The herald., 1896-03-03
GOTHAM GOSSIP.

Every girl who likes bon-bons should
read this account of a sugar-plum manu-
factory, for next to a dressmaker's there is
no place which savors quite so much OF the
enchanted palaces In Arcadia, as does the
big sweat-shops to the average. nice, com
Portable, frivolous woman. Few city sights
are more interesting that great candy store.
There is such a suggestion of Aladdin
palace about it that you do not wonder at
the eddy that it makes in the human stream
rushing along the pavement. Every mo-
ment the big crystal doors swing In or oui
at the touch Of all manner Of humankind.
Women, of course, predominate-for the
most part young women, hardly past girl
hood. The older ones have usually a child
in charge. They are aunts or grandmoth-
ers-or bonnes, in cap and apron, leading
solicitously the heir or leiress of millions.
Sometimes there are two OF the small peo-
ple-and then, indeed, the nurses lot while
they are choosing their moneys worth of
sweets Is not particularly Il happy one.
Still, she fares better than the doting aunta
and grandmothers--who seldom escape until
their dear tyrapts have exhausted both
purse and patience. But no great harm is
done-the crowd in a Broadway shop comes
almost wholly from the class that tolls not,
neither does it spin.
The masculine moiety Of it may be divid-
ed roughly into grandfathers, bridesrooms
and beauX, whose attentions rarely mean
intentions. The old men. you see, buy sucl,
big generous boXes--almost more than their
hands will hold, numbered as they are with
cane and kerchef. The smiling BRIDE
groom chooses the most luscious of melting
sweets; while the beaux spend their shekels
for dainty little bonbonieres. full of daintier
and smaller bonbons. that some fortunate
young woman may eat without lcee OF caste
through ali the tears and laughter OF the
play.
x x y
All and several they have a liberal range
Of choice The long counters are full of
silver trays. heaped with all sorts and con-
ditions of candy. Here are satinettes Of
every color, breathing out the fragrance of
rose or jasmine or heliotrope; peach pits,
natural as life: filberts, chestnuts. ocorns,
in and out Of she'll; chocolate in every con-
ceivatle shape and combination; fairy-like
blown candy" that looks as il it had been
spun from sweet sounds and odors; green
peas in the pod. lemon and orange slices,
tiny button onions, nut creams and cara
nels. nut-bar, nougat-and fifty sorts be-
sides.
Inside the brilliant cabinets on both sides
Of the shop are other silvered trays upon
plate glass shelves wherein you see rose
buds, or orchids or lilies shaped from pink
or yellow almond paste with calyxes of
pstachs green They are so lifeiike it
seems vandalism, to eat them even If you
have paid dollar for half a pouM of them.
They keep in countenance the cand!ed straw
berries, cherries, violets and rose leaves,
thet are hut one-ha!f as costly-selling at
the same rate as the familiar glace fruits
the most part with tongs. Then the
waxed paper is folded over, the top put on,
and the box wrapped and tied After that
It is sealed and stamped with the makers
name and guarantee.
X " "
Once upon a time the process of candy
making was summed with two words-sugar
and Skill but candy in these end-of the
century days means very much more. What
ever the world yields of flower or fruit.
CT nut or spicy essence. has been laid
under tribute for the sweets Of our time.
A candy factory has very mrch the look
Of any other facto"y--except that it is in
every part, kept ecrupuouely clean. The
machii cry, too may look a thought more
incomr rehensble than the ordinary bands
and pulleys and shafts and COS wheels.
But there is no rlstaking the use of the
big, deep. beautifully polished copper kct-
ties. Sugar is puf into them, a barrel at a
time, with more CT less water, according to
it's ultimate purpose. A steam Jacket comes
two-thirds up the side of each kettle. and
steam cooks the contents thereof without
the least possibility of burning or scorcning.
If the syrup is to be creamed-as it is three
times in lve-it goes from the kettles
straight 10 the creamlng mill, where big
curved iron arms heat and twirl it into a
white, light, foamy mass.
I Next the cream is packed down in big
| tubs and set away to await making up.
That is perhaps two years ahead-since
cream improves wonderfully for good keep
| ing. The big candy makers have tons
and tons of 1t always in storage. But that
Is not surprising when you remember that
a single factory in the height Of its season
uses daily more than half a ton Of pure
chocolate for favoring it's goods.
x X X
To make up the cream, girls sit about a
steam table In which dozen or twenty
small kettles are sunk flush with it's face.
In them the cream is heated and worked
smooth and semi-hud. Then it is ready
for the dipping" which the girls do by
means Of bit Of twisted wire. The walnuts
or dates. or whatever is to be dipped, are
piled at the dipper's elbow She sets one
in her wire loop. plunges 1t below the sur
face Of the cream. lifts it out and drops
it lightly upon coarse sieve. Each nut
is now a shapeless oblong. with the yellow
of the skin showing through sparse pink
coating. A second girl sets one Of them il
her wire, thrusts 1t again into the pinl
cream, and brings it up about doubled II
size. With quick. indescrbable wrist mo
tion sno sets it upon white paper where
already there are other pink sweets arrow
But she does not abruptly withdraw he
looped wire. Instead, she draws 1t up on'
side and to the top, shaping the warn
candy as it pas. es into two fine, slight!
curled horns, which give an artistic finish.
But three times in five, no matter hov
they begin, cand es end by becoming choc
olate of some sort. Chocolate dipping il
much like the creaming process-with tn
difference that while it is possible to moul
cream candies oi some sorts. nothing we
invented Can take the place of the tel
fingers for chocolate.
One of the most interesting sights is th
making of the ''blown candy" which look
and tastes fit Cor a fairy's fessts. Me
are the workers here. They take a lum
of hot candy bigger than ones head, tos
and twist it hither and yon, and end b
fiinging 1t across big hook, against whic
they pull as frantically as though life dc
pended on it. They double the extende
mass, rcdouble it, fling it high in air dra'
it back, and play such fertastc tricks be
fore high heaven that one cannot wonde
, that the stuff is so full Of grain-though
seems miraculous to note the transmits
ton OF molten so violent into the gay
glstening ribbons OF sw eetness.
Rose leaves and voles are crystalline
by dropping them one minute in very h
candy, skimming them cut and spreadin
thin, then shaking hot sugar over then
1t Is a tedious proceas--but hardly so muc
) SO as the making OF fruit giaca, which MI
first DE boiled in syrup until it Is clea
then spread, suGare1 and dried with iniinii
ca-e
A word as to flavorines. Though fc
, cIea0 candies all norts o. vllainous SUI
! deniah!e excclle ce Of many latter-da
chemical f1a.orins,s f~.t -riasS ma nj