seems from careful observation to be
fact that they are yearly drinking les
and less of ii. Beer brewing is increas
ing, but that is because beer is conquer
ing all other drinks, wherever it goes.
is making headway in France, and ever
in Italy is growing more and more popu
lar. Its use is spreading here, too Blu
| the Germans certainly do not drink az
much per man as they do in the Ole
country. Intelligent Germans tell ut
that they find that if they drink as mucl
in New York as they do while on theil
visits in Germany, they suffer for it il
stomach and in head. l noticed also tha
some OF ithe simpler American drinks
| lemonade and soda-water, were popular
very striking at the resorts on the nortt