New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-11-16
PRICE THREE CENTS.
ONCE MORE THE HORSE
THE SHOW IN MADISON SQUARE GAR.
DEN AS GAY AS EVER.


HAVE LITTLE EFFECT on THE ATTENDANCE
A WONDERFUL ARRAY OF HORSE
FLESH. But SOME OF THE JUDO
ING NOT IN GENERAL FAVOR
Now in his season comes th- horse to end the
autumn and usher IN the winter season with his
annual festival at the Madison Square Garden.
Yesterday was the opening OF his six days reign
over the town and the people therein. For 80
days in the year the city may talk politics rapid
transit. business. stocks or gossip. but for six
days in November the horse and his show super
sede every other topic Of conversation. Not that
the Horse Show means the hcrses exclusively.
Oh, dear, no. II means. besides that. everything
well. everything that the Horse Show means,
ard everybody knows what that means
For the last thirteen years the Horse Show
has been the first great function OF the socia'
season that called The members Of New-York
the seashore. ard even from the mountains ana
the sea shore, and even from abroad. TO begin
once more the rourd OF various social obliga-
tions with which TIE winter is filed. The
opera is usually in full swing by this time but
society returns not r body for that but by
strong detachments. as the individual whim
may direct This year there is no opera. alas.
function where society sees and is seem
AN AVERAGE OPENING DAY
The opening day OF the Horse Show this year
was an excellent average opening day. The
weather was all that not desired. Dry
weather was desired and 4; raned In bucket
fuls. Crisp. sharp air was hoped for, and be-
hold. the streets and pavements steamed under
the shower OF warm water The opening hours
OF the show dismal enough. and as the
day advanced the prospect was anything but
cheering. But in the late afternoon things be-
gan to liven up a bit. and in the evening the
crowds poured into the big Garden in the old
fashioned style that warmed the cookies Of tho
hearts of those who manage the show.
The Horse Show has always stood for society
Society originated it, manages t and stands
sponsor for it, Yet almost every year in the
last half-dozen the cry has gone up in advance.
Society has deserted its own. It Will this year
frown upon the show" Society has not deserted
its own and has not frowned upon it to any ap-
nreciable extent. Why should 1t? Good horses
are as necessary to the welfare Of good society
az they eve~ were. and the inroads OF trolleys.
BICYCLES and motor wagons have not decreased
the numbers of those who know and love fine
horse.
THE BEST PEOPLE NOT IN FRONT
In one particular. however. society's atti-
tude toward the show differs this year from that
of years befole The principal and most con-
spicuous boxes are not this year occupied 80
exclusively by ultra fashionable folks as they
have BEEN heretofore. The fashionahles attend
the show but they have largely refralned from
putting themselves forward - the gaze OF the
uultitudes in the manner followed before. 1t
would not take long 20 convince the merest
tyro in matters fashionable that the best people
OF New-York were largely represented in the
wellbred crowd that circled about the show
ring last night. The atmosphere unmis-
taxable But when one came 10 look for them
In the high places-that is 10 say. the show
bOxes-they were not TO be found there.
little further back in the first tier Of seats they
were to be seen when they were not stro!ling
about the promenade. But the curious who
armed themselves with catalogues and spent
their time in trying to identify the boxholders
were not well rewarded as in past years.
THE HORSES BETTER THAN EVER.
The Horse Show. a horse show pure and
simple is easily this year the peer OF anything
! that New-Yorkers have ever looked upon be-
fore Not only is the entry list the largest in
| long time but il is universally conceded that
Detter-DreQ, H0eT-lOOkllB lOl Vi HOls mas never
been assembled at any one time beneath the
roof OF Madison Square Garden Almost every
class shows an improvement in quality well
as in quantity II any doubts this let him
study carefully the list Of prize awards and note
there the number of orize-winners in previous
years that were turned out Of the ring ribbon
less and forlorn last night because Of better
material upon which TO bestow the prizes.
When a horse with such record as Charles 2.
Bates's Coxey fails to get even simple COM
mendatiol In class in which he has hereto
fore won high honors. II is sigT lcant and pleas
antly significant. for everybody but the owner
OF Coxey To be sure. there may have been
other considerations entering into Coxeys case.
but he would not have gone utterly without
mention had there not been some surprisingly
good ones against him. Upsets Of previous
Judgments too were not unlocked for, because
NJ the number Of new judges In the list OF the
men chosen to award the ribbons this year. In
previous years. good judges have often pre-
dicted the winners before they entered the
ring. simply from the knowledge OF the style Of
horse favored by the judges This year the new
Judges are bound TO upset the calculations Of the
..sure-thing" winners If yesterdays awards
any criterion
EXHIBITORS APPLICATIONS REFUSED
A good idea OF the number and quality OF the
animals entered in this years show may be had
from the fact that there are three hundred
horses stabbed in the Garden now and that every
one OF them is in the pink Of physical condition
II was found necessary to refuse applications
from owners of two hundred and sixty other
horses. because there was no room for them.
Nine o'clock the hour at which the doors
OF the Garden opened for the admission Of visit
ors. At that hour the owners OF horses stabbed
at the Garden were permitted to exercise their
animals When the first horse entered the ring
there was hardly a spectator present; but they
soon began to arrive. Most Of them were owners
of horses or friends Of the owners.