The record-union., 1895-02-16

or with claret punch in huge bowls for
the gentlemen, the opening of silver
tringed notices afterwards not being (as
nowadaysl disdained, because incentive
to love-making and the offerings of soft
nothings.
Society then was wholly unstarched in
manners; white rustling petticoats were
deity starched. Wall flowers at balls
mere rarely seen. Husbands and wives
Waltzed without chatting comment.
Every body danced at a ball; even young
Morse, who was experimenting ball
room gossip said-with some new tangled
ideas OF sending messages by magnetic
electricity. He had been known to
dance the new schottsche at the party
given by the rich Nathaniel L. Hubbard
on North Washington Place, in honor Of
the marriage OF his tavorite and brilliant
daughter to the fascinating MIR. SaItus-
the hunted of matronS. pause my pen
here to whisper: peace to her Names"
for she was the mother of those literary
Gemlni, the Saltus boys, one Of whose
recent published sonnets compete with
any on poetic shelves.)
Society then combated-like ladies at
an attractive Saturday matinee-for cards
| to the balls of Mrs. Stevens on the terrace
grounds behind Columbia College on
Park Place. So did society for invita-
tons to the salons OF Mrs. DR.. Willard
Parker, or of Mrs. Valentine Mott, or Of
Mrs. Waddell, or of Mrs. Depau in those
new Erenchy houses, with portes coch-
eres just built on Blocker street; or of
Mrs. Jacob Little, whose husband was
then king of Wall street, with private
menagerie of bulls and bears that he was
accustomed to cage until at last they
broke the bars aud finally devoured his
substance and left him one OF those tinan-
cal wrecks with which New 4ork's
Stock Exchange is strewn.
ON 1rct
symptoms OF social exclusiveness began
| TO be exhibited, yet not to any large nor
embarrassing extent. 1t was suspected
from Mrs. Hamilton Fish, whose hus-
band was a rising Wing politician, and
who had erected grand mansion at
Stuyvestant Square well up town." in
the sense of the typographical language
OF the period. There were real estate
symptoms that fashion would exclusively
occupy east side avenues. Much of fash
ion and social ease still fingered in down
town Madison, Pike and Rutgers streets
andstEast BroadWay-an area now given
over TO seml-slums and cheap trade.
The prosperous Crosby and Rutgers
families OF that extreme eastern section
OF the city lived in comfortable, and, to
some extent, pretentious homes, and lib
orally entertained, but cultiyating the
Conversations social element and dis
carding dancing and games with cards.
fords, Belknaps and De la Montagnies,
We'd in hospitalities in similar spirit, for
among them the Quakerish or religious
sympathies, prejudices and tastes had
developed. They preferred to theaters
and balls, lectures and the concerts OF
the Christy Minstrels or of the Hutchin-
son family, whose quartet sang of ''Old
| Folks at Home" and "Napoleon's
Island Grave" or INDUCED in humorous
glees.
| These homes waxed merry on coffee,
| chocolate and lemonade IN preference TO
wines and strong rotations, Tor was not
| young MIR. Cough beginning TO stir hear
| ers with eloquent impreCatiOns against
| intemperance, and was not that pretty
popular song of young Charles Fenno
| Holman Ia rising social poet known to
! this day as the cold water song" and
| beginning Sparkling and bright in its
| liquid light" and ending YES, water,
! bright water for me ana wine for the
! tremuIous debauchee." Similar unfash-
| ionable social tastes were developing also
| on the Vest Side in the old Ninth Ameri-
can Ward, where in quilting bees that
| inspired hirtations, while pretty girls
| unwound dazzling silken skeins held
| in implOring attitudes OF hands by blush
| ing, IOye-IOrn young men. New ork
| society then had its sober as well as
tlashy side and the one side hippantly
| called the other "humdrum,' a phrase that
| every well-read person knew to be de-
| rived from ''home-drone.''
| 4 much sought after social function
| during the later forties occurred weekly
| at the small but artiStcalIy furnished
| apartments of Mrs. Frances S. Osgood,
| wife of a celebrated portrait painter, and
| herself charming poetess, to whom So
| ciety brought albums for the chance OF
vers de socletie from her tacile and melo-
dious pen. Not few of her compost
| ho in "a If n
veteran Editor Dana's volumes OF
Household Poetry" At her winter
! evening receptions IN those "forties" Of
years, the guest was pretty sure of meet
ing haggard but mountaineering man
of about 80 years OF age (but prema-
| turely old in looks, who, as editor of the
new BrOdd30dy Journal, had recently
| startled literary circles with the most re-
markable poetical example of harmony
| of sentiment conjoined with rhythnical
expression to be found in any language,
entitled The Raven" Or Fitz-Greene
Halleck, or William Cullen Bryant,
| when the talk should run to the society
poem of Fanny by the former, or to
| the sad one OF 1.-THE Melancholy Days"
by the latter. Or George p. Morris,
| whose opera of the Maid Of Saxony,"
sung at the Park Theater, had then lalel V
| brought thither New York society to
listen to cantatrice Kate Horn, who
| David Lydig, with, as accompanies, her
charming childish daughters, destined to
| be captured in after years as wives by
such eminent Judges as Charles Z. DAILY
and John X. Brady.
Or a strikingly handsome youth who
had recently issued volume of poems
entitled Footprints" and whom hostess
Mrs. Fanny OsgoOd called to her side as
Dick" although his surname was Stod-
| dard. Sometimes young and some
| what eccentric appearing editor who had
| recently established a newspaper called
| the Tribune would stroll into the Osgood
| parlor, yet attract little attention. This
| literary salon was perhaps sneered at by
some of the youthful lOungerS in the
| Union Club-then an infant institution
in lower Broadway-but that element
which was endeavoring 10 call itself fash
ionable society never dared to sneer at
1.-THE blue stockings" For, had not been
Junius Stage, and even Dandy Marx
the Berry Wall of that New CORK gener-
ation-been seen among the Osgooders
drinking lemonade and hearing gossip
about art and music?
In those past days-and yet not so
long ago, for some of the Columbia Col
lege boys of the period who then played
decorous football in vacant lots where
now sixth Avenue shoppers beslege
mammoth dry goods palaces, are rank
ing among the "Patrlarchs" OF 1894 who
give gorgeous balls. In those past days, /
reiIerate, New York society took social
amusement leisurely. There were no
jealous emulatlons. HostesseS did not
endeavor to crowd each other aside, or
to interfere with programmes, but rather,
! like good partners at whist, cheeriully
played into each others hands. Socie-
ty's decorous dinner hour was at the
summer hour of Z, and the winter hour
| of o. and the newly-eStabliShed amateur