The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-02
LIVE TOPICS ABoUr roWN.

10 sing Ut the metropolitan Operh HOUSE. ono
was engaged q year ago by Maurice Grau to
sing last winter, but exercised her option to
rescind tho contract. Her decision to do so was
brought about by a peculiar combination OF cir
cumstances. Nine. Sembrioh had sung at Cow
ent Garden. and as she was not in good con-
dition, or for some other reason, her success was
not as great as usual. Probably the real rea-
son OF her failure to DO as highly praised as
usual was the fact that she appeared
as Yioletta in LA Traviata" Just after Nine.
brich consulted with several persons WHO were
in a position to advise her wisely, made herself
thoroughly acquainted with the situation here,
and then decided to wait for a year before COM
ing to the United states again. In the mean
Russia, where she is an immensely popular per.
former. In Spain she is also very popular. In
Germany, she sings, usually in concert, but in
sembrich began her musical studies as an instru.
mentalista and studied first the violin and piano. II
cred size possessed a beautiful voice. Then she
gave up the piano and violin, and became a
and sang for several years in the company at tho
Cou~s theatre In Dresden. She is a compare
The very height Of her powers. Persons Who
have heard her lately say that her voice Is still
fresh and beautiful.
Tho removal from the floor Of the Pcnnsylvn-
mia station in Washington of the star that
marked the spot on which President Garfield
was shot has almost a parallel in u certain hotol
in this city. Tho entrance of this hotel was the
scene OF a famous crime, and the bullet which
killed one of the best-known men Of his day
lodged in n wooden rail along the steps. The
mark of the bullet was there during many sue
ceeding years. The establishment passed
We're times in which It was not good
f fort 9S. m 0ns of the e, ,RTOp56i n,s1 a,oi MhG
that whether tho bullet mark was q hoodoo
or not 1t should cease to be an object Of interest
and persons who wanted to see tho splintered
woodwork were told that no marks remained.
a aDa" Of y the h b bnnilet's course 10 %'S through IN" The sp Wood.
work. Tho persons who ask to see 1t nowadays
are few in number; but those who do are in.
variably disappointed.
The horses ridden by the mounted police in
yesterdays parade were n noticeably fine lot,
and as they trotted down Broadway 10 take their
station in the line Of march the street was lined
with sightsccrs. Mounted police in the lower
part Of New York are a novelty except on parade
days, and they naturally attract more attention
than the men on foot. One company that passed
down Broadway early in tho afternoon rode
dark bay, horses OF almost a uniform
color, and no crack troop that has APP
Been better mounted nom " eIfA The horses ySars we'll %Si
groomed. and from their movements they had
t Msts the So s SPaFnss of H.! msn day 3, H Ind h Mounted taa, so thsy
men looked as II they were overweight, but
their horses carried them without any fuss. Tho
men rode with the lons stirrups, after the man.
ner OF cavalrymen, which does not give so SNOWY
a seat on the trot rs the rise from the saddle
with the short stirrups, but 1t Is much moro
serviceable.
The approaching demolition Of the old Rem.
wick house in University place. with the object
Of erecting u business building at the corner of
Tenth street and University place, removes al
most the last OF the old-time residences on this
once quiet and fashionable street. The Auchmuty
house, at the corner OF Twelfth street and Uni
versity place. is now the only one remaining
above Clinton place. 1t is surrounded now by
many small shops and restaurants, but the
building OF the New FORK Society has always in
sured a certain amount OF quiet to that street.
The Renwick house. with its comfortable look.
ing combination of red brick and brownstone.
offered q curious contrast to the large bust
ness buildings that had sprung up around it.
and as 1t was always carefully kept and showed
undoubted signs OF habitation, 1t survived rs a
striking reminder OF the days when the whole
the transition from the lower part OF the city 10
what Is now known as tho new French. quarter,
some OF the memeers or the frencn colony
there to-day. Another popularity OF the neighbor-
hood is the large number of Cuban tobacco shops.
They were among the first indications Of bust.
ness noticeable in the region when IL passed over
from domesticity TO commerce..
The number OF busy men in New York who,
without taking a long vacation. manage to
spend a great part Of the summer on the water lie
large and increasing. Several years ago THE
Sun told OF the plan adopted by half a dozen
young men who were obliged to be in their offices
every day during the summer except Saturday
afternoon and Sunday. They fitted a good sized
schooner yacht and engaged Il captain and a
small crew. Every afternoon after business
hours they went aboard their boat. and II there
was wind enough they would sail down the Jer-
s siSn not ca sc tEEss5y 1SS f Ssoai H%sy II fF fhe
they would sail back to New York. and il It
wasn't. they would row ashore and get back the
four or fve summers in this fashion, and with.
out losing moro than two or three days each
s sasn1ng b baSh iaelf b eTSin aSosrd II b %Ss pT6s tbers Gi
their acquaintance have followed their example,
During the past year several houseboats for use
on tho Hudson have been constructed, and
aboard them, during the warm weather. their
owners may enjoy tho pleasure of being on the
water with all the comforts OF home.
The task OF transforming the old ST. Johns
burying ground into a city park Is not without in
cidents Of an unexpected character. One OF these
is likely to change the plans for the park TO a
slight extent. One man who had several rela
tives buried in the old cemetery Is particularly
worried over the fact that u section OF the new
park set aside as q playground is over his
visiting the officials in charge Of the work and
protesting uBulnSl IL piuIlb III contemplated
playground over his Grandfather's grave. Othel
relative OF his were buried there, but the stu
alton OF their graves is unknown to him.. ant
the entire force OF his opposition Is centred
on oin efforts nar, to 9, have tSS 1 5hl 'iaEGs s Raa put d into S tSa,
he has no objection to a path or a flower bed or
playground. 1t IL not improbable that hi
wishes In the matter will be regarded, and tn
playground put into some other part OF tn
grounds.
New York is now assured of at least Ave week
of opera next winter, and the season which Wal
ter Damrosch has planned contains the promis,
OF several interesting novelties. Tho one-act op
) era 'Hasisch" seems in reality to be n success
in Germany. 1t was nrst given In Dresden ant
has lately repeated in Berlin the success OF tn
, original production. Bungert's opera on
Homeric subject Is, another recent work tina
r has Rss,, succeeded Gee d, In 6 dPSTilnT large s sSsjs g S. !,
, a novelty that may prove a genuine popu
! terest to Mr.. Damrosch's announcement
: Nine. Melba, It will be remembered, was TO hav,
,... I.,a last xgtn.ar aa Dnasau hnf her inanaI