The record-union., 1896-09-13

of the cream of English society. Would
any of the Fifth avenue, Back Bay or
Michigan avenue women, the Mob Hill
aristocrat Of San Francisco, to say
nothing of the American monied aristo-
crat in any Of the large cities in our
free and enlightened land, feel incum-
bent upon them to bring together an
assemblage of people, which, to say the
least is decidedly bohemian in char
acter? I don't believe it myself, and,
say what you will, true worth and real
merit are not recognized in our country
as they should be, unless indeed it be In
independent and original Boston, where
brains weigh more than gold in the
social scale, and intelligence counts for
| more than money bags. But, really, we
| may abuse England as much as we like,
but after all her people are truly more
democratic at heart than we are.
The Rev Charles L. Mel took formal
charge of St PauPs parish last Sunday,
and from what l can gather from the
communicates of the church they were
much pleased with his initiatory ser
mon. Personally, l have known the
new rector of ST. Pauls for many years,
and knew him always for remarkably
clever man, aside from his character as
a priest of the Protestant Episcopal
Church. l feel as if better days were
in store for a parish that has for years
labored to lift it's head above the clouds
Of adversely in the face of extraordinary
and discouraging difficulties.
Mrs. J. A. Cunningham, Miss Addie
Shields. Miss May Cunningham and
Mrs. Joe Talbot, who have been spend
ing month past at Pacific Grove, re-
turned on Friday last.
An American lady writer visiting
London describes a scene she witnessed
at a kind OF benefit entertainment. The
royal family was on exhibition for
charitable purposes, and the manager
was using his show for all it was worth
The general admission was fixed at
from three to ten Shillings, and an
nouncement was made that everyone
making a donation of f5. which is about
$50 of our American money, might hand
it to the Princess of Wales. About
eighty ladies availed themselves Of this
privilege, and their names were men
toned to the Princess as they handed
her the money. The lady writer adds:
There is always a certain sadness
about the Princess" The certain sad
ness" is hardly to be wondered at.
What woman could endure such an or
deal without being left with an attack
of the blues? Imagine being compelled
to say something cheerful and pleasant
and look bright, while running the
gauntlet Of eighty pairs of prying eyes
l0oJA r;~ IcI Io1
other motive in being thus forced upon
her notice than vulgar curiosity! 1t
would be interesting to know just how
many of those women were Americans.
A young citizen of Sacramento who
has been through the mill,' as the
saying goes, having so far had quite
checkered existence, has been heard
from again. He once aspired to a stage
life, and got so far up on the profess
sional ladder as to become a mailed
guard attendant on our favorite ira
gedan, Louis James, in his last ap-
pearance here. At another time he at
tempted suicide, and has lately been
discovered in one of our mountain
towns serving in the capacity Of clerk
in a leading hotel" What tickle fate
will further do with him is a question
that is agitating the minds of those OF
his friends, who are following his ca
reer with deepest interest in coming
events.
Walking down or K streets now
adays is a matter of deep concern
especially if you are alone and it is after
nightfall. The crowds jostle each other
about, and one is obliged to use his
elbows in some places in order to get
safely through. The small boy is out
in full force and many are the pranks
played upon the unsuspecting pedestri-
an to his (the small boys intense and
soulful delight. Saturday night last, as
friend and myself passed along J
street, as we neared Fifth we noticed
some object on the sidewalk that people
in passing seemed to take deep interest
in, which aroused our curiosity to such
an extent that we resolved to find out
what it was all about Accordingly we
slackened our pace and soon a gentle
man. who seemed to be out for no other
purpose than to amuSe himself paused
suddenly, lifted the object, which looked
like a neat parcel wrapped carefully in
brown paper and tied with a string
carried it a few feet, when shouts of
laughter from the sidewalk behind him
caused him to suddenly drop the inno-
cent looking parcel and hurry on in
pursuance of some business engagement
which doubtless he had forgotten until
| that moment. This was repeated time
after time by one and another of the
| paGsers by, who never realized that
they were the victims of a practical
! joke until the shouts of laughter from
the sidewalk dispelled their dreams of
a valuable find. when they would in
every case drop it in disgust, and walk
| hurriedly on. trying to look the while
as if they knew all the time it was only
q JOKE. once a charming young Miss
passed that way, VINO tried to kick it
aside with the tip of her razor-toed
| boot, thereby placing those delicate arti-
| cie5 OF footwear in jeopardy, as it trans
| pired that the parcel which was fur
! nishing so much sport for the wicked
small boy was an artfully disguised
| trickbat, with all the latter's known
stubbornness of constitution. Soon as
my pretty little miss" became con-
scious that she was the center of at
| traction for an extremely nlirthful au-
| dience she, too, hurried away in disgust,
| fitting her nose to assure the common
| herd that she didn't care a pin. This
| was only a circumstance in the list of
| funny happenings. Try it yourself and
| keep your eyes open. You'll see enough
| to make you feel that you are once more
among the fakirs and "spielers" of the
Midway Plaisance, which, if not in every
| respect a thing of beauty" was at
least 'joy forever" in the mirth never
| to be forgotten which it afforded some
L of